Another school year

So, I'd been trying to get the opportunity to work part-time (rather than full time) for a while now, and was never able to get the okay, but this year (with a new university president and a maternity leave that would in isolation span part of two semesters, making normal teaching complicated), we've got something arranged that approaches part time for this school year.  Instead of teaching three classes a semester, I'm doing one at a time (one in August, one in fall, one in spring, and one in May).  In other words, instead of taking 3 months leave when mr./ms. new baby arrives, I'm essentially prorating the workload of a 9-month contract minus 3 months and spreading it out over the course of the year.  So I've been able to go to school just 2-3 days a week and keep kids home one at a time for a little mama time before (and presumably after) throwing them a new sibling.  Not quite every week, but many weeks.  Now, if I could just get my Dean to stop expecting me to be able to come to meetings on my off-days, I'd be in business :)

The days that I go to work, Oren is in what was Li'el's classroom last year, Li'el is in what was Eytan's nursery classroom last year, and Eytan is in a kindergarten classroom.  They all seem to be settled and good. 







Oren is talking a ton, lots of new words, Li'eli is climbing and climbing, and Eytan is stacking tables and chairs (and whatever else) to make buildings. 



 

Mike's teaching is a little little bit more relaxed this year (having some stuff from last year to pull from and co-teachers who help with grading), and we've just about finished unpacking our house from the move last spring.  More visits from Safta and Saba and then Grandma this fall, and now we're trying to get stuff ready for winter.  Like goats -- here's Finn standing on Frosty's back.

And our garden -- which we planted and then abandoned all summer to the weeds.

But we did get some popcorn plants.

Which have turned into popcorn.







And the stalks have been cut and carried over to make a Sukkah roof.

Other than that, it's time to wait for new-baby-arrival (who according to Eytan should be called "fishy" if a boy and according to Li'eli "ballerina dancer" if a girl... Eytan is lobbying for a boy because he doesn't like the name "ballerina dancer" -- I suggested we could give him/her some official name but then just call him/her "fishy ballerina dancer" no matter what gender emerges, but that idea doesn't seem to have taken on yet).