Winter –Spring 2013
Big changes in the household! In January, I went back to work as a
teacher. I accepted a position as an ESL
English and Reading teacher. I began in
an elementary school and moved up to a middle school position in March. I love being an active part of the Rogers
Public School system here and have found it rewarding to work with students
whose families speak mostly Spanish.
My return to teaching coincided with a semester of evening
graduate school classes for Tom and full-time Stay At Home Dad during the
daytime. What a special time this was
for both father and children. They had
some incredible bonding and our house was somehow always clean! He’s a wonderful father and the kids
flourished with the extra dad-time. Tom
took education classes towards his Master of Art in Teaching at the University
of Arkansas. His favorite class was an
Adolescent Literature class that focused on graphic novels and comic
books.
Zeke, Zadie, and Ezra enjoyed playing outside daily in the
warm Arkansas winter and early spring.
They loved their “WHEEEEEEE”s (big pushes on the swings), digging in the sandbox, and walks to the neighborhood park.
Tom took the kids on several outings including a few visits to the
incredibly awesome Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Zeke attended preschool 2 mornings per week
and loved playing with his friends there.
Summer 2013
Potty Training!!!!
For the past 4.5 years, we have had 2-3 kids in diapers. We very much looked forward to the day that
we would not have diapers around our house anymore. Success!!!!
Our house became diaper-free in June.
We haven’t looked back since. J
More graduate school…
I took part in a 2 week intensive graduate coursework program called ESL
Academy. 13 long days of studying and
classes for me, and long summer days at home for the kids and Tom. Tom also took graduate classes in July in
preparation for his student teaching/internship in the fall.
Swimming- we loved
the water this summer! Rogers just built
a new Aquatic Center that we visited a few times. We also liked the Bentonville city pool and a
few others we managed to dive into. The
twins jumped off the side of the pool thousands of times and Zeke discovered
the magic of swimming. Once he got his
face in the water, he was able to swim independently- this was so exciting for
a couple of former-lifeguard parents.
In July, we traveled north for a two-week visit to
Minnesota. There, we spent time with the
Piersmas and other friends, we connected with Nelson/Zabell cousins and family,
and we enjoyed a bit of time in the Twin Cities. 
Then, we reunited with the
Lewandowski/Notch/Roesner cousins, aunts, uncles, and Grandma Jean. Our annual trip to New Frontier Resort up in
Park Rapids was full of sunshine and memory-making. sun, sand, crafts, food, and late nights. 
Fall –Winter (again!)2013
School began in August, along with more big changes for our
family. I was still teaching middle
school ESL, and Tom began his year-long student teaching internship as an
English teacher. He was placed at
Oakdale Middle school, where I actually teach for the first two periods of the
day before traveling to a different middle school. We enjoyed driving to school together and
bumping into each other in the teacher’s lounge. Tom found success in engaging students in
writing projects. I thought the most
interesting project he did was the “Soundtrack of My Life” project in which
students wrote and shared about their personal connections to songs. It was a great way to learn more about the
lives of these kids.
Speaking of kids, our own have been thriving this fall/early winter! We hired a nanny over the summer who comes to our house each school day and lovingly cares for our three kids. She’s actually a twin herself and is still best friends with her brother today! Our nanny has become a special part of our family this year and we are grateful for a dependable, loving, and creative childcare provider.
Zeke has continued to attend a morning preschool program for
4 year olds here at a local church. He’s
mastered numbers and letter sounds this fall and will be moving toward reading
some beginning words in the next few months!
His #1 hobby is playing with Legos.
Zeke even sleeps with a Lego catalog next to his bed every night (and
has been since July) He loves to build and create all types of rescue vehicles
with crazy adaptations. Tom and Ezra
also have joined Zeke in building some cities and towns on our Lego table.
Our twins are growing so quickly too! They celebrated their 3rd
birthdays in November, and we can hardly believe how quickly time has
gone. Ezra is no longer our quiet and
reserved toddler. He’s loud and
strong! Ezra loves to play superheros,
holler, run, and jump! Ezra is also
really into painting and art this year.
He loves doing art projects, and our nanny has been happy to indulge
him! Ezra has fun exploring games and
activities outside like soccer, digging in the sandbox, and chasing the
dog. While he loves to play hard, he
can snuggle and cuddle with the best of them!
Zadie is growing into such a sweet little girl. She’s happy to tag along with her brothers
and play with them, yet can play independently for an hour in her own fantasy
world. She loves wearing tutus, singing
original songs (often about following rules) , and playing with her (imaginary)
“ballet friends.” While Zadie has not
begun any formal ballet training, a great deal of dancing is done in our living
room and kitchen each night. She adores
our dog, Roxy, and the love is reciprocated by the dog. It’s a special bond.
As for me, (Karine- in case you forgot who was writing
this), I’ve been happily finding my rhythm as a working mom. I love my job, and appreciate that my
schedule allows me to be with my family by 4pm most days. I’ve enjoyed doing some craft and sewing projects,
trying new recipes, and reading a few books in the evenings. I look forward to Friday nights all week
long. We celebrate “Family Movie Night”
every Friday with pizza and a movie for the whole family. It’s a fun small tradition that I
cherish.
As we move into 2014, we look forward to many
adventures. We’d love to host visitors
here in Rogers, Arkansas (seriously!)
and welcome our friends and family to look us up. May your holidays be filled with blessings
and light!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
The Lewandowski Family
Karine, Tom, Zeke, Ezra, and Zadie
