Grasshopper Days

Grasshopper Days

For today, February 6, 2012

Outside my window...  gorgeous.  Cold and clear.  Snow in all the hills.  Going to and from Seattle this morning we could see Mt. Rainier, the Olympics, Mt. Baker, and some mountains clear up in Canada.  It's that clear.

I am thinking...  so very many thoughts swirling around my brain, mostly related to Tate and the possible CI, also how we're juggling school work around three trips to Seattle in less than a week, and then there's all the financial information I need to get together in hopes of doing something to reduce our mortgage (?), and choir practice starts again tonight.  Just a few plates to keep spinning...

 And that's just part of the Mother Load...

I am thankful for...   the grace of God in these crazy times!  And the wonderful and supportive family He gave me :D

I am praying for...  wisdom, a calm head amidst seeming chaos, work for Kerry, and victory over Mt. Laundry.

I am creating...  oh my.  Not much.  A whole new file for Tate :D

I am going...  to take deep breaths ;D  and to make sure the kids burn off some energy outside in the sunshine!

I am reading...  just finished Calico Bush - very interesting account of a "bound-out" girl in colonial times.  Her family died as they came to the new world and she was made an indentured servant to a family taking a claim in Maine.  Even though it's about a girl, the boys enjoyed it.  Starting Squalls Before War: His Majesty's Schooner Sultana, a look at history from "the other side", based on actual ship's logs.

I am hoping...  how do I separate this from "I am praying"?  I'm hoping and I'm praying for better hearing for Tate!

I am hearing...  silence, ahhh silence.  For a moment, anyway...

I am remembering...  when the boys were babies :D  Funny how it all seems rosy now, but how exhausting it was then!

From the learning rooms...  everything is shuffled around this week to accommodate Tate's appointments.  I made each of the boys a daily list of work, but told them when I'm gone to do anything they can do without me and we'll finish up the stuff they need my help with whenever we can.  No big deal.  And when it's a sunny afternoon?  Get some fresh air!

From the kitchen...  trying something new, I cut up a ham and put it in the crock pot this morning.  Hope it stays tender.  The smell is just tantalizing!

Around the house...  I don't have many special Valentine things, but have touches of red out here and there :D  And, of course, the usual piles and piles of books.

Something I want to remember...  at one point during the testing Tate had today, the woman would give Tate a word and tell him to put it in a sentence.  They were words (or phrases) like "as a result of", or "although", that require a bit more sophisticated language skills.  This was a breeze for Tate, as he could make the sentences about anything.  I should've counted, because I sat there wondering how long would be until he made up a sentence involving a tank, an explosion, or a natural disaster. 

Not long.

His hearing may be dismal, but his sense of humor and creativity are 100%, top-notch, thirteen-year-old boy.

On my mind...  my coming-in-June niece!

Noticing that...  it's finally happened.  Wyatt is as tall (or maybe taller?) than I am.

Pondering these words...  Blessed is he who has learned to laugh at himself, for he shall never cease to be entertained.  John Powell

One of my favorite things...  Psalm 133:1, brothers getting along.

A few plans for the rest of the week...  choir practice tonight and Wyatt is coming along :D  Grandpa Grasshopper driving us down on yet another trip to Seattle tomorrow for two more appointments, and then CAP for Wyatt and Tate.  They're both being promoted!  The rest of the week, catching up on school-work.  Whew!

Here is a picture I am sharing...

Woke up to see this, can you tell what it is?

Frost on the skylight!  (And that annoying black circle?  Thank you, Nerf, for your dart guns.)