Tuesday Brain Dump

1.  I should be over in the school room, figuring out how to rearrange tomorrow, but my brain is mush.  Apparently two consecutive 5:30am wake-ups are all it takes ;D

The good news is that the boys really liked the baked oatmeal (Monday), and we probably missed the worst of the Seattle morning traffic (today).  Also, we saw an awesome, neon-red sunrise, compliments of the fires in Eastern Washington.  Bad news for you - I have no pictures.  Photography while driving is outside my skill set.  Also, I packed so many books along there was no room for the camera in my bag.

2.  We were down at Children's Hospital for another round of follow-up appointments for Tate and his CI.  Children's graciously scheduled all three appointments in one day, and I had this wild idea that we would get a lot of schooling done between appointments, but that was not to be.  Because for all their wonderfulness in other areas, the staff are doing something that really ticks me off - hoarding the beepers.  We had a 9am, a 10:30 am, and a 1pm appointment, none of which are particularly long, meaning wait-time in between.  That's worth it, to eliminate trips to Seattle, right?  Especially when we could take our handy-dandy beeper and escape the insanity of the waiting room for the cafeteria or courtyard, and knock off some school work in a quiet environment, right?

Wrong.

No beeper means no leaving the waiting room, on the off chance your doctor can fit you in sooner (and you can go home!)  And the waiting room serves several clinics, including ours - Audiology.  And let me clue you in here, deaf and hard of hearing kids are LOUD.  Their world may be silent, but they are not!  Tate was the same way when he was younger.  He couldn't hear how loud he was being.  I'm sympathetic, really.  But give me the &(%&* beeper, and let us out of the fun house, okay?  Arrrgh.

3.  But back to the appointments...  saw the Auditory Skills evaluator first, and no surprises there.  Tate is awesome.  Still has difficulty distinguishing sounds like K vs T in isolation, but totally gets it in context.

His audiologist did some booth testing and tweaked his map.  He has one program he's sort of "saving" to use while hunting (does not suppress non-speech-noises he may wish to hear), and after she explained IDR (input dynamic range - which relates to the range of decibels the CI is picking up) he asked her to increase the IDR on that program only, which was a brilliant request.  It's complicated to understand (and it's hard to explain what you don't understand well!) but I think having a narrower IDR helps with speech comprehension by eliminating (or reducing) a lot of extraneous, non-speech noise.  Increasing the IDR in a program not intended primarily for speech-recognition may help him hear quiet environmental noises, like the footsteps of a deer in the brush.

She also tested his hearing of SIN (speech in noise, y'know ;D) and basically told us what we already know.  Unlike normally hearing people who can make out what a speaker is saying, even if the background noise is close to the volume of the speech, Tate has trouble discerning the speaker's words, even when the speaker is close to 15 dbs louder than the background noise.  This is typical with HoH folks, and these results are from testing him with the CI only (the HA may improve this slightly), but it IS what it IS.  It's not something likely to improve with more practice, as he's done with speech recognition.  (All his other test scores continue to improve.)

Again, this was no surprise.  What it means is that if/when Tate re-enters public school (as Wyatt is doing now) we'll definitely start the ball rolling early to get an FM in place again.  As well, Tate needs to advocate for himself in difficult listening situations.  He HATES to draw attention to himself in that way and doesn't want people to see him as needy.  I continue to encourage him that that kind of self-advocacy is NOT weakness, and people (normal people!) will respect him for it.  I'll remind him of how it went at Basic Encampment (Civil Air Patrol) - he did great and they treated him wonderfully.

4.  Moving on...  in other news, Gunnar did all his independent work while I was gone - yay Gunnar!  And Wyatt thought he'd done all of his, but missed a worksheet I'd left.  Finished that up this afternoon, so - yay Wyatt :D  I just got my ultra-secret password and account number so I can go online and check how he's doing at school  So far, A's, so -yay Wyatt, again.

5.  And, tomorrow will be boggled as well, but not boggled as badly.  Tate has been telling me his glasses aren't cutting it any more.  I'm underwhelmed with the strip-mall eye doctor that prescribed them in the first place, though maybe he's fine and Tate's eyes have just changed all ready.  At any rate, I called to get an appointment with a better doc... who was booked until DECEMBER.  Really?!  Or maybe it was just the really rude receptionist.  I mentioned that we're flexible homeschoolers and would come at the drop of a hat for a cancellation, but she offered no hope.

Then Tate's frames broke.  He claims he has no idea how that happened.  Really???  You have no idea how the glasses on your face got broken?  Kind of reminds me of this.  At any rate, the need is now urgent, and frankly, I'd like to see him with working glasses before the hunting trip in November, y'know?  So I called back, Monday morning.

Maybe they fired the rude receptionist because the cheery voice I talked to was clearly not from the same species.  Why yes she would work him in ASAP, and oh look they just had a cancellation this very week and would we like it?  (Meanwhile I'm thinking, Please-don't-say-Tuesday-please-not-on-Tuesday.)  It's Wednesday morning at 9am.  Perfect.

You know why I love first-thing-in-the-morning appointments?  They haven't had time to get behind schedule yet - take it from someone who used to schedule for an OB-GYN.  Your best bet is first thing in the morning, or right after lunch, but don't tell them I told you ;D

6.  The bunnies.  Still adorable, but I think their cuteness has peaked.  Now they're just getting bigger. However, still, you know what I hear from the boys?  He's so fluffy, I'm gonna DIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEE!  If you haven't seen the movie Despicable Me that will make no sense whatsoever.

7.  So, my living room is still not decorated with fall goodies, but - you know - hearing and vision kind of take precedence over other things.  Even my beloved pumpkin spice candles ;D

Grasshopper Days

Grasshopper Days

For today, September 17, 2012

Outside my window...  have I mentioned that this is my favorite time of year?  We are having a glorious Indian Summer.  Can I call it that?  Since it is, officially, still summer?  Beautiful mid-70's days, and cool, crisp nights.  Leaves turning beautiful colors all around :D

I am hearing...  a quiet house, early in the morning.

I am thinking...  how glad I'll be when the election is over.  Tired of the hype.  Tired of the propaganda.  And tired of the yard signs everywhere.  What if they don't announce the winner until all the signs are taken down?  Wouldn't that be nice?!

I am praying...  for friends joyfully expecting their fifth child to just possibly find larger living quarters (while I love their wonderful and cozy treehouse, I can't imagine how seven people can manage there!), for my mom's continued healing (knee replacement), and especially right now for a family friend - a window-washer - who had a bad fall on Monday.

This is him, working.  Like Spider-man.

This is NOT where he fell from.

I saw him yesterday and he is in a world of pain.

If you would, pray for my friend, Bruce.

Thanks.

I am thankful...  Kerry has so much work, lately!  Tate and Gunnar are off to a strong start with homeschool.  Wyatt is doing well, balancing homeschool and his high school classes.  What I really love is that I don't have to light a fire under him in the morning.  He is up at 6:30 and on his bike (with this good weather, or off to the bus other days) by 7:15.

I am creating...  can't tell.  Two weeks until October birthdays (my sister, brother, and SIL).

I am going...  to enjoy the sunshine, today!

I am reading...  have made no progress this week, but also starting a Tim Keller book on marriage (can't remember the title), for Sunday school class.

I am learning...  some new recipes.  Made blackberry brownies yesterday and YUM!

I am looking forward to...  a quiet-ish weekend coming up.

In the kitchen...  I bet I'm not the only one that was "gifted" with a zucchini the size of a watermelon, and I think I'll try making a zucchini lasagna tonight.  Think the boys will notice?

In the learning rooms...  Tate is cruising through the first chapters of Basic College Mathematics, since they're a lot of review.  He's doing well with his Apologia General Science, and his assorted language work.  We're loving Sonlight's Eastern Hemisphere core, and moving from the Pacific Islands to Australia this week.  I have just a bit of stuff to supplement with ;D  Gunnar is midway through Saxon 6/5 and doing fine with area, exponents, and converting units of measure.  He LOVES Apologia Zoology (third year), and also does fine with his language work.  Wyatt is using a BJU World History that's going fine so far (first time to use their curriculum).  And he's launched into Apologia Biology... so far so good.  I think he's enjoying The Fallacy Detective, and is also reading and summarizing Reasonable Faith, by Jay Wile.

Around the house...  I had hoped to begin a bit of fall decorating this weekend, but it didn't happen.  I did, however, get the last box of five pumpkin spice jar candles at Walmart ;D  Thank you, Gunnar, for getting down on your hands and knees and digging to the back of the bottom shelf and looking behind the mulled cider (close, but no cigar), for the win!

The Mother Load...  crazy, I know, but with birthdays approaching all the gifts I want to MAKE are weighing heavily on my mind.  Little by little...

Noticing...  how much I appreciate it when people pull their thoughts together in a coherent way before speaking.  A kind, well-intended woman in my Sunday school class likes to contribute to the discussion, but I can't make heads or tails of what the point is she's trying to make.

Something fun to share...  guess what the boys have been up to, lately?  Post coming...

One of my favorite things...  guess who looks so much like Gunnar?!?!

A Bible verse...  today's sermon was good, but I'm actually still thinking of last week's.  Very rarely have I heard a whole sermon from one verse, but this was a great one.  The audio and sermon notes aren't up yet (I'll try to remember to come back and link, but if you're interested, feel free to remind me in a few days!).  Pastor Bert is preaching from Hebrews, and came to this verse in chapter 10:

By faith Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king's edict.  

I had the baby with me last weekend, and didn't take any notes, so I'm looking forward to reviewing them when they're posted.  I can't remember clearly enough what he said versus what I heard, but it was very encouraging to those of us concerned about raising our kids in what feels at times like a very hostile and godless culture.

A few plans for the rest of the week...  hoping to stay home tomorrow (!) as Tate and I will be heading to Seattle on Tuesday for a round of appointments.  All is well, they're just part of the follow up for his CI.  Children's was kind enough to schedule all three on the same day, but it will be a long-ish day.  We'll be back in plenty of time for CAP, much to Tate's relief.  I'm going to a fundraiser/candle party Wednesday (friends getting an assistance dog for their diabetic son) - looking forward to spending time with her :D  Then Wyatt, Tate, and Kerry are all going on a SAREX this weekend, so Gunnar and I will be... ???  Have to think of something ;D

A peek into my world...

Looking forward to views like this, from last year, in my backyard.

Homeschool Science

What?  It's sunny out, and I thought I was done for the day!

I can't believe you're making me write up the experiment.

Do I really have to write up every single one?

And why are you calling me a predator?

Mom, this is so dorky.

My prey is in there?

Um, I don't eat paper.

Oh!  I'm an M&M predator!

Alrighty, then.

Only thirty seconds?

Maybe mom isn't quite so dorky after all.

And I even found some of the camouflaged (green) ones.

*Sigh*

Grasshopper Days

Grasshopper Days

For today, September 11, 2012
Outside my window...  a perfect fall day - sunny and cool, leaves beginning to turn colors... and the city public works department delivering Occupational Education right to my doorstep as they dig up an old storm sewer in our yard.  There are some days I envy Tate's ability to "turn off his ears" ;D
I am hearing...  heavy equipment and crows, neither very pleasant.
I am thinking...  it was lovely to have Naomi for the weekend, and lovely to send her back home and get back to our 'normal' life... as normal as things ever get around here, anyway!
I am praying...  for my mom to continue healing, for the boys to continue well in their schooling (the year is off to a very good start :D), and for Kerry to balance the work we're oh-so-thankful for with family life.
I am thankful...  for a good report from our friend at church regarding his cancer, for the aforementioned good start to the school year, and for the bright, beautiful, sunny day.
I am wearing...  blue crop pants, white t-shirt, socks, faux-crocs... ever the fashionista. NOT.
I am creating...  a new daily rhythm for us, with Wyatt gone for part of the morning.
I am going...   to pick him up, shortly, after I get Gunnar going on his science journaling.
I am reading...  Women Helping Women, slowly.  Not as much time for recreational reading of my own, as we're spending a lot of time reading together with Sonlight Eastern Hemisphere curriculum.  (And that's fine :D)
I am learning...  gathering new breakfast options.  Calling baked oatmeal "a cookie you eat with a spoon" made it so much more appealing to the boys.  And the chocolate chips didn't hurt either ;D
I am looking forward to...  the change of seasons - watching the leaves turn colors, the days getting shorter, taking walks in the cooler afternoons, and - oh be still my heart - pumpkin spice candles.  Not yet, but soon!
In the kitchen...  boys have CAP tonight, so we'll have a bigger lunch today and a snacky, left-over dinner.  Amazingly, I combined several days' leftovers into a casserole last night and Wyatt and Tate LOVED it - will miracles never cease ;D  And there are leftovers of that, but not much!
In the learning rooms...  it feels really different this year with Wyatt gone for the first part of the day.  He leaves the house about 7:10, and Tate, Gunnar and I get going by 7:30.  I'm LOVING how productive the mornings are!  It's just after 9:30 and we're done with our language, math, and Tate's science.  We'll start on our history work shortly, and Gunnar can finish his science (with my help) while Tate is gone this afternoon (practicing shooting with Grandpa, as hunting season is just around the corner).  I'll need to duck out and pick up Wyatt in about a half hour, but he mostly works independently, with just a bit of direction from me.
Around the house...  the boys and I did a bit of tidying after we returned Naomi to her parents, but it's kind of bare at the moment.  Looking forward to sprinkling some fall decor around :D
The Mother Load...  I'm gently getting (us AND me) into the new routine, and we're still adding school subjects.  We had less of a "rolling start" this year than usual, but haven't begun any art or journaling, and I have yet to load our new keyboarding program and figure out how it works.  We'll get there :D  I'm anxious to get going on some sewing projects as I figure out what blocks of free time I can carve out of our new schedule.
Noticing that...  the boys still like my help, but are capable of doing much of their school work on their own.  Amazing to see them growing and maturing.  If they were girls I'd say they were blossoming like flowers, but boys?  Maybe they're growing into strong and vibrant trees?  Well, young men, anyway!
Something I want to remember for later...  how Tate (a little) and Gunnar (to a greater extent) have adopted phrases and figures of speech from the Redwall books they've been enjoying.  Like Gunnar saying, I wouldn't fancy getting soaked by that muddy water, or something like that.
Something fun to share...  must get more pics of the baby bunnies.  They are hopping all over the hutch, sampling pellets (food), and drinking - sometimes two at a time - from the water bottle.  I love to see them thriving.
A favorite quote for today...  Miss Manners trusts that she can count on you to teach your child that, contrary to current popular belief, the great moral quality of honesty does not require blurting out everything you know all the time.  I love Judith Martin.
A few plans for the rest of the week...  Tate goes shooting today, then he and Wyatt to CAP.  We'll be schooling (officially) Monday to Thursday, and using Friday as a catch-up day.  Wyatt and Tate also have a handgun shooting lesson (which they won at an auction!) on Friday afternoon.  They'll be volunteering at the flight museum on Saturday and may get to go flying again.
A peek into my world...

I found myself in need of another alarm clock, to remind me to go get Wyatt from school.

I get involved in studying with the other boys and suddenly get a jolt of What time is it?!

It's only a matter of time before I forget, so I set an alarm for 10:30 am in the school room.

He's a big boy, for heaven's sake, and not going to panic if I'm not there the moment he gets out of class.  But he has a lot of schoolwork and I don't want to lose time by keeping him waiting.

And... off I go :D

Guess Who Came To Visit...

We're having Naomi here for the whole weekend, and guess who is absolutely the most excited?  And my best helper :D

He feeds her...

... he burps her...

... and he gets the best smiles from her.

Which isn't too difficult, most of the time.

And since it's 80-some degrees and maybe the last day that feels like summer,

we took her with us to the beach.

Grandma came too :D

She likes the warm weather and fresh air.

And she even cooperated and took a nap, right there in the middle of the hubbub of our kids and friends from church... so I got to swim, too.

Wyatt and Tate took turns paddling around on the board.

Tate reminds me so much of my dad - they have the same back.

I think my helper got a little bit worn out ;D

Good thing she's happy on a blanket, watching the leaves on the trees :D

And - what a good girl - she slept nine hours last night,

so I'll 'forgive' her the blow-out this morning ;D

Transitions

Thanks so much to all of you, for your encouragement regarding our educational plan for Wyatt.  We have so much to be thankful for - starting with the fact that it is indeed a choice.  We have the freedom to keep him home full-time, to send him to school full-time, or to do what we're doing - cherry-pick what we want from the school.  I wish you all had that option!

Interestingly, (at least to me), Washington state is a great place for homeschoolers with respect to the laws we have governing and protecting our right to teach our own children.  We pay the same taxes as everyone else, so why shouldn't we use the schools as we wish as long as it's not disruptive to others?  Tate received services from a TOD (teacher of the deaf) for two or three years after we pulled the boys.  Gunnar had a year of speech therapy.  And now Wyatt is taking a few classes.  We'll keep a close eye on things, but I think he's ready for it.

When Wyatt was little... well... if you could have harnessed him you could have lit Seattle.  His brain, mouth, and body were going a million miles an hour.  All.  The.  Time.    Focus?  Oh look, a squirrel!  There were moments I wondered if we would all survive it.  (And we're not finished, yet, you know.)  But things are better.

In the last year I've seen him gaining a lot of maturity.  More self-control.  More cooperation.  Less provoking his brothers as a sport.  (Can I get an amen?!)  He still can have difficulty staying focused and on-task with things he doesn't love, like school work, but it's not a behavioral issue (in the sense of not trying or deliberately distracting himself or others.)  I see the young man coming out of the boy.  I hear him saying things like, I was sleepy in class today.  I need to get to bed earlier tonight.  Be still my beating heart.

And it's showing across the board.  Have I mentioned how much we're loving how well the boys are doing in Civil Air Patrol?  I don't just mean the fact that they're earning promotions, though that is rewarding, but how they're thriving in the program.  Both Wyatt and Tate are focused on goals they have at CAP.  Getting through Basic Encampment was huge for both of them. Not that I doubted they could do it, but it really boosted their confidence in a good way.

And speaking of CAP... Tate has been pushing himself to stay ahead of Wyatt, often earning promotions just a week or so before his older brother.  But Wyatt finally got the jump on him.  Meet

Sergeant G******

holding his Wright Brothers Award

and snapping me a salute :D

Getting to be quite the young man these days.

In Which I Am Your Supplier of Adorableness

The boys gravitate to the rabbit hutch like crack-heads to a dealer.

Gotta get our cute-and-snuggly fix.

Yes, Gunnar's cute, isn't he?  But I bet you're looking at the bunnies.

It's actually good to handle them a lot, since they are pets.

We want them to be gentle.

We simply cannot resist, especially since their little eyes are open now.

They are so cuddly.

I may be slightly obsessed with their furry little feet.

All three bunnies have homes waiting for them,

but if anyone else (local!) is interested, they're very low-maintenance (and low cost!) pets,

and we could breed them again in the spring :D

Back To School *Sigh*

Good thing the boys are early risers.

Actually, I love that they're early risers.  It feels so productive.  :D

I did something today that I haven't done in five years.  I sent one of the boys To School.  With mixed feelings.  A decision made reluctantly, at least on my part.  The fact is, I am tapped out for math (we barely got through Algebra last year), he needs a foreign language from someone who is actually fluent (and that is no one in this house), and as long as he's doing that, he might as well write for someone else too.  And it would probably be good for him to have a bit of practice at being in a classroom environment again before he hits college.  In two years.

So although he is sixteen, we're calling him a "freshman" (grade 9) and registered him for Spanish, English, and Algebra.  (Yes.  Again.  I want him to be solid and confident before he goes on to Geometry.  And, honestly, I wanted to set him up for success at his re-entry to institutional schooling.)

And if you're counting on your fingers, and thinking "freshman" and "college in two years", let me explain Running Start, (which probably goes by different names in other states).  In Washington, high school students can attend community or technical college during their junior and senior year (grade 11 and 12) and get dual credit, AND pay no tuition.  They still have to pay for lab fees and books, but it's a huge savings.  If they work hard, they can have their AA degree when they graduate from high school.  The catch is, they're college students, and they're taking college classes, and the grades they get are their college record.  And some kids do really well, and some kids don't.  And my thinking is that the older our boys are when they hit Running Start, the better the likelihood they'll succeed. Hence, calling Wyatt a freshman (grade 9) student, though he is older and undoubtedly more advanced.

And if you're still reading, I'm amazed ;D  So much of what I write is really for my own (for our family) memory.  But if you feel like it, read on...

The upside is that the local high school (which is about five minutes from our house, door-to-door), cooperated with my request to schedule his classes during the first three slots of the day.  He's done by 10:45, and comes back home for history, biology, and logic - subjects I was not willing to relinquish control of.

Everyone asks Wyatt - and me - how he's feeling about going to high school.  Meh.  Ambivalent.  Thankfully, he doesn't seem anxious or worried, but neither is he excited.  We're all regretting the loss of our (schedule) freedom.  But he put on his game face and headed out the door.

We stopped, to watch a squirrel on the wire...

... and noted that the sun is only just rising, and he'll be going off to school in the dark before long.

And off he went to catch his bus.

I actually, for a very brief moment, considered high-tailing it around the long way and trying to catch a photo of him getting on the prison bus, but decided that would probably not end well.  If he saw me he'd be mortified (this is NOT KINDERGARTEN, MOM!) and if someone else saw me they'd think I was a stalker, and I have this crazy urge to stay on the good side of local law enforcement.

And in case you wondered, he told me
1.  There were five kids at his bus stop.
2.  The bus came early.  And,
3.  It was one of the older looking buses that has the engine out front and therefore doesn't look like a big brick of cheese.  (Which probably tells you more than you wanted to know about the quantity of cheese this household buys.)

And people say their kids don't tell them what happens at school.  Sheesh.  These are important details, people ;D

I decided that since Wyatt is getting up early, we're all getting up early.  Might as well.  I didn't want him to feel marginalized, and I like getting a jump-start on the day anyway.  Tate and Gunnar and I started our schooling at 7:30.  Gunnar is moving up to some more difficult language material, but Tate is making the biggest academic 'leap forward'.  He's transitioning to working more independently in math (he's doing Lial's Basic College Mathematics), and is starting in on Apologia's General Science, which is also an order of magnitude more mature than their elementary curriculum.

And I'm happy to say that we're off to a flying start.  So far, good attitudes and good work :D

Since there's no midday school bus, I'll be picking Wyatt up when he's done, usually alone, as Tate and Gunnar are perfectly capable of working on their own for a little while.  But today they came with me, ducked down in the back seat and surprised Wyatt when he got in the van.  We decided we needed to have a Celebratory Doughnut, in Gunnar's words.  Wyatt may look very serious, but they were all pretty happy.

And who wouldn't be happy, when mom buys you a doughnut as big as your head?!

And they're going to be even happier tomorrow after lunch when they get to go out on the lake in Grandpa's boat, while all their friends are still in school.

We still have some advantages :D

Grasshopper Days

Grasshopper Days

For today, September 3, 2012.
Outside my window...  it's dark!  But we've had a lovely day - warm, breezy, and sunny.  A perfect day for a BBQ up at my parents'.
I am hearing...  good grief.  Why aren't the boys in bed yet?  Am I the only one in this house who can tell time?  It's a SCHOOL NIGHT, for heaven's sake!
I am thinking...  a school night?  All ready?  How on earth did that sneak up on us?
I am praying...  for the boys to grow in wisdom, and in stature, and in favor with God and men.
I am thankful...  Kerry is still busy with work, my mom is making good progress in her recovery (knee replacement), and the boys are healthy and lively.
I am wearing...  capri jeans, blue t-shirt, flip-flops.  Amazing, I know.
I am creating...  plans, plans, plans!!!
I am going...  to love getting back into a more structured routine :D
I am reading...  Tate's science book - Apologia's General Science.
I am learning...  about scientists through history.  It's amazing.  Did you know that most of the early scientists were devout Christians?  It makes perfect sense.  If you believe in a God who is orderly, then you believe in a universe that can be studied, understood, and explained rationally.  If you believe in a multitude of capricious gods (Greeks or Romans, or Hindus) who alternately help or torment humans at their whim, then how could the world make any logical sense?
I am hoping...  for a cheerful, ambitious, bright-eyed-and-bushy-tailed start to a new school year.
In the kitchen...  hmmm, I'll think about that tomorrow?
In the learning rooms...  something old (curriculum we've been using and passing down from boy to boy) and something new (some new books for everyone!), something borrowed (Sonlight's Eastern Hemisphere core - thanks Colleen!), and lots of blue (my favorite color, but you knew that).
Around the house...  a bit of neglect - we've been outside so much!
The Mother Load...  oh my word, I'm going to forget it's Tuesday in the morning, and that means
*  CAP in the evening.  Must not forget!  Because it's going to seem like Monday.
*  Must get boys launched into the new school year.
*  Don't tell them (not likely that you would...) but I'm taking them all out for donuts, mid-morning, to celebrate back-to-school.
*  Wyatt is going to go part-time to the local high school - did I mention that before?  So he must be headed for the bus by shortly after 7am.
*  I'm bringing dinner to friends on Wednesday.
*  And we're having my niece for the weekend, arriving on Thursday.  Yes, my two-month-old niece.
*  Which means I need to have everything ready for TWO weeks of school, not just one.  I have the whole year mapped out, but generally prep the little details a week at a time.  But something tells me I may not have much free time this weekend ;D
*  Whew.  At least I don't have to child-proof the house, since she can't get into anything yet.  But I probably won't be online much, since even when I'm not distracted, she'll be sleeping in my office.
*  Anything else?  I must be forgetting something...
Noticing that...  Wyatt seems cool and collected, the night before his first day back to public school.  He laid out some jeans and a t-shirt.  Got his backpack ready.  And showered and shaved.
Something I want to remember for later...  my kids are not perfect, (and neither are their parents!) ;D  But the boys are in a good place right now.  Still in process, but we're reaping some of the rewards of years of training and discipline.  They're pretty fun to be around, y'know?
... and now that I dared to put that in print, they'll probably do something dreadful and awful and embarrassing and humiliating.  (Is that superstitious?)
Something fun to share...  my mom had printed out some pictures of Naomi to share with us, and in one of them she looks very much like Gunnar.  If she can email me the photo I'll post it later.  (I only have a print copy.)
One of my favorite things...  new beginnings.
A Bible verse...  Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things.        Philippians 4:8
A few plans for the rest of the week...  well, yah, getting into the school groove, and then the baby groove.  Yah, that's all.
A peek into my world...
The boys and I were cleaning out their closet, and found this masterful work of art, produced by Tate (how many???) years ago...

Oh, nooooo!  Godzilla is attacking the city!