Tidbits

Well, it's been awhile since I've just shared in general what my family is doing. To me it's just been the same ol' thing going on around here, but for those of you who don't see us all the time, here's a family update made up of whatever random things come to my mind.

Terence:

Plugging along with work. He has been very busy lately-- with budget cuts and the hiring freeze and injuries, they only have two guys altogether that work nights in his area. It takes some finagling to make sure they always have someone working, and it means we have to be very flexible at home because he may have to change his schedule at the last minute to cover for the other officer. Also, he is heading into one of his busiest months of the year (February) for work-- we probably won't see him much until March. Oh well, at least we know what's coming. He's also fairly busy with his calling at church in the Elder's Quorum but hey, it could be worse. He could be Elder's Quorum President. (Right, Stefanie?)

M:

My oldest little girl is not so little anymore! M is keeping up with school (mostly) and reading like a crazy person (no idea where she got that!) She recently finished reading the fifth Harry Potter book and is well into the sixth-- plus she is a huge fan of the Babymouse series. I can't tell you much about it, but she checks them out over and over at our library so if you live in the area and want to pick them up, you'll have to request them or you will never find them on the shelf. She is also racing through her third piano book. Despite the challenges of having her mother as her teacher, she is learning so quickly that she has easily become my most advanced student. Go M!

J:

J is doing way better in first grade than I ever would have dreamed. His teacher loves him. I guess he is so comfortable with consistent rules and routines that he just flourishes in her classroom. The academic stuff is pretty easy for him and he is reading so fluently that I would really feel proud if it had anything to do with me. (It doesn't. I read much less to him than I did with M and never got around to helping him learn his sight words or anything like that.) He also still loves video games but we have managed to cut back his playing time to a reasonable level by using the Accountable Kids program-- he has to earn tickets by doing chores if he wants to have screen time, and let's face it, he still doesn't get his chores done on a regular basis. Oh well.

B:

My little princess is easing up on the drama a little-- hooray for the timing because it is just starting with K. (One at a time, please!) She is a chatterbox. She will tell you exactly what she is thinking about everyone and everything, and she has very definite opinions. If you are doing something we have taught her not to do, expect to be publicly rebuked. (Better not smoke or take the Lord's name in vain around her.) She also must have the world's most sensitive sense of smell. She can always smell something long before anyone else-- and she is frequently complaining about things that smell bad. At first I thought it was in her imagination but have since learned that she really does smell things even if they're faint, and apparently there are a lot of faint obnoxious scents out there. I registered her for kindergarten yesterday so she'll be going off to school this summer. B is still a night owl, not a hint of going to bed earlier so I have a feeling kindergarten might be a rough transition. Maybe not. Maybe she will miraculously start going to sleep earlier before July.

K:

Two years old and giving us the full blown tantrum treatment lately. Fun. If he doesn't get exactly what he wants right when he wants it, I can expect a tearful, screaming meltdown. Ah, the joys of toddlerhood. In between tantrums he is as smiley and pleasant and adorable as ever. Thank goodness. Makes putting up with the drama easier. He is very independent and doesn't like people doing things for him. He's especially getting sick and tired of his older siblings trying to tell him what to do (tough luck, K, that one's probably going to continue for a loooong time). He's been sick all winter (again) and his pediatrician is having us try a steroid now with his nebulizer to see if we can get him to stop wheezing. It helps a little. The good news is that even when he's sick he sleeps soundly all night. I am counting my blessings.

Me:

Well, I am a frantic crazy person lately. I'm in the homestretch for pulling the Ragnar team together. Still some stressful things going on there (like the money I have not been paid yet!) but I think I'll survive the race part. I've got twice as many piano students as I originally wanted to have (10) but I'm enjoying seeing my new students start to read music. They get so excited when they learn to play what used to be black and white gibberish on a sheet of paper. I just got a new job at church (activity days for 8-9 year olds) and we had our first activity last week. We had ten girls show up, plus my partner's kids and my own underfoot. It was a madhouse. I'm still playing the piano in Primary on Sunday and every time they need someone for a musical number so definitely I am not bored at church. I'm also working on getting my 2nd novel formatted and through its final edit so I can hopefully get it out within a couple months. Oh, and I'm writing a third novel whenever I have a few moments to spare. Now if I could just work in some time to get my dishes done. . . .

That's the update on us! Just the normal stuff going on, but life's made up of the normal and it's still an interesting journey, right?