December 3rd

December 2nd

This day was a bit too special for just one photo....

December 1st

Bundling up for playtime outside.
I'm going to attempt to do a blog project DPP (December Photo Project '10).

Thanksgiving

I have so much to be thankful for, but these two turkeys rank pretty high on the list! I cannot believe that Kate is turning 4 in a manner of weeks, and that my little 18 month old is leaving more and more of her babyhood behind. She answers questions with "uh-huh" & "otay" (and, I will admit "no!"). 

Five Thankful Things

1. Reading through the Chronological Bible has been an amazing thing this year! Highly recommend.

2. All of the Small Groups I've been able to be a part of this year -- Wednesday night groups, Ladies Bible Study, hosting Youth Group, and my Lewis/Tolkien class have all been edifying, and they have also been great opportunities to be closer to old friends and make new ones!

3. Memorizing the Bible w/ Kate -- Major Blessing this year!

4. I'm thankful for my hubby! I am even thankful for his broken leg, if you can believe it! 

5. And lastly, little Rachel -- right now one of her main attributes is her delight in so many things. I love this stage of life where life is continually renewing & delightful & enchanting even in its most mundane repetitions (like bath time!)

If you're not on this list, just imagine that you're really #6. . but I only wanted 5 on the blog. :-)

Sisterhood

My two little girls have been growing like weeds these days. Kate is looking forward to her birthday in two months, and Rachel is really, really taking off. She's getting taller and looking a bit more toddler-ish; fortunately, all her delicious chub plants her pretty firmly in babyhood for awhile longer.  But her face is looking a bit more "knowing." This must come from being able to communicate and understand more and more every day. This also makes her a more fit play companion for big sis -- can you tell she's excited about this prospect?

Being a sister means, getting a washcloth very wet & passing it off to your little sister to tote around the house giving new meaning to the phrase "wet blanket," because "Mom, she loves it!" And she does. (Nevermind that mom doesn't!)

Being sisters means trying to get your hair washed before sister pokes you in the belly or tickles your legs and that supposedly "tear free" shampoo runs into your eyes. It also means finding your belly buttons, poking your eyes, ears, and nose just to remember where they are, and seeing which sister is more fearless with getting water in their eyes.

Being a sister means borrowing sister's favorite books without her minding.... too much. 

lewis, the last babel, and my little babbler

How is it possible that a whole month has gone by since I last posted? Easy. I'm so busy. A whole bunch of new things have started this Fall for me, and while exciting and challenging, are also extremely busy. (Do you see a theme here?) For the first time in my life, I'm relying on things like a "calendar" embedded into Thunderbird. I have always dutifully hung up a calendar on a fridge, and put things like doctor's appointments, birthday parties, and deacon meetings on it, but these days, my calendars are more complex, practical and VITAL, and I don't even have kids in sports or orthodontics. So, what's going on?

I am directing two home schoolers from our church in their American Lit class & Spanish I class. I hand out assignments for the entire course, and we meet once a week two hours. I'm beginning to think that that time period is actually impossible to cram all of the review/preview/discussion that needs to transpire about their week's work of worth; but we make a valiant effort. The neat thing is that my students are, for the most part, bartering for my services -- and I have loved it! One of them barters for house cleaning. If they paid me cash, I probably wouldn't turn that money around to get my house cleaned, and sadly . . .I still wouldn't have the time to clean it! I also get some babysitting, and a few meals per month.

Another new venture is auditing a college class that meets at our church once a week in the evenings. It's a Lewis/Tolkien literature class & it is right up my alley. I'm being challenged, and any time I may have wasted before is non-existent now. :-) I used to laugh at my grades in college because it seemed that semesters when I maxed out my hours and worked a lot, I ended up with a better outcome than semesters when I took fewer hours. I guess it forces me to get really, really organized.

With all of this going on, I decided to step back into cooking some freezer meals, so I did that this last weekend. I LOVE the feeling of looking in my freezer & perusing 21 options for dinner tomorrow night. The time required on the front end is totally worth it to me.

The family in general is doing very well. Josh (& co) has just signed a contract on another investment house close by, and I can't wait to see the transformation this house undergoes. While it needs less work on the outside, there's much to be done on the interior. Plus, the place is bigger (ranch on full basement). If the master bath were a tad larger, I'd consider trying to move. The girls are thriving. Rachel is deep into the parroting stage now where she tries out new words every day and learns at least one new one per week. Here's her list:

shoose (shoes)

biyy (bye)

hii

papa

dadee

mo-mee

chees (just a plain old s sound)

bu-bow (bubbles)

ba (ball)

bay-by

bo (bow)

ah-duh (all done. She used to say ah-ba, but now has the 'd' sound in there. She also uses this frequently & correctly to let me know when she's all done eating.)

ni (night night)

uh-oh (usually it means that something has dropped or spilled)

shisha (sister)

mimi (for the first time this week! This is Mima, of course, but every time she says it she also points to herself twice -- some layered meanings there for her)

go

doggy

eggies (her cutest word, as far as I'm concerned)

And Kate is getting bigger every day, but today she had a couple of times where the 3 year old in her just couldn't help but come out. She pointed to a miniature Buckingham Palace guard I have haphazardly sitting above my sink (think souveneir) and said, "Look at that badger." HUH?? You mean soldier? "Oh yeah, I know it's a soldier." That "dg" sound must crossed some wires in her brain, I guess. Little later on, she asked to see which Chronicle of Narnia I was reading? She looks at the cover and says, "Oh, it's the Last Babel, Mom." (shake of head, slight laugh) BaTTle, honey. "Oh." :-)