Here we go...
2007 is only 2.5 wks old and it's already crazy.
Josh has been doing agility training and indoor soccer, which keeps him in shape, and prevents me from killing him. I love the boy more than anything, but if he gets too dormant physically over the winter, he drives me (and his sisters!) absolutely buggy. And yeah, he can ride his bike, he can go running, etc, but this gets his head in the game as well, which he needs. Agility is on Tues/Sat, and indoor is on Sunday, so that works out pretty well. They both end soon, though, because the soccer season actually starts with his first practice on 2/6! Yes, we have done that rare soccer game in the snow, and if we have any 8am starts, we will be bundled quite warmly into blankets and coats on the sidelines. But I love it just the same. Josh also joined Chess Club, so he's exercising his mind as well as his body. He finished second overall in his old school, so we'll see how well he does in this new one. Yesterday were his first matches, and he had a blast.
Kelsey is doing much better with her school stuff. She had started really slacking off, but a bit of organizational adjustment helped that a lot. Registration for softball starts this weekend, but she doesn't actually start until March, so we have a bit of reprieve there. It'll give us time to really work on her swing and get it to level off a bit better on the follow-through. She's got a really good arm, but her catch percentage on pop-flies could improve a bit. She got a beautiful new mitt and softball for Christmas, and was so stoked. I was sitting on the couch and asked her to toss the ball to me. She did, and I blinked or something, but it went over my shoulder and cracked the window behind me!! Figures, right? *lol* So far, it's still intact, but I'm going to get the pane replace in the spring. (It's one of those double-paned windows, so it's not just a matter of dropping a new piece of glass in.) She's still dating Casey; he's a good kid, so it's easy to have him around, you know? She made him a scarf and fingerless gloves for him and they turned out beautiful. I am really impressed by her knitting skills. She gets her creativity from me, and her tenacious attitude towards figuring stuff out from Steven. Kelsey is still working for Marcy part time, as well as babysitting and such. Her Norway fund continues to grow, as does her iPod fund! :) We're looking at schools with Hotel Management programs, as her plan to move to Norway and open a bed and breakfast is still quite solid. Man, it would kill me to see her move so far away, but what a cool dream to have! We support her 100%, and she promises she'll keep a room for us. :)
Jay's schedule gears up a bit now too. Her first Feis of the year is next weekend in Raleigh, and she'll have 4 more this year. 2 are in Charlotte, 1 in Myrtle Beach, and 1 in Washington, DC. Her school stuff is rocking along too...she struggled a bit with math, but once she went over it with Steven, she was fine. She is considering getting a job at the mall in Greensboro if she can, since she can go downtown with Steven any morning, and then take the bus wherever she wants to go. We got the kids bus passes so they do this, and they like the freedom and responsibility it gives them. She is planning on attending NCSU for undergrad, pre-vet, and then going to UFl-Gainesville for their marine mammal health program for grad school. I need to dig up some text books on ebay for her to browse at some point!
One of my dearest friends lost her fight with brain cancer Saturday night. She was the person who got me into teaching, and my inspiration for my special education work. Our families were so close for so long; we used to go to her kids' sports stuff all the time, we would have impromptu barbecues on weekends, whatever. She was in such pain, and just not getting better from the complications following her cancer treatment, and it was a blessing that she finally found peace. That said, my heart mourns the loss of my friend, the idea that Chris and Tyler are now without their mother, the fact that Jerry will no longer wake up in the morning and see the other half of his soul beside him. The times we laughed together, the conversations we had, the plans we made that never came to fruition, all spin through my head now. Her funeral is Saturday...a time to say goodbye to a friend, and celebrate a life that ended too soon.
Steven and I in general are doing fine too. He's into geocaching like a true addict :) and I'm still quilting. I did some memory quilts made from my friend's father's shirts for her sister, her mom, and herself this year; that was a neat project. I also have 3 baby quilts in the design phase, all due within two weeks of each other. We're hoping for a trip somewhere warm and sunny in March, and we'll be going to DC in July for the Feis and geocaching and education, so we'll get some down time as well. Work is going well for both of us; busy but productive.
Now I need to work. But I'd much rather sleep. *yaaaaaawn*
Josh has been doing agility training and indoor soccer, which keeps him in shape, and prevents me from killing him. I love the boy more than anything, but if he gets too dormant physically over the winter, he drives me (and his sisters!) absolutely buggy. And yeah, he can ride his bike, he can go running, etc, but this gets his head in the game as well, which he needs. Agility is on Tues/Sat, and indoor is on Sunday, so that works out pretty well. They both end soon, though, because the soccer season actually starts with his first practice on 2/6! Yes, we have done that rare soccer game in the snow, and if we have any 8am starts, we will be bundled quite warmly into blankets and coats on the sidelines. But I love it just the same. Josh also joined Chess Club, so he's exercising his mind as well as his body. He finished second overall in his old school, so we'll see how well he does in this new one. Yesterday were his first matches, and he had a blast.
Kelsey is doing much better with her school stuff. She had started really slacking off, but a bit of organizational adjustment helped that a lot. Registration for softball starts this weekend, but she doesn't actually start until March, so we have a bit of reprieve there. It'll give us time to really work on her swing and get it to level off a bit better on the follow-through. She's got a really good arm, but her catch percentage on pop-flies could improve a bit. She got a beautiful new mitt and softball for Christmas, and was so stoked. I was sitting on the couch and asked her to toss the ball to me. She did, and I blinked or something, but it went over my shoulder and cracked the window behind me!! Figures, right? *lol* So far, it's still intact, but I'm going to get the pane replace in the spring. (It's one of those double-paned windows, so it's not just a matter of dropping a new piece of glass in.) She's still dating Casey; he's a good kid, so it's easy to have him around, you know? She made him a scarf and fingerless gloves for him and they turned out beautiful. I am really impressed by her knitting skills. She gets her creativity from me, and her tenacious attitude towards figuring stuff out from Steven. Kelsey is still working for Marcy part time, as well as babysitting and such. Her Norway fund continues to grow, as does her iPod fund! :) We're looking at schools with Hotel Management programs, as her plan to move to Norway and open a bed and breakfast is still quite solid. Man, it would kill me to see her move so far away, but what a cool dream to have! We support her 100%, and she promises she'll keep a room for us. :)
Jay's schedule gears up a bit now too. Her first Feis of the year is next weekend in Raleigh, and she'll have 4 more this year. 2 are in Charlotte, 1 in Myrtle Beach, and 1 in Washington, DC. Her school stuff is rocking along too...she struggled a bit with math, but once she went over it with Steven, she was fine. She is considering getting a job at the mall in Greensboro if she can, since she can go downtown with Steven any morning, and then take the bus wherever she wants to go. We got the kids bus passes so they do this, and they like the freedom and responsibility it gives them. She is planning on attending NCSU for undergrad, pre-vet, and then going to UFl-Gainesville for their marine mammal health program for grad school. I need to dig up some text books on ebay for her to browse at some point!
One of my dearest friends lost her fight with brain cancer Saturday night. She was the person who got me into teaching, and my inspiration for my special education work. Our families were so close for so long; we used to go to her kids' sports stuff all the time, we would have impromptu barbecues on weekends, whatever. She was in such pain, and just not getting better from the complications following her cancer treatment, and it was a blessing that she finally found peace. That said, my heart mourns the loss of my friend, the idea that Chris and Tyler are now without their mother, the fact that Jerry will no longer wake up in the morning and see the other half of his soul beside him. The times we laughed together, the conversations we had, the plans we made that never came to fruition, all spin through my head now. Her funeral is Saturday...a time to say goodbye to a friend, and celebrate a life that ended too soon.
Steven and I in general are doing fine too. He's into geocaching like a true addict :) and I'm still quilting. I did some memory quilts made from my friend's father's shirts for her sister, her mom, and herself this year; that was a neat project. I also have 3 baby quilts in the design phase, all due within two weeks of each other. We're hoping for a trip somewhere warm and sunny in March, and we'll be going to DC in July for the Feis and geocaching and education, so we'll get some down time as well. Work is going well for both of us; busy but productive.
Now I need to work. But I'd much rather sleep. *yaaaaaawn*