weekend with dad...

some things I really enjoy...

Man, do I love a fun and intelligent conversation, I am not sure about the rest of the class, but the teacher is very fun to talk to. Class (even if I only have one) is a fantastic addition to each week. I am really excited about the challenges of next semester, now that I have reassured myself that I, one, want to do this, and two, have the ability to complete it. I just received the points for my first three "assignments" so to speak, and although we lost two points of ten on the group paper, I did receive all the points available for the project and the exam, so I am sporting a 98% right now. I am glad that I was forced to take this class, because it is my least favorite type of class, one with lots of reading and essays. I am not worried about any classes that involve only math or experiments and non-essay tests. Now that I know I can get myself through this kind of studying and writing, I know I can get through any of the other classes. Another phenomenon that I wasn't anticipating is that I am so grateful for the chance to go back to school, it seems, that I am more motivated than I remember being ten years ago. Not that I was failing then, but I don't remember enjoying the experience so much. So, what else do I really enjoy? The kids and hubby, of course. Here are some videos from the past few days. Daddy made the outside videos while I was in class one evening, and "ha ha ha" I didn't watch the last one until I just posted it. That is just a little joke between some of us (mimi, big daddy, and trent and me). I am not sure about the psychological repercussions, but Trevor refuses to be anyone's "boy" lately. He says, "No, Dad, I am just everyone's boy. Mom, tell him I can be everyone's boy." Very slick Trent. Only worse that when I was in the bed with Jewel she laughed and said, "Momma, Daddy's girl."

some stuff I scribbled about last week...

Last week, in the midst of exams and what not, I scribbled a few notes about Jewel. She is really talking now, sentences, desires, and even understanding. I asked her to turn on the light for the living room and she knew which of the four switches (all in a row) turned it on, hitting the right one the first time. Then, she cried outside Taylor's door until he went outside with her to play. When they came inside, she said, "I want to sing a song, Taylor." So, they sat at the keyboard and sang a song. She also found a necklace and bracelet of mine and wore it for hours showing everyone she saw, "Wook, neckwace, bacewet." So sweet. Trevor told me,"No, I will just stay home alone, I want to play my game on Nick Jr.", when I told him to get in the van. We were going to meet Trent with some lunch, but apparently that didn't jive with his plans for his Saturday afternoon. On the school front, we have found ourselves lost in neurons, thanks to the course that Taylor has been watching, and coincidentally I have several recent magazines with articles that are related. Two recent issues of Discover and one from Natural History magazine have articles about the role of the neuron in the brain's functions. I really didn't know if Taylor would be able to follow them if I read them to him, but in true "taylor" fashion, he followed and enjoyed the one I've had time to read to him. He really can just learn from anything, which is going to be especially helpful next semester. I am going to start full-time school, assuming I can get the babies into a daycare by then. I know, I know, I hate it too. But, it isn't the first time that poor decisions in my past have created undesirable options in my present. What can you do? I plan to plan (and carry out) one learning activity each day with them, after daycare, just to keep with our "homeschooling" lifestyle. And, I don't expect that they babies will hate it, they will enjoy it, like all "adaptable" children do. Taylor has decided he will continue to homeschool, even if that means working alone while I am in class. We have devised a system (using webcams, phones, and chat) that will allow us to stay in contact even while I am in class (most of the time) and he has proved himself to be trustworthy and self-motivated, so I don't expect it to be a problem. But, I am concerned that he might get lonely. I will continue to offer public school as a temporary option, and we'll just take it one semester at a time. I will get more time alone with Taylor because of this arrangement as well, time without the babies interrupting our lesson, so we are both looking forward to that. Some days it takes hours to watch a 30 minute lecture because of all the babies' distractions. Overall, it should be an exciting semester, and if we totally hate it, we will go back to evening classes and part-time school for mom. I don't expect to hate it, but mine is not the only view that matters.