finally got the videos up....

I made Trevor stop because although I was only afraid he might slip at first, once he did, the "i am the boss and i said time is up" came out. I think my heart jumping in my throat forced it out. And, here are the other video from fishing earlier in the week.

funny stuff...

Uncle Bruce and Aunt Susan's party....

Here is the birthday girl at the end of the night. It was a combination birthday and 4th celebration. Loads of fun, as usual! The fireworks were fun and exciting (mostly from a slight fear for you well-being) and lots of our friends stopped by.

summertime....

Trent and Taylor got up early this morning with the plan to sneak out before the babies see them. However, Jewel forgot to wake up and get in bed with us last night, so the sounds of Daddy and Bubba woke her. She tried to get in bed with Trevor and me but only managed to wake Trevor. Any other morning, that wouldn't be a problem. Trevor has a built in snooze button and is the King of sleeping in. He can ignore offers of fun for hours while lolling in half-sleep and refusing to get out of bed when he feels like it. (And yet, somehow he is a ball of energy all day when he gets up.) However, this morning, the lightest little murmur of the word "fish" from the living room sent him shooting straight up in bed. He got very quiet, listening for more conversation. After a few seconds, he looked at me and said, "I'm going to go see what Bubba and Dad are talking about." So, Trent, Taylor, and Trevor are going fishing this morning. I don't know how I feel about pollution levels in the local waters, but, pick your battles, right. And, the catches have been small for now, so mass quantities aren't yet an issue. Jewel wanted to go, but Mom had to sit this one out. We've been many times in the last week or so and I have things I'd like to get done here. But, it is hard to stay home because every time we've gone something great has happened. One time there were the pelicans swooping and diving right in front of us, another time we found a hiking area that is more fun than any playground (we had to take Taylor back to see it yesterday, because he wasn't with us when we discovered it), and (despite Dad's phone incident) its been great and the kids have asked a million questions. I took some pictures and videos yesterday. We plan on going back to the hiking trail many more times, it is beautiful and very interesting. Jewel is currently changing from one dress to another and then changing shoes, I suppose if she can't go fishing she'll just play dress up. ha ha

speech...

No, I'm not going to give one. Jewel is learning to master it and the process is very fun. Trevor still has his little "mistakes" that are funny and cute. He often tries to use words he doesn't know the meaning of, like embarrassing and aggravate. I remember Taylor doing the same thing. Sometimes Trent calls him "little Taylor" because of the things he does and says. But, he looks so different from Taylor that it is hard for me to compare them too much. Jewel is learning to put together sentences and her attempts are also funny. "Me have it", "You, no no, Bubba, that mine", "I have cheese, momma, I ant cheese, pease, come on, fowow me" are some examples of where she is right now. I laugh all day at the things those two say to me, with their little serious faces, trying so hard to communicate their every whim. Trevor it seems has grown up entirely too fast, but he continues to get more wonderful, so I'll try not to long for his baby days and just look forward to teaching him more complex ideas. But, sometimes they amaze me, as with all parents, I suppose. Yesterday, when she was sent out of the kitchen because she wouldn't leave the knives in the dishwasher alone, she (with real tears on her cheek) looked up and said, "I sad, momma, you make me sad." She, no doubt, learned that from her brother, but she used it at the correct time and so sincerely. I was shocked that she's already learning about her own emotions, I don't know when that is supposed to happen, but I think I must wish she was still too young. I immediately felt guilty, but loaded the dishwasher while she played in the bedroom with Trevor anyway. She has also begun to have the dreams that I am known for. She and Trevor both cry out in their sleep about someone taking their cup, ice cream, cheese, toy, etc. Jewel is in fact right now, calling "Daddy!" from the bedroom in her sleep. Taylor didn't dream as disruptively as the two little ones seem to, but I have crazy vivid dreams most nights. I knew having the two of them so close in age was going to be very different from my previous child rearing experiences, and boy, has it been. Taylor had Morlynn for most of his younger years, but I worked more often and they weren't quite so close in age. I have become acutely aware of every stage that Trevor leaves, if for nothing more than the fact that Jewel is about to enter it. As grateful as I am that we got a girl, I can't help but wonder if we would have still gotten a girl a year later. Of course, that would also have dragged out the time that I was home with the kids all day, and let's face it, I have things that I need to do right now (like get a degree). So, you can either believe that I got lucky or "everything happens for a reason" or (if you so choose) you can say that "God only gives you what you can handle" or "This must have been God's plan", but it seems that everything is coming together about as good as I ever expected. Also, I should add, I feel more responsible for my situation than God should, I suppose that is just because I "find evidence to support my beliefs" like everyone else. Oh yeah, speech. Ha ha ha well, I suppose I'll stop before I make one.

just some stuff....

some of the weekend videos...

I have more to post, but missed out on lots during the week. I knew it would happen, but with school and other things interrupting our weeks, time seems to be speeding up. I can't imagine the speed of the full-time student, kids in daycare week. I suspect something on the order of light speed, at a minimum it will be super sonic. I am bracing myself for the sadness associated with that, but still looking forward to school. Taylor is in Lakeland Mon through Thur. for a few weeks for classes held for kids at the local college. He is taking a guitar class, a rocketry class, and an Imedia class, so they sound pretty fun. He says he is enjoying them, which is the point. Jewel is just getting the hang of reader rabbit, and at nap time said to me, "no, can't go sweepy momma!" She also copies Trevor at ever quicker intervals. She only watched him help me cook twice this week, and now she thinks she has to help too. She even copies him with potty time. She follows him and sits on her potty and (mostly successfully) pees, which is a big help to my potty training efforts. Tonight after Trevor was asleep she got up and called me and insisted on going in the potty, and this time she actually did it, all on her own! Trevor learned to cook, build things, skateboard, recycle, play the drums, and even taught Jewel several things. He is sometimes very sweet to Jewel. He brings her drinks and tells her how to do things the "right" way. He taught her to count, sing several songs, and to go potty (almost) and without me asking. (It is not always peaches and cream with them, however.) What great kids, and so smart. I am really looking forward to their reactions to school. I don't know how much "school" goes on at daycare, but I suspect that the balance between "learning" in the classical sense and "play" will be about equal to what we do at home. I doubt there will be as much music, but I can make up for that. I am sure there will be other good things that are gained from it that I am not thinking of, but the biggest thing will be the degree. That alone will make it worth the changes we have to accept.

end of anthropology....

**If you think that is a ruined slinky stretched between the bed and changing table, you would be mistaken. It is a "pshquoooopth, force field, you know, shoop, like that, to keep the bad guys out, you know like bubba says." Yes, of course it is, at 11 pm it will become trash.*** Tonight was the last class of my first attempt to "go back to school" (AAAAH! I sound like a commercial for Obama.) and it was a definite success. Of course, I kind of knew I would love the class before I took it. I am glad that I enjoyed it so much, it confirms my suspicions that now is the right time to do this. One class down, about a hundred to go. I started counting them, but got to 80 and just estimated that last bit. I am very excited about next semester. I will finally get to do some math and physics. I think Trent is looking forward to my American History class, I am totally not. But, in the meantime I have a lot to do to get ready for what is coming. Time for the spring cleaning that didn't get completed before and I am going to rearrange some things for the new school situations (Taylor and me). There isn't much cleanup needed, but we do want to get the yard prepared and possibly some painting done, too. And, Jewel is getting a little potty "hell week" so to speak, to kind of jumpstart the lagging potty learning, so that should be fun. I also plan to start some reading for the classes I have coming up, because it seemed to really serve me well in this class. I wouldn't have been able to plan it as well as it turned out, but having read the suggested readings from the World History lecture really made the Anthropology class easier. So, I will spend the next two months reading a few physics books I haven't gotten to yet and watching the American History lecture with Taylor. I may do a little more Spanish prep, too. I don't know what to do about the "lack of prep time" before the spring semester, but I only have one class to really prep for that semester. I may have to (**gasp) learn during class. At any rate, I have a little to do, some busy work to quell my excitement, and a whole semester to look forward to. And, hopefully, a healing summer with Trent in the meantime.