a blended life

Leah was singing today: "...I know when I am baptized, my arms are washed away..." (if you aren't familiar with the song, it goes 'my wrongs are washed away'). An interesting part of this story is that when she sang that I laughed and laughed really loud--so did Hannah, actually. Instead of screaming and running away, her usual reaction, Leah just stood there and laughed with us. She's developed a sense of humor this past year and can finally laugh at herself. It's taken a lot of coaching but it's great to be able to LAUGH! Hannah tries to get out of doing EVERYTHING. Seriously. Today she said "I don't need to go to school. I already know everything." She acts like a little teenager and it makes me nervous for the future. Here she is saying "Don't look at me! Don't talk to me! Nothing is funny! Stop it!" In overalls. This is a pic of my new shoes--Vegan Dansko sneakers!! Why aren't you as excited as I am?

Remember how I was so excited to get my camera back so I could post pictures again? Well, now I have my camera back, but I have a new computer and I can't figure out how to get pictures from iPhoto into blogger. *big heavy exasperated sigh* I wish I could say something profound and uplifting and inspiring to my humble followers, but...February was a hard month and I'm happy to see the end of it! Maybe March will be better. I'll end with a little girlie interaction that made me giggle: Hannah (who memorized the Pledge): "...with liberty and Justin for all." Leah: "NO! It's 'justice'". Hannah: "FINE! (because this is how they speak to each other. If you have two kids you know what I'm talking about.) 'with liberty and Justins for all.'" Justin is a right, not a privilege.

I survived the flu! It was touch and go for a while--Leah and I had some pretty fierce fevers for about 8 days. Blech. Right in the middle of it, Hannah turned 4. She really didn't seem to mind that no one in the house had the energy to pull off a birthday. She opened one gift in the morning. She's been asking for overalls, and can I just say that it wasn't my idea! That comment is for anyone who's known me longer than ten years and understands my 20 year fixation with overalls. Sadly, this fixation only ended a few years ago (when they were way out of style. Now they are coming back in). She's pretty proud of them. If you know Hannah at all, you understand how particular she can be about her ideas. She's been telling me for weeks that she wanted a big Hello Kitty ice cream cake. The problem is that she actually doesn't like cake, so I thought I'd order the smallest available. IT came back the size of my hand. Mistake #1. It also had no Hello Kitty...

It's official: I'm diagnosing myself with the flu. I have every classic symptom 1)I feel like death 2)I can't breathe 3)I wonder if I'll make it through the night 4)No matter how much I drink, I'm still thirsty 5)I'm shivering when the thermometer says 103 6)I'm blogging because too restless and worn out to do anything else. See? Classic symptoms. Plus also, it's Hannah's birthday tomorrow and I need to gear myself up for getting dressed, being seen in public, decorating, and wrapping a few gifts (she will NOT be getting Ariel's Talking Hair Salon, so if you wanted to come over and play with it...sorry.) In other exciting news, my camera is officially out of the hospital and ready for pick up, which I would have done today if I could've dragged my sorry rear out of the house.

Here's a small update on us. I think it's a good thing that I haven't blogged much this month since that means I'm being so busy and productive, right? RIGHT? I definitely have had to find creative ways to use my time, like doing homework at 5 am and taking online quizzes Friday nights at 10 pm. My life could not be more exciting. *oozes with sarcasm* I tease myself for being a bit lame, but I have a lot to do lately and eventually the lameness will cease. The three of us have been enjoying ice skating quite a bit. It's an activity that I would have never considered for us, but it's actually going great! Hannah had a shaky start, but she was scooting around on her own during her last lesson. Leah cannot get enough of it and asks "how many hours til we come back?" I think we'll keep going as long as 1)they offer lessons or 2)we run out of money...the likely option. It's nice to find a sport for Leah when swimming isn't in season. I've...

I know everyone's on pins and needles waiting for some pictures. You are all probably dying to see some photos of our newly adopted tortoise. And on a more cuddly and cute note, you are all probably dying to see some ice skating lesson snapshots. But, this will all have to wait. I took the camera in to get fixed today to the only camera fixer in the Western states. Or at least that's what it feels like to my slightly irrational mind. It will only take a small fee of $80 and a short time of 4 weeks to get it back. Good news: it's still cheaper than a new camera. More good news: I'll end this post now because I'm too tired to make any sense.

If I don't post for a while, it's because: 1. Leah broke my new camera so I won't be posting pictures until further notice. I didn't get too mad...but I'm still a little heartbroken. 2. I started school today. They are all online classes, but so far seem very time consuming. They are called 'semester based' classes, meaning there are specific due dates, assignments, discussions, etc. They are:         *Educational Psychology         *Education of Exceptional Individuals         *Intro to Human Development I'm excited for the subject matter-we will be learning about IEPs the role of families in public education. If I do post more frequently: 1. I'm procrastinating, or 2. My camera got fixed. Here's a funny story--Leah came home with an announcement for the school chess club. She asked, "What's a Chest Club?" I don't know Leah, what IS a Chest Club?! giggle giggl...