My goodness! A month has gone by!

Hard to believe it's been a month since that incredible moment with the kids. It's not all been roses, but there have been highlights. The boys moved up a notch and are now officially Cub Scout Wolves. DD is showing some progress with the potty training since getting her on the meds (but still a lot of mental stubbornness to contend with). Spring has sprung and then left again as is normal for Alaska. And I'm sure it won't be long and mosquitoes will be taking over. And school is nearly finished (officially any way) for another summer.

Which brings me to todays news. The boys were assessed today and I'm proud to say they are 2nd to 3rd grade level! We will be having a special dinner to commemorate their promotions and then take a break from the daily grind. (Only because Mom needs some prep time!) Although there is no official assessment for DD, her reading places her in late kinder level and I'm sure she will be testing into late first by fall. That is in most areas, she is still progressing with the writing at a much slower pace than the reading and math.

Well, I do need to get busy: always more to do than time to do it in!

Proud Mommy Moments!

Some days you think you are really beating your head against the wall (kind of like Monday when something as simple as how to write the date can totally escape the boys)! But then there are days like today. One which totally surprises you! One that makes you feel like you can really do this home school thing. Not only, did the boys remember how to write the date (something that they should have been able to do because they have been doing it for, oh, about 6 months or more) but DD proudly wrote her own name. She did it by herself. For those of you familiar with it, this is no small task for a 4 year old. Not only is it a long name to spell, but it is not a usual spelling. She has traced it many times, but today she did it twice, all by herself. I only wish I could share the photo with you all, but as you know, I have a policy of not publishing my children's names here. So, if you would like to see this feat, please leave a comment or send me an email and I will happily email you a copy of the photo (sorry, only family please!)

Too many days...

It's been way to long since I've posted anything here and sooooo much has happened that the other night when I found myself having trouble sleeping getting it all down here was all I could think about. Isn't that sad?

Well, first - we are finally a 2 car family again. Turns out DH's car is just fine. The battery is getting old and will need to be replaced soon (and definitely before next winter), but it's charging just fine. He thinks that having tires in the back prevented the rear hood from latching which made some circuit or other stay on, draining the battery over night. And to think, it only took him 4 months to investigate and find this out. At least now the kids and I have the freedom to go when we want/need to without having to drag him to work and back.

DD has been undergoing tests on her bladder and kidneys. So far, nothing has been found wrong but we will continue this process by visiting a Pediatric Urologist soon. She simply has no bladder control.

I have been scrapping my brains out over the last week and a half. My favorite scrap site, DSP, celebrated their 6th birthday last week and the challenges and freebies just got my juices flowing again. Well, that and giving up on one or two commitments that were just taking way too much of my time and energy. I even made DH take the kids out to play so that he could get some new pictures for me while I worked on other things this last weekend. Gonna have to find some very special things to go do with the kids (now that we have a car) and get even more. One big event coming up is the boys Derby Car race for Cub Scouts. That should provide some picture opportunities.

I'm going to try and get a new tutorial up soon too, but still no time to get it written. In the mean time here is a great video of a little used tool (at least by some of us) that helps align elements in your page.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Of course, this holiday is a big hit in our house. It's now almost dinner time, so I am off to color the dinner green. We will be dining on Green Vanilla Yogurt, Green Beans (wish I could have convinced them to add some broccoli) and for dessert, Pistachio Pudding. DH and I will add some hamburgers (yogurt just doesn't hold us thru until breakfast). I'm going to try to take pictures. We have enough sun I might just get some decent shots.

Quick weather update: Sunny and nearly 40˚F. Although the sun is supposed to disappear again in a couple of days, we are supposed to continue with these temps into the weekend. Hmmm.... a small sign that spring is on it's way?

In Loving Memory

Denali's Alaskan Dreamweaver (Chaos)
April 22, 1997 - March 11, 2010

He was a good friend, but when his kidney's failed we just felt it was time to say good-bye. I seem to be having trouble saying more right now. What can you say when you have lost your best friend. He was truly loyal, and yet he was a friend to all who entered. Not the typical Sheltie at all. No matter how I tried, he would jump and bark not so much when you came to visit, but when you started to leave. Because, in his eyes, once you were here, you were meant to be here forever.

He will be missed more than anyone could know!

The Olympics are over!

We have cheered our athletes until our voices are hoarse. We stayed up late and got up early to catch all of the games physically possible (and taped those that weren't). We've graphed the medals and studied a little of the host country and city. We cried when we lost and jumped for joy when we won. But now it's time to come back to Earth.

Oh, wait: The Iditerod starts this week! Oh well, more to learn and more to cheer about!

Ain't life grand?

Hmmm... over a week and no word from me!

Forgive me, I've been busy. The kids and I are thoroughly engrossed in the Winter Olympics. We have studied everything from the host city/country to the sports themselves. We have watched hours and hours of the fascinating goings on. We are even graphing the medals to see which countries do the best (with a great deal of cheering for the US and their standings). It's been a pleasure to preview each evenings tapings so that I know which sports are on and what will be good for the kids to watch the next day. Our little miss is fascinated with Figure Skating (entirely predictable with such lovely costumes and graceful motion) and the boys, who I thought would love things like snowboarding seem most enthralled with Ski Jumping! Of course, being all boy, they have to look at one of the most daring of the sports. I guess I can be thankful they are not speed demons determined to Luge, especially given the tragedy these games began with.

We also celebrated the boys Blue & Gold banquet for Cub Scouts. Being the official celebration of the Boys Scouts 100th birthday made this a slightly bigger deal than normal. The boys helped with the flag ceremony and did a wonderful job presenting their piece of the history of Scouting. They also received their Bobcat Badge along with the rest of the group. I am still very proud that they were the first to qualify. DD occupied herself with a new friend while there. It made me really wish we could find a girl playmate for her.