::update for nov::

I have been on major neglect mode with this blog.  Also, with my eyebrow maintenance but that is another story.  I have 100 reasons that this blog gets no attention right now, but the real reason is that I am writing my heart out for grad school papers and anymore writing just doesn't seem like fun.  I am starting to feel about ready to get back to blogging a bit, but so much has happened since the last time I blogged.  Where to start?  How about a quick update on what the month of November entailed.  

Emma after braiding her Uncle Ryan's beard

Emma - this kid got her drivers license.  Oh lord help us all.  My anxiety levels are out of control about her driving.  She is a smart and capable person but I just can't take it.  We got her a Honda Civic with a solid 200K miles on it.  Nothing fancy, but it should get her around.  She had a choir concert for school in early November.  It's a yearly tradition at her school and the call it Cabaret.  It's part choir show and part talent show.  Students in choir audition for solos and little group acts and then do some full choir songs too.  It's really cute.  With our Emma being a senior next year she want her and Josh to sing a duet to Little Pink Houses next year.   The cuteness factor would be extreme.  PS - this kid is now OVER 5foot 10in!  Taller than me by several inches, and pretty as a picture.    

Lillian - She has just finished being in the play The Princess Bride.  She did a wonderful job as Vizzini, or the guy who says "Inconceivable!".  It was actually a pretty big role and she did it very well.  She auditions for Legally Blonde Junior in a few weeks and I am excited to see how that goes.  She has been doing really well in school recently as we have finally figured out some better ways to help her study her spelling words.  We fight every day that she has to brush her teeth and her hair.  She would never do either if I didn't force her to.  She wants to sign up for basketball in February, and I am going to let her try it out this year.  
   

Max - Oh, Max.  He continues to march till his own drummer.  He gets frequent notes home from school about attention issues.  I have told his teacher that if she can figure out how to make him focus I am totally open minded to trying anything she comes up with.  But - I have no doubt that Mr. Max will just keep right on marching away.  I really wouldn't have it any other way.  He is a weird, but loveable little duck.  He went to the Dr. recently and he has finally clawed his way out of the bottom of the growth chart.  That kid is now in the 50th percentile!!!!  That is huge for me.  I was so worried that something was medically wrong with him and that is why he never ate and he never grew.  In the last six months his eating has really picked up and so has his height.  He is still skinny as can be, but finally growing taller.  I can never really put in to words the different-ness that is Max.  He is charming, he is happy, he is peaceful natured, he gets all A's with almost zero effort.  He might actually be a genius.  Reading and math just come to him naturally in a way I have not had personal experience with in a child.  He is so in touch with his imagination that he creates different levels of universes, six levels deep.  His odd behavior is so humorous and pleasant that it may just carry him to charge the entire world.  It's going to be interested to see what this kid makes of himself.  He is one of the fastest runners I have ever seen in a kid.  He can throw an accurate spiral football like you would not believe.  But he begs me every semester to sign him up for drama class.  Right now I am keeping him out of sport and drama classes.  His attention span is too much of a problem for him to be in those activities, maybe next year.  

Quinn - TERRIBLE TWO'S!  This kid is every bit a two year old.  Except he is as big as a four year old.  He is over 95th percentile.  He is gigantic.  He and Max wear many of the same sized things and they are almost exactly four years apart.  He is no gentle giant.  This kid is a bull dog.  You try to lock a door and he may just break through it.  He is very verbal for his age, but he uses his brute strength first.  This kid can take a hit and just keep moving.  He is very snugly and I nap with him often.  He gets spoiled like only a youngest child can be.  He loves animals and is actually pretty gentle with them.  He adores the other kids and seems to be very social.  He eats twice as much as Max at every meal.   The amount of food he puts away is amazing.  

Josh - He has been getting in some good hunting time this year.  We have one doe processed and in the freezer, but I really need about three more to be happy with the amount of meat we will have aside.   Josh has been working way too hard recently.  He had a whole month stretch where he got no days off.  It's wonderful to have him around again more.  Poor guy.  

Me - School, work, kids, farm.  It's all never ending.  I am running at top speed 95% of the time.  The good news is, that I sleep like the dead every night because I run myself all day long.  School is fine, but has no information so far that I actually need.  I hope that stops soon.  Work is fine.  I get a little frustrated with the BS of only every being at work when the unit is desperate.  I almost never get a calm day.  I could use a few good calm days at work.  I love the crazy chicks I work with, so that helps.  The farm is on winter hold.  I have 50 million homestead projects I want to do, but they all have to wait in line behind school work and kid stuff.  That's ok.  They will happen if they are important.  I need to refocus on my weight and get this last 30 pounds gone!  Stupid healthy eating and working out, get in pushed to the back burner too often.