We didn't disappear!

Lawdy it's been a while. We've had stuff going on the past month and for a couple weeks there, I didn't have a computer, so that's my excuse. Here's a quick update:

Austin is doing great at his new job. He enjoys it most of the time and has already had to travel for a few days for it. He's still not home until about 6, but he's actually working in town until 6 so it's not too bad. He's met us for lunch a couple of times and that was fun. He also gets to sleep a little later in the mornings, which I'm sure he enjoys.

Asher is doing great in general. He's so smart and silly and yesterday was in such a goofy great mood it was hard not to laugh. He was making up rhymes about everyone that were mostly funny to him. He's a lot like his dad in that. He loves riding his bike and whenever the weather is nice, he and Elijah go outside and ride for a while after school or in the morning on a non-school day. I stay inside but sit by the door to the backyard that's in our bedroom so I can hear the laughing and shouting and inevitable tears. They come in, tell me what happened, then go back out tear free. All I have to say is "Are you going to survive?" and they figure out they're ok. It's nice having independent kids.

The registration for TLCA, the charter school a few blocks from Mom's house, opened today. I went to pick up paperwork to get a jump on it last week and was told I couldn't get it until today. I asked how many students are in the kindergarten class and she told me 23-24 but that 17-18 spots were already taken. Siblings, I'm assuming. So we have to compete with I don't know how many people for a possible 7 spots. I sent Austin up to the school this morning to be in line around 6. There wasn't a line, so he was able to get in and fill out the form pretty quick. They didn't need the batch of paperwork we'd pulled together (birth certificate, social security number, etc) that I'd been told we'd need (I think they need to get their information straight) but that was ok. We're also not registered, just...applied? We'll find out in a couple weeks if we're accepted or not.

I have no idea what the criteria are, but if it's anything like most government assistance programs, we probably won't qualify. We make too much money, he's a white male child who isn't at risk in any way. Still, we're hopeful we'll get in. It would be so nice to not have to drive past three other schools to take him to school next year (besides the charter school, there's a great private school we can't afford three blocks from our house and a public elementary school a few blocks north of the charter school. Our elementary is like 3 miles away.) Asher is interested in math and science and can do some basic math (addition and subtraction with small numbers) in his head if we help him break it down and on paper nearly always. He's reading on probably a second grade level and wants to learn more about everything. Then the next minute he wants to just sit around all day and watch dvds. He's a really funny mix of me and Austin in that way....lol

Elijah is potty trained! At least during the day. He prefers to wear his underwear backwards so if he bends over and you get a sight of some baby butt crack, that's why. He's pretty smart and funny and sweet 99% of the time. Anytime Austin or I go anywhere, he wants to go, too. We usually take him, just so he can have some alone time with a parent. He's at that age where he wants to have control in his life but he just can't for whatever reason. I'm hoping that next year with Asher at school is good for him.

Eden is doing fabulously. She's walking like a pro and even has some recognizable words. She's sweet and adorable but has that streak of sass that I'm probably going to hate in about 13 years. She's my little shadow at home, following me around the house to see what I'm doing and settling nearby whenever I sit down. I was doing bulk cooking last week and every day she would go to the same drawer and pull out everything in it. It's where I keep measuring cups, so I didn't fuss at her too much. When she opened it then proceeded to sneeze all over everything inside, I fussed a little as I loaded everything into the dishwasher.

We've been taking her pulse ox twice a week and the numbers are great for her. The doctors were all concerned that once she started walking, she'd get bluer, or have more difficulty with her oxygen levels. In contrast, her numbers have been a little higher than they were before. Her feet are also warmer on a regular basis (which could be because we usually have shoes on her to protect her feet, but even without shoes her feet stay warm). Her cyanosis (the blood spring back when you press on her foot) is even better. It's crazy. Her next specialist appointment is in June for her eye and two weeks later will be a cardio appointment. I'm interested to see how all that is going and what the doctors will have to say.

As for me, I've been keeping things running as best I can. We took dinner to a friend who lost a family member one week, then to the friend that had the baby in my last post we took dinner once a week for four weeks. If the excited texts are any indication, the food was a hit with their family. The boys had a playdate with them a couple of times and I got to snuggle the new baby a couple of times. She even smiled at me once (shut up, she totally did). Eden was a little curious why I was holding a baby but it didn't seem to bother her that much. I spent a week bulk cooking to restock our freezer. I spent two weeks without a computer (which was interesting). I cross stitched a couple of pieces and framed a couple...not necessarily the same ones. I have five pieces needing frames and four in "temporary" frames (which they've been in for about 5 years). I finished up some photo books for the past couple of years in our family life. I started planning our summer and looking forward to next fall and getting things ready for Asher at school. I did a couple little "making it a home" projects around the house that the boys had to point out to Austin. We had our front porch replaced and a pipe under the house repaired. We attempted to buy a car for Austin but by the time we got financing, the car was gone so now we're looking for another one.

In other words, it's been life as usual around here. Children growing and learning and playing and adults.....adulting. We have a couple projects in mind for this summer that we'll see how far we actually get on. Everything around here is pretty good. Let's hope it stays that way for a while. We're due a quiet year.