Strong Pie

So, maybe its because school is taking up every remaining brain cell, or because the weather is cold and uninspiring, or because I have an infant, a toddler, and a preschooler...all of whom happen to be awesome at whining...whatever the reason, I just haven't felt like writing lately. But Jon is starting to get restless (I think he feels better when I write...I'm like his expressive alter-ego). So, here I go, serving up a realistic slice of Strong pie:

It's December 3rd, and I can hardly believe that 2008 is almost over. It seems like it just began. The weeks fly by, mostly I think, because of school (I am 2 weeks away from finishing my first semester...1 down, 3 to go). The kids are doing well and have really adjusted to our babysitter, who is turing out to be great. Great for me as well, because having scheduled time each week outside the home is nothing short of a miracle for me. I guess I am discovering as I get older how restless I can be. Some days I really think that if I died and went to hell, that my job there would not be pushing that rock up the steep hill only to watch it fall back to the bottom again(can't remember that guy's name). Instead, I'm certain my job would entail some sort of childcare/babysitting duties where the children constantly whine and occasionally puke. Ok, maybe that's a little dramatic, but on the super long days, that is pretty close to how I feel. And there is no use in sugar-coating it. I know I love my kids...my husband knows I love my kids...and most importantly, God knows I love my kids...but the whole staying home thing...so not my bag baby.

Ok, so that was the crust of the pie...here is the filling:

Hannah Banana is one semster closer to being a kindergartner. Where does the time go? She is growing up so fast. She is learning all her letters and numbers and can usually pick out what letter starts any particular word by sound and sight. Yesterday she told me that she would like to take singing lessons, despite the fact that she might be nervous. She loves to dance and sing and most of all, is an amazing big sister.

We had our first snow of the year the other day so the girls got to go outside for some sledding in the backyard. Speaking of sledding...Calah is obsessed with her hand-me-down pink princess snowboots. She wears them constantly, and even at the ripe age of nearly-2, she can put them on by herself (thank God). She is also talking constantly and is finally putting two words together. New phrases this week are: backpack, more juice, more songs, more milk, pop (lollipop), mama out, dada home, hannah school, Jake-jee baba. Although she talks constantly at home, she is still very shy and does not talk as much around others...so I have to keep reassuring people (grandpa) that she is not suffering a speech delay.

Jacob is, well, a boy for sure. He insists on taking part in risky behavior, such as sleeping with his face flat down into the mattress, sacrificing his body so that he can reach a particular toy, and fearlessly pulling himself up on vertical walls and unstable things with wheels. He injures himself daily. But it is all preparation for Jake Strong, future MVP of the NFL/MLS/NBA/MLB. He also gets these stubborn "tweets" (as my mom used to call them), tufts of hair that stick up on either side for no apparent reason...see below:

So that's about all from here...more Strong pie to come...