Still No Camera...

Sorry I have to post text only. I haven't met up with the friend that has my camera yet.
I just finished a book my sister sent me - "Norwegian Wood". I am so surprised at how much I root for the protagonist. I want him to do the right thing; and become so disappointed when he doesn't and justified somehow when he does. I also want life to somehow work out for him. I think I also feel this way about the people in my life who are closest to me. If I were to feel this way about large numbers of people I think I would become emotionally bankrupt. Books and stories are interesting in that they allow you to become temporarily, but completely involved - with the option of withdrawing when convenient or on a whim. I take comfort in the fact that the characters are not real people. This may partially explain my affinity for fiction. I rarely read nonfiction for pleasure.
I want to pause and say a quick prayer for the meaningful protagonists in my life. I love you.

Marathons

Something happened today that made me think that life is a series of marathons. There seem to be very few one shot things. I was doing the dishes today after breakfast and thought, ' now I'm done.' In actuality I would have to do the dishes again after lunch, then after dinner, then the next day and the day after. In the recent past, my husband has been working out a lot...to the point where he developed some definition in his abs that he was very proud of :) Recently though, he has neglected to do his workouts because of work and family. All too quickly the definition in his abs vanished. In some ways it seems unfair. Now his abs look like any other person who hasn't worked out....even though he devoted months to obtain those (now absent) firm abs. Funny thing. I've also had other things in my life where I think 'okay, that's done' but it's only done if I continue to put effort into keeping it from coming back.
This complicates my life because it means that I have to think about a lot of things all the time. Well, I guess that's the reason we humans have relatively large brains. Sorry I don't have any pictures to post today. I went to a birthday party last Saturday and left my camera there. I should have it back by this weekend. :)

In honor of the Olympics...

Here is Ellie wearing this outfit in honor of the Beijing Olympics. :)

Actually, she just happened to pick it out that day to wear to school.

She is really enjoying school now. She tells me that nobody (I guess that includes her) cries at school anymore. The children must all have settled into the routine of school. The two chairs that she is standing on were completely re-upholstered by my mother in law. We were all very impressed. She does a lot of projects, but in my humble opinion, this was her best project so far. I have also included some video clips of Ellie singing some songs she learned at preschool.

Finding Joy

Last Sunday our pastor talked about finding joy. I have been thinking about the last time I let loose with unrestrained joy. Even as a child, I was pretty serious. What I can say for sure, though is that joy for me would not be possible without my friends. They allow me to be ridiculously dorky. I am more afraid of my family judging me than my friends.
Probably some of my most joyous occasions were the births of my children. I felt like "wow, I can't believe this is happening to me."
My task this week is to do something truly joyous. This is a most difficult task. I'm very happy, but joy seems to be something different. It seems like something unplanned for; a gift, perhaps. I think the only thing I can do is to try to set up the conditions where it is possible for joy to happen. If something should happen this week or sometime in the near future, I will post it.

Consumed by the Olympics

I haven't been writing for a while because I have been watching the Olympics. What I really love is seeing the expressions on the athletes faces when they finish a gold medal performance. I feel so emotional. I can't even begin to imagine how hard they worked to get there. I am so impressed that their lives have been dedicated to excellence when most people struggle even to accomplish mediocrity. I am inspired by their dedication.

Aiden and Play-doh

By the way, Aiden insists on wearing that shirt. He'll scream if I try to take it off and put it in the washer. Sometimes I do get it off him. Then he'll want to wear the shirt right out of the washing machine. The wetness doesn't seem to bother him. He also says he is "Lightning Mcqueen" and runs around saying "Kerchow".

Nathan's First Haircut (actually, I just trimmed the edges)

I took a few pictures of Nathan after I trimmed around his ears with scissors. He has lots of hair!

Ellie's Second Day of School

Today was Ellie's second day of preschool. The transition today was harder. As I was leaving, Ellie started to cry. In the classroom there is a little red sofa. When kids cry, the teacher has the child sit on the sofa until he is ready to join the class without crying. Apparently Ellie and another boy was sitting on the sofa and another child had to sit on the floor because there was no more room. Soon, however, the children were off the sofa and singing songs and doing crafts. Ellie made a beautful necklace.

Update on Aiden

Aiden was a little sick recently. He hasn't been sleeping well and I think his immune system was down. Last weekend he went to a birthday party (where he played mostly by himself until dad took him home) and played with his favorite tent.

His language skills are always improving and he loves to listen to and tell stories. Currently he loves Pinnochio and The Three Little Pigs.

Ellie's First Day of Preschool

I was afraid I would cry or Ellie would cry. We walked into her classroom and she found her nametag and sat in the circle at the front of her classroom. She was tracing the letters on her nametag and from time to time she would look up to assure me that she was a big girl and that she was not crying. After a few minutes I told her that I was leaving. She asked me to stay. I told her she needed to listen to what the teacher was saying. When she turned to face the teacher, I left. I worried about her but when I went to pick her up after school she told me she didn't cry at all. Yay! When I asked her if some kids did cry, she said yes. She thinks that maybe next time she can give them a high five or a hug to make them feel better.

Here is Ellie after class excited about completing her first day.