The News from Lake Superior

OK. Third try is a charm, right? (Is that how the saying goes??) I am trying, for the third time (in as many years) to get a family blog going again. No apologies. No excuses. Just moving on....again.

Caleb is 5 now and planning to be 5 1/2 every day. He is loving kindergarten and enjoys the sounds of letters..including but not limited to making up songs entirely with the sounds of one single letter. :) Kind of reminiscent of the "Banana-nana-mo-mana" song we used to sing in junior high. He also is KEENLY aware that he will be a BIG brother soon, and the thing he looks forward to most is "telling him what to do." :) He also is keeping close tabs on the size of my belly. A few days back he placed one hand on my backside, the other hand on my belly and proclaimed, "Wow, mom...you're gettin' fat!" :) I took that as the lovely compliment that it was.

Noah is 7 1/2 going on 20. He loves school (for the most part), and loves 'teaching' even more. Some days I struggle to get a word in edge-wise (which can be frustrating because we all know I have a lot of words!) He is an incredibly talented artist, with his specialty being drawing free-hand pictures of just about anything, usually with proportionately correct parts, shading, etc. It's truly amazing to see his work and I will try to scan and post some of it soon.

I am enjoying a better "life routine" so far this year. I set up a schedule of sorts for myself each day, along with lists of chores/things I'd like to accomplish each day. I can honestly say that so far I have yet to finish my lists for a week straight, but in the process of trying I am finding a better balance and sense of accomplishment. I do, however, have some days where I have finished NOTHING on the list at the end of the day and have to remind myself that it is JUST A LIST. :) Homeschooling is going well, I'm able to maintain very part-time hours at my job, and I am feeling good about my church service and commitments. :) Hold that thought, eh?

We are working fairly regularly now (or should I say JEFF is) to finish up the living room remodel that we started in November of 2007. We gutted two rooms and made them into one, then new wiring, added a soffit with recessed lighting, a new window, sheet rock, paint, trim, and now we are down to painting trim, some touch-up painting, and the flooring. Whew! It does look GREAT and we are lucky that Jeff is so good at home remodelling and has saved us oodles of money. Time, no; money, yes. :) Everything takes twice as long as you think it will, you know? :) (Can I get an amen!!)

Well, that's the news from Lake Superior. For now. :)