Another Year Older and Wiser, Too

It's my birthday. It's been a good day. Brian prepared me some amazing food and the boys made me cards without anyone telling them they should.
There's been a slight change of plans regarding my summer break: there won't be one after all. I was just going to take the summer off because I thought I didn't have any financial aid to cover summer courses, but I found out this past week that I do have some free money for school that I just can't pass up. So, I'll be starting classes again on the 31st of this month. Oh well - fewer classes to take later, right?
Once again, it's late and I need to sign off, but I did promise pictures, so here are a few:

Christian and his best friend, Duckie

Grant and Christian with Duckie and New Duck (thanks, Grandma)

Justin needs a haircut

~Andi

Shy Guy and Other Moegling Happenings

I thought my new computer might mean more blogging, but school somehow always managed to get in the way. But no school for 3 months should give me a chance to get all caught up, although it is impossible to record all the adorable things my boys do - even though I wish I could.

Christian was the highlight of my evening this time. Three days of rain gave way to sunshine today and left all of us wanting more time to enjoy it. We took a picnic to the park for dinner and let the boys play on the playground after we ate. Christian made sure to introduce himself to every other person at the playground and proceeded to tell them why we were there, when his birthday is, our Memorial Day plans, how to spell his name, when he got his hair cut, and any other thing that popped into his head. He's so cute! I'm surprised, though, that he didn't tell them about the great composers he has been all about lately. It all started when he found an old piano book of mine and recognized the name of Beethoven on the Table of Contents. The book has many familiar melodies from lots of famous composers. He loves classical music because of Baby Einstein, but now he is having me teach him about the music and how to play some of his favorites ("Ode to Joy" and "Fur Elise"). Today I was driving with him listening to a CD with songs from many different composers and he would yell out who wrote each song (full names, too - Johann Sebastian Bach! Franz Schubert! Ludwig Van Beethoven!) and he would recognize what was going on in the music and yell out, so excitedly, crescendo! or accelerando!, sforzando! or fortissimo! He's so funny and amazing!
Next time I write I will have pictures or videos. We have some very funny videos - Grant's filming of himself, Justin doing the limbo, Christian and his duck puppet altar ego, and the list goes on...
Bedtime now. Night-night!

SEEEEEEE ya, Academia!!!!!!!!

FREEEEEEEEEEEEEDOOOOOOOOOOOOMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

April's Fools?

Looking at the calendar, this month is sure going to be a crazy one. Andi and I are both taking classes, so I'm gone Monday and Wednesday nights, and she's gone Tuesday and Thursday nights. Andi also must accrue 15 hours of observation at the kindergarten class at Grant Elementary, so juggling that with the daycare and my clock appointments is great fun. Classes end during the first week of May, so all the pressure will be on during the last 2 weeks of the April. The weekends are already filling up fast, with our annual spring family pictures on the 9th (and possibly a Mizzou softball game) and the Mizzou Black & Gold game (spring football scrimmage) on the 16th, and who knows what beyond that.

I'd really like to find the chance to clean the garage out so I can begin work on all my "giant plans and schemes" (quote from a children's book I bought G when he was a baby), while teaching my oldest son the processes and philosophies of creation (No!!! Not THAT kind of creation, he's only 6!!! Give me a break!!!). I've got a slick new miter saw (hi Jeffer!) chomping at the bit to start chewing through some red oak and ash. But the poor saw is already greatly longing for a companion (in the form of a tablesaw, the cornerstone of any woodworking shop). Yet finding a chance to get that garage cleaned AND having good weather AND having the help I need available looks like something impossible to accomplish. Then there's the topic of what I'm going to want to do (read: spend) in the garage once it's clean, but that's a topic best left for another day...

Hot Date

Sometimes my husband can be awfully sweet...many of you just don't know that side of him! Last night was our "date night", but there were no less than five baskets of laundry waiting to be folded in our living room. So, for date night, he pulled up on Hulu old episodes of a tv show he had heard was good and we sat together becoming involved in the show and folding laundry together. We stayed up too late because the episodes just kept playing one right after another (and each one left you hanging just enough that you had to watch the next one). This afternoon Brian let me take a nap after church (I can't remember the last time I had one) since I was tired from staying up so late.
Another really sweet thing he does is when he knows I am going to be the next one driving the van, he sets up the CD player to play me a message in the form of a love song like "I'll Never Let You Go". It's the little things that put a smile on my face!
~Andi

Laughter and Tears

I'd rather write just about the laughter, but without some tears, laughter wouldn't mean much.

Laughter: Justin -he's just so silly and amazing. All my boys are amazing, of course, but I think Justin may just be the silliest one of all. Sunday during church he grabbed his blanket and curled up in his Daddy's arms, pretending to be asleep (except for the mischievous grin on his face). Justin also has some new favorite words, "Watch this!", which he often exclaims just before he does something really amazing - like turning off a light or making the computer screen saver bubbles disappear. Another really great Justin phrase is "Poo poo potty!", which he usually says just a little too late...but on Friday he made it in time to go "poo poo" in the "potty". Way to "go" Justin!

Tears: Our dog, Dakota, died yesterday. We told the boys and buried her today. It has been difficult for all of us, but she was old and sick. Now she is no longer suffering.
-Andi

Happy Valentine's Day

Wow, it's been a looooong time since I last updated our blog! But maybe I'll be a little better about keeping up with it now that I have my own computer. That's right, for Valentine's Day I received my very own laptop! I've never had my own computer before. Since we've been married, Brian has had his computer that I have used when I needed to, but now I have my very own. It's kind of nice :)
There's still the issue with finding time to blog (among other things). I should be studying for my exam or working on the ten to twelve page research paper due this week that I haven't even started yet, but I just had to try out my new computer.
~Andi