Back to the daily grind....

Speech therapy sessions started again this week after a nice 3 wk. break for the holidays. And, the boys look like they've come down with chicken pox. It doesn't look bad at all, just a few spots that are scabbing over, and some fussiness from just not feeling so well. There aren't really even enough spots to take pictures of.

On a lighter note, it sure is nice to have some sunshine again! We've had cloudy days for a couple of weeks now with some occasional rain here and there. I feel like I have more energy when the sun is shining. It really does affect my moods when it's overcast.

Jacob seemed to really enjoy The Land Before Time today. Before this, he didn't really pay attention to the movie. It's such a cute movie! Micah is just feeling really snuggly. Of course, you won't hear any complaints about that from me!

This 'n That

So, as we were on our lonnnnng drive home from San Francisco again last night, I started wondering about how many times we've made this trip now. If I'm counting correctly, we've done this once every month since last July, twice in November, and it really seems like there was even a second time one other month. So, we've been to SF at least once/month for the last several months. No wonder it was so hard driving back. The twins did very well for most of the trip, but in that last hour or two, they just couldn't handle it anymore (and I was right there with them). It's so much to ask of them to sit in their carseats for so long every month. I am soooo looking forward to when we don't have to go so far for these appointments. But, Micah's progressing so well with his hearing, so I'll just keep reminding myself of that every day. He's now starting to tell us that he wants his processors on in the morning. We're just so pleased with how he's handling everything. Poor Jacob wants the same thing. Today Logan leaves for college. We have yet to get any word on his student loan, so he may not actually be IN college this semester. He may have to sit it out and spend some time at MomMom and Pop's house. We shall see....

Been a while, huh?

Just when I thought life couldn't get any crazier/busier, I'm proven wrong once again! This year, for the first time EVER, I managed to get all of my shopping and gift wrapping done before Christmas AND managed to send out Christmas "cards". I was quite happy about that. I feel like I'm finally starting to get enough energy back now to get to the real housecleaning, too. Right now, we have someone that comes every other week (was weekly for almost a year). I'm feeling like soon we can get rid of that expense. The economy is sooo bad that I'm really looking for ways to be more frugal without really having to sacrifice too, too much.

Here's a picture of Jonathan reading to the boys at bedtime:

Micah is progressing in leaps and bounds with his hearing and it's so fun to watch how he reacts to sounds around him. This week, he noticed the microwave beeping and got all excited about that. He's trying to mimic the dogs barking, and runs to see who's at the door when they start to bark. Jacob, of course, just has to be in on the action. Jacob is learning new words every day now. Right now, I'm wishing I had one of those really nice cameras to takes pictures of the boys and have good quality shots.

Here's a video clip of the babies during one of Micah's Auditory Verbal Therapy sessions at home. It was taken shortly after his implants were activated.

My "baby" is going away to college this week. He's been my baby for 18 yrs. before the twins were born. It's really a bittersweet feeling. I know I'll miss him, but I'm so ready for him to learn about what responsibility really is. My daughter is bracing herself for the seven long months that her husband will be away on cruise. Thankfully, she'll be very busy with her second semester of nursing school and hopefully more visits home.

And here are some pictures of my kids from this Christmas. The first is of my oldest son with his girlfriend, the second is of my daughter and her husband, the third older "child" is my third son. Then, of course, there are the twins: