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:

Surgery is done!

Micah finally had surgery!!! His bilateral cochlear implant surgery went very well last week, but it sure was a long day. He's healing up very nicely and activation is now less than 2 wks. away. WooHoo!!! Both Jacob and Micah are developing quite the personalities. As each day passes, they seem to enjoy playing with each more and more. We're all loving these precious days. Here's a clip of them playing together in Jacob's crib...

I'm the Birthday Girl today!

So, we're leaving again tomorrow for San Francisco! Micah's cochlear implant surgery is set for Wed. at 1 pm, and of course, he woke up with a cold today. I finally had my phone consult with the anesthesiologist's office and we're pretty much set. The dr's office said they don't usually cancel surgery unless the patient has a fever greater than 102, so we're okay there.

I had on one-hour massage this morning. It was wonderful. The massage therapist used hot stones on my back and it felt soooo nice! I went to Kohl's to see if they sold the hot stones, but couldn't find any. Now I have to search for that...

Speaking of searching, it's also time to start searching for cruises for our next anniversary. We'll have made it to 25 yrs. of marriage!!! I'm really hoping to make it into a small family reunion, too. I am so looking forward to an opportunity to get away. I sure hope it works out. We also have to decide on whether we'll take the twins along. We most likely will, but I'm not positive about that yet.

And, as today's heading says....I'm the birthday girl today! I can hardly believe that I'm 45 yrs. old already. Huh????

The boys are getting to be SO MUCH FUN! They've been chasing after each other, laughing and playing. It is soooo adorable! We're on the final countdown for Micah's surgery. He's scheduled for the 15th of this month.

They both adore going for walks and are enjoying our trips to the park. They love going down the slides and swinging on the baby swings. Their sign language vocabulary is growing by leaps and bounds. Jonathan seems to be getting more and more involved with the twins, as are the older kids. It's great! The twins especially adore their big brothers, and want to rough-house with them all the time. We're trying to make Tuesday nights our family night, where everyone comes over for dinner. They don't necessarily come if I'm working that Tuesday, but when they do come for dinner, it's great. I'm enjoying being down to part-time, and I'm finding that I have more energy to cook and clean than I used to. Maybe I'll start experimenting with recipes again soon ;-)

I'm really getting interested in reading other people's blogs. Some people have very interesting blogs. Maybe mine will evolve to be more interesting as I get used to blogging. We shall see......

Exercise

Well, my brand new commitment to exercise is already failing. Life just gets in the way. This week, I was able to get the boys out for a walk only one or two times. There was work, class, rain, and just plain exhaustion. It's depressing, really, that I have such a hard time motivating myself. I just have to keep trying, right?

I committed to ordering two Signing Time DVDs each pay period a couple of months ago, and seem to be making some decent progress on building up my collection. Two new Baby Signing Time DVDs were released this week, and I'm really looking forward to ordering them. We're learning so much from the DVDs. I have someone from Early Intervention coming twice a week to teach us, but I don't feel like I'm getting too far with that. I think I need the repetition that the DVDs offer (I can watch them over and over and over). I'm sure Rachel Coleman would be amused if she knew that I end up humming songs from them while I'm at work. ;-)