Life

We drug the kids out of bed and they barely had time to dress because we needed to get both cars in for snow tires, oil changes and most of all to fix the silly driver's door handle. Do you know how inconvenient it is to always have to wait for someone else to let you out of the car, or have to roll down the squeaky, sticking window in the rain to reach out and open the door from the outside? It's getting old!! Steve had a meeting at the hospital so the kids and I ate hash browns in the cafeteria while we waited. As soon as one car was back in use we came home and the twins have been playing outside while I'm trying to get some work done. I'm starting to have midnight panic attacks about the music program for Journey to Bethlehem. They are hoping for 3000 visitors over the three days... and the music better be good!! Guess who was silly enough to think she had time to head that up?! Well, you know.... they asked like last year. How was I to know what life would bring?

My children's choir (possessive, aren't I) is doing well preparing their part. . We worked out a few more bugs in the sound yesterday and made a rough plan for entry and exit, etc...We're planning a dress rehearsal for next week. If I could only find  nice red scarves for the girls.... Have you noticed that a LOT of scarves have so much fabric in them these days that you could practically make a skirt out of them? Little girls get lost in the fluff. I want narrow red scarves. (Like I have time to make them!)

The twins are determined to "gain favor" today and earn a pick out of the incentive jar, so the lying has nearly disappeared for the time being. One lie and the deal is off. Each day is a new start, though. Missy was able to cut it from a "thousand" (give or take a few :-) to 2 yesterday. I'm helping them to experience yesterday's verse. Buster has gained favor two days in a row.

I 've caved. I decided I'd have to be super woman to even start to think I can do everything that's sitting on my plate and I have asked for help. The person I have asked said yes and a weight has been lifted. Nancy, our retired church school teacher, has agreed to teach Buster to read. He's ready. He wants to, he is even dogged enough to carry little books around with simple words to read to whomever will listen. For some reason I feel completely wrung dry and can't focus on that when ugly character issues have taken front and center stage. Not only that, there are a lot of gaps in his basic knowledge so that it takes a ton of patience and insight to teach the kid. I just don't have what it takes right now. We have three teenagers in the house and two are homeschooling. They need me, too.

Vanessa is doing wonderfully at the college. She's LOVING the challenge.She's organized and on top of everything and  pulling straight A's.

Christina has a symphony concert coming up. I have not been to one practice, so the concert will be a big surprise for me. She enjoys it very much.

Brianna amazed me with her dogged persistence in writing a scientific paper in a format that was unfamiliar to her. It was some sort of contest and her paper is excellent. I don't know what she's up against, though.

The snow is coming down the mountains lower and lower every day. We expect to see a dusting here soon.