General Updates

Kids are all fine. One day this week, Sam's teachers let Eva and Eli come up and nap with him. They like school. Today was sharing day and Sam brought his Ben 10 watch and Eli brought a watch, a dinosaur, and a batman. Eva is very into "Hello Kitty" lately. She's also pickier about her clothes. When she comes home she sometimes demands to put on a dress (today Emily gave her a new skirt).

Emily's been making dissertation progress and is starting to reach out to some of the programs here to see if perhaps in a half year or so she could adjunct or collaborate on something.

Tomorrow is the day I'm to turn in grading. Two of three classes are finished and I just have to review one more set.

Last night Emily took the kids to the pool with an "auntie" friend of ours. They had a blast. She said Eli in particular was gleeful, although just a little afraid. We'd thought Eva the natural swimmer, but time will tell. Sam is coming along also. Emily said he's almost better under water than above. He's still doing Friday lessons, which are fun.

We're trying to enjoy these days. I still am feeling a little "stuck" lately. I think it's probably because I know my job now and have a sense of what will change and what won't, and of what I will be able to do well and what will always be more or less of a struggle. I'm still thinking about it all. At some point we'll have a face-to-face to confirm any changes in the coming semester (housing, teaching, etc.). On the upside, as a family we're growing up a little. I'm also really glad Emily is coming along well and seems to have focus and energy.

More updates as we get them! Hope you are all well.

 Eli and Sam play together

 Eli has new sandles!

 He is now doing a Batman-Green Lantern-Captain America combo outfit

 Eva was really dancing in her new skirt--hilarious!

Here she is demonstrating that can she choose (and unchoose) her own clothes

Day Trip

Saturday we did a day trip for a friend's installation. It was solidly "ok." Emily spent time with the kids in the park, I got to connect with a lot of people, the travel there and back was fine, and the kids even saved their naps until we got home. Hopefully we will become more road-able in the years ahead.

Science Museum

Here are photos I took on the day we did the science museum trip. It is not a super easy museum to navigate because they've intentionally limited elevators in favor of escalators (see emergency room trip #1). On the upside, this time Eva and Eli rotated napping while Emily rested and I walked Sam around the other floors. He was ecstatic and loved the whole time. He hadn't been in about a year and a half so had forgotten all of the cool sections: a play area, bugs, special exhibit, different interactive displays, etc. Fun times!

I can't believe we're half-way through the summer

It's been a mixed summer. This is our most relaxed summer in probably seven or eight years, following:

• Summer on the road 2012
• What is up with Eva 2011
• Oh now, Emily's pregnant with twins 2010
• We are preparing for and moving abroad 2009
• We are moving to rural garden state and fighting with the apartment complex over cats 2008
• I just finished my PhD and I hope this summer is pretty fun 2007 (that was probably the last carefree summer, now that I think about it)

Still, some positive developments. Emily is working hard on dissertation. Something seems to have clicked a month ago.

I've still been feeling job stress. I think it is good to be working on it now, because if I can head into the fall with things a little more mellow we will have a better fall. It will be fairly intense though, with Emily headed towards defense, a heavy teaching load for me, and our pastor gone at church (with me doing more work). Anyway, I think it can be good but will take some planning. 

The kids are very cute/entertaining. Sam played with the younger neighbor boy, which he loved (lots of talk of Ben 10). He didn't nap today and fell asleep very quickly. His language has mostly bounced back and all three enjoy school.

I had tonsillitus but have recovered. My outlook towards the world is much brighter. There's nothing like disease to really dampen the spirit.

Other updates await--the typhoon of a couple of weeks ago and lost power and a trip to the science museum and all manner of flashlight fun. However, this is enough for tonight. This week I finish grading and recommence planning for the fall classes. It's nice to have time and energy to work hard.

Belated July 4 post

I wrote this when I was out but hadn't posted it...

Fourth of July

I’ve been partly out of commission this week. Last Friday I had an ear infection of some week. It really hurt but medicine helped get me mostly better. I can’t tell if it’s the result of swimming, or of a cold or allergies that blocked up the ear. Mostly better today, but no, not my best birthday.

The kids, however, are having a pretty fun week. Eli and Eva are both feeling more independent (putting on own shoes, pickier on food, demand to get into car seats by themselves, etc.) but seem generally happy. 

They’re “mostly” potty-trained, which I suppose is like having two walking coffee cups that only leak some of the time. Sam had a field trip to what was described as a miniatures museum—I’m not entirely sure what that means. Stamps? Art work? He enjoyed it--he already has his own prviate life. He’s working on swimming and tomorrow is his swim lesson.

They all had shots on Tuesday. It was pretty funny. Emily told Sam it would hurt but that he’d get a bandaid and a treat. He’s had shots before, so he knows they hurt, but he really was talking up the whole shot thing to Eva and Eli, “I really like shots,” “I love shots,” etc. Eli’s was easy, Sam’s a little rougher, and Eva was really not happy about the situation. Sam’s was for Japanese encephalitis and he had a mild reaction (low fever for a day or two).

All three are generally agreeable. The morning routine is getting faster. I can do breakfast in about 15 minutes and dressing everyone in about ten if I’m really fast. Evening is still tough, and we may start separating Sam from the twins. It’s hard to give each of the three the attention each one needs. We’re also thinking of restarting piano. Sam never made great progress, but we did find pitch improved. I’m thinking if he could do 15-30 minutes and the twins could listen, that would be nice. We’ll have to see dates, etc.

I’m trying to get on a health kick. My blood pressure was up at the hospital and I really feel like this last semester was more stressful than it needed to be (probably because of housing and the like). I’m cooking more, doing more walks and exercise, and laying off bad food.  I’m going to try to join the senior pool and exercise center. In a novel recently I read this theory about four burners on a stove (family, friends, health, work) and how most people can only cook on two and have to sacrifice the other two. For me, it’s usually friends and health that go. Anyway, it’s a quieter summer, so hopefully this is a chance to re-engage. I’m also helping Emily with transcription and breaking up her proposal into sections for her thesis. I think she’s really close, or at a tipping point now. If she pushes, I think she could have everything pretty much blocked out by the end of the month. I’ll have to see.

That’s the news from here. We’re all going along okay otherwise. I am still plunking on projects for the school here (revising English, helping with entrance exams, grading student papers).  We miss you all!