Spring Break and Spring

It's spring break and I havn't posted a darn thing. And spring break is almost over.

How are things?

School is going far better than I thought it would. My best subject is psych, where I'm currently earning slightly over 100%. Next is math (math?????? you say? yes, math) where I earned 115% on my last test and am otherwise pulling a strong A. Human services is going well, and it's an absolutely fascinating subject. I've got a strong A there as well. The only place my A is looking a little anemic is English. My prof spends most of the class period caressing Poe's work with his words and showing us YouTube videos of bombings in Iraq and George Carlin performances. Oh, well. At least I now have good reason to think of Kenndy's assassination as a massive conspiracy. So my time in that class hasn't been wasted.

We've heard a tiny bit on Man's med-boarding. He was contacted by the VA so they could begin to assess what degree of disability he's experiencing. His pain is at an all-time high and it's driving him nuts by degrees. Your continued prayers are appreciated.

Princess is doing well in class. She has been reinstated in the advanced math class, earns top marks in every subject, and has developed a hardcore fascination with Michael's. It's nice to see that at least one of my kids inherited their Oma's love of art. We recently did some self service on the bikes and have taken a few family outings around the neighborhood. I'm pretty proud of how my calves are looking nowadays after hauling the little girls around in a bike trailer. Princess likes the bike riding as long as we keep it to relatively level surfaces, but does well even with some fairly tough hills.

Tag is doing well, and learning to read (finally!). He went from being less than interested to "hey, don't read that for me, I've got it" seamlessly, it seems, and does most of his homework on his own now. He is still making friends all over the neighborhood and is universally liked. He's loving the freedom that better weather gives him and takes advantage of that freedom often.

Pebbles has the most complex personality of all of the kids, alternately quiet yet goofy, observant and interested and able to pick up most things and do well with them. She's getting closer to "pink-school" in the fall. We're trying to decide when to get her a real bike, but I worry that when we do she'll find ways to disappear with frequency. Her latest love is in drawing faces with googly eyes and monster mouths.

Freida is amazing. Her personality has hit overdrive, coming level with Tag's in so many ways. She plays with her voice like he does, has similar facial expressions and occasional volume levels, and is very good at communicating her wants and needs. Her language has really blossomed and she is suddenly interested in being understood perfectly. This leads to some frustration on all sides but it's nice when we finally figure things out. She also loves to draw but her mediums are walls and legs.

I've been sick again. The last few weeks I've developed an intolerence for any level of fat or chocolate consumption. It appears that I have some serious acid reflux which isn't entirely controlled by medication. If I'm not better in a month, I'll have to get scoped and otherwise investigated for digestive disorders. My major depression over this is that I'm now being treated for two different diseases associated with obesity and I'm only in my 20's. I guess this is a good opportunity to make some positive adjustments. Onward and upward.

So, there's the H news. Thankfully nothing too exciting has been happening but we've managed to have some fun. We planted some seeds, the kids and I, which began sprouting after a shocking three day. Most of the packets told us that it would take two weeks to see sprouts. The girls picked out some really lovely flowers, Tag is looking forward to his watermelons, and I'm drooling over my future tomatoes, zucchini, and herbs. The sidewalk chalk gets used almost every day, we've grilled a half dozen times since the weather improved, our frisbees are getting a good workout, and I think I'm in love with spring.

For a moment, it feels a little like peace. But, Pebbles just played ring around the rosy with a box of cereal so I need to go supervise the cleanup. -sigh- Peace. ;)