Flooding in my central Indiana town

We are safe, but the road behind our house (down a hill a ways) is underwater. SOOO glad we are on a hill.


see the sign?

people crossing in a boat

sunset over taylor lake I MEAN road

machinery crossing lake

machine vs. water

Earthquake!

Big enough to bring me out to post something about it. Early this morning (well...a half an hour ago as I post!), a 5.4 quake centered in southern Illinois woke us up. 5.4, people! That's over half as big as they come!

Leo was in the closet getting dressed, and I was still asleep in bed. I woke up feeling a little vibration...then I heard Leo say "Andrea?"...and then felt a big rattle. I remembered the one from 1987, and was grabbing the baby to get in a doorway, but it was over as soon as it started. Leo ran upstairs to check on the girls. It had woken Audrey up too, and she was scared and crying, but Aislinn (like Arwyn) slept through it.

I think it's cool. After the first jolt of fear, I realized what it was and knew it probably wouldn't get too bad. It's history! Audrey doesn't quite see it that way, though she said she's glad it actually woke her up from a bad dream.

I also think it's kind of funny that Bruce Kopp on Channel 13 News keeps asking people about damage, and his voice sounds a little disappointed every time people say not so much as a glass broke.

Checking in (or, I'm still alive)

(I'm going to try to update this entry periodically today. We'll see if that actually happens!)

Blogging has taken a back seat these days to Webkinz homeschooling. But my husband has been nagging me I'm feeling a little compelled to update, so here I am.

I've had in-laws of one sort or another living with us for basically a year. Leo's sister was with us for six months, followed by a short break, and then his parents were here. They left at the end of February. While I their presence made it possible for me to jump headfirst into homeschooling, I can't say I'm entirely sorry they are gone. I'm sure they think I'm crazy by now, because having extra people in my living space generally causes me to retreat to solitude, which to Chinese probably seems antisocial. When renao (noisy happy commotion) is appreciated in one's culture, one doesn't understand why one's daughter-in-law avoids all the noisy happiness. Even when one's daughter-in-law is an introvert who fights depression and anxiety. (My in-laws are not even familiar with the term "depression". What does that tell you?).

But now it is just the five of us again, and though we are missing the free babysitting, it has been going well. Even with the seemingly constant illnesses we've had since right before they left, combined with a bump on the noggin for Arwyn (which sent her to the ER).

Here's a few photos in case I get sidetracked and can't write much more (likely, since I have a sink full of dishes and lunch to make soon...)



Since Aislinn thought it would be funny to do her "mean" smile, I tried to get another of her. This was the best she would let me do (she kept making faces).



And since Arwyn was crying, I tried to get another of her. She did not comply with my command to "smile, darn it!" But look! Hair in ponytail! Still not cut! When it's down, Emo-Baby lives on!



Homeschooling

It's still going great. Since Leo's parents have left, we've done a little tweaking, such as doing most of school in the afternoon when the other two are napping. Or, when the other two are supposed to be napping. Arwyn still takes morning naps some days, which throws off afternoon naps. But I'm happily surprised that I'm being flexible about this. Yes, I would say my flexibility has been the biggest surprise of all. I'm ok with tossing things I consider non-essential, either for the day or for the whole year (don't worry...I know that reading, writing, and math are essential; but not every lesson is).

Right now, since the temperature in the sun is a shocking 78 (in March!!!), I'm wishing to toss the entire afternoon and hang around outside with the kids. Maybe we'll get a little reading and writing in (she did math with Leo this morning), and then do some bug hunting and call it science :)

Things I hope to blog about today:
Webkinz
Key West
Homeschooling
iTunes

Things that might keep me from writing more:
Webkinz
Homeschooling
Dirty dishes(loaded the dishwasher, washed the pans I will need for dinner)
Calling a doc for appointment and meds refills
Cooking dinner for a sick friend

Santa

Audrey and Aislinn together...it's Aislinn's first year not to be too afraid of the big guy in red.


Doesn't he have a great beard??

Arwyn's first Christmas on Santa's lap. Are you surprised that she cried? Regardless, it's a great, classic picture.

Never thought I would be so proud to see my daughter an unwed mother

This was Audrey in a Christmas play a couple of nights ago. She was Mary; the irony is, seven years ago, she was baby Jesus :) She walked onstage with a doll almost falling out from under her robe. Yeah, that's how I felt at nine months pregnant, like that baby was just gonna fall out any minute!

Here she is with the second of her two lines: "Joseph, I'm tired and I don't feel very well. I think this baby is going to come soon!"



She also performed in a piano recital today. She played a Danish folk dance, the exact name of which I can't remember. One other girl played the same piece; and I'm a bit ashamed to say I noted with pride that Audrey, though younger, played it better.

See my post below for a Christmas funny. Any die-hard Lost fans will get the title reference!

Smells like carrots

Three years old

I wish I had some of the fun pictures we took of Aislinn on her third birthday on this computer, but you'll just have to picture a party hat, unicorn style, in your head. However, I doubt I've posted this one, taken this summer while she was in China with daddy (she's helping his high school classmates make jiaozi, Chinese dumplings).



Happy birthday, sweet girl! I can't believe you're already THREE!

Click here to read her birth story.

Is anyone still reading?

Sorry. Sorry sorry sorry.

I guess this blog was an outlet, a source of creativity, at a time I didn't have any other. Now that we are homeschooling, that's where the creativity is going!

I'll still check in, don't worry. And maybe I'll be able to post more frequently again at some point. I'm still checking in on all of you too.

In the meantime, to tide you over, here's a rare (these days) photo. Of Arwyn, whom you may not have seen a photo of since, oh, she was born?

I've been waiting to get a good shot of her hair. It's very long in front, and I am loathe to cut it so early. Plus, it makes her look like an emo :)



She is the most serious of my kids, a tough nut to crack, as my sister has said. She's also the quickest learner. She is already saying "Audrey" and "Aislinn" fairly comprehensibly, crawled earlier than the other two, has been cruising furniture for well over a month now, and skipped from Gerber 1st Foods directly to tiny chewable solids (chicken shreds, chunks of banana, peas) about the same time she started cruising. She has already found the staircase, which means the gate has to go up.

She's my wild card. I guess the third one always is!