Ahoy!

Jill mused a while back about the naval theme that her family has taken on, and it made me chuckle. The boys, naturally, asked what was so funny. And there, true to form, we wandered off the deep end - thus accomplishing nothing on the house, but engaging in fun forms of ship-speak for the next hour or so. Last night at supper, I heard, "Mom, the dressing stands by you." I looked up to see an impish little grin, and what could I do but laugh? (Well, and then explain to Zorak what we were giggling over.) We love to hear things like this pop up in their dialogue, as it's more proof that they *do* listen. After all, what are our children picking up when we aren't taking the time to be the ones talking with them?

And this delightful life of ours is about to crank up the pace for a few days! TONS of stuff to do: wiring, texturing, cleaning, hanging, sorting, nailing, trimming, and general readiness prep. Miss Emily won't sleep (teething tablets to the rescue!). The boys are thoroughly enjoying their lessons... to the detriment of any actual scheduling attempts on my part. Zorak's feeling a bit under the weather, and scratched his eye doing who-knows-what. (Safety goggles, Love! Sexy as they are, they're not just a fashion statement!) I go in tomorrow for a follow-up visit with my doctor (to show her that, no, I'm not suffering from some parentally-induced malaise, and yes, I still love and care for *gasp*, all four of my children.) Balto dog is due for more Frontline (ew!) so he goes in at two tomorrow. Sheetrock goes up tomorrow morning, and then it's texture-texture-texture like the wind! (I don't believe I've mentioned how bizarre it feels to walk out of the bathroom now and see, not plastic sheeting and dark, lurking forms behind it, but an open doorway and subfloor - and the window! We haven't seen that window since Christmas! Zorak and I both cringe involuntarily, then relax visibly every time we pass that doorway.)

And, it's really kinda still warm out. (Euphemism alert!!)

After a two-day wait with no call back, I called Sears again. Nobody knows anything about the missing return call, but the lady I spoke with said the laundry center isn't even scheduled to arrive in Huntsville until the wee hours of the fifth. *sigh* At least I have an answer, now. But that's okay - it's less than a week away! Yippee!

Our lessons today went quickly - we did them in our room, where Miss Emily could roam the bed without getting rug burns on her forehead and the boys could curl up and enjoy some snuggles among the phonics drills, Latin chants, and encyclopedia entries. I think James did his math under the couch cushions, or at least that's what it looked like. All I could see were his legs. John did his under the dining table. So, math, Latin, and earthquake awareness; check! Sounds like a good day, to me.

And now, everyone has been fed. Again. We need to knock out Smidge, put up some laundry, and then James and I hope to play our long-awaited game of chess (he's going to cream me). Hopefully, we can get a dresser this weekend and deal with some of the clutter. Yes, the same dresser we've been hoping to purchase for a month, now. Don't hold your breath. We only prepared for two children, so we're winging it on pretty much all fronts at this point.

Tonight's blogging will probably be a little light on content (as opposed to the deeply thought-provoking, content-rich blogging I've been doing lately *snort*). I need a little fun brain-break for a bit.

So, kiss those babies (and talk to them)!
~Dy