life in alaska

The babies are on the move. When they are put on the floor they go everywhere. Carson has discovered the beauty and wonder of power cords and makes a beeline for my computer cord. Brady loves the little door stoppers that are all around and heads for those. They are hilarious. Brady crawls like he's freestyle swimming - or a prancing pony - he lifts his hand way up high then brings it down, then lifts the other hand way up high and brings it down. It's very cute. Carson is very determined and accurate - he sees what he wants and heads straight for it, undeterred by obstacles. They are really fun to watch!

Emmie loves "school" still, and hates to be put off with what she thinks isn't "real school" while I'm homeschooling Riley and Logan. If I give her a worksheet she always asks "is this REAL school?" She still says funny stuff all the time - recently she informed me that sometimes even God is exhausted. (After I had said "I'm exhausted!") I asked her what she meant and she said "You know, He is exhausted, the Lord is exhausted." As in the song He is exalted.

Logan always has a project going or is planning one. Every empty box has potential in his mind. He often asks me to go to Home Depot and buy him wheels to put on something and make it go...I haven't yet.

Riley is such a cheerful upbeat presence in our home - I am very often thankful for her. I told her recently that she is one of the greatest people I know out of all the people I've ever met! It's true. Her temperment and gift mix is such a great addition here in this crazy family. She loves to read, and plows through books all the time.

Jeff's dissertation is nearly done! That's pretty huge. He has to send it in this week. There are a few tweaks that need to be finished, but it's nearly there. He goes to defend it in March. What a relief it will be to have that monkey off. He's not allowed to pull a Rob Ritz and jump into something else right away! Not that I'm not proud of Rob...

Anyway, January blew past and life is crazy but we're trying to just enjoy the kids and keep our heads above water. People tell me all the time that it goes so quickly and to enjoy them while they're little - I know those people have forgotten what it's like to have spinach projectile-vomited all over the kitchen and laundry so backed up that no one has clean underwear and who knows what you have in the fridge to make for dinner and just when you sit down one of the babies has a diaper oozing out the sides. That's why I blog - it helps me enjoy the better parts of all this!