Wednesday, March 23, 2011

currently reading...

So I was going through my nook account and archiving some books to get them out of the way. I decided to count up how many books I had read. I started reading ebooks about 18 months ago. Since then, I have read 50 books. I have read some other regular books too. Who knew I really read so many books!

So here is what I have been up to in the last couple weeks.

I just read North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley. It is a young adult book but I still loved it.

I just finished listening to (and I didn't count this in my total) Fall of Giants by Ken Follet. Who knew I would become a Ken Follet fan? I sure didn't. I have really enjoyed his Pillars of the Earth series. I love big, fat books that you can really get into. This has been extremely enjoyable to listen to. The narrator switches to different accents and it makes it really easy to follow all the dialogue. It takes place before, during, and immediately following World War I. It follows the story of a number of people from different countries and their role in teh war. I look forward to the next book in the trilogy though it won't be out for another year.

I am about to begin reading Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese. It is my book club selection of the month so I better get on it. I will get distracted by other books and then not finish in time other wise.

spring, spring, spring....

Welcome to spring, I think. I feel revolutionized. We are getting rid of our patio set because we don't really use it and it takes up our entire patio. I have gotten to recliners. I will soon be in search of a super cheap little table to put in between them. I have visions of hanging out there at night after the kids go to bed at their newly developed bedtime of 7:30. Just Justin and me, a couple of drinks and a lovely view of our neighbor's backyards. (Does this make you panic, Justin? You hate watching tv with me, so now you get to sit outside with me!) It would be cooler if we had a fire pit but I believe they are forbidden by our association (not that it stops any of our neighbors) and then we would once again be taking up our entire patio. The kids are getting old enough that they can play outside. They generally stay where they are told, especially if they have something to play with. I am a good secret spy mom and open up all the blinds so they can't really escape without me seeing them. I need to find a little outdoor playhouse at a garage sale for them and I am sure they will have a good time out back this summer and spring.

Another spring debate: What to grow in a garden if anything. I think I might just do some flowers and tomatoes. They are the only things I seem to have success with.
We

We have completed the interview/application process for Ava's school. We should be finding out in the next couple of weeks if we get in or not. I really can't see why she wouldn't unless they really just didn't like us. I am trying to mentally prepare myself for all the fund raising and parent activities we are going to have to participate in. One of them is this gift card program. I am pretty much going to have to change how we spend money to always use gift cards so we can earn enough back for the school or we have to pay it at the end of the year.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

more eyes

The morning started out kind of rough, with some heaves and a puke on the bathroom floor. Rhys just wasn't starting the day off well. We had to go to Ava's eye appointment in a couple hours so I called Justin home. He is lucky enough to be able to come work from home when he needs to. I wasn't about to take a potential puker in the car for 45 minutes to an hour long appointment.

Ava actually refused to put on the 3D glasses when we met with the nurse. (Each appointment starts out with the nurse updating her medical history.) I was slightly worried what that would mean for the rest of the appointment, because it is completely dependant on her cooperation. I had nothing to worry about. There is the first doctor (intern? fellow?) who checks everything first. Ava loves her and was actually singing in between tests. Ava sat perfectly still for all of the pressure checks again. Then the regular doctor comes in and re-checks some things. She has 20/20 vision, which I guess is somewhat surprising at her age, better than normal. Her pressures went down to 18 from 22. We were told to keep up with the eye drops. He is actually hoping to keep pressures in the teens for a while, and then ween her off of drops when she is a bit older. He kind of mumbles to himself, so I am not sure what the long term plan with that would be, other than to avoid surgery until she older. I am not sure if we will try to wean off the drops when she is old enough to do surgery if the need comes up. But either way, things are going well. Ava was very excited to tell him that she holds her eye open herself for her drops. She does...most of the time. It is helpful to have her be a part of the whole process and she gets that she has to do it, most of the time.

Monday, March 7, 2011

dinner conversations

Last week we had cheeseburger soup for dinner. It is a potato cheesey vegetable loaded soup with ground beef in it. Rhys was scooping things up out of his soup.

"I've got celery." (pronounced Iiiiiiiiiiiive got cewawy)
"I've got a carrot." (Iiiiiiiiiive got a cawot)
He scoops up ground beef and says, "I've got a poopie." That he says right.
He gets a bigger hunk of beef and says, "I've got a big, giant, giant poopie."

The funny thing was, I don't know if he was trying to be funny or not. He was just thinking he was scooping up poop out of his soup.

Tonight, much like most nights, Ava decided she didn't like what we were having for dinner before she even knew what it was. So she says, "I don't like that. I wish it could be like in a restaurant and I can just have what I want."

During dinner....
Rhys: Ava, eat your food.
Justin: Rhys, mind your own business.
Rhys: Ava, just take a bite.
Justin: Rhys!
Rhys: It is my business. It is, it is my business.
Justin: No it isn't, worry about your plate.
Rhys: It is my business. (arms crossed)
Ava: It isn't my business. I don't have a business. I am just not eating.



Rhys really likes mini wheats, all the time. They are good breakfast foods, snacks, whatever.

Rhys: Ummmm....I want meee-whees. With a bowl. (long pause) and a poon.