Chugging Along

The kids had two performances with Sign Design this week, which kicked off their Christmas show. I couldn't get any good pictures at all with my digital camera, so I brought my SLR and some 800 speed film to the second one. The pictures aren't blurry, but due to the graininess of the film, they don't look great either. I will try some 400 speed film next time and hope that gives me better results. The lighting is just always so bad, and they sign so fast that I don't know if I will ever get great shots! Faith has started her solo, which is "I Want a Hippopotomus for Christmas." She is so good at it! The boys are really good at practicing, and I think after he found himself onstage and unsure the first time, Matt has redoubled his efforts to practice, practice, practice and get all his signs perfect as well. I am just really proud of how hard they have worked to learn their songs and how they are incorporating their signing into their daily communications with each other. I am so glad this group exists here!






I needed to use up the last of the film before I had it developed, so I caught these two shots. Don't Kyle and Todd look so much alike?? They are our version of twins... LOL. Beth loves the kittens, and loves to cuddle the kittens. The kittens, well, they don't really share the sentiment, but I think it is cute to watch... LOL.

I did something today that was really hard for me to do. I enrolled my kids back into the public school system. I love homeschooling, but it has become too stressful for us, and things get in the way too easily for us. I have been in knots this week battling with myself over this decision. The kids are so excited, though, and the school has been awesome about working with me to make sure Chet is in the right program and Matt has all the resources he needs. Jack is (gently) teasing me about what I am going to do with myself next week when it is just Todd and Beth and I home most of the day. And I don't know how to respond. I keep thinking of all the things I should be able to find time to do in the daytime now... scrapbook, sew, make really nice dinners, get all the submissions for page calls done, submit my magazine articles on time, go shopping and only use one cart... I can do this, right? I am so full of different emotions... worry, relief, reluctance, anticipation. So I am doing what all good scrapping moms do... planning which photos to take for the first day of school.

My friend Sarah was in town this week, and I got to spend all day with her.Sometimes the timing for those things is just so perfect. It was nice to spend a leisurely day with someone I really admire when I was feeling so tense and worried. I would have sat around second-guessing myself all day if she wasn't here.

The rest of the weekend is packed for us. Tomorrow we have the Lego League Tournament, two choir rehearsals, one Sign Design practice, and then tomorrow evening Chet and Faith have their first big choir performance. I will be back sometime Sunday night with pics and updates. Have a good weekend everyone!