Wow! We have been really busy lately. Saturday evening I took Joss and her friend, Maggie (daughter of good friend, Kate http://katesandwiched.blogspot.com/)
to see the Christmas Carol, presented by Theatrix. It was alot of fun. The girls sat on a carpet up front so they could see the actors, including one of Jossy's friends, very close-up. The play was put on entirely by homeschooled kids, including kids doing make-up and running the lights and sound.
Sunday, I went and visited my grandma (actually Ryan's grandma, but we always just say we are grandmother and granddaughter). It is probably the first time I have ever taken the time to go visit her all by myself. Ryan watched the kids and she and I had cookies and tea and talked about lots of things. She is an amazing woman with such an interesting, impressive life. She has such a great outlook on everything and is such an inspiration to me. She hasn't been feeling well though and was quite worried about one symptom in particular.
When I got home, Ry, the kids and I all curled up on the couch to watch the first 1/2 of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Awesome, but I was glad we were all cuddled together for the scary parts.
I spent Monday (today) morning and afternoon with Jossy and grandma at the hospital going to grandma's doctor and for tests. We did her math work in the CT scan waiting room and did reading at grandma's house after we had lunch. She listened to the last 1/4 of Hank the Cowdog while we drove around, which is great by the way.
Grandma turned out to be okay for the most part, so in the end it was kind of fun to be hanging out together.
When I got home we had supper, then finished HP. I just love the books and the movies are actually pretty good, too.
Conversation between J and I.
Me: Do you want to go sign Christmas Carols at a nursing home?
Jossy: Is that a place where wise people live who can't take care of themselves? (Background: my mom told her it is not nice to call people old so she calls them wise)
M: Yes.
J: So I would go there with my playgroup friends and joy them up?
M: Yes.
J: Hooray!!

Zeff also tells jokes now, like putting his plate on his head and pretending to be sad because he doesn't have a plate. I also cut his hair and now he looks so cute that I am driving him crazy feeling his fuzzy head.

Keian is becoming a major house-wrecker! He is into EVERYTHING and we are re-instituting gates, even though I HATE them. He is also saying a lot of words and mimicking our speech patterns and hand gestures. He is so bright, if I do say so myself!

Also, I am trying not to hate Christmas. I am trying to plan and be really calm and take a couple steps a day to get some things done so that I won't go insane and stay up till 3am on December 23rd. So far, so good.