Too much

I have had about 50 posts in my head that I've wanted to type, but I'm finding it surprisingly difficult to find the time to sit down to type them out.  And here I only work four hours a day!  Right now I'm sneaking in time while Mary gets ready for school and before I have to wake the other two.  It's never good for me to get on the computer while I'm supposed to be monitoring my own children.  Lunches don't get packed, homework doesn't get put in the backpack (which was supposed to get done LAST NIGHT, but don't get me started), and buses get missed. 

First of all, I ended up flying solo to Indiana for my grandmother's funeral--and it was a lovely service.  I'm still sad at times, but I keep trying to focus on all the fun memories.  John and I were cracking each other up the other night with a few of her escapades.  Yep, she was just full of life--and love--and I just miss her terribly.

On to OTHER news.  Mary's report card is about to come out, and since we can track the progress of her grades DAILY, we already know that it's going to be absolutely lovely, except for that huge black hole of a math grade.  Mary just absolutely HATES math and refuses to study it or really have anything to do with it.  And since we parents have been super busy carting around kids (and going to funerals) the last few weeks, we hadn't been checking the computer like we should, and Mary ended up totally skipping studying for her big grade period ending math test.  D'oh!  So, since this happened two weeks ago, and we've already discussed study habits and regularly checking the teacher's website, etc. with her, we don't feel the need to berate her when we get the actual grades on Friday.  *sigh*

Keith is up to his old tricks again--last week he managed to go a full week without turning in one single piece of homework.  It all got either left at home, not done, or crushed in the bottom of the backpack.  It was a crazy week for me as I was still trying to get my head and my house together after my weekend away to Indiana (oh God, don't even ask about the state of the kitchen and laundry--which I STILL have not caught up on).  So yeah, things slipped, but really, the boy is in FOURTH grade now.  WHY is he still playing the same dumb tricks he's been playing since second grade?  Literally blue in the face with this kid.

And then Izzy got her card turned all the way to blue last week for repeatedly not listening and because she was using markers to draw on her hands.  As the teacher kept talking to me (instead of sending home a note, she simply pulled me out of Izzy's Suzuki lesson--gee, thanks), and explaining how all these kids got their cards turned, I, while agreeing that Izzy maybe went a little too far that day, kept wondering if maybe, just maybe the second grade teacher was simply having a bad day and didn't quite have the patience maybe she normally does.  (My sixth grader was writing on her hands the other day--along with practically her whole GS troop--gee, wonder where Izzy gets it from?)

Also!  I had a birthday on Tuesday!  The first one I'm tempted to deny, since it's hard for me to admit that I'm pregnant and am now THIRTY-NINE.  Sorry, I know LOTS of folks having their first babies at this age (and bless you, ALL of you!), but it just seems so OLD for ME--a sixth grade mom!  The birthday was anti-climatic since I had to lead Izzy Girl Scout meeting that night, but one of my girls shares the same birthday, and her mom brought cupcakes.  Fun!  John and the kids got me Deathly Hallows 2, AND a gift card for my Kindle--which I will now go and kindly OVERSPEND.  HEH.

OK.  I do have so, so much more to tell you about (the nightmare of an Iroquois longhouse project of Keith's), but I have to get up the other two for their morning craziness and get Mary motivated to pack her lunch before her bus gets here.   

Good News. Bad News.

I'm still reeling from the chaos of last night's trick-or-treating and then....  Well, let me tell you about Halloween first.  It was cold, but not tooooo cold.  I was 20 weeks pregnant and just about worn out from all the walking.  The kids were great and got tired just soon enough before I reached my MAXIMUM walking limit.  We went with our friends in the super-busy-kid-filled neighborhood behind us.  I happened to be wearing a pedometer and walked at least 5500 steps just trick-or-treating.  It was great.

The Unknown Phantom ("I am NOT the Grim Reaper!"), Cleopatra, and the Dragon Ninja

Joined by Hermione and a distracted Bunny

And here are some oldies I've been meaning to download.  Here is a pic of me with some visiting friends of ours this summer--when I was about 8-9 weeks pregnant.  Hard to tell with this pic, but there is a definite belly growing there!

And, wow.  I took/deleted this photo a million times, and of course as I download it, I notice that it is STILL blurry.  Ah well.  Here I am at 17+ weeks.  

And...the bad news.  My granny lost her battle with cancer this morning.  We knew it was coming, but even her doctor thought she would at least make it to Thanksgiving.  She went peacefully in her sleep, and my father was there with her.  She didn't really suffer much, so I'm pretty glad about that.  As I said on FB, it's going to be a pretty dull world without her in it.  :-( 

Here is the post I wrote a while back about her quilts.  She just didn't have the energy to make a quilt for this newest baby, but I didn't care because I already had such nice ones from her.  In fact, I got another hand-me-down that she'd made not long after that post that is just as lovely as the one she made for me.  She was a true artist, and I'm sorry she didn't get a chance to finish the last quilt she was making.  But I know that her life gave her great joy and that she went with no regrets and that she was just the best Grandma ever.  I don't need a new quilt to remind me of that.  I love you Grandma, and I'm going to miss you like no one's business!

My Granny on her 80th last May.  With a cup of coffee, OF COURSE!