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Sunday, November 20, 2011

Holidays are here

Dear Family and Friends,

Yesterday was one of my favorite days of the year - my annual shopping day with friends.  Kids were glad to see me go, hopeful that I will get everything on their Christmas list and anxious to spend a Dad day.  Dad days involve doing their jobs and then having a day of TV and goofing around, ordering pizza and sneaking soda into the house.  My day involves catching up with some old friends and running all those Christmas errands.  Due to some sick kids it was really only my friend Michelle and I for most of the day but it was still a great time.

Robyn is home sick today.  She came down with a cough on Friday and has that low temperature, croupy cough thing going.  Not enough to make her truly miserable but enough to keep her down on the couch.  So she is busy watching Animated Scriptures while she pretends to nap.  She is trying hard to get better before her Thanksgiving feast on Tuesday.  She has been spreading the Christmas season a little early in our house, breaking into Christmas songs whenever possible.  On Thursday I taught art and had the kids sculpt ornaments.  After Thanksgiving we are going to paint them.  Kids made things from hearts to snowmen to alien space ships.

Allison had her Thanksgiving feast on Friday at school.  They spent the week learning manners and had to come in their best dress and enjoy a 7 course meal, using all the right forks etc.  She thought it was great.  Friday also Allison was in her school spelling bee representing her class.  She lasted three rounds but then got out.  But she felt pretty good about how she did as she was competing against the junior high.  I have been sewing away this week on a Christmas project and listening to the TV show The sing-off while doing so.  Allison has become a little addict and hurries to join me after she is ready for bed.  I have vivid memories of doing the same thing while my Mom watched Moonlighting at the same age.  Allison had a daddy/daughter dinner for Activity Days this week with Jeremy and just beamed the whole evening through.


Spencer is busy and matter of factly figuring out how to balance his different assignments and working to bring his grades back up.  He finally had the brain wave that the planner from the school would actually be a really good thing to use.  So he has been staying after school to re-do tests and assignments most days.  A week or two ago he had his first after school dance.  I came to pick him up and watched all these kids doing line dances amazed that Spencer would be participating.  And then I saw Spencer in the back with a group of boys playing some version of the Tron disk game.  That made much more sense to me.  Jeremy went into Spencer's photography class this week to teach about lighting.  Spencer thought his dad was so cool.  Spencer really is doing good over-all, but now and then we have that moment when we remember he truly is bi-polar.  He always is really paranoid about his shoes.  I should have know better but Monday when its time to go he breaks down thinking his new shoes from Saturday have changed and are not longer fitting right.  Once he calms down he seems to understand that its just his mind playing tricks on him.  And then for the next few mornings, we just have to remind him that his shoes really are the same, he just has to convince his mind of it.

Taylor was home sick with a cold the first part of this week but is back to his normal, chirpy self.  We are quite mean and make him stand for long periods to build up his leg strength.  He still does not walk well but is quite happy for us to carry him.

Macho got into another fight.  At first we thought he had broken his leg.  But after talking to the vet and seeing him start to improve we are thinking that instead he has an infection in his leg.  See how he does in the next few days to see if he needs antibiotics.  He is quite pathetic looking.  And on a side note we bought new mouse-traps but no dead mouse yet.

Jeremy sucked it up Thursday night and went with me and a friend and her husband to see a preview of Breaking Dawn.  I can do an 8pm movie but the midnight showings just don't work for me.  Jeremy tried hard to stifle his laughter but had his face buried in his hands, shoulders shaking quite often.  It is such a silly, girly thing to enjoy, but I do.

Wishing everyone a great Thanksgiving holiday full of family and great food and grateful hearts,

Heather

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