Zoom, zoom!

Wow - what happened to January? I guess this year isn't going to slow down for me either!

Let's see what's happening with us. . .

The beginning of the year is always a goal-setting time for me. I usually make ten New Year's Resolutions - some of them are serious, like getting 90 minutes of exercise a week, and some of them are fun, like making sure I get at least one manicure a quarter. I have found though, that moving tends to derail my accomplishments as far as my goals are concerned, whether they are serious or fun. As usual I put in a goal to complete 365 scrapbook pages this year. I think this is the fourth year I've made that goal, but I've only hit it once. This past year I finished 280 even though it was a moving year. I still think that's pretty good. I think that I might do my 2007 album as a digital album. If so, I will probably be able to use some of my layouts on my blog - that will be cool!

Jerry and I also made some "us" goals this year. He usually isn't into making New Year's Resolutions, but he made some for himself and with me this year. Alot of them are about getting us settled - finding a house, finding a church home, and so forth.

The big event for us in January is Jerry's birthday. The last three years that has entailed a trip to Red Lobster and doing our best to do absolutely nothing - because that's what Jerry usually likes to do best on his birthday. He always takes the day off though, and since the girls were in school this year we went and saw an early showing of "The Bucket List". That evening he shocked us all when he chose to forgo his usual crab fest and instead chose an Italian place that we had not yet tried. When we got home the girls had a surprise for him - they had baked a birthday cake for him in the easy-bake oven that they got for Christmas. It was their first effort, and it took some doing, but they cooperated and did it all by themselves with very minimal help from mom.

I did finally get in the swing of things now that our insurance has changed for the beginning of the year and Maggie's birthday is around the corner. I spent one whole day on the phone making appointments and catching up on things. The girls went to the dentist for their checkup - no cavities! And Gracie went to an ENT checkup to make sure all her tonsils/adenoids/ear tubes were looking good - they were. Next up is Maggie's well-child visit. When I called to make it, I was expecting to have to schedule pretty far out because we usually do, and also because her pediatrician is working part-time now after the birth of her baby, but they could see us in a couple of weeks - not months. That was a nice change.

It's also that time of year again - seems like we just go from fundraiser to fundraiser, but the girls have been hitting the pavement to sell Girl Scout Cookies. We had one nice week during the selling season, but it's been pretty cold and windy, and this year we have two girls selling, so we haven't exactly been as productive this year. Still, I think we did okay. Thanks to all who supported us!

The girls got their report cards this month - marking the official halfway point of school. Both girls did pretty well on their report cards. Gracie seems to be making some good progress on her reading skills, but at this point we are still leaning towards holding her back at the end of the year. She's just so much littler than everyone else. We went to a birthday party for one of her classmates a couple of weekends ago - he was turning 8! When we go to the classroom, she just looks so much littler than the other kids. I was re-reading the book, Dare to Discipline, by James Dobson, and he goes into why some kids don't succeed in school. Gracie falls into the "Late Bloomer" category for sure, and he said that eventually that type of child will physically mature and be able to keep up, but if their self-esteem is too wounded from being the smallest and slowest, it'll be too late. The thing about Gracie is that I don't know if I would call her a true "Late Bloomer" - Gracie is academically now right about where Maggie was at the end of Kindergarten - but she's the same age as Maggie was at the end of Kindergarten just because of where their birthdays fall during the school year. I just think holding her back is the right thing to do because we don't want her to struggle for the first half of each year. She'll end up hating school, and that's stress none of us needs.

Well, we've already made our first trip to Texas this year. Jerry's folks got a new computer, so we headed down and helped them set it up. Mary Jo, the girls and I went to the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame on Saturday. They have a bucking bronc exhibit that the girls and I took a whirl on:

Gracie's Ride:

Maggie's Ride:

Suzy's Ride:

As you can see, we had a good time.

While we were in Fort Worth I took the opportunity to go see my Grandmother, Amy Sr., who fell last week and fractured her pelvis. I went to the hospital and took her some Fun Size snickers - her favorite. Amy Sr. has had some minor dementia, but I'm never really sure how bad it is, since I don't see her very often. This was one of the few times I've seen her lately one-on-one, so we got to chat a bit. She asked me where we were living now, what the girls names were when I gave her some pictures, what Jerry did and the usual questions, but she threw me for a loop when she asked me where Jane was - since Aunt Jane died three years ago. I wasn't sure exactly how to answer, since I thought she was aware enough to know that Jane was gone. If she wasn't, how would you like to have that told to you and have it be the first time again and again? That just seems cruel. Still, I thought she was more aware than that, so I said, "Well, Amy Sr., Aunt Jane passed away about 3 years ago." She looked at me and said, "No, I mean your sister, Jane, Jamie?" and looked like she was trying to come up with a new name, so I just said, "Oh, Amy! She's in Houston!" And continued on with the conversation. After about 45 minutes and lunch she was drifting off, so I left, but my visit certainly gave me plenty to think about.

Well, I guess that catches me up! Although I didn't put blogging regularly in my goals, I'll try to be more punctual. I told Amy that I need to reserve blogging time after my BSF lecture. They tend to make me very philosophical. When I wait so long between blogs, it tends to be more informational and less introspective than I want them to be. Until next time!