Busy Bees

Quite a long time has passed since I last posted! We've been busy bees what with readjusting to the demands of school and winter sports activities, and I've had little inclination to blog if you want the long and the short of it.

Until I summon the effort needed to post a few photos, here's a bit of what's been going on with the lot of us:

J - Contrary to our normal routine, Daddy has opted to work out later in the day and now spends his mornings with us as we rouse from bed, dress for the day, and scramble to gather all of the items needed for school and errands. He's even gone so far as to make pancakes the size of dinner plates for breakfast, too! Due to work demands, J will be traveling four out of the next five weeks and will be sorely missed!

Bop - Officially slept by herself for the first time in her nine years only three days ago; she now has her own room which delights her. She has taken the time to display her myriad chapstick tubes, nail polishes, 'perfume' and 'dazzle dust' on her vanity and is enjoying her privacy and the feeling of being a bit more grown up. Bop had a sports physical this week and when asked what she wanted to do when she grows up, she responded without hesitation, "I want to be a grocery store manager." Caught off guard, the doctor then asked why she'd like to be a grocery store manager. Bop said that she liked food and liked organizing things. I've never heard her say that this was her occupation of choice before, so I think I may need to stress university a bit more! She's begun her raquetball practices and does quite well with it.

Log - Log is engrossed in wrestling once again and is anxious to prove himself in the ring. His first match will be on the 21st, and I'm just as nervous as I was last year; in fact, it is difficult for me to watch the matches without fearing that he'll break something or worse. J says I mollycoddle Log a bit much. His latest school project focuses on delivering an in depth look at Abraham Lincoln, whom Log chose as his subject matter. When I asked Log why he chose Lincoln in lieu of the sport stars that other boys in his class gravitated toward, Log said that he'd like to learn how it is that Lincoln came to be on the penny. Never you mind his role in emancipation and reunification, Log is a little man who wants to know about money.

Littlest - Littlest is enjoying her preschool lessons and relishes her weekly rotating play dates. She's begun to read simple books and does her best to 'write' stories which she also illustrates. Her latest story revolves around an angel who plays the violin. Littlest took a shine to the unusual amount of snow that has been deposited in our river valley and built a snowman that she promptly named Frosty. Poor Frosty suffered a blow when she ate half of his carrot nose, but he's none the worse for it.

Mama - I'm very much looking forward to our trip to Berlin this weekend and am occupied planning the particulars of several other trips we have in the works. It seems our time in Europe is passing quickly, and there's still much I want to see. One trip that we're all excited about taking is one to the U.S. this summer; we hope to visit with many of you, and I hope to reignite my love affair with Target and Barnes and Noble :)