my everyday

life right now is crazy. i'm always running. it's taking me a while to adjust to the everyday school for maryn, me teaching at the piano academy two nights a week as well as my "at home" students. my house seems to be always a mess...no time to clean or laundry. but there are little glimpses of hope. i clean one room from top to bottom just so that i can sit in it for a few moments and enjoy the serenity.

this has been a fun week. oh yes, it was my birthday. it was a lovely day. not much happening during the day and did quite a bit of cleaning but i loved having some "down time" with my boys. since i have gotten older, i enjoy different things on my birthday than i used to. not just the presents. here is what i loved about this birthday:

• early morning homemade cards
  
• getting to pick out maryn's school outfit all by myself
  
• random bursting into the room with cheers of, "surprise! happy birthday!"
  
• special "somersault" show by caleb
• spicy pork burrito bowl from chipotle for lunch and yellow roses from my hunny
  
• spectacular flank steak dinner at my mom and dad's
  
• my brother and sisters and mom and dad
  
• visit from visiting teachers
• black forest cake (it was spectacular)
  

in other new, the notorious josh is a walker. not just a wobbly two stepper but he really goes for it. if the motivation is right, he can get clear across the room. and by motivation, i mean me. he loves me. i love him. if i aim him for someone else, he takes a few steps and then turns around and comes back to me.

he is becoming really involved in maryn & caleb's games. he loves to be involved and the kids are kind and sweet to him. he is also quite the tease and quite the brute. the other kids used to get really concerned when we were tickling and wrestling. not joshie. he just piles on and joins in the brawl. he also love's to play peek-aboo!

caleb melts me everyday. he is always such a hoot. but one-on-one with caleb is the best!! he chats about all sorts of things! his has an amazing vocabulary and is full of all kinds of little expressions but the cherry on top is the way that he talks. i wish i could duplicate it on here. but there are not letters to make the sounds that he does. yesterday, i said something he didn't like and he folds his arms and sticks out the pouty lip and declares, "morm! you jus bwoke my hort!" so i busted up laughing and this little smirk just creeps up onto his face. i want to bite it.