Notes from the nuthouse!

 

Hello!  We're still here!  And very, very busy :o)  In the time it took to locate and post these photos, Little Man unloaded every ziplock bag we own from the drawer of zippy bags;  roughly 14,000 bags, from the look of our floor...  That would explain the eerie quiet for a minute and a half.

 

Ah!  So, what have we been up to?  Original Oddball (Little Man's mom) graduated near the top of her high school class this summer.  Now she is going to a nearby college.  She is loving the very tough academic load!  Always an intellectual kid, she is majoring in Management and looking at either Political Studies or something to tie to non-profit social justice advocacy.  Or something like that mouthful of words.  

 

Oddball and her fiance (Little Man's dad) have moved into an apartment above our garage.  I love it!!!!  We get to see them all the time.  And yet they (and we) have separate space, too.  Oddball told me this morning that she told Little Man he needed to eat breakfast, then he could go see G'amma.  As soon as he finished breakfast, he ran over and got his shoes!  Ah!  I love watching the little guy!  AND, I love seeing so much of Oddball and (almost) Mr. Oddball!

 

 

And Gadget Girl!  Gadget has her license now and is working two part-time jobs.  She was chosen as the Student of the Month last month for her accomplishments and leadership in school.  Among other things, Gadget is a team leader in her building trades class.  Yup... the only girl in the class and she was chosen by the teacher to lead a team because she can handle every tool and every building assignment in the curriculum!  Gadget has plans to rebuild a truck (she needs to find one first) and she wants to build a "tiny house" for her high school and college years.  She also has a kitten... and the accompanying vet bills, food, and kitty litter maintenance.  And, mmmmmhmmmm... there is a sweet boy who visits our house in Gadgets rare free time!     

 

Miss Sassy is in HIGH SCHOOL now.  I'm still pinching myself!  Where did time go???  She is loving the new bit of independence, different schedule and new people to see.  Sassy is in the chorus and just participated in a Cabaret show.  She loved all the singing and dancing!  She also continues to ride and was recently a demo-rider for an open house where she rides.  Sassy rode through all her paces;  put flowers into vases while riding, trotted... all the normal things she does in a lesson.  Then she was surprised to hear clapping as she finished.  What a sweetie!

 

And the youngest Goober!  What a fun kid!  She comes home from school each day happy and chatty.  She tells me all about her day, her friends, her classes.  I love it!  She's still in the bubble of youth where mom gets to hear everything.  And what a spirit!  She wears funky clothes when she feels colorful.  She's painted stripes of color in her hair.  I love that she breaks the normal fashion fads and sets her own trends.  She recently went on a tour of the Washington DC and Philadelphia area.  I sure missed her chatting and laughter, but was thrilled that she was able to travel with her peers and enjoy such historic sites.

 

And Little Man!  He is nearly a year-and-a-half old now and BUSY!  He started walking at 10 months and running and climbing about the next day.  He saunters around the house and leaves his little footprints all over our hearts.  Little Man is happy and mischeivious.  He loves to make us laugh and will repeat his antics for as long as the chuckles continue.  Little Man loves animals, particularly Wiggle, our black lab.  They romp and play together, then they settle down and cuddle up together.  Very sweet.

 

Well... Little Man has been captive in his highchair eating lunch while I type, but it's time to get him down.  And, in the few minutes between cleaning up ziplock bags and getting lunch for him, he managed to un-thread my sewing machine, unplug the mini fridge and corner the cat, soooooo.... it's time for stories and cuddles!

 

Have a happy day!