Snow and ice update

It's gorgeous outside - a jewel-like coating of ice on every tree branch and mounds of snow. This isn't good for everyone without power, which includes Pewee Valley, but it's better than dirty slush and grey skies. We're blessed in all of this - my parent's house has electricity, so we've moved over there for the duration of the power outage. We're warm and we can cook, and it's just a change of scenery with a few minor inconveniences (oh no! no cable! have to go to Starbucks for Internet access). I'm guessing this is a much more desparate experience for most of my students.

Oreos

Nicholas and Aaron are jumping up and down giggling wildly…..and eating oreos on a white carpet. All four little kids have oreo outlines of their mouths. Our dogs have moved over to the Williams house with are they are busy working out the pecking order with Rosie (a gracious host) and Ginger (a barking, nervous wreck). I guess this is a good opportunity for me to catch up on all of the miscellaneous work things that have piled up and spend relaxed time with the kiddos. Let’s just hope it doesn’t get too cold in here over the next couple of days.

Luke & Aaron's new chair

Mom and Dad picked up this swing for the boys at Ikea, but we decided that it needed to be attached to the floor to prevent wild swinging!

January 28 not a Levinson favorite

So....exactly a year ago today our house was hit by a tornedo and we lived in a hotel for a month while the holes in our roof were repaired. Today our power is out following a snow and ice storm bad enough that the public schools are cancelled through the end of the week. Rich took the photo of our road this morning. Very pretty, very scary this morning listening to the tree branches cracking and falling all around the house. We're at Jenny & Mitch's house so our kids can play together and because we're getting used to camping out together whenever there's a major storm in Lousiville. The benefit is that we get to hang out with friends and Jenny helped me write my CV (education version of a resume - need for Ph.D. application) this morning. The downside is that we're going to be in school until the middle of June at this rate.

Ears, noses, & tummies

We've been sharing every bug we come across - last week a 24 hour stomach virus, this week a cold. Aaron woke up last night on the half hour, then stayed up after 3 a.m. because of his ears. Thank heavens for Urgent Care and antibiotics. He speaks enough now that I usually know what he wants, but this morning he cried hysterically forever because I didn't understand "Mah ayahs!" I even called Megan out of a church service for help interepreting him. Finally in the afternoon when he started again, I realized that he wanted scrambled eggs. Eesh.

Aaron is exited from individual speech therapy, but still goes to baby group on Wednesday.

So the adults in the house are exhausted, and the kids are going through record amounts of kleenex. Rahj is the only one who is in decent shape, but he went to an all-night thing with his youth group then slept for the next 20 hours. He was still groggy today.

I'm taking the GRE on Feb 7 and my application for the math ed doctoral program is due Feb 15. I'm doing everything very last minute but I don't have the energy to get particularly stressed out about it. Lots of work projects that are really interesting, so I'm wildly juggling and trying not miss too many critical appointments....missed a therapy appt for Rahj last week. There are 15 voicemails on my cell phone so maybe I'll be inspired to empty it out soon?

Pee-Pee Pot

Maybe this is something only mothers of boys can truly appreciate? Aaron doesn't like to wear poppy diapers and sometimes complains about wet diapers, so we decided to pull out the toddler potties and let him practice sitting. Very casual, whenever he really gets interested that's fine.

Today Zachariah crept up to Aaron's potty, and Aaron grabbed it and carried it around and yelled, "MY pee-pee! MY pee pee!"

He's been sitting on it every night and enjoying everyone's admiration. Tonight Luke agreed to sit rather than stand and let Aaron watch him pee. Aaron was thoroughly impressed. He immediately ran to the living room to get his potty, bring it into the restroom, and sit with Luke.

Camera battery was dead, of course.