Gifted

When people tell me that they are amazed at the time and effort I spend for my Hispanic friends, I have to laugh.

I wish they could see how much they do for me. My friends will talk to me about anything, which means I get to do the same. They have taught me Spanish, which is a wonderful gift. They give of themselves and their talents constantly. They make me jewelry and food. They find clothes for me and my children. They're absolutely fantastic ladies.

My life would be so much less without them. What are ESL classes and the occasional errand compared to that kind of relationship?

Here is tonight's supper, courtesy of my good friend Maria. She says that I am her angel, but little does she know...



The kids are very grateful too, for obvious reasons.

The Amazing Invisible Fish

Zaya bought a few fish several weeks ago, one of which is a "glass cat". I think we used to call them x-ray fish. But whatever.

The point is that glass cats, being basically transparent, are hard to spot. All you really see is a backbone, some ribs, and a few tiny organs floating around in the tank. (Hence the fish's name- Backbone.)

Backbone disappeared several weeks ago. We assumed he was dead, but we couldn't find his body, being, as I've said, all but invisible. Art said we should take the plant and the little castle out of tank and see if he died in there, because it wasn't good for the tank if a fish and his mortal coil were left to finish out the universal cycle of life in a small, five-gallon tank.

But we never got around to it. Mostly because I am, let's face it, lazy.

Yesterday evening, though, Backbone was spotted again swimming around! Seriously, it's been weeks! I have no idea where that fish was all that time. I suppose he was hiding out in the castle.

I guess I would too if all my inner organs were available for constant viewing.

La Vida Loca

It's been a while since I've blogged anything, and I'm feeling a little guilty.

Life is progressing normally here, which is to say, just short of utter chaos. But we're happy, relatively healthy, and doing our best to do our best. Unfortunately, that doesn't leave us with much time for taking cute pictures.

The kids are enjoying school, which is a relief. Mim isn't crying at all this year, even though she is at school all day instead of half. I'm running around constantly, yet not actually getting much done, somehow. Wish I could figure that out.

I could use some prayer from my faithful friends and family. Nothing big, just struggling with some chronic health issues that make it hard to be the kind, patient, self-disciplined lady I'd like to be.

Thanks.

So much fun, so little time

We're enjoying the last warm days as much as possible. The kids play with Daddy in the evenings, and on weekends, and they're soaking in all their "outside recesses" at school, too.

Yesterday they did some trampoline jumping, as usual.







Today, they're playing in the mud while Art does a little amateur terraforming.







And then there's the swingset. Mim has recently discovered that there are quite a few things she can do without Mommy's help now. It's very freeing for both of us.

Art - The Recessive Gene

The kids and I played pictionary this evening. Let me just say that it is surprisingly difficult to guess what a five and six year old have drawn when they were the ones coming up with the ideas in the first place. (We don't have the official Pictionary game, so we just think up something, and then draw it.)

Here are the things Zaya thought up.
A cold virus
A sand dollar
Muddy Water
A virus, bacteria and amoeba
A Bird's eye view of a pyramid in the desert
And a vertical division sign.
Oh, and also a microscopic view of denim jeans.

How many of those do you think we guessed?

Yeah, that's right. Not very many.

Mim drew:

A computer screen with a radar image on it
Our house, with the three of us drawing
A tree being blown around in a T-storm

These kids are nuts.

Just to give you an idea of how difficult this was for Mommy, here are three of the pictures. You tell me what you think they are.