Just Stuff

It's been busy around here, that's for sure. I have been working at Penzey's for a few weeks now, and I really like it (though my feet might have something else to say about it - and it would probably have to be edited). I have very successfully managed to NOT spend my whole paycheck at the store, but it certainly helps that I already had half their stock on my shelves in the first place ;) The only down-side is that I've been working every Saturday, and I have started feeling like Phil and I never see each other. The days I work, I don't get home until around 6:15-6:30, then it's dinner, baths, and bedtime. And, as we are all aware, if it's Phil's turn to put Ceana to bed, then I'll be lucky to see his (sleepy) face again before at least midnight. Thankfully, last Saturday was the last one I'll be working for a little bit.

The kids are doing well - Liam was out of school all last week and will go back tomorrow (today was a planning day). We had conferences last week, and according to his teachers, he's doing very well. Right where he's supposed to be, though he does need to work on making better choices about who he sits with and how much he talks in class (he *must* get that from Phil...). Ceana is really starting to speak well - she's even been putting complete sentences together every so often. I find her correcting herself sometimes as well, which is interesting to hear. We have been having some major issues with her about her eating - she's very finicky and changes her mind about what she "likes" on a daily basis. It got to the point where I sat at the table with her on Thanksgiving evening long enough to play through most of a game of War while waiting for her to eat - otherwise, she wakes up in the middle of the night hungry. She's driving me crazy.

Phil is doing well - he's got a cold, and his voice keeps cracking like he's in the middle of puberty, but I'm guessing he'll be feeling better soon. He's been responsible for the watching the kids every Saturday while I work, so I can guarantee that he's pretty happy about those work days being done for a while ;)  Oh, and here's a picture of the kids with Keegan and baby Wyatt. Chris and Jen came and stayed for a night, and Liam (and Ceana!) were enamored of Wyatt and had a blast playing with Keegan. So, enjoy the photo!

Roxie is, well, Roxie. We've been in touch with her foster mother, and have contacted a few trainers to see if we can fix this issue of hers. However, having spoken to her foster mother, it appears that her birth mother is still like her and has been deemed unadoptable. We've heard back from 1 of the 3 trainers I emailed, and so far we're looking at a little over $600 for: 1 initial training session, 2 follow-ups, and 1 behavioral session. We'll see how that goes...

The neighborhood is starting to look...annoyingly festive. It drives me crazy when people insist on starting Christmas stuff the day after Thanksgiving. We'll be the only hold-outs at this point...but we don't generally get our tree until 2 weeks before Christmas, especially with a cat and Ceana. Oh, well. We'll be the party-poopers ;)