Just a Simple Update

Nothing fancy today - just giving an update on how things are going here. Surprisingly smoothly considering the 1 1/2 professions, 2 kids/no daycare, SOS and MSN life we're living here. Anyway, here goes.


We took a little trip to Bury St. Edmonds today. It is a very quaint town with a beautiful cathedral and the ruins of a 7th Century Abbey. Here are the kids and me outside in the gardens that surround the Abbey.
OK - this one should probably be deleted, but the kids and a new friend of Ava's decided to play hide and seek in the ruins. I was OK with that until they began climbing them! But being the Father of the Year Candidate that I am, I decided it was more important to get a picture of my children's escapades than actually stop them. But as soon as I finished taking the picture, I ran and got them off so I believe I didn't completely ruin my chances of winning the award.
We have had the most beautiful weather lately. We have slight tans and happy dispositions as a result. I mean, we're talking 8 or 9 days in a row of sunny mid-80's weather. So according to the law of averages, we should next be seeing that kind of weather in 2012.
Circe is surviving ... barely. The kids love her soooooo much that I worry she may be crushed under the weight of the love. But it's all good, because despite the multitude of kitty scratches (for Ava these include on both arms, her belly, her chest, her cheek, and one left nostril), Circe seems to be equally falling in love with ... well ... Ava at least. Soon after this picture was taken, I asked Ava to let go (which she did) so the cat could escape (which she did not try to do at all). Stupid cat apparently is enjoying all the hugs.

Lastly, I need to report some successes. My girls are doing very well. Ava has actually finished reading her first book - "A Great Day For Soccer". It's a Dora book, and with the exception of a few odd words like "through" she reads it all herself. Admittedly, she doesn't read for comprehension and it goes agonizingly slowly, but it still brought a little tear to my eye when the last word was uttered. Way to go AVA! (By the way, who invented this language we read?!? Every time I teach her a new rule she discovers a word that doesn't follow it. Very frustrating.)

And then there's the other girl in my life. Captain Conderman (AKA Ness) is plowing through her SOS and passing the tests. 4/5 completed and hopefully done by July. In addition, she is doing very well in grad school. Although this is not a surprise to us (or to you probably), it is only due to the extreme dedication and effort she is giving. And we are very proud of her.

Well, I'll give the blogging reigns back to Ness now. So the reading will be shorter and more witty ...