Here I am!

I am still around. It has been a busy summer. Since that last post I started summer school. It is every morning for 4 weeks. I can't complain-a laid back atmosphere, finished before lunch and paid hourly. Not a bad deal. But it is taking up my time and I'm tired. I'm also taking an online course. Right now I have my master's obviously and the next pay scale up is to have your masters + 30. I didn't realize this but I am already 17 or so credits toward that 30 because my masters program was more credits than a regular teachers program. So since I'm already half way there, I can take the rest of the credits in free online courses that are offered through the county. I was expecting to just write one paper or something and get the 3 credits. No. The course is 4 weeks long. Every 3 days (literally) I have to read a "case" and several other articles (ok fine-skim them) write a journal, write 3 "discussion" entries, and sometimes do a workbook activity. At first I was done right on time and could just relax for the last day or two of that session. Now I'm trying to find something to say on the discussion board at 10 pm on the night that its due at 12. And every time I'm thinking...this is such nonsense, I definitely won't get full credit for this one, it makes no sense, she's going to know I just skimmed. And sure enough, the teacher writes back "great job Kim, you applied the knowledge gained in the articles, and set forth several excellent ideas to execute the problems while still targeting your student's goals and objectives". Um, ok, thanks! I guess I never grew out of the "I definitely failed"..."Oh my god I got an A" thing that I did in high school and college. Anyway, the online course thing is more work than I expected.

So in between working and that class, having some free time for mid-week lunches with friends, cleaning up and planning Max's birthday party, I've been taking my little girl to and from appointments what seems like every day. Last week we had her vision and hearing tested. Both were fine. Therapy is now well under way and we do see some progress. Hopefully it will continue. The language is the biggest issue but everything else has really come so far in the last few months. She's bringing us books to read, painting and coloring, playing with the other kids in the neighborhood (and actually doing the same things they are doing) and saying more words. This is a big change and we'll take it. I know this is usually a slow process but when it's your own kid, noone wants to wait around!

I am having issues with putting my pictures from my iphone onto my computer for some reason so I can only comment on pictures that I have taken on my real camera in the last few weeks which are very few. My phone has changed my life in some ways.

I took this picture on my phone a few weeks ago and am obsessed with how it turned out after I edited it.



Shutterfly told me it wasn't a good enough quality to order it in an 11x14 but I took my chances and I'm pretty excited for that orange envelope to arrive.

They have been really into eachother lately. Not just in the old pulling hair/taking toys/torturing way that it used to be. I mean that does still happen. Alot. But there is another side of it we're starting to see. Max kisses her all the time. He makes her laugh, he wants her to wake up in the morning and waits in the hall way. When he hears that first little sigh, he yells "She's up!!" and runs into her room to be with her. He asks where she is all the time. He looks after her when they are at camp. She follows him around and tries to do what he does. We're at a good place with them. Bedtime is easy (did I really just say that?) everyone wakes up at a normal time (normal meaning we usually make it past 6).






I have more to say but it's 9:45 and it's almost past ice cream time for me. I didn't get to discuss the heat or how we lost electricity when it was 100 degrees, or Max's first movie. I will next time. It will be less than a month this time. Stay cool :)