Kitchen Accomplished (and other updates)

Sorry for the slogging. I have been thinking about posting for at least a few weeks. Then I started this post about a week ago. Then we all got sick and I'm almost all better, but Simon is still coughing some. I finally took us to the doctor and we started antibiotics which seems to have helped our recovery. Joseph was hardly sick at all, but was coughing a little bit. I had even been contemplating writing a sentimental retrospective on Joseph's birthday, but it has been just too difficult to find enough time at the computer without interruptions, and when I do get to the computer it's usually to check emails and pay bills (and maybe read some mommy forums.)

Our kitchen renovation is complete! Well, I want to replace the faucet and the ceiling needs another coat of paint, and the laundry nook needs shelves and we want to get a different washer and dryer so we can put the doors back up, but other than that it is done. I have been getting back into the swing of things: making yogurt, kefir, chicken and beef stock, and cooking meals in general. It is a pleasure to be working in a space that is more attractive, better lit, has working appliances and more work area.

What shenanigans are the kids up to? Well, Simon has been getting increasingly mobile over the past few weeks. The night I came home from Las Vegas, he sat up by himself. Several days later when we returned from the beach, he started crawling. A week or two after that, he started pulling up. He is now often only supporting himself with one hand, and even trying to stand for a few microseconds. He's shimmying his feet in a way that will lead to cruising any day now, I'm sure. He is progressing a lot faster than Joseph did. Joseph was much more calculated and careful about every stage of mobility. He took his first steps right around 12 months. At this rate, Simon will be walking before one. Simon has also cut his two bottom teeth and making new fun sounds. I've also given him some solid foods. He likes gnawing on an eighth of an apple. I've also fed him some peach, a few micrograms of avocado and banana and today some vegetable soup. (But he was more interested in the apple.)

Joseph has started preschool! He's in a class with four other boys and goes three times per week for 3 hours. It is a very unstructured sort of preschool with a "learn through play" philosophy and the kids can pretty much do whatever they want as long as they are being safe and using things appropriately. So for example, even if the teacher is doing a group activity, but a child wants to read by himself, he can do that.

In case anyone was wondering, I am still leaning toward homeschooling, even though I decided to send Joseph to preschool this year.

One of Joseph's recent antics is that while at the dinner table he will exclaim, "Oh! My phone is ringing!" and use this as an excuse to get out of his chair and go run off to his toy area or something.

I've decided to sign up for Catholic Scripture Study again this year after taking last year off. This year's study is the book of Romans. It will be on Wednesday mornings while Joseph is at school and I'll bring Simon along with me and I'll let the ladies who do free child care watch after him as much as he'll allow it. Rachel and a friend of ours are also signed up, so I think that will make it extra fun.

Annie is in Chapel Hill this weekend visiting with some friends. It looks like she caught our bad cold... or got it back again. Hopefully she recovers better than Simon and I did! She bought her plane ticket and is moving to Buffalo on Sept 22.

Michael will be going on the annual Myrtle Beach Golf trip at the end of the month.

That's all I can think of for now and I'd better just post this before it gets delayed again. Oh, I will add pics of our new kitchen!