Other Stuff

I've been too busy (story of my life, everyone's lives, probably) and haven't been writing much, or even thinking about writing here. We're running along, trying to accomplish everything listed on the calendar for the week and not have too many meltdowns along the way. Shelly was really sick yesterday but today is better, we're on the road to recovery. E somehow didn't catch whatever Shell has (but he recently had roseola, yuck), and Arch is sneezing up a storm but he seems to ALWAYS have a runny nose.

There was talk of homework over the weekend and I silently begged the teacher, in my mind, wishing she could hear my thoughts, "Can't we have a break on the weekend? Isn't the homework every day during the week enough?" No homework this weekend. Of course, if there's homework, we'll do it, I'll tell Archer that's his job and I'll support his teacher. But I'd really like her to not put us through that. Shelly will attend her first birthday party for a friend tomorrow, and poor David is the one who has to take her, as Arch and I will be at a run. "You know I'll be the only dad there," he said to me when I explained the conflict in schedules. "I'm sorry." I couldn't say anything else. She wants to go so badly, I had a different obligation to the other kid in the family, it is what it is. And E will go along to the girl party with David, but then again he doesn't know the difference, I'm sure he'll have fun.

Eli loves to help us, but of course to him its just copying, not working. He sets the table with the other two kids, even if its already set. He goes back and forth, grabbing another plate, another cup, until the cupboard is empty and the table overflowing. He does this with dishes out of the dishwasher as well, it all goes to the table. He pushes laundry into the dryer for me if I set it on the open door. Yesterday I gave him an empty ice cream bucket and he took it to the closet where I store the buckets and left it there. Of course, he pulls out my work papers and leaves them strewn across the floor, if the kids put E's toys in the basket he immediately takes them out and puts them carefully under the couch, and often reaches into the garbage to pull out sticky wrappers and dump them on the floor. But he's trying. Trying to fit into the puzzle of our family, trying to grow up, trying to be more like his brother and sister. And its so much fun to see how a one year old works out all of the details of fitting in.