a few quick updates

So I've been waiting to post an update until I have some more awake photos of Rosebud, but if I really do wait for that, I many never post again, so you're getting what you're getting and you'll just have to be happy about it! She's cute, even when you can't see her eyes.

But when you CAN, she's a rootin' tootin' smilin' little thing. Which of course makes taking photos of her really difficult (especially when the camera doesn't cooperate). Here's Rosebud in her "super happy place" -- her changing table. She just loves hanging out there, "talking" to the nice dark railings that make a great contrast against the white refrigerator. Seriously, this changing table is the number one best thing we got for her:

She started smiling over the past few days, and tracking stuff with her eyes, which means she's taking in everything around her. She discovered cats yesterday and thinks they're pretty cool. She loves looking at and being with other kids (she can already tell they are way more fun than adults). And she loves being a part of anything her brothers are.

Speaking of her brothers, I've got some updates stuff on them too.

J was indeed offered a spot in the ABT summer young dancer program (which is a pretty big deal), but there was no scholarship offer (I'm not even sure they do scholarships at the younger dancer level), and we sadly can't afford to send him without one, so we'll have to turn that opportunity down. He also decided, at the last minute, not to participate in chorus this semester -- he's just worried that as rehearsals start to pile up near the performances (which are back to back weekends) that it'll be too stressful to have to miss a rehearsal at dance to attend one for chorus, and vice versa. I think it's a good decision, and I'm not sad not to have to run him to one more activity, but I am sad that he won't be doing any formal music this semester. (He's still not interested in re-starting piano lessons.)

Above is a "mystery dungeon" the kids built. This goes along with a video game Zoo Boy (and J too, apparently) is playing on his DS -- they decided to build a "real life" mystery dungeon for their Pokemon characters to play on. I love that they bring their "virtual" games into more of a real life format. They do this with the Star Wars game they play on J's Wii also, with lots of jumping around and swordplay.

We're in the middle of our "skills block" but are also just starting work on their Science Fair project, which I'll be blogging about at some point, I'm sure. We'll keep on course with this schooling format through the end of February, then shift into a short block on Maple Sugaring (and all the science and history type stuff that goes along with that) before starting up with our Haudenosaunee cultural block in mid-March.

Now if we'd just get some snow before this winter isn't winter anymore! We've had exactly ONE day of sledding this season, and the lake still hasn't frozen over yet. It's just not right!