And Life Goes On ...

Well, so much has happened since my last post that I don't even know where to begin. Lives of friends near us have been turned upside down and we have been spending quite a lot of time trying to do what we can to help out. But, as Amira says, "I need a break from being sad for a while. Let's go pick some flowers and walk outside." Gotta love the kids to remind me of what is really important. Here you see Amira in the tree in the front yard. Also, note the homemade ladder. Another of Rex's fantastic creations.


Michael continues to keep extremely busy. Not only is he the best father ever, but he is still working on converting our 1974 Bug convertible into an electric car. It's still coming along. I hope to be cruising around in it by this summer. (It needs a new top anyhow, so no rush to finish in the rainy season!) He's also been steadily working on "gopher-proofing" the garden. We've got 3 of our raised beds completed and seeded and wired for varmints. And, lastly, though work had really slowed down for him, he's managed to come up with a few jobs. So, we are lucky he is working!

Valerie is working hard on her piano and knitting. She wants to learn to sew so that she will be really good at making clothes for the applehead doll they have made in class. Rex is excited to be a cub scout and continues to work on his own projects at home (gopher guillotine, battering ram, trebuchet, bows and arrows ..) and Amira has her heart set on learning to read. I'm impressed with where she is. I said to her the other day, "Wow! You're getting so good. What happens if you are too good at reading for kindergarten?" She responded, "Well, I guess I will have to go to first grade then." She was very matter of fact.

Did I mention that Amira turned 5 last month? Here's a picture of her with two of her good friends at the Chuck E. Cheese birthday party she requested. Oh, and a picture of the cake she requested. I'm sure it will look even better next year!