Not much to say.

Christmas came and went, and was fantastic and just everything it always is. New Year's.... an end, and a beginning and a good time to think and talk, but not really much to say about that, either.

Then, my computer broke. So I made three layouts yesterday. And the girls and I all sit at the table several times a day and draw pictures. Buggy is actually a really good little colourer.. and knows very much what she wants me to draw pictures of. Summer Lily draws these great pictures of Clogsworth and Lumiere from Beauty and the Beast, and likes to draw strange rain in pictures -- like "it's raining.. kraft dinner -- Gung's orignal" or "it's raining... videos. And they're all Disney videos."

Today Summer Lily wrote the numbers 1 through fifty, and she was so proud and excited. And every 8 or 9 or 10 numbers or so she would stop and count off the last set, and then again starting at 1 this time. And when she says the thirites it sounds just like all of the forties, and she tries so hard to pronounce thirty properly, that it comes out like FER-tee, and fourty sounds like ferty. She's just so cute.

Paul is in a crazy time right now (he's not crazy; just his time is crazy). He's just started his qualifying exam for his PhD.. he has two weeks to write three essays on assigned questions from his examination comittee and then a week after handing them in has a 3 hour oral exam on topics related to his field of study (but much broader than his area of specialization). It is definitely a huge challenge, but I know that in the end he'll be finished and have done this totally amazing job. And in the meantime, I know I need to be this unwavering, solid support and help him out. So last night, as we were both giddy with exhaustion and laughing until we cried (and one of us might have snorted a little and the other might have sorta started wheezing), I suggested that I could do such helpful things as quiz him from his textbooks. Or if he needed help, he could just call me. And I could maybe give him a pep talk of sorts. But he just laughed a little and didn't really say anything so I really don't think he's going to asking for any help.


:) Ashley.