A list kind of week...

Nicole (25 months)

• Apparently last week's $180/week daycare tuition went to Nicole learning “Ring Around the Rosy”. I haven’t heard her recite any states from Geography class yet…. She learned about Alaska yesterday.
• She actually goes on the potty about 1/day now. Yesterday she went 2X (once at school and once at home) which earned her 8 chocolate chips and 10 pennies to put in her bank. Ryann is almost potty-trained and I feel jealous and all the more eager to get Nicole there.
• She knows all of her colors except grey which I never thought to teach her.
• My project with her is shapes (she knows triangle and that’s it for right now). Jim’s project is counting (actually understanding the concept of quantity). Our projects are very reflective of our personalities/interests. Jim’s got a 2 week jump on me but he’s doing better than I am.
• Every morning after the kids get dropped off Jim calls to tell me how it went. I really look forward to these calls.

Me (29 years, 329 days)

• Contrary to Pandora’s assumption, I do not like any Audioslave music.
• I called one place about my 30th birthday party plans (5 weeks!!) and have a few other options to check into today. I hope to have a firm plan by the end of the weekend. It’s looking like October 3rd’ll be the date. Plan ahead now!
• Work is in full-swing and going well. I like the projects I'm working on and my lunch visits with Chris help with any guilt I'm feeling about leaving him.
• I'm reading the 7th book in the series Jenny lent me – I’d say it’s a fair statement that I'm “engrossed”. Fortunately there are at least 4 more books after the one I'm reading to keep me involved.
• I'm bored of hearing how Kate Gosselin is “totally for her kids”.

Chris (2 months)

• He loves to be talked to and will smile and coo back to you when you give him your full attention.
• He’s very patient with a sometimes overly-loving sister.
• Bath-time (sponge baths on the kitchen counter) is never met with resistance.
• He’s eating 4oz every 2.5-3 hours during the day and every 2 hours at night.
• The little bugger still manipulates his way into his too-tired-to-argue parents’ bed in the middle of the night.
• Chris is totally grown out of newborn clothes and is firmly in the 3 month size.

Jim (32 years, 8.5 mo)

• Jim plays a potential triple header tonight (every game he wins means he plays immediately following). We won’t be staying for the whole thing but I hope he does.
• He started another MBA class last night. This means that one of the two of us have been on XU’s campus at least once/week for the last 10 straight years. Sheesh.
• Jim redid our 2009 taxes on Turbo Tax in an effort to match our accountant’s results. If he is close we’ll do our own taxes next year and save the $500+ in preparation fees. I'm glad he’s willing to do this because I don’t have any desire to do it but want the results.
• Jim mows about 1/week and when he’s done we both sit and admire the lawn. He does such a good job. It makes me feel kinda old to be one of “those people” who sits around admiring grass.
• He’s been tucking Nicole in lately and they seem to have a good routine – they read books (Bamboozled is the new favorite) and sing songs. We had to look up the words to Frere Jacques as neither of us could remember what came after “Dormez-vous?”