A very boring update

All week I’ve been thinking of things to write an update about, full of wry humor and deep, incisive commentary. And now I finally get a chance to sit and write and I am drawing a complete, utter blank.

It’s unfortunate.

So... I’ll give you the quick and dirty basics: Yesterday was RA training for the next semester. I really, really enjoy our Resident Assistant staff. It’s a huge blessing to feel that you’re working with good people who are motivated similarly.

At the end of the day the fire sprinkler system had a pipe break in one of our residence halls. Four rooms were completely flooded from the gush of water flowing from second-story roof to the ground floor. This was made even more spectacular by the fact that the high temperature yesterday was 15 degrees. Given enough time and lack of attention, I’m pretty sure we could have had a stellar ice skating rink in the hallway on the ground floor. But, darn those maintenance guys, they got on it and cleaned it up before we could break out the skates!

I watched the Bachelor premiere. I’m not sure if I can commit to this show – I don’t think it has much in the way of redeeming value... But I’m absolutely fascinated by the people. It’s like a train wreck. And it makes me so incredibly thankful for my husband and kids that I guess that could be qualified as a redeeming value.

I can no longer see my toes or knees over my belly. The little girl, yet to be named in any way, is kicking away with gusto. We went to a birthday party this afternoon and one of the other moms said, “I’m so relieved that you’re starting to show! For the longest time I wanted to ask if you were pregnant but I was afraid that...” her words slowed as she started to try to finish the sentence without being offensive, “... I thought maybe you were just... Um, getting, um... fluffy.” I responded, “Oh! Don’t worry – Mia walked up to a lady at church and asked her, ‘Do you have a baby in your belly or are you just fat?’ No one can beat that!”

In lieu of new and exciting things to report I did discover these little stories in my draft email box from earlier this year. The first is from Thanksgiving, I think, the second was also sometime in November. They show the wisdom and challenges of our first born. And yes, I have begun to read “The Strong-Willed Child.”



Here goes:

After getting in trouble for swinging her toy by a string and banging the furniture Mia crawled into a corner and announced that every adult was mean. This included Grandma and Grandpa, Mommy and Daddy. Things got out of hand as her mouth kept going and her words got uglier. Finally Isaiah took her to the bedroom to sort things out.

Here’s the dialogue that resulted, as reported by Daddy:

Isaiah: “You have a bad attitude and you need to figure out how to change it.”

Mia (crying piteously and wringing her hands): “What am I going to do?”

Isaiah: “The first thing you’re going to do is stop crying and screaming the way you’re doing.”

Mia (suddenly defiant): “No! When you have a problem it’s your job to figure out – only yours – to figure out what you’re going to do!”

Getting a grasp on what she’s going to do with her problems has been difficult for Mia, even if she knows it’s her responsibility to come up with the solution. Hence story #2:

While I was gone to Indianapolis for the writers conference, Mia was giving Daddy a very hard time at bedtime. He finally told her that it was time to settle down and stop talking. After repeating these instructions and being repeatedly ignored Isaiah said, “Mia, if you don’t stop talking you’ll get in trouble.”

Mia looked at him straight in the eye, made an ugly face and screamed, “No!”

So, Isaiah gave her a swat on her bottom.

Mia howled, “Oh! It’s too late!” and began to cry. “I wish I would have stopped talking but I waited too long!”

So... Hopefully before you begin to wish I’d stopped writing, I’m going to sign off... It’s cold but sunny, and the interior walls of our house are dripping with condensation. There’s actually ice buildup around the doggy doors. (Which are not in use anymore... Our dear sweet dogs have been adopted by another family we know. We miss them... But not too much!)

We’re busy, we’re happy & we’re full of it.

And I’m done!