La, la, la, la, Life goes on

So it seems as though there hasn't been any time to breathe since before Christmas. But wether or not we stop and smell the daisies, life still goes on.

I'm having the hardest time with my Carlye being 11. Every day she becomes more and more mature and responsible, and more and more immature and irresponsible, all at the same time. I can tell these next few years are going to be SO much fun. She is still doing great in school, pulling straight A's across the board, but she does so with minimal effort on her part - despite our pleas to 'Do your best'. We are proud of her, and a part of me can't help but be thankful that she doesn't have my crazy perfectionistic side and leans more towards her daddy's relax and enjoy life view of things. She has taken a break from reading the Hobbit because she and her daddy have this crazy idea that she should see the movie first and then read the book. Carl told her that he's learned from me that books ruin all the good movies. I tried to tell him it's the other way around, but he doesn't believe me. Currently, he and Carlye are making their way through the Lord of the Rings movies. Nathanael tried to watch them, too, but he ended up coming downstairs with Noah and I to watch Star Wars. "I'm not old enough yet," he told me.

Nathanael is excelling in everything. He's in 2nd place in the Starkey Runners Club, half a lap behind a 5th grader. His grades are amazing, and he works as hard as he can at everything he does. Guitar, chess....you name it and he takes it VERY seriously. He's the only one that needs to relax just a little bit more. He does have my perfectionistic tendencies, which prevents him from enjoying things the way that he should, but we are working on it! He is doing a great job taking care of his and Carlye's guinea pigs (Henry and Bugsy -more on them later!) and loves finally having his very own pet. He has finally discovered the Chronicles of Narnia, and is devouring them as quickly as he can. I am so thankful that he has finally developed a love of reading.

Noah is Noah. As far as he is concerned, life is a party and he's the star. He, too, is doing amazingly well in school, and it seems to be the one thing that he does take seriously. However, he can find the funny in everything, and often at times when it isn't appropriate. He reads EVERYTHING, and, unfortunately, thinks most everything is funny. He read SUPER DUTY on the back of a truck the other day and started laughing hysterically. "Get it, y'all! Super doody!" he said. He also feels the need to read me the speed limit signs every time he sees one. I find it annoying, but Carl is thankful that someone in my car is looking at the speed limit signs!

All in all, life is good and we have much to be thankful for. It seems as though Carl's business is finally picking up, with 2 closings scheduled for February, and a remodel nearing completion. We haven't closed on a house in over a year, so this is such a blessing! Now Carl can start building again, and he's so much happier when he's building. I've been roped into the Sausage Supper at school (the single biggest fund raiser that we do all year), was made co-chair for the Birthday Book Club and our Book Fair, and I've been made President of the Blessings in a Backpack program at the school, which feeds the kids on weekends who otherwise might not get anything to eat. I enjoy it, but it sure does keep me BUSY!

So, la la la la, Life Goes On!