We're still here...

It's getting tougher to get this girl to pose.  She gets mad, and turns away from the camera.

Reading books is a good winter activity.

His smiles were so fleeting, they were difficult to catch.

No problem getting this one to smile!

A pretty cheerful disposition, overall.

The princessa is not finding things to her liking, lately.

She will unbend, occasionally, given the right circumstances...

"Brothers are such a pain..."  I like how he's balancing on the other toy.

Well, it feels like a long winter, mostly because we had a storm with snow, fog and freezing rain, that lasted for several days, off and on. Most of the roads are pretty clear this week, though.

The other thing that makes it feel long is that the little kids all got sick, and there were snotty noses aplenty. Try keeping up with that! It's enough to reduce a grown adult to a quivering, sobbing blob of jello. Sleeves and foreheads aren't the only things coated. Think also of couches and every big person's leg (if they're within grabbing and wiping distance. One perfects a little twirling defensive move, while grabbing for the kleenex box.)

Not much outdoor play, so we've been working on preschool-type activities. We've had no luck going to Sunday school, partly because apparently when Dad and Mom aren't present, good behavior is optional, and partly because there's no ability to sit at a table if a meal isn't present. Diving and climbing on the table is fun, but not for the teacher and other students, so we're having a crash course in learning to sit quietly and color or draw, until you're allowed to get up. I was surprised to discover that they have approximately one minute tolerance for sitting. I thought it was longer, but no. So, the timer is set for 15 minutes, and everyone has to live through the torture of waiting to be released.

We're also focusing on speech lately. There aren't too many options for speech therapy around here, so I've been researching everything I can find. We've been doing exercises for strengthening tongue and cheek muscles, and lots of encouragement for babbling. The kids all understand a lot, but are reluctant to communicate verbally, other than by squawking. The girls can sometimes follow two-step directions, and everyone is encouraged to use sign language. Apparently, movement and proprioception is big in language development, so we've been doing a lot of that also. I feel that we're making progress, but it's slow, and I'm so impatient!

Finally!  This girl can grab some air!  We've been working on learning to jump, and although you can't tell from this picture, both feet really do leave the surface.  Two more to go.

I finally gave up on cutting his hair, because unlike normal people, each of his hairs has a nerve ending, so it's excruciatingly painful with each snip of the scissors.  I guess I just decided to pick my battles.  He's starting to look like a little boy, but he's still  so tiny!