What's new with you??

Homework deductions


Road construction


Captive audience


Storytelling apprenticeship


Letters to know


Room to grow


Great news on the career front. Kola has decided to abandon his plans to become a girl (Sara, in particular) and become a doctor. He will be "Dr. Joe" and will only give checkups and see how people are feeling, but not give shots. At first Ethan was worried. Previous plans have had them both working in the transportation field, so Ethan wanted to know if he and Kola could still be family if they have different jobs. The good news is yes, but explaining to him how or why Kola might change his name to Joe was a little trickier.

Their train hobbies persist and they managed to ride trains for 3 out of 4 days this week. The train is not always the most direct or convenient way to get where we're going, so sometimes I'm dropping the boys and sig off via car and picking them up on the other side. Other logistical challenges were Christmas, where they took the train and I drove the presents, and a potluck brunch, where I needed the car to transport the food. Ethan's binder of train maps and schedules from around the area and world is really fattening up, and some days he'll walk around the house with a timetable, letting me know what trains are entering and leaving various stations.

Recently, the boys had their 4 and 6 year checkups. Ethan came in at a towering 4' which floored me, since I started high school at 4'11". A few years ago my dad said he was glad that of the houses we shopped, we picked a victorian with high ceilings;)

I was very honored a few weeks ago to receive a Citizen's Achievement award from the Illinois Park and Recreation Association for the environmental work I've done in the past year-ish with our park district. I've just re-upped for another three years with the park district's citizen's advisory group and will work again this year as the chair for the Greening Advisory group. It's rewarding to see this venture grow as we continue to implement our environmental policy with the launch of a zero waste initiative and a park stewardship program this spring.

We'd love to see and hear what's new with you. Thanks for checking in! xo b/s/e/k