It is hard to believe that Rowen is starting kindergarten this year. He has been counting down the days for about a week now. Yesterday they had open house at the schools so you could go and meet the teachers. I think he is going to be one of those "shy at first, but warms up quickly" kinda kids. Elora jumped right in and showed him around his room.

Elora's teacher seems pretty nice. She seems like the kinda person that might be able to channel Elora's sense of organization into works of good. I have to fill out an information sheet about Elora that introduces her. That could be a book. :) Really, where do I begin.

Eilish is starting middle school. She wouldn't admit it, but she is a little nervous about 6th grade. She was glad to find out that one of her friends from the gym is her group at school. So I guess I now have to deal with the "secret life of a tweenager". Yippee.

So, the first day of school is Thursday. The highlights of that days drama should be posted shortly afterward.

Peace and Good Cheers.
Marty

We Are All Still Here.

Realizing that I have not been the best of host, please let me extend a humble apology and say hello to all. I hope all is well with you and yours.

A quick update:

• Eilish is 11 going on 21. She will start middle school this year and compete at level 6 in gymnastics. She also got her first pair of glasses this summer and I'm not supposed to tell anyone. :) She looks really cute wearing them.
• Elora is 8 going on 21. She will be in third grade this year and this will be her first year of competitive gymnastics (level 4). This year she gets to be the big sister for her brother at school. It should be a good change for her.
• Rowen is 5 and just trying to keep up with his big sisters who, as I have stated, are going on "21". He starts kindergarten this year and he can hardly wait. Elora is ready to show him the ropes.
  
• Sedi and Tiger, the cats, are still alive and kicking. They eat, they sleep, and they poop. Nothing new.

I'm doing well to. I'm now the General Manager of my neighborhood Chipotle. Basically and underpaid babysitter, but at least it pays the bills. :)

That is all for now. I will make a concerted effort to post on a more regular basis. Cheers to you all.

Pictures From Spring Break.

My Mom took these when she was here over the kids spring break.

No this is not part of Eilish's bar routine.

This may actually be part of Elora's routine.

Probably part of the Batman training program.

My Zoom Zoom Zoom.

Peace and Good Cheer,
Marty

Picture Time Again.

These are photos that my Mom took when she and my Dad were here for Eilish's 10th birthday.
Part of the fun in posting these is that I then get to comment on them.
I hope you enjoy.

So these are my three little "angels".

Starting at the right, could someone tell me what that look on Rowen's face means.
I have my thoughts.

Doesn't Eilish look nice in the dress she picked out for her Birthday outfit?

Yes, that is a hole in Elora's jeans. No, that is not her best pair of jeans. Yes, they may be her favorite pair of jeans. No, I didn't know she blew the knee out until I saw the picture.

Please Papa Robert please. We promise to blah blah blah blah blah.
Or
Help me! I'm being mugged by three of Santa's elves who have entered the country illegally.

And last but not least, this handsome, young man is sporting his new "Warriors in Pink" t-shirt and looking rather dapper.

I'll try to post again later.

Peace and Good Cheers,
Marty

Progress Report for Eilish and Elora.

So yesterday I had my parent/teacher meetings with both Eilish's and Elora's teachers. Both teachers said that the girls were doing very well in school. Especially given the circumstances.

Eilish's teacher said that she was doing well in all her subjects and that she was one of the few students in the class who can do the work without "hand holding". She can tell her,"the answer you have is incorrect". "Can you go back to your seat and think about it and try again?" She will and usually come up with the correct answer. She said that Eilish really had not said much about Christa.

Elora's teacher said that she was right on track with where she needed to be. She did mention that Elora's homework had been spotty and I told her we would be making a better effort of getting it done on time. She also mentioned that Elora could be a "chatterbox" but for the most part was a pleasant and helpful student. Her teacher said that Elora has talked about Christa on occasion and has written stories and drawn pictures about her.

One more thing that Eilish's teacher mentioned to me was that another one of her student's parents had terminal cancer. That was rather shocking. Her teacher has not told the class. I wonder how this will effect Eilish if at all.

Well, I'm calling it a night as I have to work tomorrow.

Peace and Good Cheers,
Marty

Elora's 7

Elora's Birthday was today. I think we mad a pretty good day of it. We went to breakfast at Panera after having slept in until 8:30 or so. She has been wanting some with high heels. So we went to Kohls and found some, about one inch high and more appropriate for winter. We then went and saw the movie Flushed Away and after that we bought her a pumpkin birthday cake at Wally World.

I have to get them up in the morning so that they can get ready for school pictures. This ought to be fairly traumatic. Poor Rowen didn't fall asleep until around 10:30 so he will probably be a bear waking up. O joy O joy.

Peace and Good Cheers,
Marty

P.S. I posted an idea for The Memorial Fund on the fund page.

Two Days Until Elora's Birthday.

Doesn't Elora take a great picture? Her friend's name is Kira. Her dad sent these to me the other day after they took the girls to Bonkers where proceded to go bonkers. She has had a couple of play dates with her.

Elora finally got around to cleaning her room. I'm not going to say that I held her birthday presents hostage or anything like that, but when a box arrived with her name on it, she decided that it might be time to do a little house work.

We went out afterwards and I let her pick out an outfit at Target for her birthday. I'll try to get her to model them so I can get some pictures to post.

I just went in to check on the gang and they are all passed out in the girls room. They were watching Cars for the third time in as many days. Now I have to extricate Rowen from the top bunk and tuck him into his bed on the couch. The couch is the only place that he will sleep through the night and who am I to say no to not getting kicked in the stomach, or worse, after he climbs into my bed at 3 a.m.

Speaking of passing out, I think I'm headed that way. We have to get up in the morning and take Eilish to gymnastics. Blog you later.

Peace and Good Cheers,
Marty

In Sports and Health News.

Well the first gymnastics meet is over. ShowMe Gymnastics did very well taking first place in team competition for levels 6-9. The level 5 team took 5th. I am sure that Kathy and Wendy will be using the insight gained from this meet to help all the girls achieve their goals.

Eilish and I spent most of the weekend at the meet. She was either competing or cheering the other girls on. They were definitely the loudest group in the house.

When Eilish and I arrived at Saint Shelly's (bestowed sainthood for services above and beyond the call of duty) we found Elora, Rowen, and Amber burying each other in fallen leaves. Then they started throwing bushels of leaves at each other. It was pretty funny.

So far no one else has been infected with the plague that Rowen brought home. We may get lucky, knock on particle board, and dodge a bullet this time. Yes, I know that because I said that someone will wake up puking. I better have another beer. Just kidding.

I hope everyone is doing well. Blog with you soon.

Peace and Good Cheers,
Marty

Coffee truly is the nectar of the gods, or at least the Flash.

For those who haven’t heard, I’m now an hourly employee again. Today I don’t have to be into work until 10 am. So, what better thing to do than go to Coffee Zone, set down, and enjoy a cup of coffee. Coffee Zone also has free wireless internet (WiFi) which means I can use this time to surf the web or post on my blog. I could get into this lifestyle

Last night we went trick-or-treating downtown in The District. Eilish, Elora, and Rowen transformed into their alter-egos with an extra layer of clothes under their costumes to ward off the cold. We then set off, going store to store, filling their candy bags. We actually ran into Dr. Vandover, the principal at Lee, at the new tea house. She told the kids how nice they looked. The cold started nipping at the kids noses and ears so we called it a successful night after about an hour. Eilish counted her haul at about 100 pieces. I wonder how many I can throw away at a time without her noticing?

Well, the coffee is gone and I have a few things to do before I head into work. I will post again soon.

Good Day and Good Cheer,
Marty