So let's see... The last time I actually posted here was July of last year, and before that was January, so it looks like I'm right on schedule. Apparently, I can only update everyone on our family when I am between semesters.
In any case, here we are. Dash and Amy have both started school again, and I start up on Wednesday. The past six months have been full, certainly, but no more so than usual. I'll see if I can sort of sum them up.
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| Self-Portrait with Dashiell's new camera |
Dashiell, of course, started kindergarten in the fall. For the most part, he seems to enjoy it, though the harsh reality of being suddenly thrown into a room with 30 kids -- many of whom have never done this before, and have no idea how to behave -- and only two adults has tempered his enthusiasm to some degree. He still says school is "great" every day when we ask about it, and he loves showing us his work, and has made several new friends, but he's not nearly as likely to jump up and down with excitement when it's time to go to school like he used to. We suspect this has something to do with his new teacher, who's not bad or anything, but whose personality may not mesh with Dash's as well as all of his other teachers have. Anyway, lest I create too negative an impression: Dash does still like school. Just last month he was wondering aloud "why they don't let us go to school on Saturdays and Sundays." So he's adjusting just fine.
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| Eleanor (standing) with her best friend, Sabra |
Eleanor is now 15 months old. She's still exceedingly tiny, but apparently quite as healthy and happy as always. She's quite the walker, practically a runner, and her size makes her look like the world's most physically advanced 6-month-old. In public, people sort of gape at her as she zips around, like they just can't believe it. She's not talking yet, but understands quite a few words (demonstrated by her ability to point things out and/or go and get them when asked), and babbles animatedly to herself as she explores the house. She and Dash are getting along fairly well, as he gets somewhat more used to her tendency to snatch things from his hands, push him away from his mother, grab him from behind by the ears while he's watching TV... OK, so maybe he still gets frustrated from time to time, but who wouldn't, right? He still very clearly cares for her, and likes to help her with things and make her laugh, and even plays along with her now and then. It's about as much as we could ask for.
As mentioned, Amy is back in school, hoping to finish up her degree by the end of the summer. She's only been to one class so far, so it remains to be seen how this quarter will go, but I think she, like I, is at least somewhat refreshed by our winter break, and ready to plow through another few months. And one of her classes is about law, so maybe I'll be able to discuss her field and not sound completely ignorant. We'll see.
As for me, I completed my third semester of law school last month. A third-year student once told me that the normal course of events is that new law students stress out way too much over their classes in the first year, and neglect extracurricular activities; then in the second year they start piling on the extracurricular stuff and letting their studies go down the toilet. I wouldn't say I quite reached that point, but there's something to what she said. Certainly at times I had a bit too much on my plate, and certainly I could have studied more for at least one final and maybe gotten a better grade. But all in all, I think it was worth it. I've got a much better-looking resume now, and more practical trial experience (mock trial, not real trial), and I'm on the board of the Criminal Law Review. If the GPA slips a bit, at least I have something to compensate for it when I start looking for jobs. Anyway, I'll try to write more on the law school blog, and stop taking up space here.
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| Jessica, Fiona, Dash, Ellie, and Amy (left-to-right) exploring Minneapolis |
All told, the family's doing pretty well. We had a great winter break, which started with a trip to Boone to have an early Christmas with Dash and Ellie's grandparents and great-grandparents, followed by a cross-country trip to spend a week with my mom, sister, and niece in Minneapolis. The kids had a wonderful time, as did the grown-ups, all of whom, I think, needed a little time to just forget about school and work and just hang out with family. (Of course, this doesn't mean Amy and I aren't still very much looking forward to yet another break, as we take our annual mini-vacation at my uncle's cabin this weekend, while the kids hang out with their grandparents in Pueblo. I figure we need to front-load our downtime, as it will be nonexistent for the next four months.)
I guess that's about all. I'll try to get more pictures posted soon, and maybe even write some more sometime before July. As usual, though, no promises.
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