Today's the day and birthday quiz results

As I was leaving last night for a book club/birthday dinner, Connor came running out the front door, yelling, "don't forget, mom! Tomorrow is your birthday!" For the record, I didn't forget (and all of your phone calls and e-mails have certainly reminded me - thanks!). But I sorta wish I could forget as I sink further into the 30-something abyss. Birthdays just don't have the magic zing they once did. Anyway...

Thanks to everyone who played the quiz! It was fun to see your answers/guesses. Here are the REAL answers:

1. I have always loved having a birthday so close to Halloween. What did I dress up as for my first real Halloween (not the Halloween when I was 2 days old)?
b. Raggety Ann
And a cute one at that! I wasn't very tricky here, as I don't think Cabbage Patch Kids were even around in the mid-70s. Oh well.

2. What did I win an award for when I was 5?
b. Dancing
And I even had my picture in the paper!


3. The summer after my junior year of college I had my worst job ever, at a small PR firm. What was the boss arrested for right in front of me?
d. Making terroristic threats
I was sitting in the office, my desk was at the front. Two men came in and asked for the boss, and when she came to the front of the office, I realized they were plain-clothes police officers when they arrested her and read her her rights! Turns out she had made terroristic threats to her ex-boyfriend. She went to jail for a while, and my last paycheck from there bounced. All $376 of it - that's a lot to a college student! I actually sued her in small claims court, and won. Of course, I never saw the money. Then, a few years ago, my sister was browsing the State of Minnesota's list of unclaimed money, and lo and behold, there was my name with the amount of $376 next to it! I was able to finally get my money, which Brian and I used toward our trip to Seattle 2 years ago. Oh, and that boss was also later arrested for multiple DUIs and child neglect, it was all over the news. I still can't laugh about it.


4. Brian and I have the same birthday, Oct. 29 1974; he is 38 minutes older than me. Where did we go to celebrate our birthday the first year we were married?
b. Breckenridge


5. When Brian and I met, what extreme activity did we discover we both wanted to do?
a. Go in a shark cage off the coast of South Africa
We both always had a fascination with great white sharks, and the coast of South Africa where the Atlantic and Indian ocean currents meet is a huge feeding ground for them. Now that I'm a mom, I'm not totally sure I'd go in one (but would still LOVE to see South Africa), but Brian says he wouldn't hesitate for 1 second if he had the chance to go in one. We have, however, been whale watching off the coast of Alaska (tricked ya!).


6. I recently did my closet in ROYGBIV (love it!). It revealed that I do not own any clothing in which color?
c. Yellow

7. I have always been an avid reader. Although it is hard to pick just one, I do reserve the title of “my favorite book” for which literary piece?
a. East of Eden
Read Steinbeck's masterpiece for the first of a number of times as a junior in high school, and have loved it ever since. I have read Grapes of Wrath, To Kill a Mockingbird and the Good Earth and loved each of them, but East of Eden takes top honors for me.

8. The summer after my freshmen year of college, I had my craziest job ever. I worked on a track gang in a taconite mine, building railroad tracks. I wore steel-toed boots, a hard hat, gloves and safety goggles. I used the jackhammer, sledgehammer, drove some heavy machinery, it was great! I was buff as can be. What nickname did the old miners bestow upon me?
c. Bad, Bad Leroy Brown
I used to pretend to bend steel, and the miners would say I'm Bad Bad Leroy Brown from the song. My nickname then got shortened to just Leroy.


9. I have a goal to visit all 50 Unites States. How many have I been to?
c. 38


10. What senior class distinction was I named in high school as voted on by fellow classmates?
d. Class flirt
Yep, it's true. And I have the yearbook to prove it.

11. Where did Brian and I get engaged?
a. Red Rocks
On a snowy, January 13 morning.


12. How many times have I been pulled over for speeding?
b. 1
One time when I was 17, and I just got a warning. This doesn't count the few times I received mail notices when they were doing those photo radar things. But I have only been pulled over for speeding 1 time.


13. What happened to me during a business trip to Washington, D.C. in 1998?
b. I had an emergency appendectomy
Everyone got this one, guess the other options weren't too believable. My appendix nearly ruptured and I had it removed at George Washington Medical Center. I had scheduled time after the business to stay and explore DC with my aunt and uncle who live there, and instead, spent the entire time in bed at their house recovering.


14. When I worked at The Children’s Hospital full-time, one of my responsibilities was to wear the media pager (every third week) and handle after-hours media calls. I had some crazy experiences with that, including the day of me and Brian’s engagement pictures. I was on call that day. What crazy thing happened that landed patients at Children’s and prompted about 400 calls from the media that day (lucky we got any pictures at all!)?:
a. An elephant escaped at the zoo
Yep, it's true. And elephant got out of its enclosure and knocked over a baby or two in a stroller. The baby got a few bumps and bruises and was totally fine, but this was one case where the media tried everything to make a bigger story out of the truth.


15. I have always loved music, lots and lots of music. My first concert was the fall of my freshmen year in college, at historic, iconic, downtown Minneapolis club First Avenue. Who did I see?
d. Green Day
It was right before they became really big, which I think was that following spring. I've loved 'em ever since.


16. Where would Brian and I love to take a cruise someday?
c. Antarctica
We would REALLY love to take a cruise there. I think it is a fascinatingly beautiful place.


17. When I was single and living in Minneapolis after college, I did lots of volunteering. I volunteered for a non-profit minority scholarship program, for Children’s Hospital Minneapolis, and what else?
d. As a literacy tutor
It was an amazing experience. I did this for about a year and a half. By appearance, my student and I were exact opposites: he was a very large black man with dreadlocks and missing teeth who was the sweetest, nicest teddy bear of a man. I ADORED working with him. He was 32, a father of 4, and had a 3rd-grade reading level. He worked so hard to improve his literacy, and made such good progress, that he was selected to travel to a national literacy conference and read a story he had written and share his experiences; it was his first time ever on a plane. We were also featured on one of the local Minneapolis news stations.

So, there you have a few facts from my life on this my day of birth. And the winner is my cousin Amanda! Good guessing! E-mail me at melissahowell2@yahoo.com and tell me your address and where you'd like the gift card to (Target, Chili's, Pier 1 or Barnes and Noble).

I have spent a good part of the day on the phone, including a call from my dad who called me as he was driving past the hospital where I was born (thanks for the memory dad!). And tonight Brian and I are going out to dinner with the kids (Happy Birthday to Brian too!). Last, a few of my birthday presents:

Love this fruit stand from Crate and Barrell:
Love this happy serving bowl:
And some much-needed clothes:

A birthday quiz and giveaway!

My birthday is on Wednesday (Brian's too), but you could get the present! I thought it would be fun to do a little birthday quiz about me, so here are 17 questions (half of my upcoming age, ugh) about me. They are totally random things that I don't think many people know. So whether you know me a little or a lot, you're all probably on even footing!

Just leave me a comment with your answers (or guesses!) by Wednesday, Oct. 29. I'll reveal the winner then. At stake is a gift card to the winner's choice among a few of my favorite stores: Target, Pier 1, Barnes and Noble, or Chili's. Good luck!

1. I have always loved having a birthday so close to Halloween. What did I dress up as for my first real Halloween (not the Halloween when I was 2 days old)?

1. A witch
2. Raggety Ann
3. A Cabbage Patch doll
4. A butterfly

2. What did I win an award for when I was 5?

a. Singing

b. Dancing

c. Spelling

d. Reading

3. The summer after my junior year of college I had my worst job ever, at a small PR firm. What was the boss arrested for right in front of me?

a. DUI

b. Assault with a deadly weapon

c. Child abuse

d. Making terroristic threats

4. Brian and I have the same birthday, Oct. 29 1974; he is 38 minutes older than me. Where did we go to celebrate our birthday the first year we were married?

1. Estes Park
2. Breckenridge
3. Keystone
4. Colorado Springs

5. When Brian and I met, what extreme activity did we discover we both wanted to do?

1. Go in a shark cage off the coast of South Africa
2. Go Bungee jumping in Costa Rica
3. Hike the entire Appalachian Trail
4. Go whale watching off the coast of Alaska

6. I recently did my closet in ROYGBIV (love it!). It revealed that I do not own any clothing in which color?

1. red
2. orange
3. yellow
4. purple

7. I have always been an avid reader. Although it is hard to pick just one, I do reserve the title of “my favorite book” for which literary piece?

1. East of Eden
2. Grapes of Wrath
3. The Good Earth
4. To Kill a Mockingbird

8. The summer after my freshmen year of college, I had my craziest job ever. I worked on a track gang in a taconite mine, building railroad tracks. I wore steel-toed boots, a hard hat, gloves and safety goggles. I used the jackhammer, sledgehammer, drove some heavy machinery, it was great! I was buff as can be. What nickname did the old miners bestow upon me?

1. Taconite Trudy
2. Iron Ore Lenore
3. Bad, Bad Leroy Brown
4. Muscles Melissa

9. I have a goal to visit all 50 Unites States. How many have I been to?

1. 25
2. 32
3. 38
4. 44

10. What senior class distinction was I named in high school as voted on by fellow classmates?

1. Biggest gossip
2. Class ditz
3. Most school spirit
4. Class flirt

11. Where did Brian and I get engaged?

a. Red Rocks

b. Estes Park

c. Garden of the Gods

d. On a carriage ride downtown Denver

12. How many times have I been pulled over for speeding?

1. 0
2. 1
3. 5
4. Too many to count

13. What happened to me during a business trip to Washington, D.C. in 1998?

1. I got hit by a bus and broke my leg
2. I had an emergency appendectomy
3. I was in a car accident and got a concussion
4. I got a tattoo

14. When I worked at The Children’s Hospital full-time, one of my responsibilities was to wear the media pager (every third week) and handle after-hours media calls. I had some crazy experiences with that, including the day of me and Brian’s engagement pictures. I was on call that day. What crazy thing happened that landed patients at Children’s and prompted about 400 calls from the media that day (lucky we got any pictures at all!)?:

1. An elephant escaped at the zoo
2. A roller-coaster ride got stuck upside down at the amusement park downtown Denver
3. A school bus crashed into a house
4. A stray dog attacked a group of children at the park

15. I have always loved music, lots and lots of music. My first concert was the fall of my freshmen year in college, at historic, iconic, downtown Minneapolis club First Avenue. Who did I see?

a. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones

b. They Might Be Giants

c. Sonic Youth

d. Green Day

16. Where would Brian and I love to take a cruise someday?

a. the Mediterranean

b. Alaska

c. Antarctica

d. The Caribbean

17. When I was single and living in Minneapolis after college, I did lots of volunteering. I volunteered for a non-profit minority scholarship program, for Children’s Hospital Minneapolis, and what else?

a. As a Big Sister with Big Brothers/Big Sisters

b. At the Minnesota Historical Society

c. As a grant writer for a non-profit health agency

d. As a literacy tutor

Laughter, the best medicine

Because we all need to laugh more these days... brought to you by a little duck game I played with Lucas in the tub tonight.

Photo tag

Here's the latest tag: you go to your Photos file, open the 6th folder and then the 6th picture, post it and explain it. Here's mine:

Brian took this picture in July 2006; Connor had just turned 3, and Isabel was 9 months. I was gone for the evening at an Archiver's class with my friend Elizabeth, and Brian wanted to show me what a fun bath the kids had (the video of Connor splashing Isabel and her totally cracking up shows it much better than the picture). Wow - they are so little!

Feel free to play along!

The past two weeks

The last of my family left this morning. I had 13 straight days of family visiting us: my parents, then my sister Kristina and her son Nolan, then my brother Nate and his wife Alli. We did so much stuff over the past two weeks, in the middle of which was Isabel's birthday shindig, a Primary Talent Show (I am over the Primary activities) and the Primary Program (which was great!). Oh, and I've also had a lovely virus for the past week or so. How do I feel after all this activity? Exhausted. I slept the afternoon away, which was DREAMY.

I do love company, though, and was sad to see them all go. It's just not as easy to get to MN these days as when it was just me and Connor hopping on a plane, ya know? So we do what we can, and make some good memories each time we're together to sustain us until next time. A few highlights:

My parents
First, I have to document my favorite Isabel quote from my parents' visit. The first morning they were here, Connor and Isabel went to the basement to check on grandma and grandpa. They came back upstairs, and then Isabel announced, "Grandma and grandpa are still sleeping ... and they're snoring like pigs!" I almost fell on the floor I was laughing so hard. Then, that night as she was going to bed, Isabel asked my mom, in all seriousness, "Grandma, are you going to snore like a pig again tonight?" Ahhh, kids. Brutally honest, and clueless sometimes as to how comical they are. That makes it even funnier. Other things we did with my mom and dad:

• Went to Estes Park
• Had a fun adventure at our Rec Center's amazing indoor water park
• Went shopping for fun Halloween decor/did Halloween crafts and decorating
  
• Worked on Isabel's quilt (just have to hand stitch the binding and it's done!)
• Went on lots of walks/bike rides
• Played lots of Smear, a Northern-Minnesota card game
  
• I got pulled over for running two stop signs in a row, this just after my dad had been keeping "tally marks" on my dashboard b/c he thinks I run stop signs all the time. Ooops. Mr. Policeman was kind enough to let me off with a warning. And double oops for not having the updated insurance info in the glove compartment. Connor, who is currently WAY into rescue vehicles of all kinds, couldn't believe his misfortune in having been in school when a police SUV actually pulled me over with its lights on.
  

Kristina and Nolan
First, I have to say my nephew Nolan (10 months) is about the sweetest, most lovable little boy ever. After my boys, of course. I could have kept him! Anyways... Kristina was unfortunate enough to have been here the day I came down with a bug, and had a bad fever and nightmarish body aches. She was super helpful that day (thank you so much!). Once I felt a little bit better, we did some fun stuff:

• We watched Disney's original "The Parent Trap" with Haley Mills. It was a beloved favorite growing up, I can't even guess how many times we've watched it.
• We had a fun shopping day in Boulder. If anyone can shop, it's Kristina. I always have a blast shopping with her.
• Lots of walks
  
• We went to a fall festival at a farm near my house. It was a beautiful fall day, and the kids loved it:

Me and Connor with a scary dude:

Krisinta, Nolan and Connor with the scary dude:

Barrel train rides are always a favorite:
My kiddos in a fall-time photo-op:

And with cousin Nolan:
Say, I could use this at home from time to time!:
Connor navigating a hay-bale maze (see his hooded head?)
Running through a wooden maze:

They loved this wooden train:And Connor was crazy about this trike track:

Nate and Alli
They were only here a few days, but we squeezed in some fun with them too, including:

• An afternoon/evening in Boulder, including a huge walk along Boulder Creek (who doesn't love going to Boulder?) followed by dinner on the Pearl Street Mall
• 
• 
• A day in Estes Park (wow, that's 3 times for me in 4 weeks!)
• A fun dinner at The Rib House, a fantastic BBQ place in Longmont, and spent the evening in a nearby park
  

Whew! No wonder I'm tired. But I am grateful for the time with family!

Tears of joy

Just got an e-mail from Connor's teacher that brought tears to my eyes. I've been waiting for these words. This is what she sent:

"Just wanted to let you know Connor had a fantastic day! No tears, no why do we have full days, no I want to go home.... I let him know over and over again how impressed I was with his day and I also gave him a certificate. Anyhow, just thought you'd love to know---it was his best full day yet!"

Progress! Hallelujah. I have been super impressed with his teacher and the school, who did call me the day they said they would (love when people actually do that!) with a plan to support Connor better, and it is working!

Isabel's 3-year stats, and party

Isabel had her 3-year checkup today. Everything looks great! We went to a new pediatrician 'cuz of the move. I miss my old pediatrician terribly. I seriously loved her.

Anyway, the new one was nice and commented that Isabel certainly doesn't have any problems communicating! Right-o. She continues to be tiny. Here are her stats:

Weight: 24 1/4 pounds - 4th percentile
Height: 34 3/4 inches - 5th percentile

At least she is maintaining her growth curve, which is all that really matters. She did have a lovely little tantrum in the doctor's office and proceeded to rip apart most of the paper on the exam table. And then once it was over she was lovely and charming as ever. So the ped really saw her true colors - all of them!

Also, her party was Saturday night. I did an Ariel theme, since she LOVES Ariel. We had some close friends and family here to celebrate with us. She had a great party, loved her cake, loves her presents, and is happy as can be to be 3! A few pics from the party:






And my handsome boys enjoyed the party too!

Happy Birthday Isabel!

Isabel is 3 today! She has been awaiting her birthday for weeks. A few things about our darling daughter as she turns 3.

- She becomes more of a candy girl as time goes by. She said for her birthday dinner she wants cake, ice cream, cupcakes, cookies and candy (she's getting 3 of the 5). She has a serious sweet tooth.

- She is HIGHLY imaginative. Actually, the way she plays reminds me a lot of myself when I was young; I had a wild imagination too. She is not likely to be found playing with dolls (I never did either). She does wonderful play out of the littlest things. Yesterday she spent at least an hour making up some story/play using a hair pin, pen cap, a little bowl and her stuffed bear (really, why buy toys?) Serious imagination. Sometimes I overhear her making up stories, and they are really something.

- She loves art projects, painting, coloring, writing, etc.

- She loves Sesame Street; I can hardly get her attention at all when it's on.

- She is well-rounded. She can be a total princess with makeup and dress up heels, and then go dig in the dirt and make a huge mess. I love this about her.

- She sings a lot, and loves music and dancing. She is flourishing in her ballet/tap class!

- She has an amazing ability to communicate. She had more than 50 words when she was 14 months! I can hold very advanced conversations with her.

- She loves The Little Mermaid and Finding Nemo.

- She exemplifies the poem, "There once was a girl, who had a little curl, right in the middle of her forehead. And when she was good, she was very, very good; and when she was bad, she was horrid." She is either the sweetest, funnest little girl, or the most strong-willed, fiesty child EVER. There is little in-between with her.

- She has a fun sense of adventures, and loves learning/exploring new things and places. She is full of life, and everything is a fun adventure to her.

We all just love and adore our spirited, creative, fiesty, determined, fun-loving girl. Happy Birthday Isabel! Here's how she's changed since joining our family three years ago.

A lovely reminder of why I have such awful stretch marks from her. This was taken just before we left for the hospital to have her. Can you say basketball?

A day in Estes Park

We are having a great time with my family; the kids (and Brian and I!) love having them visit. The week has flown by, packed with activities. My mom and I have even just about finished Isabel's quilt (squeal of delight!) and have also found some cute Halloween stuff (pictures coming later on these).

On Wednesday, we spent the day in ever-beautiful Estes Park. It was a beautiful Fall day in the mountains (so beautiful I'm going to call it Fall-orado!)

We stopped at the kids' favorite old-fashioned candy store. Isabel in a candy store is always highly entertaining:

Just to prove that Isabel has gotten taller, here is a picture in the same spot in the same store exactly one year ago:
Enjoying their choices:
We went on a super cool, if not chilly and windy, alpine hike above the treeline at 11,500 feet. My kids were born to hike:


The view from the top of Colorado:
Then we played in the rocks and trees, the ideal kid environment. Connor my super climber:
Isabel is always using that super-creative imagination of hers wherever we are:
Lucas wanted to climb and slide down all the rocks he could find:
Those lovely aspens:

Tomorrow is Isabel's 3rd birthday! Wasn't I just doing her 2nd birthday party? Where in the world does a year go???

Pumpkin perfection

It's feast or famine with my family, I swear. Months will go by with no visitors, and then BAM! - they all come at once. I love company, so it's fine, but geez, sometimes they could spread the love a little ;)

My parents arrived yesterday for a week's visit. They are very active, and we always pack in lots of adventures when they visit. They've already taken the kids biking, on a walk, to the park, and played lots, and on the agenda is: a trip to the mountains, a trip to a pumpkin patch, swimming at our rec center's water park, and Isabel's big 3rd birthday bash!

Who doesn't love some silly grandpa play time?

In addition, my sister and her son Nolan arrive on Thursday for a week, and next Thursday my brother Nate and his new wife Alli come for 4 days. Like I said, feast or famine! But it's fun.

Speaking of feasting, I promised some of my favorite fall recipes. For now, here's 2 pumpkin desserts you'll go over the moon for.

The first is my mom's Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting. They are dense and moist and fabulous. I am pretty much famous for them.

Pumpkin Bars
4 eggs
1 cup oil
15 oz. can pumpkin
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix eggs, oil, pumpkin and sugar. Add remaining ingredients and mix. Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes in a greased and floured jelly roll pan (10 x 15). Spread with cream cheese frosting.

Cream cheese frosting
3 ounces cream cheese
3/4 stick butter
1/2 tablespoon milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar

Beat together first 4 ingredients; add powdered sugar to desired consistency.


This second recipe I acquired last year at a party. Consider yourself warned. It is rich and wonderful, and quite possibly one of the best desserts I've ever had. Or close to.

Pumpkin Delight
Grease and flour a 9 x 13 glass dish.

Beat 3 eggs well. Add 1 cup sugar, 15 ounce can pumpkin, 1 large size can evaporated milk (I think it's 10 ounces give or take), 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (or 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, 1/2 teaspoon allspice) and mix. Pour into glass dish.

Sprinkle the dry contents of 1 box of yellow cake mix over the top. Melt and drizzle 1 1/2 sticks of butter on top of the dry cake mix. Bake about 45 or 50 minutes at 350.

Serve warm with whipped cream, chocolate chips and/or pecans sprinkled on top (I highly recommend the toppings!). Enjoy. A lot.

The word on the street is "struggle"

As the kids were watching Sesame Street this morning while I was getting ready to take Isabel to dance, I happened to catch a little scene with Tyra Banks. She was trying to put on a sweater, and was teaching about the word struggle. She struggled and struggled to finally get it on, then when the sweater was on, she said the word struggle about 4 times. Interesting that struggle should happen to be the "word on the street" today.

After dance, Brian and I went to our first parent/teacher conference for Connor. We walked into the classroom and sat down across from Mrs. Prough (pronounced Pro). First thing she said was, "how is Connor doing?" I looked at her for a minute, and then said two words: "he's struggling." "I know," was her reply.

This wasn't exactly earth-shattering news to us, and it was nice to have a chance to sit down and really discuss things. Connor's academics are really strong - advanced in some areas - and he is starting to read really well. But his social abilities are causing some concerns, as I feared they would. He is struggling big-time with recess, and the unstructured interaction that it brings. There has been a child who has been somewhat controlling over Connor, which hasn't helped. But mostly he just struggles to have appropriate and meaningful interactions.

He has become fixated on his "long" days (T and Th) because there are 3 recesses. This fixation often gets in the way of him enjoying other parts of school. He must ask me - and dad - and Mrs. Prough - 100 times a day why there has to be long days at school. We talk about it incessantly. Sometimes I have to draw a line and say we can talk about anything he wants, but not about recess. As a parent, it is so difficult to walk that line between enablement and tough-love. With Connor, I find myself walking it a lot.

Mrs. Prough has been doing some role-plays in the classroom to help teach how to play with others, and has assigned him special play buddies from time to time. She has created a picture schedule that he keeps at his desk to help him know how the day will go, and what is coming next. And she has spent a lot of time with him at recess lately. She felt like yesterday they reached a new level of comfort for the first time, and he did report having had a better day yesterday.

Because of his autism, he has an IEP (individual education program) to help him get the services he needs (mainly speech and special education). Mrs. Prough and Brian and I agree that he needs more special ed (Mrs. Claypool is the special ed teacher) and less speech. Mrs. Prough reports that Connor is much more relaxed when she or Mrs. Claypool is working with him. He currently has only 15 minutes twice a week of special ed support, and Mrs. Prough said it's not cutting it. The most effective way to see that changed, she said, is to push the school to provide more.

So, after the conference Brian and I went to the principal's office, and he welcomed us into his office immediately to discuss our concerns. He agreed more support is needed, and is going to bring it up at a meeting on Monday to formulate a plan to help Connor adjust more and struggle less.

Again, we all feel - Mrs. Prough, the Principal, Brian and I - that there is a fine line in place. I don't want Connor to become too co-dependent on an adult, but as has been the case before, he needs some more tools to help him adjust to this new world of kindergarten. Oh, it's so different from preschool! The principal said he might try much more support for a specific time frame, then back off a bit to see how Connor handles things, and to really identify his needs.

There are many parts of school Connor enjoys: art, music, reading, 4th-grade reading buddies, writing. He is engaged in his work and follows directions. He just struggles socially. And Mrs. Prough is very in tune to the fact that he is also a very senstive boy.

So, there you have it. We all struggle with things, right? I guess the lesson is to learn from our struggles. We all feel Connor can get there, with the right support. He has so many strenghts, and they will help fill in his weakness. We love him dearly and want him to succeed in whatever ways he can. And we know he will!

In other news, I think if you look up "power struggle" in the dictionary, it might simply say, "Melissa and Isabel."

I am a firm believer that the terrible twos are not so much a real thing, but 3 is a significantly more challenging age. As Miss Isabel has entered the home stretch to her third birthday (which is next Saturday), holy schnockers has she become challenging. She can be the sweetest thing in the world, "oh, mommy, you're so beautiful! you're so nice. I love your shirt" all said with hugs and kisses and the sweetest voice imaginable. And then, as though a switch has been flipped, she is a nightmare. She literally goes from this:

to this:

in a matter of seconds. Power struggles from morning 'til evening. "I wanted to go first! I wanted to do it myself! I wanted my shirt on and then my shorts! I wanted to pick up my toothbrush myself! I only want to wear my orange dress!" and on and on and on. I'm fiesty and she's fiesty so you can imagine the power struggles. Again, because I'm not an indulger, I'm often willing to go the battle rather than give in and let her think temper tantrums are an effective way to get her message across. Yikes, she is as strong-willed as any child I've known. I'm holding on for a crazy ride with this one!

So there you have it. Struggle. Struggle. Struggle. Life is full of them. You gotta face 'em head on. You know, like Julie Andrews in the Sound of Music? "Climb every mountain, ford every stream, follow every rainbow, 'til you find your dream."