I can't believe how long it's been AGAIN since I've "written" here. 

Let's see...what's new?  Nicole is doing great in school and I'm so proud of her.  She's actually getting her work done and all of her teachers LOVE her.  Ben is doing great too and they are going to start reading now (in Kindergarten).  He's star of the week this week so he's pretty excited about that.  He's still fighting a bug and has a cough but he's getting a little better every day.  Noah was sent home from school today because his teacher thought he had pink eye.  I think it's either from his cold or it's from allergies but I'll keep him home until it clears up.  Dr. Agerson figured it was viral (although he didn't see him) and said just to do the warm compresses.  Yeah...easier said than done.  I gave Noah a warm washcloth and you'd think it was boiling the way he yelled.  I felt it myself and it was very warm but not at all hot.  So I went out and got the OTC pink eye drops and hopefully that will help a little bit.  You can tell it's uncomfortable.

I'm 95% done with my Christmas shopping.  I'm putting Mike in charge of his nephews again this year...I always feel guilty because who knows what they'll end up with but I just feel he should do SOMETHING.  I dragged the Christmas tree out of the basement tonite and swore the whole time.  I am NOT a Christmas decorating kind of person.  In fact my PartyLite Nativity candle thing that I HAD to have is on top of the TV Cabinet where it's been since LAST christmas.  I told Noah we'd just get a little houseplant and put lights on it and he was ok with that but I broke down tonite.  Of course I don't have a tree skirt anymore because my cats destroyed it last year with their nasty hairballs and claws.  Speaking of hairballs, I found a bunch of Pumpkins hair in the tree.  I miss that cat.  So, the tree's up, no ornaments yet.  Hopefully I can get the kids to do that part.  I really wish I wasn't such a scrooge.  I do NOT enjoy this holiday.  I don't know if it's partly because my friend Jeff died on Christmas eve or if it's just the whole stressful season.  I think it's a bit of both.  I WANT to enjoy it though.  I thought having the shopping behind me would help.  So far it hasn't.  I'll just have to suck it up and MAKE myself enjoy it.  For my kids at the very least.  I just wish it was more about JESUS and less about gifts.

I went to the optometrist.  The insurance won't pay for it and it makes me mad but it is what it is.  That's life.  We're trying a contact and it does help with the peripheral vision but my conjuctiva swells up around it and it looks nasty and is uncomfortable.  And reading is wierd.  I kind of have double vision and there's a wave to everything.  So he's ordering a looser fitting contact to see if that helps with the conjunctiva thing.  I really don't care because I won't wear it anyway.  I just have to do this for my Retinal guy.

I got a cell phone.  Woohoo.  I can't stand the thing because I can't figure out how to make it work half the time.  But it is nice having it when I am out and knowing that my kids and Mike can get a hold of me if needed and I can call them if I need to.

Amani had his baptism on Sunday.  He is not at all like Baraka in the looks department.  His eyes are squintier and he's got more of a square head compared to Baraka's round head.  He's cute though.  I can't believe he's going to be 5 months old already.    It was nice to be at church with Khamala, Jeremy, my dad and Karen.  Although my dad kept nodding off (although he swears he was just concentrating...some things don't change.  I remember him doing that at church when I was growing up).  The Pastor of this church has a pretty heavy accent and you do have to really pay attention to understand him.  But I love to see how they sing and dance in their church...it's NOTHING like the Christian Reformed Church I go to.  And nothing like the Catholic church I grew up in.  They just have less inhibition there...if they feel the desire to move they do.  It's something I will probably never be able to do because it's just not me.

Well, that's it for now.  I'm not making any promises on when I'll update again because half the time I just don't feel like it   I do check up on my "regular" friends here though.