what's up weekly. (lolo is twelve!)

Hello and happy Friday, y'all!  Last week I was muttering veiled complaints about how it was a boring week to write about because there wasn't any news and I couldn't even remember what all we did that week. 

This week was crammajammed with news.  Funny how that works.

Last Friday was Lolo's birthday.

She had the best day.  She picked cereal for breakfast, grilled cheese and spaghettio's for lunch, and fried chicken for dinner with root beer floats for dessert.  It was the last weekday of summer break, so the kids spent the day playing.  In the evening, all the siblings gave her gifts that she adored.  It was such a fun day, watching her have a fun day.

Finneas got her a large stuffed cheeseburger.  Which makes complete sense, knowing both Finneas and Laurelai.

She is so servant hearted and always quick to help.  She has a funny, silly sense of humor.  She is extremely creative and is always thinking of new things to make, or ways to elevate meals, days or situations to make them more special.  She is best friends with Penelope.  She is beautiful and soft-hearted and we are so glad she's ours.

The day after her birthday, family came down to party with us.

This photo is so cute.  Atticus surprised Lolo by taking the day of her party off of work so he could celebrate with us all.  Flipping through photos, I discovered he was taking his own photos and video of the day.  So sweet.

Monday was Labor Day, but instead of taking a break like normal people do, we jumped into our first full day of school with all the kids.  It was nice that Todd was off work, since it was kind of an all-hands-on-deck day as we tried to get into the new rhythm.  He did spelling placement tests with all the kids for me, which helped out a ton and freed me up to do other things on the list.  I have to say, everything is tightly packed into our days with very little margin, but so far it is going surprisingly smoothly.  Or, at least, not unsmoothly.

Lolo's little reading nook is getting a workout these days.

The hardest part of homeschooling is often figuring out how to entertain the littler ones.  I've been impressed by Oey so far this week - she has matured so much just since the end of last school year.  She has enjoyed joining us sometimes throughout the day.  (Though, I have to admit, she has had her share of forced participation as well so I can keep an eye on her.)

Penelope has been loving the cooler weather and has chosen to do much of her schoolwork out on the deck.

Multitasking: making lunch and reading.

Tuesday should have been another normal school day, but Penelope babysat in the morning, and I had to go back over to the Fort to get my background check done so we could get onto the Army base for Penelope to take her next CLEP test in the afternoon, so I spent my day running around like a maniac and grumbling about it in my head.  Luckily, the test went more smoothly this week than last, but since it was a Composition test and she had to submit a couple of essays, we're not sure yet if she passed it or not.

Wednesday night we were invited to dinner at a friend's house.  They have five kids, so between our two families there were 19 people!  We all had so much fun - Finneas and I were trying to remember if we've done dinner with friends since the babies have been born.  I think we've had people over to our house a few times, but I think this may have been our first time being hosted just for a couple hours in the evening at someone else's house.  It's funny how gradually twin life gets easier, but when I stop to think back over the last year (or two, really, since the pregnancy was so hard, too), it hits me fresh just how wild it has been.  We are gradually making our way out of the fog.

Yesterday was a mercifully normal school day.  I had had to leave the house on Wednesday to run to the grocery store for a few last minute items to bring to dinner, so it has just seemed like this week has not been allowed to settle into a rhythm.  I'm not home much for homeschooling.  Which I hate.  I love my home routine, I love being here and never leaving.  I love days that go from beginning to end at home and on track.  So yesterday was a gift.

Today is scheduled to be another out-and-about day.  Atticus has two mowing jobs, and then his DRIVER'S LICENSE TEST!  Please, Lord.  Please, Lord.  Let him pass.  Then a lot of this running around won't require my presence!  I'm actually pretty confident he will pass - he doesn't have to take the written test since he's taken and passed it within the last year to renew his permit, and the deeply menopausal woman who works at the DMV was apparently in a giving mood the last time we were in there, and she gave Atticus some pointers on what mistakes most people make on the driving portion so he can pay careful attention to those.  

And that brings us up to date!  And just to end on a photojournalistic note, take a gander at our local fauna.

I recently put out a hummingbird feeder and it has been so fun to watch our new little friends through the window!

Here you will see not one but FOUR vultures chilling at the back of the field.  There is likely a hawk skulking around, too.  They spent no less than three full days working on a dead baby racoon.  I should probably take that as some sort of lesson in commitment and work ethic, even when the job at hand is less than a thrill ride.  But really, I'm just glad they're finally gone.  It was kind of a bummer to watch them at it while we were trying to eat dinner.

And on that cheerful note, enjoy your weekend!