Where We Stand Right Now

I am truly, truly enjoying my job right now. I have everything in my job that Mr. Gladwell told me I needed to be happy: autonomy, complexity, a clear reward for my effort.... I'm just like those rice farmers in China. I also have a really bad sinus infection and would like to drill a hole in my head to release some of the pressure I am feeling right now.

Ed likes his job, but wishes he didn't have to work nights and weekends. He has started jumping rope every night in the basement when he gets home from work at 2am. He says it helps him burn off steam from work and sleep well. I think it's pretty awesome.

Noe's language is much improved from last year, although his pace of progress has slowed in the past month or so. His latest "stim" is crossing his fingers and toes obsessively, which gets in the way of his signs. He even tries to eat his food and pick up things with his fingers crossed. We are getting him an iPad for Christmas because he loves the one his therapist brings. I think it will be great for him to have a computer he can operate on his own, that will help teach him some academic and language skills, and will give him access to all the music he could ever want to listen to!

Asher is definitely an outlier (see Mr. Gladwell link above). I just haven't figured out if it is the kind of outlier who will change the world or the kind that will exist in his own little weird world. When my mom came to visit us last week, he drew her a map of the neighborhood so she wouldn't get lost. He comes home from school and writes story after story and reads book after book and then draws maps and pictures and crafts random things from paper and string and tape and then goes outside and runs and plays soccer and rides his scooter and comes back inside and makes up random songs on the piano and creates graphs to record our favorite toy story character or thomas train.....it NEVER ends until I hold him down on his bed and make him go to sleep at the end of the day. He is the youngest one at his bus stop and he assigned himself to the position of bus stop organizer....calling when the bus arrives, organizing the kids into a line. Can a 5-year old be manic? Perhaps they are slipping the kids coffee....or meth....during kindergarten snack time?

We are nearing our fourth anniversary in our home and we're starting to feel itchy for change. The reality is that we love our little community and our little home and the boys' schools. We would love to live closer to family.....but things are quite good where we stand. I think we are just itchy by nature. Hopefully a little bit of house remodeling and a few good bike rides around the lakes will keep us put for awhile longer.