This is life

• Last week, one of the kids tripped over the laptop cord and sent it crashing to the ground, killing the monitor. Fortunately, the computer itself still works - we just can't see anything but ink and splinters on the screen. Clever husband hooked it up to our PC monitor so it can be used until fixed. Clever husband has also ordered a new laptop screen and is endeavoring to fix it himself. I married up.

• Our weekly family night tends to be some kind of snack food and a movie. It's fun, though if Dan gets excited, it can be a little...chaotic. The kids don't eat as much because they're mesmerized, which means there's more for the adults. He he.

• Abigail has now transferred from the piano after 2-3 years and has begun violin lessons. She's very excited, as am I - I always wanted to play the violin growing up. Anna's continuing with the piano, and Noah just had his first piano lesson this morning. He wants to try the guitar or drums (such a boy), so we've decided he needs to get a year or so of piano under his belt first. He has the best teacher around, so I'm sure he'll love it.

• After Toby was away for a week for work while (some of) the kids were sick, I was done. I don't know that I'd ever been happier to see him. I begged him not to leave again. So, this morning, he left at 4am to catch a 6:30am flight to Kentucky for the day. He'll be catching a flight home this afternoon and should be home in time to kiss the kids goodnight, all so that he doesn't have to be away another night.  What a guy!

• We have reached a new phase of parenting recently - hormones have entered our home. We're talking and praying a lot, but if we all survive it, it'll be one of God's great kindnesses.

• A fun activity around here is "dance party". We turn the 80s station on Pandora and rock it out. So. Much. Fun. I remember all those lyrics, Toby gets down with his rhythm-impaired self (he's such a white boy), and the kids go from showing off their funky moves to laughing at our funky moves. It's the best version of time-travel - all of the sudden, I was in 7th grade, sitting with my friends at the lunch table, singing "Ice Ice Baby". We were so cool.

• Some of our dearest friends left late last week to go meet four boys who want to call them Mom and Dad. Actually, it's more like "Mai and Pai", since they're coming from Brazil. They don't come back until March, and I can't imagine there have been more eagerly awaited children - it seems as if our entire church is adopting them! And it won't be long until our friends are seeing their kids dance around the house, eating everything in sight and tripping over expensive equipment. I'm so excited for them!