Michelle's Appointment

We met with the doctors and speech therapist at Shriners on Tuesday. They were encouraged by the fact that Michelle is able to form a number of pressure consonants right now, and they want us to pursue some speech therapy over the next six months. If the speech therapy causes significant improvement she may not need a surgery. This, would be, of course, a huge answer to prayer. Even this report was exactly what Claire was praying for.

If the progress after six months isn't as good, they will have to look more closely at Michelle's palate, perhaps from the front and the back (with a scope) to determine what procedure needs to be done. So we hope that the speech therapy will work and she won't need a surgery, but if it isn't working that it would be very clear what needs to be done in six months.
Thank you all for your continued prayers for Michelle.

It's a Zoo Out There

We went to the Portland, Oregon area for Michelle's appointment at Shriner's hospital this past week. Before the appointment we took the kids to the zoo.

Lent and Valentines

Here are some photos from our week. I'm not exactly sure how Lent is represented here, but Valentine's gets an icon or two.

Lewis Meets the English Language

Here's a little selection of Lewisisms (like solecisms, but different):

After reading Henry Explores the Mountains: Mom, what happens when you fall into a travalanche?

***

Elementary etymology: Mom, what does "pen" mean? ... Well, then, Mom, what does "cil" mean?

***

Understanding from the context...sort of: Dad, what does "hire" mean? I don't mean like a plane flies "hire" in the sky; I mean the sort of hire where you...um...where you bother someone who's working.

Concentration

Peter was reading Lord of the Rings to everyone. To be able to listen, I had brought my makeup out into the family room and was applying it in the big mirror. Nelly was watching, of course, all agog and hoping to do some gleaning. Lewis was opening and shutting a musical book (plays Silent Night when open, allows you to have a silent night when shut). Understandably, this started to get on Peter's nerves. "What's that?" he asked, not to say snapped. Nelly never took her eyes off my face. "Makeup," she breathed, reverently.

One About Peter

Somniloquy: A talking in sleep; the talking of one in a state of
somnipathy. (Thanks, Dad.)

Last night Peter and I had an interesting conversation. I was operating in that delusional and paranoid frame of mind that sometimes descends on mothers in the hours between midnight and four, and he was suffering the aftereffects of a season of politician-watching. But see for yourself.

Me, suddenly coming what I conceived to be wide-awake around 3:30 in the morning, and convinced I smelled burning plastic: Do you smell that hot smell?

Peter: mmmmumhumderdawiganBob Dole.

Me: What?

Peter, adopting a didactic tone and beginning to wave his hands: Well, the humterdumterdiga [I'm improvising here, but it was something like this] and the party chair is....

Me: You're asleep.

Peter, looking at me severely: I'm not asleep. See, what's going on is that both parties are trying for Bob Dole's gubernatorial seat.

Me: You are asleep. Do you smell anything hot?

Peter: No.

***

I (probably in my sleep) then went sniffing all over the house, and then we both relapsed into peaceful slumber.

Four Eyes...no, Eyebrows

It was a particularly bad thing that Nelly found that lip-liner in the bottom of the cart as we trucked around Wal-mart. To begin with, she thought it was eyeliner. Plus, her aim's no good. By the time we arrived at the car, Nelly was wearing four eyebrows, two of them pink.

And watch out for that Makeup Bug, 'cause when she bites, she bites hard. As if four eyebrows weren't enough for one day, about half an hour later I surprised the lipstick bandit in the bathroom, hastily (but capably enough) rezipping my makeup bag...which looked unusually light and thin in her hands. She confessed (between yells) that the rest of the makeup was "iiiiiin her puuuuuuuurse."

A Couple Friends

A couple of friends were in my home studio this week and I took a few quick shots of them. I thought you might like to see some of my recent lighting work.

Kids

Ron Paul in the morning...

Mona the incomparable

Beautiful Inge
Notorious Nelly

Loony Lewis

And yes, she's still at the table. I think she's spent half of her life there so far.

The Big Girls

What happens when you create unorthodox phrases:

Inge: Oh, Mommy, I want you to come see a beautiful picture-view.
Me, flattered, but projecting surprise: Oh, a beautiful picture of me? Really?
Inge: It's out my window in my room.
Me, getting it: Oh, a picture-view.
Inge, tickled: Nooooo, not a picture of me.

***
On second-hand possessions and the nature of being:

Nelly, very indignant, and presenting me with a size 3T sweatshirt: Mommy! Inge says this is hers.
Me: It used to be, but she grew out of it.
Nelly, fading into the other room: Inge, Mommy says you grew out of it, so it's mine. [Then as an afterthought, and very pious:] Because that's the way God made us.

***
On liking everything:

Inge: Mommy, do you want to know which of these paints are my favorites? The blue and green. And the purple. Oh, and the orange and pink and yellow.
Me: You mean all of them?
Inge, looking just a little sheepish and regrouping them several times with her hands: Yeah, I guess so. Well, I mean, I like the purple and the blue the very best. And the green and the pink because they're really nice and the yellow and....maybe...not the orange.

Let it Snow

Marriage Money Bomb

Well, it's that time again, folks. Ron and Carol have been married 51 years today. I saw them in person in Spokane yesterday.

Please donate at www.ronpaul2008.com

And read my photo essay about our trip to Spokane to see him here. If you like it vote for it at the bottom of the article. The more votes the better our chances of getting it published in JPGmag.

Here's a link to my YouTube video from the rally.