July 27, 2004 - 11:02 p.m.

Belated Pics

I am finally getting around to posting pictures from my vacation. So far I only have the ones from Nantucket. Wisconsin pics were taken on actual film, so they need to be developed. Below is a taste of the lovely island of Nantucket:

Two of Nantucket's lighthouses.

A fairly typical Nantucket house, but one of my favorites. It's called Hunky Dory.

A glimpse of the gorgeous flora of the island.

If those interest you, there are more. Lots more of flowers and buildings. May not be terribly interesting to everyone, but I wanted to give those who've never been there a sense of what the island is like. Enjoy!

While not preparing photos for sharing, I've been pretty busy with work. The kids have mosly been pretty well-behaved this summer, but there are plenty of moments when they get on each other's or my nerves. H gives me the look of death when I make her practice the times tables she never quite mastered during the year. B continues to cycle between affectionately charming and defiantly obnoxious. And M is mostly overtired, which brings out her tendency to be overly sensitive. Still, it's fun to see them all playing together at the pool, being creative with art projects, reading to each other, and cuddling with the dog. There are plenty of sweet moments that help me get through the trying ones.

Tomorrow rain is forecast, so we may go to a puppet show in the morning. In the afternoon the girls have orthodontist appointments - H is getting a wire change on her braces, and M is getting an evaluation in preparation for when she gets braces. Then the girls have gymnastics. They've progressed enough to be invited to join the team that competes in the area, so they are trying out the longer, twice-weekly sessions for that to see how they like it. Yesterday was the first practice they attended, and so far they seem to like it, though both were pretty sore today.

It's a little odd to me to think of them doing gymnastics competitively... It makes them seem older, somehow. That said, I think it's a great idea as long as they enjoy it. H in particular could stand to work on her discipline. As with the aforementioned multiplication tables, she often has trouble sticking with tasks that aren't very enjoyable. Perhaps the extra commitment to a sport that requires her to work hard but is still fun will develop a better work ethic in her. For M, I think it will help her self-confidence and identity, since she'll be one of the youngest kids on the team and she and H have different strengths in gymnastics.

With all that on the agenda, tomorrow should go by pretty quickly. That's a good thing, since I am still behind on sleep. And here I am typing away when it is past 11, and I have to be up by 6:30 in the morning. Note to self: stop staying up past bedtime!

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flutter back - fly ahead