Hey everyone! Such a lot has happened since last month. My parents are currently out of town- for two weeks! I'm really glad they could go, since it will be a good vacation. My siblings are all up in Iowa with my grandparents- hopefully they're not creating to much havoc in grandpa and grandma's usually peaceful home! Since I have job, I'm staying with family friends who live two blocks from my home. They have one kid, a three old boy who is really cute, very curious, and follows me like a shadow. He doesn't want to do anything without me and cries when I leave for work. Aw. It helps me not miss my siblings so much.
I also have a room to myself... which is a delight all on its own. In preparing for two weeks of relative quiet, I checked out a whole bunch of books from the library- 11 books, I think- and have so far finished five. So nice to be able to read this much. I haven't done this much pleasure reading in... forever, it seems. Okay, not forever, but a long while! For school literature, I'm reading Les Miserables and the Hunchback of Notre Dame, both of which I'm so interested in that I'm reading far more chapters than I need to. Okay, well, I have to go and get ready for work now, but I hope that my extra free time will give give me opportunities to post more regularly. *hopefully*

:)

A Modern Mozart

Last Saturday my mom took Si, Lil and me to see Emily Bear perform with the Champaign Symphony orchestra. If you have never seen or heard of Emily Bear you have to check out this YouTube of her. Emily is an amazing seven year old who has an extraordinary talent for playing the piano.
The most exciting thing about my evening was getting to meet her after the performance. We were able to get a picture of her with Rach and me.
To find out about Emily's story, paste this site into your browser address.
(We are currently having technical difficulty linking this site)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUx4t4W4eVY

Chocolate Calculator

My grandma sent this to us and my mom and I thought it was really neat!

You have to try this out!

1. First of all, pick the number of times a week that you would like to have chocolate; more than once but fewer than 10. (we won't mention the number we used :)

2. Multiply this number by 2 (just to be bold)

3. Add 5

4. Multiply it by 50 (you might have to get a calculator)

5. If you have already had your birthday this year add 1759... if you haven't, add 1758.

6. Now subtract the four digit year that you were born.

You should come up with a three digit number.
The first digit of this was your original number (i.e., how many times you want to have chocolate each week)
The next two numbers are YOUR AGE!

THIS IS THE ONLY YEAR (2009) THAT IT WILL EVER WORK,
SO SPREAD IT AROUND WHILE IT LASTS.

A Puppy Bouquet for You!

A dear friend sent these to me today and I thought they were too cute to not send to you, also! We especially thought of you when we saw these, Miss Rebecca.

Hope you all have a lovely day!

Happy, Happy Birthday, Hanna!

Your dad and I want to wish you the happiest of birthdays, Hanna. When I was pregnant with you I remember how much I REALLY wanted to have a little girl. I am continually amazed at how the Lord knows the desires of our heart and He abundantly blessed us with you! It's hard to believe that the tiny little baby born fourteen years ago is the same young woman who is growing up so beautifully. I still think that there must be some switch going on in the middle of the night - how else could you grow up so quickly?

Hanna, we love you very much. Our lives have been filled with so much joy because of you!

Hundreds Attend Global Warming Protest

We thought this was pretty cute!
By the way, have you ever seen so many perturbed snowmen in all your life?

One Sweet Boy

Sam! He has to be watched constantly. If not, we'll undoubtedly have a mess to clean up! One of his favorite things to do is to take a jar of sugar, white or brown, it matters not to him, and run and hide underneath our kitchen counter along with the sugar container. The moment things get quiet we know something is up so we begin calling his name. When there isn't any answer, we investigate and, to our chagrin, find him licking his sugar-covered fingers and there is sugar all over the floor. Ah... little brother and his sweet tooth!