A Video/Photo Catch Up...

Here are some pics and video of some goings on around our place lately...the details are in the post that follows...

Love ya!

Make a Smilebox photobook

A New Year...

SO much to say, and who has the time? Can we sum up? Probably...not...

Suffice it to say, we are all here and alive...

Miles started back to school on Monday after a brief holiday break, during which he had to write several papers and prepare a presentation. His first week back and he has written a 10 page paper, prepared a 15 min presentation, and written another 6 page paper. SIGH! The nights are getting later and later, and we are beginning to wonder what the heck we were thinking!!!!! He has had absolutely NO time to even think about a thesis...which is due the end of June. RIGHT! SIGH! Just thinking about it causes my stomach to start eating itself...so let's move on!

Maddie and I had our first homeschool review at the beginning of December, and we did well...think I over prepared, but that is kind of my thing! :-) Because of the insanity that is the month of December, Maddie pretty much got the whole month off...while she was super excited at the time, now that Mom has her nose back to the grindstone, she and I are thinking that a month is tooo long to not do school. You just forget sooo much! Maddie is reading sooo incredibly well. The other day I checked out a couple of "third" grade chapter books that she and I could read together. She took one to "quiet time" and emerged two hours later having completed the book. I quizzed her, she read it. That night she asked to take the other book to bed, and a couple of hours later (when she should have been sleeping), she came out of her room to announce that the book was really scary, and she was going to have nightmares. We assumed that she'd read to a "scary" point (please keep in mind that my girls had to turn off Tigger and Pooh's Halloween movie because it was too scary...scary is relative around here!) and had stopped. In a coversation the following day, it became readily apparent that she had actually read the entire book. HELLO...SIX! Today we got a new science program, and during lunch Maddie read through the first five chapters, and then spent the rest of the day drawing cell "cities". I am frantically trying to keep up with her, and it is AWESOME! The ability to read is soooooooooooo important...and she not only knows how, she LOVES to read...she is unstoppable!

Then there is Emma. Emma, who will be 5 next month, is quickly gaining some momentum. A couple of months ago she wanted nothing to do with reading, just loved singing her letters and playing sound BINGO! Now, she has several primary readers under her belt and loves to "read" them to whoever will sit still long enough, including her little sister Ellie. She loves to write, and since she plowed right through the kindergarten handwriting book, she has started in on a first grade book. We have told her that until she turned 5 she was only required to do "reading" in "school" (She liked to be a part of school, but working through all the subjects just was a BIT much) I think that she is definitely going to be ready to take on a full school day...and she will be awesome! Emma also continues to be my bestest helper. She amazes me with her innate ability to perceive what others need, and then to quickly respond to that need...without being told. I can't tell you the number of times that I have walked into a room to begin a clean-up to find that it has "magically" cleaned itself...care of Emma, or how often Emma has sat down with Ellie and played with her, or reads to her, keeping her busy so Mom can get stuff done. She is truly a blessing!

That brings us to Ellie. Sweet little Ellie, who will be 1 on Saturday...impossible to believe. Ellie is everywhere and into everything...very age appropriate. Her favorite things in the whole world are her family...she loves to be in the middle of the family, no matter what! Whether we are cleaning, or watching a movie, or snuggling on Mommy and Daddy's bed, or singing...she is right in the middle doing her best to figure out a way to "help" out, or participate! She is also developing a love for books, and wanders around the house carrying one in each hand, looking for somone to read to her.

I am left, in my rare free moments, to ponder the seasons of our lives. To contemplate how even the best laid plans are often revised, and revised, and revised, etc. Wondering what tomorrow will hold...and I'm not talking in the metaphorical sense...I mean, literally, TOMORROW! ;-)

With that, I am off to do dishes, and maybe even get some yoga, or a spin in before Miles gets home from his night class...hmmmm...

Stay tuned for next month! :-)

An Emma Joke...

Miles overhead the following conversation:

EMMA: Why did the turkey cross the road?
MADDDIE: I don't know. Why?
EMMA: (laughing) To have a baby on the other side!
MADDIE: (in complete disbelief) It had a baby on the SIDEWALK!!!! (pause) Was it a turkey vulture?

An Emma moment: Thursdays at our house are "breakfast-for-dinner" nights. Miles has class at night, and as that is one of his least favorite meals, we girls indulge ourselves. Tonight I made whole-wheat chocolate chip pancakes (the whole-wheat makes me feel better). Emma polished off FOUR pancakes, covered in syrup. Upon completion of her meal of SUGAR, I asked her to clear her place and start her bedtime routine. Emma replied: "MOM!!! WHAT ABOUT DESSERT???" Seriously? Apparently I need to spend some time with basic nutrition! :-)

This laugh has been brought to you by the ever entertaining Maschger girls! Merry Christmas!

Make a Smilebox collage

Maschger Musical Moment...

I have in my possession this arrangement for "Away in a Manger" that is written for an organ, a violin and a piano...all to accompany the congregation singing the hymn from the hymn book. Using our really cool digital piano, I recorded the actual hymn and saved it to disc. Then I can play the track on the piano and play the other parts along with the track...anyway, I am learning this piece, and so I am playing it VERY slowly! Maddie and Emma, being the performers they are, couldn't pass up an opportunity to improvise a concert for their Daddy (who happened to be home this morning!) Miles caught it on tape, and it is here for your viewing pleasure!

Maddie does a fine job of projecting her voice, and performs her piece with her whole soul! Emma, in a rare Emma moment, plays the timid and shy role, but her words (the few you can hear) are incredibly sweet and poignant!

Hope you enjoy!

Make a Smilebox collage

Week 1...

So, just wanted to let you all know that the family has survived week 1 of Miles Master's program, and that we are ready to dive into week 2! :-) What have we learned through this first week of classes? We have learned that we have much to learn...

Miles did an absolutely incredible job staying at school and focusing on studying! We are not naive enough to have thought that any real studying was going to be accomplished here at home, and a brief test run Tuesday morning, proved our point...so Miles is at school ALL day long! However, he also tore himself away from his studies early a couple of night to come home and let me get some grocery shopping done, AND I even got to attend a baby shower completely kid-free! What an awesome man! He and the other members of his "track" (the group of students he'll complete the program with) have formed a study group, have divided up the reading, and have scheduled routine review groups...everyday 40 mins before class! I think that is awesome to be sooo organized this early in the game...and I know all about the power of the study group, saved me through more than one course in my degree seeking days! :-) This week we will be adding in some gym time for both him AND I, and he is going to make an effort to be home for dinner a couple of nights a week... We are giving ourselves a good month to get a feel for what he will really need to put into this program, and what I will really need at home...and we are most confident that it will all fall into place...eventually! :-)

As a humorous side story: Monday night, the first night Miles wasn't home to put the girls to bed, I had put the girls down, and was in the office working on lesson plans...when I hear mournful singing coming from our Maddie (Maddie loves to sing songs of woe...pitiful tunes that tell of the trials of her life! Many times Miles has had to "outlaw" sad songs in our little kingdom!) and as this is a common occurence, I wasn't really paying attention. However, I eventually realized that our little Maddie was singing "I'm so glad when Daddy comes home..." as she sobbed and sobbed and sobbed. Me and my breaking heart went in to comfort Maddie and let her know that Daddy would come home, and that he loved her and missed her, too. I asked her if she would like me to have Daddy come in and give her a hug and kiss...even if she was asleep. That was an acceptable solution, and Maddie quickly quieted down and drifted off to sleep. When I told Miles, he took his breaking heart over to our box of paper and crayons...quickly tore off a couple of sheets and wrote a quick note to both Maddie and Emma. Then he slipped into their room, gave them hugs and kisses, and left the notes under their pillows! OH! Much excitement the next morning...

Well, as these stories often go...the note quickly became a hot item! They requested a note each night...in fact, Miles came home early on Wednesday, and Emma threw a fit because she wanted a note...and since Dad was home to put her in bed that meant no note! Seriously...sometimes you just can't win! :-)

School with the girls is going great. We waaaay overplanned our week this week...we had lots of fun playing with friends, and had a couple of doctor's appointments and a couple of church activities...and the next thing I knew it was Saturday night, and we'd covered less than 1/2 what I had planned for the week. SOOOO...another lesson learned this week! School is the priority...just because we are home, doesn't mean we are available! Lesson learned! :-) Maddie started learning about Egypt this week in history, and has decided history is her favorite subject! :-) She also learned a bit about whales in science...her favorite things about whales...their songs (which she does an excellent imitation of!) AND killer whales! No joke! She watched several videos of YouTube of killer whales chomping on their prey, and she thought that was really cool! My Maddie has a violent streak? :-)

Emma has really stepped up over the last week, and is an incredible Mommy's helper! She LOVES to be tasked with playing with Ellie, or picking up the toys, or even cleaning the guest bathroom! :-) She is also a BIG help in the kitchen...readily available to help stir, or put an ingredient in...it is really nice to have such a dependable 4 year old! :-) She is doing really well on her math, and has enjoyed sitting in on a couple of Maddie's history lessons. She struggled a bit with reading this week, but she made it through all of her lessons, and I am really proud of her for that!

As for Ellie...she is Ellie! She is such a great baby, not fussy, unless you need her to NOT be eating paper, chewing on power cords, crawling down the stairs, etc. She must be in constant motion...even while "holding" her, she is moving...it's not so much holding Ellie, as juggling Ellie! :-) She did wake up Monday morning and decide that she was ready to eat that food out of the jar that Mom had been trying to push through her mouth for the last month or so! Now, she is plowing through at least 3 jars a day...yipee!!!! That means that Mom might be able to pass off the feeding of Ellie to someone else...OH...sweet freedom! :-) She is still cutting teeth...so she can get cranky when the teething tablets wear off, but keep them in her system and she is a gem! :-) I love this kid!

Me? Well...I am tired but content! I am amazed at how well this week played out...and while it was difficult, it was doable! I am blessed with wonderful friends and family who have been incredibly supportive, and I am truly grateful to be able to be a part of this awesome opportunity in Miles' life! It is such a blessing to be able to see your husband truly get energized by what he is doing to earn the paycheck...so I am ready to take on week #2...

Stay tuned! :-) We love and miss you all!

No joke!

This past week was a BIG one at the Maschger house. Miles started his Master's program, and the girls and I restarted school. I spent the weekend before prepping the "school room" and the girls had new school supplies, and I was ready to roll...until Sunday night/early Monday morning! Both Maddie and Ellie were up on and off ALL night...I didn't really think much of it because Ellie is 7 mos old and Sunday's always mess up the sleep schedule...and Maddie has had a hard time sleeping since birth.

Monday morning, after less than 3 hours of sleep, I was in the school room doing last minute stuff before I got the girls up, when I hear Maddie start to whimper and cry. SIGH! In I go to see what is the DRAMA now...as I approach her, I can feel the heat radiating off of her body. Sure enough, Maddie was running a HIGH fever...what a great first day! Miles was gone at school orientation, so it was just me...at one point I had Maddie in the bathroom throwing up, and Emma in time-out and Ellie screaming in her walker in the kitchen. Welcome Back! :-)

Emma was sick Wednesday and Ellie succumbed on Thursday, and hers coincided with the cutting of three more teeth!...it was a very long week for me! However, one of the perks of homeschooling, was that I could squeeze in lessons at every chance I got. By the end of the week, we had completed all of our work for the week...just behind one math lesson...I can take that! The greatest news...Emma read her first two readers this week!!! She did soooo great...when she came up to a word she didn't know, she took the time to sound it out! It was a great moment, and she is loving being a BIG girl!!!

Miles has been wandering around the house in a state of shock. He spent his first week on campus from 7am until 7pm...it was a LONG week! However, as we poured over his syllabuses for his first quarter, we have realized that this last week was a BREEZE! By Wednesday, 9am, my husband has to read literally hundreds of pages and write a paper...by Thursday, hundreds more...the reading is insane! On top of this, there is the work on his thesis which has to begin almost immediately...

Let me sum it up this way...Miles was told in one of his meetings this week that most Master's programs require 36 hours of course work and a thesis, and give the students 18-24 months to complete...Miles will have 44 credit hours, a thesis and has been given 9 months to complete the program!!!!

We sat the girls down last night and explained that Daddy was going to be insanely busy, and that they weren't going to see him...pretty much Monday thru Saturday. Maddie innocently asked, "Can he eat Saturday breakfast with us?" Miles quickly agreed that he could head to the library a bit later on Saturdays so that he could have breakfast with the family...and then there is always Sundays...

So, that's about it from here...the girls are back in school, Miles is back in school and I am trying to keep up with it all!

We love and miss you all!