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| 5 Feb I can't believe how fast the days go by - already February. I've been working long hours, and sometimes don't get home until 10pm. A lot is going on: Crystal let us know she thinks her baby dropped, and we are waiting on her results from her doctor's visit. Sean-Daniel and Melodie continue to be a joy, and are still suprising me with something new. We still haven't taken down the Christmas tree. Sean-Daniel is pretty much self sufficient. He's able to dress himself, put on socks and shoes, fix himself a jelly sandwich, and if he were stronger, could probably pour his own milk. He getting better at spelling, and recognizes some words. He has also gotten quite a repertoire of songs from Sunday School, and sing-along movies we have at home. He seems interested in joining the childrens choir. Melodie has become more of a chatterbox, and is quite bossy. I had come up with a list of rules for her to memorize (no running, no jumping, no screaming, no pushing, and no hitting), and she enforces them on other kids. She also keeps getting iin a lot of trouble, which is a contant frustration for Ruth and I (coloring on the floor, scratching the kitchen chairs which Grandpa Falconnier made for us) She even frustrates Sean-Daniel. However, she can still turn on the charm, and is very affectionate most of the time. 1 Mar Last month we had the usual birthday celebrations for Sean-Daniel and Melodie, and then another one with Langston. Melodie and Langston are 1 day apart. We still had our Christmas tree up, so Ruth decorated it. Ruth put in 3 sets of candles (5, 3, and 3), and after we sang they all three blew out the candles. Melodie is intermittently using the potty now. She gets a treat when she does. She now knows where the candy is hidden - giving her a new avenue of getting in trouble. After the latest incident, of swiping and eating 7 hershey kisses, I asked her why she took the candy, and she replied "I was hungry". Crystal's doctor advised her the baby had not dropped, but had positioned himself. She said she is ready for this baby to be born. Her due date is still the end of March. "Josiah is Born" Vacation 9 April As is our custom for such a long trip we rented a Dodge Caravan, and we were loaded up and ready to go by noon. After a few hours driving we stopped at a rest stop along the highway in Indiana and spent an hour picnicing and walking around. It seems to make the trip more enjoyable when we make stops like that. We made it as far as Tennessee, and spent the night at my Aunt Ruth's. 10 April Before leaving today we went to visit my mom's gravesite at the Oak Grove cemetary. Then, after having breakfast with Aunt Ruth, we set of for Gatlingburg where we visited the Ripley's Aquarium. We had gone there when we went down for Crystal's wedding, but the kids didn't seem to remember. Last year they had a section for deep sea fish, and this time the theme was pirates. After about 3 hours at the aquarium we headed for the Smokey Mountains, another favourite stop. Unfortunately, Clingman's Dome, our intended agenda, was closed for construction. However, the view from the parking area is still impressive. Also, when we got down at the bottom of the mountain we saw several Elk grazing in a large field. We just had to stop and get a picture. We ended up getting to Crystal and Jon's house at 10pm. They were very happy to see us, and we got to see our grandbaby for the first time. (Continued....) |
| Dan's Journal for 2006 |