Sunday, February 26, 2012

Debate Tournament (again)


Emma's team had another debate tournament on Saturday. Emma did not participate because she had an art class in the morning but she joined them in the afternoon to cheer them on in all categories. Like the last debate in December, the 6th grade team did very well. The next debate is April 21st. Emma is in the middle with the striped skirt.

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Making brownies



Making dessert for our friends who are coming over for dinner tonight.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Pals and puppets


Joe's friend Leah came to our house this morning to play. The public schools are closed for President's day weekend. He was so excited to see her. They began their playdate with their favorite game at our house -- puppet show!

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Valentine's party

Joe and Leah

Joe the office helper

Joe taking attendance and lunch orders at school. He marks down who is having hot lunch or cold lunch and which hot lunch option (#1 or #2) each child chooses. Then he brings the list to the main office.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

May you find the pig or frog of your dreams!

Sunday, February 12, 2012

A weekend with Evan and Daniel

Daniel, Evan, Joe, Emma, and Sparty
Evan, Emma, and Calvin
Daniel, Joe, and Chris at Pablos for dinner.
Evan and Emma frosting Valentine's Day cookies
Emma, Joe, and Evan making Valentine's Day cards

Snow!



Evan and Calvin


Joe's first spelling test


Saturday, February 11, 2012

Evan and Daniel visit!

Joe and Evan
Evan, Emma, Joe, and Calvin watching "The Muppets."
Evan
Evan at Mickey Mouse Hill
Daniel, Chris, Evan, and Joe

Wednesday, February 08, 2012

Tuesday, February 07, 2012

The documentary "Raising Renee" is scheduled to premiere on HBO2 Feb. 22 at 8 p.m. ET. (Courtesy: West City Films, Inc.)

The film, “Raising Renee,” follows Beverly McIver and her older sister, Renee, over a six-year period. An acclaimed painter with a flourishing career in the art world, McIver casually promised her mother that she would take care of Renee, who functions at the level of a third-grader, when her mother could not.

When McIver’s mother died in 2004, she followed through on her promise, moving Renee from their mother’s home in North Carolina to live with her in Arizona. Soon realizing that she needed help caring for Renee, McIver ultimately returned to North Carolina — a place she’d vowed never to live after leaving the segregation-filled environment of her youth.

The documentary, which premieres Feb. 22 at 8 p.m. ET on HBO2, follows the two sisters as they adapt to their new reality and confront the opportunity for Renee to live independently for the first time ever at age 50.

“Raising Renee” is just the latest film focusing on disability issues to appear on HBO. In recent years, the cable channel aired Monica & David, a documentary about the marriage of two young adults with Down syndrome, and produced a biopic of autism self-advocate Temple Grandin.

Saturday, February 04, 2012

Saturday

Butterflies in the corner above her head




What did you do today? This morning we woke up to Calvin crying. He was stuck in the ceiling of our basement and try as we might, we couldn't get him out. I took Emma (and friend) to art class at the Kresge Museum on campus, Chris took Joe to sports skills. Then I washed the car and came home to dismantle part of the wiring and pulled the cat out of the ceiling. Meanwhile, Chris took Joe out to lunch and then to get his haircut. After Emma returned home, we did shopping (found a dress for the Daddy-daughter dance), dropped some stuff off at Goodwill, and came home for lunch. Then we finally put up the butterflies that she received for Christmas on Emma's wall. When Joe came home we decorated Valentine's Day cookies while Chris returned library books and ran general errands for the household. As I type, Emma is listening to a conversational Italian CD and Joe is playing on his Toy Story 3 Wii. I am hoping to exercise before we go out to dinner tonight. Whew--tomorrow, we start all over again.