Hello again world!

Finally! We now have internet service again. Well, technically I had it all along, but typing out long blog posts on my tiny little phone then waiting ten minutes for each page to load renders that option fairly useless. Beautifully enough, the internet connection was hooked up on the same day I finished unpacking boxes, so now that I have a little time to sit at the computer I can. I love it when things work out like that.

The move went smoothly. The movers came Monday, just ten minutes after my friend Nichole picked up Ryan and Mira to take them to our unschoolers' pool day. The kids had a great day while I supervised the movers. I picked them up at around 7:00 in the evening. When I called to check on the kids, Nichole went on and on about how sweet they are to each other, how they take care of each other, how they're not like other kids. Well, I know that!

Tuesday we had our regularly scheduled play day with Cheryl and her kids, so I didn't do much unpacking. Wednesday, the painter came by and said it would be two weeks before he could get around to painting the kids rooms. Ryan's walls were bright pink with lots of glue stains from the wallpaper we tore down, and Mira's were icky blue with glue stains.

Wednesday afteroon I took Ryan to the doctor. He was having difficulty breathing. I think it was mostly stress-induced. One of his biggest sources of stress was the state of his room. He spends a lot of time in his room. It's a sanctuary for him. Sooo, we stopped at Lowes on the way home. We babysat Margaux that evening so her parents could go out for their anniversary, and while the kids were busy playing with her I taped Ryan's room and did the cutting in. Thursday morning I got up and rolled two coats of paint, and by the end of the day Ryan's room looked beautiful and fresh.

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday we went to the Rethinking Education conference. The kids enjoyed every single moment of it. We all reconnected with old friends, spent time with our best friends, and made new friends. It's a really incredible environment. For me, the talent show epitomized the whole experience. Througout the conference there's a signup sheet for the talent show. Kids of all ages, including adults, sign up. Sunday night was showtime. The talent ranges from little kids making funny noises to teenagers playing Chopin on the piano to really loud rock bands, and everyone in the crowd claps and cheers for each and every person on the stage. All these families come together to support their own children and everyone else's, and even the teenagers (who all look fiercely cool) cheer wildly for the little kids on stage singing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." I sat in the audience thinking "this is how life should be." Even Mira...MIRA...got on stage, in front of 200+ people, and told a story with her friend Alexandra. It nearly made me cry. It was a story they made up on the spot, about a dog and a cat who are best friends. Mira, who a year and a half ago could not bear being looked at by even one person she did not know extremely well, much less one stranger, was on stage in front of over 200 people.

The kids kind of wander around this big atrium area of the hotel where there are lots of unstructured activities set up for them. While I was in the room the whole time, it was possible for other people to interact with them and not know they were mine. I was sitting at a table with some other moms one day when one of the kids walked up to tell me something. One of the other moms asked if they were my kids and said she'd seen them both together the day before and marvelled at how sweet they were with each other. She just had one child and said seeing Ryan and Mira together made her wish she had more. They do fight some, but they're really more than just best friends. I'm so happy they're growing up with that connection.

By Monday I had to finally admit I'd caught a cold, so we missed the last day of the conference. I felt well enough to go, more or less, but I didn't want to share my germs with anyone. Tuesday I taped and painted Mira's room, and yesterday I finished unpacking. And now I'm caught up and you are too.