Famous Last Words

 
So, I am completely regretting something I said to Josh the weekend after Spring Graduation. I commented that I was really looking forward to this semester break, because it’s the first time since...I can’t even remember...December 2008??...when I’ve had a semester break and no personal or professional crisis to deal with. (When I say crisis, I don’t necessarily mean something bad. Sometimes it was just a major event that consumed all of my time, but still...)

But this time I was going to stay right here in Colorado Springs—we’re not planning to travel to Ohio until June—and catch up on life, both at home and at work.

Wrong.

The Monday after graduation, we found out that our VP, who happens to also be one of the most talented teachers the Institute has ever had, is leaving. Total surprise. Now that I have posted the official announcement, I can say it here.

Oh boy. Too much going through my head. Last week was lots of work that I didn’t originally have on my docket. Now we are sort of back to normal—at least in the sense that I am cleaning off my desk, tying up loose ends from Spring, and chipping away at the hefty to-do list I had constructed for myself in the one-day interval between graduation and massive-change-of-plans.

But I am also wondering what God is up to here...

Woman Juice and Fence Bumps

 

• “Woman juice” was a recent Lorien version of “lemon juice.” What else can I say?

• A few weeks back, Lorien heard Josh say “fist bump” to me, and she thought it was the coolest thing ever. So now she regularly asks us to “fence bump” with her. Even double fence bumps.

• Lorien often mixes up her Gs and Ds so, for example, we often find “Gog hair” on our floor. By far the funniest inversion of these letters happens when she mispronounces graham crackers and asks for more. damn. crackers. 

Lorien's Lexicon

 
Yorien = She knows her own name now, just can’t quite say it

oppisses = octopuses

memis = medicine

fwirl = squirrel

bingangs or bangdangs = bandaids

ongongs = onions

toondents = students (the college students mommy works with at Focus Leadership Institute. I think this is my favorite word right now.)

payo = tomatoes or potatoes (she uses the same word for both)

She can also count to ten and is getting pretty good at identifying basic colors.

Mother's Day

These were taken under the beautiful flowering tree in my inlaws' back yard. It's rare for it to still be in full bloom for Mother's Day, as it usually gets hit by some kind of storm by then. Gorgeous!

My and my girl. I can't begin to say how much I love her! (I'm also about 5 months pregnant with "baby brother" in this picture.) 

Lorien with her Mimi. 

And a daddy picture, even though it's Mother's Day