Nikita

Walter and I spend a fair amount of time making fun of the shows my brother and sister get so invested in, and then inevitably, we end up copying them and start watching the same show. It has happened with Mad Men, Damages, and now Nikita. 

Nikita is amazing. I'm not kidding, you should watch her. If only I could simultaneously break someone's neck with my legs while climbing on their back and shoot a different person. Nikita says things like: 

Michael, let me know when it's clear. I'm going to run over there and scale that wall. Sounds like a plan. Even though that wall is as smooth as a piece of paper and you have nothing but your two bare hands to do it with. 

Be ready to randevu in one hour. Randevu is our new favorite word, and we use it often.

After watching Nikita for a few weeks, I suggested to Walter that he and I take some martial arts classes together. You know, a good bonding experience for us, and a fun way to spend time together. Or so I thought. Walter didn't think it was a good idea, so I attempted reverse psychology: You can pick, martial arts, or ballroom dancing. I thought surely the mere idea of taking a dance class would make up his mind. Nope. My tricks didn't work. Instead, we bond over our nightly viewing of Nikita as she plans to take down Division and hunt down all of the black boxes. 

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Oh my goodness! Blogger keeps putting my pictures out of order and it is so annoying! Oh well, I'm sure you don't care. 

Meet Lucy, my parent's new dog. I have heard her name and everything about her approximately 300 million trillion bazillion times. Isabella is in love.

Here is Isaac, who has been torturing us for over a week. I do feel bad for him, he has a terrible cough that the doctor wouldn't do anything about and we have not slept in a very long time. This morning I was sure a truck ran me over last night. And unlike Nikita, I didn't bounce up off the pavement with my super tight pants and high boots on, ready to give this day a run for its money. I'll save that for another day.

Blah Blah Blah, yes, I've tried to give him some homeopathic cough medicine. Please, come over to my house if you think you can charm him into believing that any substance coming near his lips is not the kiss of death.

A Thanksgiving Day walk with just my girl (and Lucy)...

This is a classic Isaac picture. I love it. It's him, captured at the perfect moment. Tongue, and dainty fingers, and sideways glance. Perfect.

Coloring faces on acorns...

We're bonding.

Some good news! There are grants out there that will often supply an iPad to children with disabilities. I applied to one and wrote a long letter all about Isaac, and they called me the day before Thanksgiving to let me know that Isaac is one of the recipients. We are so excited and grateful for the opportunity to help Isaac communicate more effectively. I'll let you know when we get it, and all about the process. 

Also, if you are parent and have school-age children, or soon-to-be school-age children, you must read this book: The Good School: How Smart Parents Get Their Kids the Education They Deserve by Peg Tyre. Seriously, buy it today. It is mind boggling and an eye opener to what is going wrong in our schools (public, private, or charter, it doesn't matter, there are questions you need to ask). This is also a great resource if you are homeschooling. She writes about what you need to watch for in areas like Reading and Math and how they should be approached in order to offer the most success. Is your child not doing well with reading? Read this book! Is your child getting a dumbed-down math education and you're worried they may never succeed in Algebra? Read this book! Okay, I'm done.