Stu News and Photos

Been a while since I just wrote a regular post. Been so preoccupied with Billie (she's fine, as of now. She isn't overly thrilled with her new low-everything prescription food. She finds it yummy, but, for obvious reasons, not very filling. So she mews at us a lot to feed her.)...

Meanwhile, here's the rundown on the Graham/Mark household:

Noelle is looking at a possible straight-A quarter so far. She loves most of her teachers, except for her Japanese teacher, who is Yugoslavian, I think. Noe says she's too strict, although from conversations I've had with Noe, I think there might be a little bit of xenophobia in there as well. This is normal for her age, so we just talk it out. And, in other Noelle News, she's taking Algebra now, full-on, which is difficult for me. It's great to watch her, like watching a spider weave a web, but it's also incredibly mystifying, as I suffer from discalculia.

Noelle is also gearing up for her birthday. This year she's having a mega-sleepover (trip to Long Beach, to GameWorks, then back to our house for food and presents and make-overs and such). I am of the assumption that fun will be had.

Nich is in his first semester of high school. First, let it be clear that this saddens me, as I really see how limited our time together has become. Second, he's doing very well, even with soccer becoming such a big distraction. In fact, now he's in a special Phys Ed class dedicated to soccer, which means his last class of the day is soccer, plus he has team practice twice a week, plus matches on the weekend. So he is one tired puppy. Yet he manages to keep his schoolwork up to date without any prodding from me (as Noelle will also get the same treatment when she gets into high school). His language arts grade isn't at an A just yet ('cause he's just now realizing that he has to actually *study* for vocabulary tests), but it's early, so he may finish the semester with all As. We shall see.

(Yes, the kids are into other stuff, and if you have specific questions about hobbies or whatever, ask me in comments and I'll post about them later)

Leslie is in the middle of yet another toy fair. Things are going smoothly, but the days are long.

We haven't finalized our December Family Tour yet, but we did discuss it this morning. As soon as we finalize, I'll send out an email. I may even post it as well, just to keep things spicy. (No, I don't know what that means either)

I am busy keeping the house together. Between Billie, laundry, groceries, general parenting, dishes, cleaning, etc., I am tired. Satisfied, as my family is happy, but tired.

Anything else? Any questions? Comments? Suggestions? Requests?