Okay, so this picture of Genevieve was taken in 2004, but that was only a year or two... or three.... or FOUR ago! Yikes. Time flies, and this mom was just flabbergasted to be standing at the elementary school desk this morning registering her BABY for kindergarten. My youngest child will be in school next year! Good grief. For one thing, she's not that old. For another, neither am I. Believable or not, I was filling out Genevieve's registration forms for full-day kindergarten, and she and Eleanor will be skipping to the bus stop together next fall.

Now, to be fair, Sarah starts middle school next year, too. She won't be at the bus stop, because she'll be riding her bike to school on her own. One would think that information should be sending me into where-did-the-time-go hysteria, instead. But no - I think we mothers have a way of measuring our days based upon our youngest child. Somehow, they are the ones who remind us that there will be no more children as little as this one, that this moment - right NOW! - is the most important moment because it's never happening again.

Sarah and I went to Borders yesterday, after the littles were in bed (and Dave was in relatively little danger of being accosted by sneaky little children trying to avoid their beds with last-minute requests for glasses of water, etc.). The books that Sarah wants aren't always in the kids section anymore; although I suppose that's been true for a while, now. She was thrilled to be a) in a bookstore b) there after 7 p.m. and c) free from her little sisters for a while. We went to a local coffee shop afterwards, and Sarah was sworn to secrecy about her late-night snacks as she sipped a strawberry smoothie and munched her pumpkin bread. It would be that much harder to get the littles to bed if they thought they were missing smoothies and pumpkin bread and mommy-alone-time, let alone the suddenly coveted water they ask for every night. We talked about books and school, and Sarah looked and acted like a grown-up. Okay, so maybe Sarah contributes a little to my where-did-the-time-go feeling.

Eleanor's progress is best viewed through her amazing changes in language, behavior, and size. She has grown out of everything she began wearing when we adopted her, even the things that were huge on her then. This is somewhat unsurprising given that she has an expandable hollow leg. She must have a hollow leg, since she eats more than Dave and I combined. Before and after school time is just one never-ending request for apples, tangerines, yogurt, popcorn, soup, crackers, you name it. She also discovered the a-la-carte option at school lunch, and was surprised that we knew she was going back for more food (we then explained that the school does, indeed, ask for money to pay for her snack excursions). I would wonder where it all went, except that I can no longer count the ribs on her back, she has healthy-looking thighs, and pinchable cheeks now. Her hair is growing thick and fast, and she tells me about how fast she can run. She doesn't look like an orphan anymore. The emotional breakdowns have all but stopped, and she's just a happy, healthy kid. She teaches me to be grateful for the basics.

I will go to pick up Genevieve from preschool now; she's been insisting on wearing a tiara and a blue beaded necklace to school every day for the past week. We may want to work on that before kindergarten. Then again, I may just enjoy the tiara-wearing girl for as long as possible.

Dave has the good fortune of working from home every day. His commute is a few steps from the bed to his desk, and let's just say "business casual" is pretty casual. I guess he could work naked if he wanted to, but he's not that weird.

I have the good fortune of having a flexible enough work schedule that I have the option of working from home from time to time. The main trouble with this is that the kids are often at home with me during those hours, which makes focusing a tad bit difficult. And "days off" are rarely that - today I'm supposedly "not at work," but I'm balancing the Nash family budget (including tax planning - I do our return every year), cleaning the entire house, entertaining a four-year-old, doing laundry, finishing up HIPAA training for work and submitting research protocols, and roasting a turkey for the family dinner (we're having Grandma over). I've bribed Gen to clean up by telling her that I'll do everybody's nails tonight. Yep - pink with glitter.

I actually really feel lucky, and happy about where my life is right now. Especially if things continue to be fairly stable. I'm no Supermom, though, and I loved this clip from Lifetime TV about a mom attempting to work from home. I was just annoyed that her bathtub was clean and her closet was organized. That part wasn't realistic.

We've had snow on the ground for weeks now. You might imagine what this means for us, with three active girls cooped up a lot (or putting on all their snow gear, only to spend 5 minutes outside in snow that isn't wet enough to make anything out of, but is still really cold). While they get a lot of exercise at school and for a few minutes before and after school, it's also dark outside pretty early, which limits outdoor play. Christmas was lovely, as we got to see family, we took things easy, and it was cozy and pleasant. Still - the holidays can be crazy for small kids, even when you're trying to keep things small scale and focused on family time.

Fortunately, Santa did bring some pretty good stuff this year, and the kids have been creative about playtime. We don't have cable TV, and limit the movies, mean parents that we are. Ponka (great-grandpa) sent some Christmas money, which went towards Dance Dance Revolution pads for the kids' Playstation. For those who don't know what these are, they're foot-controlled gaming pads which require the player to step on certain parts of the pad during certain parts of a song. You gain points by stepping on the pads in the right place at the right time, and can have dance competitions. They have been a huge hit, and a huge saver of sanity while it's been cold and dark outside. The girls have been jumping and dancing and groovin' to Disney tunes, which wears them out nicely. Even Gen is surprisingly coordinated and can hold her own with the older girls.

Dave and I just sort of sigh as we watch them jumping merrily up and down, and say, "Oh, wow. Thank GOODNESS we got those!" We know what life was beforehand - we had three little girls with seemingly boundless energy, out of school, excited for Christmas, who were bouncing off the walls. Naughty little perpetual motion machines. They're really good kids most of the time, and like books and coloring and quiet time, and share with each other pretty well, but eventually the calories have to be expended SOMEHOW, and sometimes they were expended by screaming loudly, or teasing one's sister, or having a fit. I don't know how many times I had to invoke the "Santa's watching you" warning - it was a lot. Anyway, nobody died, and school has started again, phew!

The kids received (even more) Legos, which I've been glad of on one hand (encouraging creative play) and have cursed on the other (they HURT to step on)! I'm personally convinced that the Legos are alive, because I keep finding them in the most unlikely places. Then again, the girls ARE professional stuff rearrangers. You can probably find a Lego in most crevices, drawers, nooks and crannies in my home, and it's a good thing we have a see-through dirt cup on our vacuum, or the little yellow Lego people would be done for by now.

Sarah has been creating Lego stop-motion movies with her new camera, and it's been fun to watch her being creative. I uploaded her first film, "Indiana Jones and the Martian Attacks" to YouTube (Indy, Tigers, and Martians, oh my):

As for me, I'm a little tired. Can't imagine why. While I believe my tiredness to be a temporary condition, I've decided for the time being to take a rain check on our trip to China. I worry about the emotional strain for me and for Eleanor (after only a year home), and the financial strain of going back to China so soon when it's several thousand dollars minimum for transportation alone. Since this will likely be a yearly trip for the group, I hope to go next year. It was a hard decision to make, because I really was so excited to go. Still, I know that my body and mind felt some relief when I just said, "No." I had been having dreams about the mission trip - that I was in China, surrounded by Chinese children who needed help. The surprise - they didn't need an audiologist, they needed heart surgeons. Somebody speaking rapid Chinese would then hand me a scalpel and latex gloves and look at me expectantly. Argh, I was inadequate, I didn't have supplies, I didn't have courage, I didn't have the language, and Eleanor was looking at me like an orphan instead of the loved child I see every day. Silly as the dreams were, I got the message. I try to take on too much. I think I'll help with gathering supplies, with testing hearing aids, with hometown support and fundraising while the team is gone this time around. Sure, I can save the world. Just not this year.

For now, I want to feel stable and enjoy my family. I'm hoping to upload some photos from the holidays. If Courtney and Eric (sis and bro in law) are reading - we really loved seeing you. We miss you. A lot.