Work is Boring Today

So instead of being bored, I am going to bore you. This post won't even include pictures. Take that, readers!

So I missed Thankful Thursday yesterday. But I have to be honest and tell you that I wasn't feeling very thankful. I actually was very down yesterday and was acting all morose and generally just like a big baby. It was pathetic.

But today I am much better and I do have things to be thankful for.

I am thankful that Charlie now runs to greet me at the door EVERY time I come home and he is anywhere in the vicinity. I get sad sometimes when I am around other kids his age and they are talking to their mommies in their cute little voices. I wish Charlie would talk to me in a cute little voice, instead of just grunting and babbling in tones that make him sound like he is the spawn of Satan. But even though he can't speak the words, I know Charlie loves me. When I walk in the door, his face lights up and he runs to me and gestures for me to pick him up. And I do pick him up and we share a moment. I love Charlie.

I am grateful that Alek finished his Bear rank and I am grateful to Jared for making sure he did. Jared did about 95% of Alek's achievements with him. Jared is kinda a stinker for making me feel grateful towards him, but there you have it. Also, he and his mom are going to make sure Alek can take cello after school this year like he wants to. Alek even had some private cello instruction when in Arizona. So that's another thing to be grateful to Jared for. Oh, and he and his parents and Ronnie bought me movie tickets and a Friday's gift card for my birthday. Darn it! What's with this guy doing so many nice things for us?

I am grateful that my family will soon be moving into an actual house with an actual yard and much more storage and space. And we don't have to change wards. I am so grateful for this that I am not even a little bit bothered that we are accomplishing this by continuing to rent instead of buying like I had wished. A house is good, no matter how we got it.

I am grateful for a baby who giggles and grins every time he sees me. What a cutie pie.

I am grateful for good books and movies. We watched Northanger Abbey the other night. I had a ridiculously huge grin on my face almost the entire movie. I love Catherine Morland. I love Henry Tilney. I love Jane Austen.

I am grateful to Josh for all the hard work he is doing to get our house organized. He's awesome.

Okay, I'm done with being thankful. On with news.

Alek starts school on Monday. 4th grade. He is growing up, that's for sure. Last night he wouldn't do the cheers at cub scouts because they were "embarrassing." Oh dear. Where has my little boy gone?

Katie is bossy and kinda spoiled. I guess that's not really news; it's actually just kinda funny. Sometimes, it's a little aggravating, but usually she's too cute to get on our nerves. I guess that's why she's spoiled. It won't last. The cuteness fades. You've been warned, Katie. Kate's been asking to see cousins who live very far away that we won't see for a long time. We look at my sisters' blogs and she starts telling me we need to go see Grace or George or whoever. Sorry, Kate. Not happening for a while. She also has been asking to go to Disneyland. I think that's a ways off, too. Poor girl.

Charlie is making progress in therapy or so I am told. I am incredibly impatient and it simply is not moving fast enough for me. I am glad he is going right into therapy and sitting down in the chair he is supposed to. I am glad he is making more eye contact. I am glad he is saying, "bu, bu, bu, bu,bu" when he wants to play with bubbles. That's all wonderful. But when am I going to know what is going on in his head and his heart? When am I going to know why he just starts crying sometimes or what he wants when he comes up to me and just starts pulling at my arms? Never? Please don't let it be never. I don't know that I can deal with never. Why does autism have to be so hard? Most days I am fine, but the last couple of days have been hard for me. It's being around all these "normal" 2 year olds that is doing it to me. Darn cute, talkative kids. Wouldn't trade Charlie for them, though. Not even for a second.

Fitzwilliam is wonderful. Happy almost 100% of the time. Healthy. Strong. Curious. Giggly. Smiley. Drooly. He's working on getting up on his knees. He is absolutely in love with the toys and books in our living room and he is pretty good at getting to them. He's a roller and a scooter. Earlier this week, I realized I had not written down one single date of any of his firsts. When did he first roll? I don't know. Mid-July-ish. When did he get his first tooth? I don't know. He was 4 months old. That's what I know. Poor baby. I hope he won't ever feel unloved just because I completely forgot that I was even supposed to track such things.

I am starting school on Monday. I am seriously considering taking two online classes instead of just one. Can I hack that? No idea.

I need to buy a washer and dryer. I think I am going to go the Craigslist route.

I also need a car.

I need more money, even though I just got a raise. It's pretty sad.

Found a publishing company on Craigslist that is looking for artists to do covers. Sent an e-mail to them on behalf of Josh. They pay $1500 a project. That would be a nice answer to this whole needing more money issue. We'll accept prayers on our behalf. And I'll try to remember to say a few of my own.

That's it for now. I had something specific I was going to write about when I first began to type, but it has flown out of my head. It must not have been that important.

Thankful Thursday

I'm stealing my sister's (Jenny's) idea and doing "Thankful Thursdays."

1) I'm thankful to have such a sweet, cute baby, who loves to smile and laugh and is getting around all too well already.

2) I'm thankful that despite being short-staffed at work that I've managed to stay on top of everything I need to be doing and that I've been able to perform some sort of Jedi mind trick on everyone so that they think I am doing all those things well.

3) I'm also thankful we're on the verge of hiring someone.

4) I'm thankful that Josh found someone to work on a comic with and that they have a plan for getting the book done.

5) I'm thankful that I got a raise so that I can afford to buy a car so that I can keep going to work when my boss/ride goes on maternity leave next month.

6) I'm thankful that I've had the chance to read the Ensign lately and that I've been doing better at reading my scriptures.

7) I'm glad Alek is home. Everything feels better since he has been back.

8) I'm glad that I found my Jane Austen books during my reorganization efforts last night. And that I discovered I own the Wrinkle in Time series. I forgot! I'm going to make Alek read those when he's done with Harry Potter.

Farm Subsidies are Bad

Not much to say, but I thought this article was interesting and that many of you would find it interesting as well.