It wouldn’t be a new year if we weren’t traveling and doing stuff! I had a busy start to the year with my friend and her baby visiting. Then the rest of her family joined them a few days later. I got to babysit her 9 month old for a few hours, and ended up taking the baby to my office for a few minutes (while I looked for a wayward textbook). My colleagues looked at me suspiciously, “Leigh, where did you get that baby?” as if they thought I stole her! Harlan was intrigued by the baby, but I’ll say that she made me appreciate Harlan so much. He can talk, and feed himself, and take a nap, and go potty. It’s just so much easier, even though she was sweet.
We made a visit to the Natural History Museum with our friends. It’s been a while since I’d been there, and we usually spend all our time on the first floor ocean and human origins exhibits, but this time we did the gems and minerals.
Porter and Harlan really enjoyed the rocks and the mini mine that you could walk through. When they boys started to get just too wiggly, we went back home. Our friends killed it downtown, walking to the White House and all over in very cold weather. I guess when you’re a tourist in a place for only a few days, you get out there despite the weather!
Snow moved in the next day, and the older boys school was canceled. I was so happy that my friend’s hotel had a pool, and that we could get there to swim. The roads were dicey, but the boys had fun jumping and playing. Porter refused to bring his floaties and then was sad he couldn’t get off the stairs. Natural consequences…Anyway, he did get off the stairs at one point and got into a little more water than he wanted. Gilbert was right there to help him to the wall. I was about to grab him, but I was pleased that Gilbert was watching too and automatically helped him with no prompting from anyone.
We made some resolutions. The boys’ were pretty silly, and I can’t think of them right now, but you can bet they’re tucked away in the secretary for bringing out when needed.
Academic Leigh Speaking 