Since I've been prodded along, here's an update of life over the last few weeks:

• I should be sleeping, I should be working, I should packing, I should be...  So instead, I'm just taking it one breath at a time.
• Things with DH and I are great (knocking on wood).  It seems we've really been connecting lately and have actually had time to talk to each other.  We even got to go on a "date" last Friday, even if it was a work event for him.  It was nice to have dinner and dance with him on a yacht in Marina del Rey.  I took the time to let him know how much I appreciate him and all that he's been doing to help me with the boys, the house work, and just being a great guy.  It seems to have inspired him to help even more.  That definitely helps with my stress levels which have been through the roof.
• Speaking of stress, the new school year has started... sigh.  Older DS's teacher is, well, very book oriented.  It's kind of a toss up with her right now.  On the positive side, she's the choir teacher and incorporates music into many of her lessons which will be great for him.  She also seems to want to work with him to get his reading levels up.  On the negative, she has set his reading goal VERY high.  At his reading level he will have to read 15-30 books in 6 weeks to meet his AR goal.  After numerous e-mails back and forth, she has refused to lower the goal.  We have goal setting conferences on Thursday and I plan to bring this issue up again.  If there is still no resolution, we have an IEP meeting set up for two weeks from now and I'll push the issue "formally" then.  The teacher also has NO personality.  I worry about her engaging DS in class and keeping him interested.  So far he's loving math which is his stregnth (same teacher) and science (different teacher who does a lot of experiments).  We've also been pushing both boys to read every night with us, and so far - so good.
• After speaking with little DS's teacher, she also suggested we have him tested for ADHD.  Apparently they wanted to test him for GATE (gifted program) but know that he could never make it through the testing because he can't focus long enough.  So I've made the doctor's appointment, requested the SST meeting at school, and generally worried myself sick.  I absolutely adore his teacher though.  I knew she would be a good fit when I walked in on back to school night and saw that she already had him sitting up front, off to one side with no one sitting next to him.  That kid can TALK!  LOL
• On a very sad note, the Resource teacher at our school has been very ill and was waiting for a liver transplant over the summer.  Things are not looking good for her as she is now having problems with her kidneys and 1 lung.  For those of you inclined to pray, I'm sure Mrs. P. would appreciate it.  I will continue to keep her in my thoughts.
• Work is horrendously busy.  I've been working more hours than normal, but not enough to get everything done that I'd like to.  We have all the clients who put their taxes on extension all trying to get their pension plans taken care of before the October 15 deadline.  Top that off with a HUGE project I'm working on, and another one that I need to get back to working on.  Luckily the big boss seems very happy with my work.  Hopefully he'll express his appreciation during my review in a few weeks. 
• Luckily there is some stress relief in site.  The family is heading off on a cruise to Mexico this Saturday.  Since we've been fortunate enough to have done this cruise before, we are only booking one shore excursion.  We're taking the boys snorkeling since they are old enough now to not float away...  I'm really looking forward to spending some quality family time and some alone time with DH.  Neither DH nor I are taking any work with us.

That's it for now.  I'll try to do a quick update of our summer next time.  It was busy but fun!

Over the school year, I've observed my son K and EB when they are in the same group and I think she has a bit of a crush on him too.  DH has been trying to get him to at least talk to her a bit more, but he gets nervous.  LOL  He finally decided he wanted to write her a note and I found a cute song that would help him express his feelings in his innocent, 10-yo way.  The song is "For You I Will" which DH burned on a CD for her.  K picked out the CD label and picked one with green flowers on it... her favorite color.  Here's the note he wrote:

Dear EB:

I have liked you for almost 3 years and this song reminds me of how I feel about you.  I think you are a beautiful angel.  I would like to take you to a movie this summer.  Please call me at xxx-xxxx.

Love,

K....

P.S.  Don't tell your friends about this.

OMG, the "beautiful angel" really got me!  This boy has got it BAD!  I really hope she doesn't break his heart.  Oh, and at dinner little DS was doing his "would you rather" thing (usually two gross choices).  DH then asks K if he would rather kiss EB or go to Disneyland...  He said, "Hmmm that's tough".  Holly COW!  It's the first time he's admitted that he would even want to kiss a girl... my baby is growing up WAY too fast!  Now in reality, I think he would freak out and run away if she tried to kiss him even on the cheek.  LOL  (He did finally decide to kiss EB at Disneyland).

 While at the grocery store last week it happened again.  I let the boys hang out in the toy section while I finished shopping in the produce department for 5 minutes.  This is my form of bribery for behaving during out shopping trip.  When I returned to gather them and head to the check out line, a woman with a child asks, "Are these your children?"  Oh, man.  What did they do...?  She proceeds to tell me that, no they were very well behaved and extremely polite.  She then leans over and asks in a loud whisper, "Oh, so are they adopted?"

I don't know why this bothers me so much.  Maybe it's the stretch marks I still have or the scar across my lower abdomen from 2 c-sections?  Or maybe that it just seems incredibly presumptuous?  In this day and age, in a neighborhood with many, many interracial marriages, why would someone ask that?  Especially to a complete stranger?  Well maybe if they were looking at adoption and wanted information, then I guess maybe...

So, I get it...  my kids don't look like me at first glace, mostly because of their coloring compared to mine.  However, just once (or twice) I'd love to stop being the polite one and say that I found them on the corner and just took them home, or perhaps give them a look and "Shut up - they don't know!".  Or some other quip that would make them think twice the next time.  Usually I just say, that yes, I look like the nanny.  The funny thing is, that when I have my niece and nephews with me (DH's sister's kids who are also mixed) people assume that all 5 are mine and tell me how great I look for having 5 kids.  LOL

Here they are with the "nanny":

Sideways pic of "my 5 kids"...  sorry still don't know how to rotate on Xanga.