there's something ironic in the fact that almost every journal entry i've written on this site has been positive, given that i've had many challenges of my own in my life and i'm so pre-programmed to report the negative versus the positive. yet again, however, i'm here to drop another bomb of happiness on y'all.

on of the happiest/saddest moments of raising kids are the times when you can actually feel notice the passage of time, as if you're watching the hands of the clock tick over, knowing they don't ever travel in reverse. i've posted a bunch of those moments recently, like the time when kaya was doing her own trick-or-treating.

this weekend was chock-full of those moments. first there was the kid's table at our thanksgiving feast, which isn't the first time we've had a kid's table, but it was the first time that it actually kind of 'worked'...the kids sat at their table and ate! then, there was kaya's solo singing performance at Lolo's 73rd birthday party (her featured song: "My Favorite Things"). today we worked on her reading, which is coming along faster than i would have thought. meanwhile, zade is now firmly a boy; his language skills are rapidly improving, he's developed a temper of his own, and he's now got some of those melt-your-heart tricks...he will now run across a large room to give me a hug when i bend down...he fell asleep on cho's sholder (and drooled) at the party...he's got big kid pajamas...little things that mean alot.

i'm off to NYC on tuesday, and i already miss my family...how pathetic is that? ;)