I did read. Quite a little bit. And that was lovely. I started and finished Anthony Trollope’s Barchester Towers which was quite good. Since he published 62 novels, I feel confident that I shan’t run out of good books soon. I also read all of Will Bagley’s academic treatment of the Mountain Meadow’s Massacre; Blood of the Prophets and found it fascinating and informative. And finally I picked up a little paperback of Eats Shoots & Leaves and fell happily in love with it’s very English author, who’s name escapes me (she won’t be offended right?).

It felt like 2008 with so many good books lined up and waiting and such concentration on reading. I didn’t get Boethius’s Consolation of Philosophy started or Kipling’s Poems finished but will be done soon.

Now here are some photos mostly from the few times the sun was out.

A few weeks ago, I decided to pick up Typee which I own in a nice slipcase edition. It is a fictionalized account of Melville’s own experiences among the Typee people and I find it fascinating that his own life contained such interesting, risky, and exciting adventures. The book was thoroughly enjoyable, easy to read and full of interesting anthropological sidelights. Highly recommended!

The following picture illustrates what happens when the mom is a bookish sort who likes to get away of an evening for a little quiet reading and writing and dad makes and serves dinner…

Yep. Naked babies. Eating spaghetti. From the pot. On the patio. Sigh…

For those of you who read here and don’t follow me on Twitter or Facebook, I just wanted to let you know that Alex’s eye surgery went well yesterday. It was a long and difficult day but already today Alex is feeling just fine and seems to be out of pain. We won’t know about the effectiveness of the surgery for awhile but things look good.

Going all morning without food or drink was difficult for him (and us) and coming out of the anesthesia was pretty rough. Surprisingly, one of the hardest things was separating him from Luc. We dropped Luc off at a friends house and when Alex realized he wasn’t with us he flipped out. We managed to calm him down but I felt really badly for not explaining it to him beforehand. Sometimes I forget how much he can understand! Yesterday evening he alternated between being awake and fussy and sleeping deeply on my lap. Around eight last night a dear friend brought Alex his first toy backhoe (one of his favorite things in the world!) and that was a real turning point. He got distracted and played happily until he fell asleep around nine. He slept all night (what a blessing) and woke up in a good mood and seeming pain-free. We have to stay inside all day to help keep his eyes uninfected but he and Luc are just happy to be playing together again.

Jared was out of town for seven days and six nights. It was awful. That’s the longest we’ve ever been apart and aside from missing his help with our boys, I just flat out missed him so much. We’re not planning on letting that happen again anytime soon. Even though he’s been home for two days, I’m still just barely recovering from being apart for so long.

While he was gone, I sent him lots of photos of our boys, which I will now share with you. Here is Alex helping me make scrambled eggs for breakfast.

Here is Luc just saying “hi” and me looking a little scrawny and with wrinkly-old-lady eyes (it was late at night…).

And here is another of Alex sporting a big grin.

Speaking of Alex…his eye surgery is scheduled for May 4th. All thoughts and prayers would be much appreciated. It looks like it is going to cost us around $8,000 for them to uncross his eyes. I’m so grateful to live in a day and an age when the technology and the knowledge is available to do this but am also (understandably) nervous about my sweet little two-year-old going under general anesthesia and the knife. And not to be crass and greedy or anything but this might be a good time to remind you that if you make your Amazon purchases (of anything) through my store then I get a few bucks which helps us out (and doesn’t cost you any extra).

Yes. Those are my babies. In their pajamas. Eating a tub of leftover brownies for breakfast. They are homemade if that helps.

In home and family news, we have Lucius Colby Patchin growing and changing every day. He is so cute…and I don’t just say that because he looks like me. He now loves to turn light switches on and off, push the empty laundry basket around, ask for jelly beans and do anything his big brother is doing. And Alex is becoming more and more articulate. He still doesn’t speak much but I’m still eagerly awaiting the day he does.

I’ve been trying different strategies for getting some writing done. I take ten minute breaks during the normal day routine and do freewriting excercises to get the juices flowing. Then, when the boys are napping or in bed I can take those ideas and shape them into something more. At least that’s the theory, I don’t have much of a track record yet.

Kafka is almost done and I really want to throw something at him! I also want to throw something at the publishers/editors/translators that all think every single word he wrote was worthwhile. Like Nabokov Kafka is an undeniable talent. One just wonders if that talent was bent to the best use. He does powerfully evoke a sense of futility, and considering the futility of living in a totalitarian and bereaucratic society I suppose that evokation is purposful. Still…he is a drag to read…

Six days, three books…

Advent is trucking merrily along and is almost over. We’ve only missed two of our scheduled activities so far but may get them crammed in still…looking at lights and building a fire may still work out.

Oh crap! I just realized we still have one gift to figure out…

Last year I spent Christmas Eve at Albertson’s desperately trying to find presents for our two little boys. Both of them were celebrating their first Christmas and we had not gotten them anything. Of course I had spent three of the last four days in the hospital with our brand new Lucius and they were both young enough not to know the difference but I didn’t want it to go down in family lore that they didn’t get presents from us on their first Christmas. That shopping trip yielded four of their current favorite things. Two soft stuffed puppies and two Dr. Seuss books. I was tired, still very fat and squishy from pregnancy, blear-eyed and dumbfounded that Fred Meyer’s wasn’t open. I’m pretty sure there are illegitamate reasons for doing your shopping on Christmas Eve in your pajamas but unexpectedly giving birth a month early isn’t one of them.

I hate it when the day faces you down and there is nothing to do. Not really nothing because I have a million things to get done, but nothing that I can do while chasing the boys. Writing just doesn’t happen with two little ones underfoot. Creative with a crying baby? Nope. Reading while making sure they don’t break anything, including themselves? Nuh-uh. Dishes? Sure but only in short spurs while tending to their needs. Laundry? Yep. No vacuuming though. Anyway, it is frustrating to have a million and one things to do and time where you’re bored and no way to make the two meet.

Yay for parenting.

They are cute though…