School's Out!

Grades are in, classroom is emptied...summer begins! I'm eager for these things:

• more time with David! more time with Taylor!
  
• finishing off our adoption application (we finally heard that our background check is complete!)
• training for a tri (I have to skip the one in June I was excited about in order to take the Praxis, a teacher exam. But I've signed up for the Jordanelle in August.)
• figuring out paint for our house
• landscaping and starting a garden
• studying up on the math section of the GRE (need to retake, as I will be applying to the Comp Lit MA at BYU)
• taking one course at BYU ("The Theology of Painting" -- can count towards the Comp Lit degree later)
• reading. On my currently reading or to-read list: Dreams of My Father (I'm so behind the times! what I've read so far is great); The Guernsey Literarcy and Potato Peel Society; Sarah's Quilt; Esperanza Rising; Love Walked In; The Read-Alound Handbook; and something that goes over development stages for toddlers (any suggetsions?).
  
• practicing piano. Something I haven't done much of for 15 years!
  
• watching baby sign videos again. Perhaps it's silly, since David speaks so well. But I had so much fun last summer, and I know there is one video with signs on emotions. Being able to identify emotions is a developmental step for David, and I thought that might help.
  
• visiting Meta in June, the Halversons in July, and my parents in August. Must get in trips before David turns 2 and begins costing money! And a trip to Cedar City to see Shakespeare with our friends Mike and Kristen Atkisson.