Oh my. It is very hot here. 115 with the heat index last I checked. And I am melting. We're moving (locally) in a week, and I am so thankful that we are having movers come this time, because I think I would die if I had to heft heavy furniture back and forth from a truck in this heat.

Additionally, there really should be a special concession in heaven for people who are with 20 four year-olds all day with no possibility of escape to the outdoors.

It's been a long time. I suppose some people might still have me in their feed readers, but even that seems pretty unlikely. For continuity's sake, however, it seems like I should give some type of update before jumping in with both feet to my current stories.

It would be impossible (and boring) to write about all the happenings since last I wrote. So to bring you up to speed, I will just share two life-changing bits:

• I graduated. I now hold a Master's degree in Theology and Christian History. Finishing school with two young children in tow is, by far, the hardest thing I've ever done. And while my grades certainly won't be getting me into a celebrated Ph.D. program, I did graduate with honors (also, a chip on my should about me who don't have to work while they're in seminary. Seriously. It's not medical school. Your wife does not need to work your way through seminary. Here ends rant.) Now all I have to do is figure out how to defer my student loans until I die. Then I'll be in business.
• Graduation was bittersweet. Sarah couldn't come because her dad's health took a dramatic turn for the worse. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer around the time Mimiclaus was born. Jeff died very early in the morning June 8. Sarah's mom, for whom Alliclaus was named, has been gone a little more than six years. I know the cliché about life and fairness (so spare me), but it seems supremely unfair that Sarah and Naomi, in their late twenties and early thirties, should be left without any parents. And while their mother's death was blessed with a general sense of peace and family unity, their father's death was much more complicated. It just sucks, even more than it did when we lost Joy. We were able to get home for the service, but we had to drive (with the girls) to San Diego (approximately 25 hours each way) - an adventure to be sure, but one for which we are still paying with manic days and sleepless nights.

So, I guess that brings you up to speed. Oh. You say I haven't shown you how much my children have grown? Well. Here you go.

Last week, I lost all confidence in the Internet's ability to help me find complete happiness through consumerism. You see, the girls' daycare requires that kids in the toddler room where hard-soled shoes. Since Mimiclaus isn't walking yet, I'm in no hurry to put her in hard shoes. But since they go outside everyday, I did see a purpose for the request. The best compromise I could come up with was Robeez Tredz, that have soft rubber soles and are meant for wearing outside.

I searched for the right shoes and was lucky enough to find that they were 40% off on the Robeez website. But when I went to order them (I notoriously take too long to order things online - I'm very indecisive) they weren't just no longer on sale, they were no longer for sale. Robeez has changed the sizing on their Tredz, so they weren't going to be getting any more from the factory.

I set out to find someone else on the Internet who was selling them. And while I didn't expect to get a great sale price, I wasn't willing to pay more than retail, which was pretty much what I found everywhere.

I found a shop that had the shoes listed on their website, but after ordering them (at a great price), I received an email letting me know that they didn't have them in stock and, based on the email, weren't getting them again. The email was very nice, but one more stop on my "the Internet sucks" route.

Finally, I found the shoes at tinysoles. And while I'm not sure it works 100% of the time, their availability policy is that if you can put it in your cart, it's in stock. And a day later, I got an email saying that my shoes had shipped.

They came on time, wrapped in pink tissue paper, with a foorprint lollipop. And while I would normally be irritated with the extra packaging, it was a nice touch after the Internet gave me the runaround.

Now. This next thing is not the Internet's fault. But it is shoe-related, and I must vent. My children have wee little feet. My mom wears a size 6 and it seems they've both gotten her feet. Mimiclaus is still wearing her 3-6 month size Robeez. Tredz don't come in sizes smaller than 12-16 months, and the Internet says they run larger than normal. These shoes will be HUGE on her and I find this same problem with most of the "podiatrist-approved" styles of shoes. The outdoor versions all run in sizes that may be appropriate for other kids, but are way too big for the teeny-footed. Do you guys have any recommendations? Maybe a brand I haven't heard of?

Three Fridays ago, Mimiclaus turned one. It's hard to believe that much time could have passed since she was born. I've probably written less than fifteen posts since she was born and there's definitely a part of me that feels guilty for not more fully chronicling her first year here. But we've really lived this last year. The good and the bad. We've struggled through completing school with a toddler and a newborn. We've lost jobs and found new ones. I still worry from time to time (or always) that Mimiclaus doesn't get from us what her sister did. After all, she's in daycare (though I'm there with her) while her sister had her parents home with her. There were no long days laying with me in my bed. Instead, I nursed Mimiclaus while chasing after her sister or, better yet, dumping the potty her sister couldn't or wouldn't wait for me to "come see."

But for all the things I wish could be different, Mimiclaus is pretty great. She's much more a daredevil than her sister was (or even is now). It seems likely that if I'm going to have a combative relationship with either of my daughters, it will be her. For now, she is sweeter than I can stand. She still isn't sleeping through the night, which makes our move to a shared room for the girls problematic, but we'll make it work. I'm not sure how we'll ever wean her, but today isn't the day I'm going to worry about it. For now, I'm enjoying the time I get to spend with her. Alliclaus is a constant reminder that the baby days slip away quickly.

In any case, I really meant for this post to be about Mimiclaus' birthday party. We had it the Saturday after her birthday, and just the right number of friends came over. We did a bumblebee theme, which is kind of hard to do in the dead of winter, so we made every food in the place with honey. I didn't do a trial run on any of the food, so I'm pleased with the fact that everything turned out tasty. Rebecca was there, because she's awesome, and she recently posted the photos from the party to her blog. You should go see them. Mimiclaus has changed quite a bit since last I posted photos of her here. She is definitely the baby who favors my appearance over Andrés'.

Absent from Rebecca's slideshow was the hilarious, yet awkward girl-on-girl moment between Mimiclaus and Piper, another baby at the party. Both girls are still in the mouthing phase, where babies explore objects by putting them in their mouths. In any case, Mimiclaus and Piper were "exploring" one another's faces. And Kimberly (Piper's mom) and I didn't really know what to do. So we took pictures. Because we are evil it was funny. I'm pretty sure Rebecca took pictures, too. And as much as I would have liked to share them with you, I'm glad Rebecca didn't put them in the slideshow. After all, I sent that slideshow to Andrés' family, who would likely not see the humor in the situation. Ah, well.

A good time was had by all. Cagey (whose beautiful children are in the slideshow) said it was the best kid's birthday party she'd ever been to. In the interest of full disclosure, she was playing Wii Music at the time. As were most of the adults at the party. (Don't worry. My mom was kid-wrangling.) But really, I was very happy with how everything turned out. It was low-key, as children's parties should be, but the food and company were good. I know Mimiclaus won't remember the party, but it was a nice way to celebrate her first year.

Things have been crazy around here and I haven't really known how to talk about it. But now that most of the decision-making has come and gone, I feel like I can release my stuff on the Internet.

• Around the time Andrés was laid off, my company had a major lay off and I was informed that I would lose my job...eventually. And while the date for my lay off has been pushed back and pushed back, I couldn't really live with the uncertainty anymore. But looking for another job was problematic. Since Andrés and I have been sharing at-home parenting, I can't just take any job. I worked hard to find a job that would give me flexibility and was unlikely to find a job that would let me walk in with that. So, after a lot of consideration, I've accepted a job at a daycare center where I can bring the girls with me. It's not the perfect job for me, but I think I'll probably be good at it and I'll hopefully be able to find an adjunct position for the Fall.
• After multiple freak-outs, it has been determined that I have one unit of school left to complete for graduation. Then I have an oral examination mid-semester, in which I will prove that I am a sham and don't actually know anything. Good times ahead.
• Mimiclaus is getting ready to turn one. Holy moly! She's in a really difficult stage that has lasted approximately eleven months and two weeks. Heh. She's not wanting to eat anything and she's still not really gaining weight well. So, yet again, I have a baby who people think is way younger than she is. It's always a pleasure telling strangers that your "four month old" is, in fact, almost one. Hopefully, she'll outgrow it soon.
• Christmas presents are arriving here from out-of-town family, which is fun and sweet. But it's also weird. Sarah's family has a tradition of addressing gifts to the recipient, but from random people or celebrities. Both Naomi and Sarah sent gifts to my children from Britney Spears. This website makes no secret of my love of Britney. But will this cast a shadow over my entire life? I think it might. Heh.
• Hey, did I say I was looking for adjunct positions? I guess I did! And I am! In cities other than the one in which I live. Which can only mean one thing: Moving! I hate moving, but this cold snap is enough to make a girl want to move away. Although a leading contender city is Chicago, so maybe I shouldn't pack up my coats just yet.

So, I guess that's it. It all seems like no big deal now, of course. When I was in the thick of all this, it seemed like I couldn't deal with it, but hindsight and all. You know.

Well, I thought it was likely inevitable. Between my mom and Sarah and my homework, the blog was just not going to happen. So instead, I had an awesome, though sickly, time with my family. Turkey was had and a Christmas tree is decorated.

I've got two major projects to finish up and two small papers to crank out and my semester is over one week from tomorrow. Then I'll only have four units to finish up next semester, three of which I'll finish in the two-week intensive and the other that is just a reading discussion. It's hard to describe the things I'm feeling right now. It's only a week, but I feel like I might slit my throat instead of completing this work. Simultaneously, it's hard for me to imagine my life outside of school. If I can't find a job teaching next year, I don't really know how my life will be when it isn't structured around a September start to the year.

We're all still sick around here. I'm about to the point of taking everyone to the doctor, but we have really crappy short-term insurance until Andrés' new insurance kicks in at the beginning of the year. So, no fever, no bleeding, no vomiting, no doctor. Mimiclaus is the only one I'm concerned about, but I'm relatively sure that everything going on with her is related to her top teeth working their way through. Alliclaus was such an easy teether. I always thought moms who muttered about how bad teething was were being over-dramatic. Karma's a bitch, yo.

I'm thinking my work for the semester may be done as early as Saturday, so I will hopefully return to some manner of online presence then. What will I talk about when I don't have classes and homework to complain about? Who knows? My guess is that I'll become an extremely uninteresting person. But if you've stuck around this long, I'm thinking you have a high threshold for boring.

My mother-in-law just added me as a friend on Facebook. Yeah.