It's almost the end of the show.

Yes, the title is a reference to that damn sock puppet show that my Beloved loves. He'll probably snicker when he reads it. I've been busy over the last few weeks. Presents are done, except for the small ones for the kids over the remainder of Yule. We celebrate 12 days of Yule, starting at Christmas so that the extended family who are predominantly Christian don't feel weird.

I am glad that my kids don't have the flu this year. I'm glad that my husband doesn't have the flu or that I don't have it either. We got that fun over with the week before the holiday break. Snuggle Bug had it and he was miserable for a few days. He got well just in time to go to the last day of school for the year. Unfortunately, he had to spend some time catching up on classwork instead of doing all the fun activities that were planned. He was particularly grumpy that afternoon when he got home from school.

Cuddle Bear's report card came in and he's on honor roll again. He's really proud of himself and with good reason. He's been working hard and maturing a lot over this last year. He is still very imaginative and engages in a great deal of imaginative play. He is, however, getting better at accepting the difference between reality and what he wants to be real. That's a big milestone. The developmental delays due to the autism still have an effect on his academics but the school is working with him and he is thriving.

Snuggle Bug's report card isn't due until February. His last report card indicated all good things. He also is maturing and working hard over the last year. His imagination is very much at play, at times distracting him from his school work. I expect that he will reach the similar big milestone that his big brother is at around the same age as his brother has. Because, Snuggle Bug is very much at the same place his brother was with a bit more of the ADHD being a problem. Interestingly, however, he is really getting into the STEM subjects, just like his brother.

I don't know if it is because we encourage them to explore the world and such. I kinda taught them the scientific method as young children, it was a watered down version but it was still there. It has turned out to be a really helpful thing for them. It has given them a better grip on problem solving skills and helps them organize reality a bit better.

It's been a good year for the kids. We're hanging in there on all other fronts. The old Subaru was in the process of collapsing back in October, so we replaced it. The new Subaru is a bit bigger and came with more bells and whistles standard. Beloved's taken to it like a duck to water. I'm still getting used to it. I'm thankful that it is an automatic transmission. I hate and am not very apt at driving stick shift. It has those ridiculous military grade 500000000000 watt headlights that blind damn near everybody on low beams. I feel a little bad for other drivers but then I remember that these are common in the newer cars and that's why they've been beaming me in the eyes for the last few years.

So, life goes on. We have our collective health and well being. I am thankful. Although, I am looking forward to when the kids go back to school so I am not having my day soundtracked by fart noises.