It has been a week of some profound changes around here. We have acquired another child. Through a long story which I won’t go into here, a student of Beth’s (who has been in her reading groups for 5 years now) has come to live with us. She’s been with us since Tuesday, after the relationship with her guardian family went south and the other teacher she was staying with got sick with the flu. She’s been with the guardian family for over 2 years but it’s over, so she was either going to go into the foster system or stay with us. Permanently. She and Beth have had a very close relationship for a long time, and after a period of several days of careful consideration, soul-searching and prayer we have decided to assume her guardianship and give her the permanent, safe home that she’s never had. Laura cried when I told her about it. There are still several legal hoops but none should be very difficult. We are just going to consider ourselves to have added a daughter. Anyway, otherwise it was a slow week for the most part, because school was cancelled due to heavy snow for the last 3 days of the week (when the students were supposed to be prepping for ISTEP), so everyone but me was at home most of the time, getting used to each other.

Some new friends of ours (The Rahns) just had a baby, so we took care of two of their older kids (including one of Missy’s besties) while they were in the hospital. Abby and Mary Beth came to our house on Friday night after school and we did a sleepover. Missy’s room is too small so they were all in the living room on inflatable mattresses. We all went to the hospital to visit the newbie, then got dinner (seems feeding a family of 6 is pretty expensive) and all descended on the Purvis house for a while. They had invited us over…turns out they had some news to share…a surprise to all especially them if you know what I mean…coming a year after his vasectomy and all…but anyway…Saturday they went back home since their grandparents had made it here, and the Monsma kids spent the afternoon at our house. Last Monday, as a President’s day gift to the kids in addition to the day off school, for the first time all winter, there was enough snow and enough time to go sledding, so Beth took the kids (including the Purvii and Riley) to the “hill” outside the old Madison Elementary.

Tonight was the first annual Lincoln's Got Talent show. The show was held at Lakeview Middle School, with mostly singing, but a few gymnastics and instruments, one comedy routine, and some magic. No less than three kids sang "Let it Go," including one boy, and one little kid who didn't remember most of the words. Cute, though. Beth was one of the judges, and unfortunately the judging process took forever. After the show was over, it took quite some time to announce the winners, enough that most of the audience was bored by the time they finally were. But the prizes were awarded, and the top overall winner was an act of two girls who did some cup stacking and banging routine while singing. But the biggest news was on the way home, with the kids in the truck, I got into an accident. I was waiting for a red light, and a semi coming from cross road on the right was turning left, in front of me, and it looked like he was going to hit me with his trailer. So I backed up, not seeing the car right behind me. Aaaaaaaand thumped right into his bumper. Put a big crack in it. No damage to the truck though. So I got to spend a little while on the phone with USAA and trading information with some guy from Ohio that I hit. Yeah....I love everything about that truck except the gas mileage and visibility right behind it.

Beth and I took the kids to see "Kung Fu Panda 3" today, which definitely the lesser of the three. But the kids liked it, and it wasn't terrible.

Super Bowl 50 was tonight, or Super Bowl L, if they were continuing the Roman numerals. Anyway, this year we went and watched with the Boschains. It was originally going to be a small group even, but so many backed out or had other plans that eventually it was just them and us. The game went ok, if a bit boring, nice that Peyton went out with a win (if he does, which he will) even if the Broncos didn't exactly win because of him. And I predicted a big win for Carolina, which I still maintain should have happened but they made so so many mistakes. But it's all good. Yesterday I finally finished the attic work wiring the new recessed lighting in the kitchen, which has been hellish. I hate digging through insulation. And that job has been a bear. It was supposed to be something for Christmas break last year but has turned into an extended job. But the wiring is done, just have to finish the plastering and painting. Of course, I'll probably decide to replace the 2 older recessed lights so all of them match.
New running shoes for me this week, again. I am so disappointed in the shoes I ordered online, but they were probably seconds or something. There just happens to be a brand new (opened this week) sporting apparel store in the Village at Winona, and they do the same kind of running analysis that Three Rivers (where I got my last good shoes) does. So, I bought a nice pair of Brooks running shoes that have a lot of support for overpronation, and I hope they do better than the internet shoes. Alex and I also went to check out Rocket Fizz on Saturday this week, a new-ish (since August) candy/sodapop store in the Village. It's cool, I hope it lasts.
Can you believe it, Missy's middle school parent/teacher meeting was this past week. She will be a middle schooler next fall and not a little girl any more. Crazy.