Updates all around

Yesterday I had the chance to post about some recent goings-on around here. Today I wanted to post about some other things we've been into that we haven't documented with photos.

Taisim has been growing increasingly more independent and wanting to do things herself - from using the mouse on the computer to carrying her plate to the table to putting her clothes on. It catches me off-guard sometimes because she still wants our involvement quite a bit. But she definitely lets us know when she wants to do something on her own. I think some of it is hard for Taipan to adjust to - just this morning she was playing a game and Taipan was watching over her shoulder and advising her on what to do next and she let out a super-loud scream at him "No! I'm doing it" or something like that. And it wasn't like he was butting in and trying to do it for her. And there are other times when she doesn't even want him to do the same activity that she's doing ... I know Taipan did that for a bit (and still does sometimes), but I seem to have forgotten it.

She continues to really enjoy coloring and princesses and some pretend play. This morning the first thing she and Taipan did was set up a tea party. She also has started giving us presents every now and again (this morning she gifted me a magnet).

A couple of weeks ago things clicked for her and now she's able to independently use the mouse on the computer - she loves it! She used to really enjoy watching Taipan use the computer and choose the games and music ... no longer! So one of our laptops now has a semi-permanent position on the kitchen table so that she can use that one while Taipan is on the desktop in the living room.

Speaking of Taipan and the desktop ... a friend recommended a computer game she thought he would enjoy, and we finally picked it up a week or two ago. Oh, my does he love it. It's one in the series of The Incredible Machine games. You can either solve contraptions or build your own. Yuta is a whiz at the solving part - and fortunately for me he found a web site with cheats so that I can solve them now too. There are gears and fans and lasers and switches and plugs and balls and I could go on and on. It's a pretty cool game, and right up Taipan's alley. I can't recommend this game highly enough.

We've also been playing a lot of Rock Band lately. Sometimes Taipan by himself, sometimes Yuta by himself, and sometimes as a family. Taipan has a playlist of songs that he likes to play - he puts the game in practice mode, sometimes slows it down to half speed, and then plays the song off of iTunes and plays either drums, guitar or bass ... the last two are mostly with his small acoustic guitar, but last weekend he began experimenting with the Rock Band guitar. He does the strumming, and I push the buttons when he does that.

This is his set list:

Baba O'Riley by The Who (Teenage Wasteland)
Buddy Holly by Weezer
Here It Goes Again by OK Go
Should I Stay or Should I Go by The Clash
My Sharona by The Knack (this is a recent addition)

Taisim is the self appointed dancer most of the time, and sometimes she'll grab our spare mic and sing along. Yuta, of course, is proficient on drums, guitar, bass and singing. I used to stick only to signing, but over the past week I've been brave enough to give guitar & drums a try. I haven't gotten us booed off stage yet (as long as it's set to "easy").

For those who haven't heard, Yuta is now an ordained member of the clergy. He has been asked to officiate his sister's wedding, so he got an online ordination from the Universal Life Church. I know he's honored to have been asked, and I suspect a little nervous (though he hasn't said so).

I've just completed two pretty good books - the first is In The Woods by Tana French. I really enjoyed it, but it spooked me out a bit, and was partially responsible for my insomnia in Atlanta. The other one was first novel in the Twilight saga. I've got the second one already from the library and will probably begin reading it tonight. I like that I just found out about this series, so I can read them all back to back and not have to wait for the next release.

Oh, and Yuta and I just watched Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog yesterday - pretty damn funny.

That's it for now. I can hear that Yuta and the kids are doing another contraption/concoction from that book while I'm blogging/working. Maybe we'll have more pics of that soon!