see mj write: day 27 {this month, in great detail}

m. layton reporting

business & finance:
ryan continues to enjoy his work as a sr. associate at d&p. he currently shares an office with mr. katz, making it possible for them to quickly share sound advice about issues at home. maren's piano studio is coming right along. practice schedules are being tracked and three students are vying for first-place status. all 11 students are preparing themselves for the upcoming spring recital, to be held the first week in june. maren will be performing alongside two of her students in accompanying duets. this is an event not to be missed.
education:
april has been a big month at leah's preschool. teachers and pupils started off the month by discussing animals of all types - in the wild, at the zoo and on the farm. earth week came next and leah has been much more aware of her carbon footprint. she also brought home an incredible paper portrayal of "leah's world." it was sparkly and breathtaking. spring break came and went. it was mostly consumed with rainy days, but the sun showed itself for the last day or two and leah and maren were able to enjoy some time with friends including one day at the pool. today marks the first day of "crazy week". leah sported her crazy hat {which was, by far, the craziest in the class - go leah's mom!}. forthcoming events are crazy hair day and pajama day. this morning after class, maren was informed her daughter consumed a pom pom during arts and crafts. we will keep you updated on this situation. ryan continues to study off and on for the gmat. he is also considering flight school and retirement.
health & wellness:
seasonal allergies have taken hold of the layton house. ryan and leah have scarce been found without a runny nose or itchy face all month. maren continues to evade these symptoms. leah got her first bloody nose this month, but emerged triumphant. no blood stains were found on any pieces of clothing. the man of the house has put his bike to good use this month. after escalating arguments arose in regards to transportation, he decided to bike to and from work multiple times each week. the chain fell off once and a flat tire occurred on his way to work twice {one this morning in the rain} which is a potential problem as they have yet to purchase a bike rack. maren continues to run and participate in strength training workouts. she is hoping to revisit the arms of her earlier years. things are looking hopeful. leah does not stop. ever. rett syndrome continues to suck.
weather:
temperatures have been pleasant in this area of the country. mostly warm with little wind and occasional rain storm, which is typical and welcomed with open arms. all members of the family are consistently switching back and forth between jackets, rain boots, and long pants and short sleeves, flip flops and bermuda shorts.
travel:
things are looking up in this area. as a family, the laytons have not traveled anywhere together since last august. ryan had the pleasure of visiting utah twice as well as china while maren and leah held down the fort. a business trip to japan fell through earlier this month. maren is looking forward to a weekend away with two friends to relax and rejuvenate herself. travel accommodations have been made for grandparents to care for leah while maren and ryan visit the hawaiian islands in the very near future. this will be maren's first visit to hawaii, ryan's second.
sports:
maren was just reminded that ryan might be joining a baseball league with his fellow coworkers this summer and needs to ask him about it {ryan, comments?}. ryan is also thoroughly enjoying changing all of maren's urls from gmail, blogger and the like to nba playoff scores. maren enjoyes switching them back.
religion:
the beginning of the month marked the 180th annual general conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Most of the six sessions were watched by at least one adult member of the household. Easter was enjoyed by all, including ryan who, without help, consumed two bags of cadbury mini eggs. ryan continues to teach the elder's quorum and maren enjoys teaching the 12-13 year old girls in the youth program. the hormones and mood swings of 11 girls keep her on her toes. leah continues to enjoy nursery, especially snack time.
food:
all members of the layton family are greatly anticipating the commencement of the los altos farmer's market next thursday. they have thoroughly missed their weekly fare of curry, corn and baked potatoes, not to mention the fresh fruit samples and company of dear friends. all members are trying their best to keep junk food out of the house with the exception of joe joe's and root beer floats. according to sources close to the family, those will always be allowed.
opinion:
the laytons are of the opinion that people should clean up after themselves in the laundry room, follow all traffic laws {especially in accordance to pedestrians and bikers} and not make phone calls to their home before 7am {excluding emergencies}. the above would make their lives much more enjoyable.

their opinion of rett syndrome is not suitable for a public audience, and as such, will not be printed.

science & technology:
maren is moving up in the world with the recent upgrade to a smart phone. the phone was shipped, delivered and activated last week by someone other than maren, however. the fraud department was contacted, the phone was killed and a new phone is on its way. more on this topic is sure to come. ryan will be disconnecting his utah phone number early next month. because its only current use is an alarm clock {a commonly snoozed one, at that}, family members decided those funds could be better utilized elsewhere each month. although the phone number was the original number obtained as a family unit, they are feeling okay about the separation. rett syndrome research is at the forefront of the family's thoughts. for more information, see leah's fundraising page or rettsyndrome.org.

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