Heirs of the Magi News Flash!

***Heirs of the Magi News Flash!*** Winter has, for the most part, been mild so far - or awesome for the month that Cassie and Michael spent in summertime-Australia! They are home now and will be working from home for most of the time until Easter. The hometown work will include getting ready for their next trip, but there will be a lot of fun to get in on and share with their favorite people - including their March Break trip to Florida adventure. All of your favorite Magi Masters will continue to work and play while their future plans unfold; so... ...Visit Witch Falls often to keep up with all of their latest stories; and Happy Reading!

Friday, September 30, 2011

Cassie's Journal - Sept. 30, 2011

Today is Nick’s – Mr. Ayres’ – twenty-fourth birthday. Rowen and I gave him a gift this morning before classes; mostly because we wouldn’t be seeing him for dinner and a movie night. For some reason, Aunt Deborah had decided that taking Nick to the city for dinner and a show for two would be more fun than hanging out with her cousins, friends, and four kids at our house. I wonder why?

We had a good day at school, but Rowen and I were ready for a fun night that started shortly after we finished our homework. We had another walk and park play with Ethan and Ehlana before dinner, and then had fun with Mom, Dad, Uncle Adam, and Aunt Leanne during dinner. Tonight’s movie was Spooky Buddies, and then we had a telepathic chat and bedtime story and snack in the living room while Mom nursed the twins.

Rowen and I were sent upstairs after that; mostly because we’re taking the three o’clock feeding again. Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne were staying until after midnight, and the two couples settled in to watch another movie; each of them getting a baby to cuddle with. While I’m doing this and an email check, Rowen’s borrowing my Jacuzzi, and Mandy is sitting in the window alcove while we all chat telepathically. I don’t really have anything else to write about tonight – the big news day this weekend will likely be Mom and Dad’s anniversary on Sunday; since tomorrow is yard work day. That does feel a bit strange, considering how big this Friday night and Saturday were last year, but I’d say we’ve still managed to end September with a really great day.

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Cassie's Journal - Sept. 29, 2011

Today is Michael Stone’s eleventh birthday. If Aunt Leanne was reading this, she’d definitely have something to say about why I might be starting this journal entry with that news, but let’s not go there. It was bad enough getting teased about the happy birthday hug I had for him this morning before school started, and I thought that was dumb, since I do birthday hugs, and hugs in general, fairly regularly.

Fortunately, that teasing didn’t last long; mostly because our classmates moved on to speculating about who had given Michael the anonymous, and very cool, birthday present that had been on his desk when we’d gotten to class. Rowen let me know with a glance that she was quite sure who had given him the gift, but she left it at that, and didn’t even try to talk about it with me later. I really love my best friend!

The best news about a guy birthday in our class is that most of the guys are too distracted with the birthday fun to bother with their usual goofiness. A few of the girls – the ones who were crossing over already – did make some effort to hang out with the guys anyway; but were mostly unsuccessful. Rowen and I, and the rest of the girls in our class, were happy to enjoy the reprieve that would likely only last for the day.

It was an after-school work day, but I stopped in for a visit at the store with Rowen’s parents; mostly so that I could avoid the gang of boys that were going home with Michael for his birthday party. Jake and Stephanie were supervising that party until it moved over to the Inn for dinner, but Rebecca and Jenny had gone straight to the Inn instead. When I did get home, Alicia was already there, and she and Mom were busy; so I grabbed a drink and snack and went into the office to get started on my homework.

The next couple of hours sped by, and the next thing I knew; Dad was calling me to come for dinner. We were having an easy-meal night, and then Dad and I took care of the cleanup after helping Mom get set up to nurse Ethan and Ehlana. We were all ready to go by the time Aunt Leanne and Uncle Adam stopped by to walk to the Inn for game night.

Michael’s birthday party was still going on when we got there, and judging by how hyper-active Michael and his friends were; they’d been having fun. That made for a rather strange game night for Rowen, me, and a couple of the other girls in our class who were there with their families too. Since Michael’s party was guys-only, some of his friends were trying to keep it that way while we were all playing games despite the obvious fact that there were as many girls in the room as boys; and they did have to play some of those games against girl teams.

You didn’t need to be a ten-year old genius to find their jokes and comments silly and annoying, but Rowen and I didn’t take the bait that would have just made things worse, and tried our very best to ignore them. This was the first time that I was fairly glad to reach the end of game night, though; and the best part of the night was the walking home commentary about those boys that Aunt Leanne, Patricia, and Mom entertained us with until we split up outside of our house.

Game night had gone a bit long too, which threw off Ethan and Ehlana’s feeding schedule. Dad and I both helped Mom with them, and we combined their delayed nursing with a question and answer session and telepathic bedtime story before we all went to bed for the night. That’s pretty much all of the news for today, and since I’m going to help Dad with what will probably be a one-thirty or two o’clock feeding; it’s time to shut down this computer and get as much rest as I can. I definitely don’t want to be too tired for dinner and a movie night tomorrow.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Cassie's Journal - Sept. 28, 2011

The beautiful weather continues, and everyone is very happy about that – especially the farmers that are busy with harvesting their crops. That extra field work does have some effect at school, with all of the farm kids. A handful of teens are missing classes to help their families, but nearly all of the farm kids, and quite a few teens from town, are working long hours before and after school. After seeing some of those students at recesses and lunch, three o’clock feedings with Ethan and Ehlana are looking pretty good by comparison. I’ve never felt the need for a nap in the cafeteria or out on the football field bleachers; but we’re seeing that happen every day now.

Rowen and I had a good day at school, though I don’t really have anything exciting to report about from our classes or the school gossip network. We did the after school snack at my house, and then spent the rest of the afternoon with the twins. That included another walk, and today we stopped in for a visit with Dad and Aunt Leanne before going on to the falls. Ethan and Ehlana both loved going to see the waterfalls from the basin platform, so we sat down there for a while and had a quiet chat before moving on to the school playground for a little swing and slide action until dinnertime.

Mom had evening Magi lesson plans for Ethan, Ehlana, and me, so once the kitchen was cleaned up after we’d finished eating; Dad took care of the twins so that Mom could do my lesson first. We went up to my room for that, and I spent a very entertaining hour learning how to control the pressures and temperatures needed to physically turn graphite into diamond. I’ve done similar lessons before, but this was definitely the hardest so far. (Pun intended)

That was definitely the coolest lesson of the night, but we had just as much fun when we did a lesson in the elements with Ethan and Ehlana after that. Mom had them work with heat and pressure too; though they worked with air and water instead of graphite and diamond. We had them boil water; create a bit of steam pressure; and then reverse the process to dissipate the heat and energy. Just another average Magi family play night!

Dad was into his work by the time we were done that, so I helped Mom with the twins, and then we joined him in the office for our bedtime snack and telepathic story. Three out of five of us were tired out by the time Dad had finished telling us another entertaining tale, but he and Mom still had work to do; so I took Ethan and Ehlana into the living room to keep them entertained until they were done, and we could all go to bed.

That took another hour or so, which gave us enough time to watch one show on television while Ethan and Ehlana played on their iPads and I did a little surfing and emailing on my computer. Some of my friends at school joke about how they sometimes use messaging with their parents, brothers, or sisters even when they’re in the same room at home. I wonder what they’d think if I told them about doing the same with Mom, Dad, and the twins tonight while also keeping up both verbal and telepathic conversations with them – and with Mandy too! Then again, what does that say about me that I don’t find it weird to have my three-month old brother and sister messaging me on their iPads?

Wait a minute! When did they learn telekinetic typing? I just realized they were messaging me without using the voice recognition software. Okay, that’s very cute, guys; but you’re supposed to keep your big sister in the loop on things like this. Well, it looks like I’ve managed to get to the end of today’s journal with the very latest family news, so I’m going to finish this and take my giggling brother and sister up to their rooms on my way to bed. I definitely need to get more sleep to have any chance of keeping up with them!

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Cassie's Journal - Sept. 27, 2011

I know the days are getting shorter as we move into fall, but they feel longer right now. The weather was sunny and beautiful, and we had a good day at school that even included some outdoor class time. Rowen and I were working after school, so maybe the way I feel is partly from spending my after-school and early evening hours cooped up in the office while I plugged away at the family business.

I mostly worked on a new retail project that I’m looking at starting next year, but spent an hour or so keeping up with everything else I have to do for my companies. Even dealing with our investments on the level we do still means there are a lot of reports and information coming in all the time. The CEO’s and managers that I do work with are always amazed at how much I know about their operations. They’d be shocked to find out that I read nearly every report that they do, and probably half again more. I doubt they’d ever believe that I was only ten!

Mom and Dad both had work to do in the office after dinner, so we were all in there for another hour or so; with Ethan and Ehlana happily playing with their iPads while the rest of us worked on our computers. We all did a Magi lesson after that; followed by a nursing and question and answer time in the living room that lasted until after ten. Ethan and Ehlana were ready for a nap then, so Mom and I both took that opportunity to enjoy a little Jacuzzi time. Have I mentioned recently just how much I love my Dad for giving me such a great bedroom suite?

Mandy was already asleep by the time I was finished in the bathroom, and is currently pretending that I didn’t wake her up when I got into bed with her. Since she obviously doesn’t want to have a chat tonight before we go to sleep, I’ll just finish this now and stop disturbing the royal feline.

Monday, September 26, 2011

Cassie's Journal - Sept. 26, 2011

Even for a young, generally hyper-happy Magi Master, Mondays can be long; and a bit of a let-down after the weekend. There seemed to be a lot of students, and more than a few teachers, who were feeling the same way about that. I did have a good day, and we even managed to have a bit of fun, but Rowen and I were both very happy when Mrs. Warren set us free for the day too.

We went to my house for the after-school snack time with Mom, Ethan, and Ehlana; did our homework; and then headed over to the park for some quality play time before dinner. A lot of kids were already there; mostly split up in groups at the playground and football field. There was a good chance that Rowen and I were the only two kids there who had finished homework before going to play, but since we’d used a little Magi power to do that; none of our friends or classmates would believe that, and we certainly couldn’t tell them either.

Rebecca and Jenny were sitting on the bleachers watching the boys play football – a group of mostly seventh and eighth-grade guys that were likely all wishing they were old enough to play on the high school team. Rowen and I stayed and talked with them for as long as we could stand the boy-crazy talk; vapid, adoring gazes; and empty-headed giggles before moving on to the playground. There was some giggling and guy-talk going on there too, but since both the talk and laughing was about how gross and dumb boys could be; we were okay with that. I’d have been happy to not talk about boys at all, but that conversation was happening, and ongoing, because there were a handful of boys hanging around the playground, and apparently having a lot of fun testing the limits of gross and dumb.

I was the last one home for dinner, and I was there just in time. We were going with a light meal so that we could have everything cleaned up and be ready for our Magi Healing lesson by the time Uncle Adam, Aunt Leanne, and this week’s guest patient arrived. These sessions are definitely going to be my favorite lessons, and though none of our patient’s ailments were imminently serious yet, it did feel great getting to do some fairly advanced healing that could be applied to extreme cases if we ever had the opportunity to do that for other people.

Other than doing an email check and writing this archive entry, that lesson was then end of the day for me; and I’m ready to get some rest now. Mom, Dad, Aunt Leanne, and Uncle Adam are taking care of Ethan and Ehlana and doing a bit of work in the office too, but I decided to skip the bedtime story tonight – I can always get a replay from the twins during their three o’clock feeding. That’s only a handful of hours away, and it just occurred to me that I’m now actually thinking about time in terms of feedings and other baby-related terms. How funny is that – especially when you remember that Ethan and Ehlana have already learned pretty much everything about time and calendars? Mandy just told me what she thinks about the whole human concept and need to keep track of time when it’ll happen whether we do or not, and that’s funny too, but she doesn’t have to get up at three in the morning like I do. Maybe if she did; her perspective would be different!

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Cassie's Journal - Sept. 25, 2011

I was going to begin this entry with a comment about having a quiet day, but now that I think about it; that’s only true by comparison and my own perception. Most people probably wouldn’t consider a day that started out with non-stop action from about six o’clock through until bedtime about sixteen hours later particularly quiet or restful.

Our morning started out with nursing the twins; Tai Chi by the river; breakfast; and a race to get ready for, and over to, the church in time for the service. I’ll not-all-that modestly admit that I looked awesome in the new dress that Aunt Leanne helped me to pick out yesterday. I thought that Rowen looked great too, and judging by the smiley-face votes of approval from Uncle Adam and Nick; I’d say that we were definitely four-for-four on our new Sunday outfits selections.

The Emersons had Rowen and I until we went to Sunday School today, and then I went home with them for lunch before we all met up again at my house for a surprise (for the kids) trip to the Ridge River Ranch. Patrick and Scott were going too; and this was the first time that Rowen’s parents were going with us for more than travel support. This was also Ethan and Ehlana’s first trip to the ranch, and they were going to be doing an introduction to horses with Mom and Owen while the rest of us, including Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne, were out on the trail ride.

Patrick and Scott hadn’t done as much riding as Rowen and I, but they didn’t need lessons before our ride either, and we actually had a lot of fun with them today; shocking as that might be to both our friends and theirs. Their temporary transformation might have been because of our guides for the day; though I’m not sure if it was John and Pamela’s seventeen-year old daughter, Christie, or their laid-back, cool, fifteen-year old (going on ‘about-to-be-a-new-driver’) son, Cody. I’m just glad we didn’t have an afternoon like we’d had the night of our last sleepover at Rowen’s.

Ethan and Ehlana had a lot of fun too, though I didn’t get to hear the details of that until our evening question and answer time back at home. We had the teen trail guides today mostly because John and Pamela both wanted to work with my brother and sister. They were both impressed with how well the twins handled their little ranch adventure, which included some up close and personal time with a gentle pony; a long visit through the main stable; a short buggy ride; and a little trick riding demonstration that Christie did for all of us in the riding arena after we got back from our trail ride.

The parents, aunt, and uncle followed up our ranch adventure with a back yard cookout at our house that Grandmas and Grandpas Emerson and Proctor joined us for. Grandpa’s Olde Bakery dessert picks were the group favorites, but I thought that the Emerson’s secret family recipe baked beans were great too; and parents can never go wrong when corn on the cob and jumbo hotdogs are on the dinner menu.

Thanks to Mom’s decision to use our finest disposable dinnerware, the cleanup didn’t really take all that long. We’d gone with an early dinner, and by the time the yard and kitchen were clean; Mom had finished nursing Ethan and Ehlana with help from Aunt Leanne. They were all downstairs in time for a long round of goodbyes, and by shortly before seven; it was just the five of us left; and we went into the office to combine the evening question and answer time with the work that Mom, Dad, and I all wanted to get done before bedtime.

Dad had gotten most of his usual post-trip work done while I was away shopping, and Mom and I mostly just wanted to check email and do a little puttering around on the family business. The one big difference to all of our previous family office times was that Ethan and Ehlana happily played with their iPads too while keeping a flurry of questions coming at us that were mostly about their afternoon at the ranch. I’ve mostly taken my own ability to multi-task like that for granted, but it was amazing to see my diminutive brother and sister doing the same thing.

I helped Mom with the next feeding when Ethan and Ehlana were ready, and then I had a quick shower before getting around to doing this while Mandy and I have our little bedtime cat chat. We didn’t get that slower day that I’d hoped for last night, but I do feel relaxed now, and we had so much fun that I’m okay with that. Most of the guys in my class would say that we’ve got a full week of classes starting in the morning, and I could use that time to rest up from the weekend. A few of them actually try to do that; though not with any noticeable success. Since that’s not really an option, and I have a three o’clock feeding coming up fast; it’s time for a little quality snuggle and sleep time with Mandy – we’ve got a big week ahead of us; and Mom and Dad’s anniversary next weekend is definitely going to be the highlight for our family.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Cassie's Journal - Sept. 24, 2011

Morning exercise is always more fun when we’re all together, and Dad cooked up the full country breakfast for Mom, me, and Rowen while we took care of Ethan and Ehlana; and got ready for a yard work day. (Store work for Rowen) That made for a fun start to the day, but then the next few hours was all work and not really very much fun.

Ethan and Ehlana had offered to help us, but for some reason, Mom and Dad wouldn’t let us use our telekinesis for the yard work. Mom and Alicia had work to get done around the house, but they did spend an hour working on the gardens while the twins watched on from their stroller. I had the lawn cutting to do first, as usual now; and then I swept the porches and walks; washed the front and back doors and windows; and helped Dad with washing the van and truck. That was my last job, and when we were done, I was set free to go have a shower and get ready for our afternoon shopping trip.

Rowen and I found out that we had two shopping buddies to take us to Crystal Springs when Aunt Leanne and Aunt Deborah both picked us up; me at home, and Rowen at the store on our way out of town. Note to self – get Aunt Leanne to borrow Mom’s minivan for shopping trips! The back seat of her coupe isn’t very comfortable after three hours of driving in one day, and watching movies are an option for when the older girls want to talk about boys.

We had a small shopping list to take care of for Mom, but were going to do most of that last; after we were finished at the Mall. Aunt Leanne wanted to play dress-up for a while before we took care of shopping for all of the gift-buying that had been the main reason for the trip. Rowen and I picked up a new outfit and some jewelry for Sally; several anniversary gifts for Mom and Dad; birthday presents for Nick, who is going to be twenty-four this Friday; and a few smaller gifts for other upcoming special days for various people. There was one other gift that I picked up; but I didn’t even tell Rowen about it; hiding the purchase in plain sight with a few games and movies for the lounge.

A fast food dinner at the food court was fit into our busy shopping schedule between the jewelry stores and a half hour of bookstore browsing. When we had pretty much covered the entire Mall, we loaded up the car and headed over to Wal-Mart for another hour or so of shopping fun and excitement. Aunt Leanne needed just one last fast food stop on our way out of town, and Aunt Deborah, Rowen, and I picked up travel snacks to go too so that she wouldn’t be eating alone. Rowen was scaring me a bit when she acted like she was worried about those extra calories, but I had both of us in giggles after quietly promising to heal her if that was ever a real problem. Hey – there ought to be a few advantages to being a Magi Master; and helping your friends should definitely be one of them!

The trip home was fairly unexciting, and Rowen and I were really glad to get out of the back seat of the car by the time we pulled into Rowen’s driveway to drop her off first. We all helped to get her things into the house, and talked with Patricia and Owen for a few minutes before Aunt Leanne and Aunt Deborah drove over to my house next while I raced them on foot so that I didn’t have to climb into the back seat again. We repeated the process there; though I had a bit more to unload than Rowen did – including everything that Mom wanted. There was another short visit, and then Aunt Leanne and Aunt Deborah moved on to plans they had with Uncle Adam and Nick.

I’ve spent the last couple of hours hanging out with Mom, Dad, and the twins. That included putting the supplies away, a long shopping story and telepathic question and answer time; and a bedtime snack. I’m doing this while taking care of a little telekinetic gift wrapping that Mandy is finding very entertaining as she tries to pounce on the floating paper, ribbons, and bows. That does make the job a bit harder for me, but we’re having fun, and I’m almost done. My Jacuzzi and bed are both calling to me, so it’s time to literally wrap this up and get on with some quality soak before sleep time. Hopefully we’ll have a slower day tomorrow – I could really use the break!

Friday, September 23, 2011

Cassie's Journal - Sept. 23, 2011

Today’s highlights were dinner and a movie with Uncle Adam, Aunt Leanne, and Rowen. Dinner talk included the iPad adventures of Ethan and Ehlana; news and gossip from the clinic; and a bit of planning for the afternoon shopping trip that Aunt Leanne, Rowen, and I are doing tomorrow afternoon. Dad actually made it home in time for the start of our movie; partly thanks to an early escape from the city, and because we were running late by the time we had everything cleaned up from dinner.

Rowen’s staying overnight, and we’ve had fun all day. After school, we got our homework out of the way early; and then did a Magi lesson with Mom, Ethan, and Ehlana until Mom needed to start making dinner. The twins wanted to go outside while Mom was doing that, so Rowen and I took them for a walk down to the falls and back. Aunt Leanne had still been at the office, but when we stopped in to see her, she was ready to close up; and she walked home with us once she’d done that.

It’s getting late, so I’m going to keep this short. The post-movie nursing and chat took quite a while; and Ethan and Ehlana wanted to show Dad their new iPad-assisted bedtime story skills in person instead of telepathically. We’ve got a lot of yard work to get done in the morning, and that all has to get done before we can leave on our shopping trip. That’s likely just a parental motivation gimmick, but even though I know that; it’s going to work. Shopping and fast food just has that effect on me!

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Cassie's Journal - Sept. 22, 2011

Ehlana and Ethan are three months old today. I didn’t find out about it until after school, but the delivery of two iPads did help the twins have a really great day. They’ve already been playing with them every chance they’ve had since Mom finished getting them set up for them. I’m a bit jealous that they can now do things I could only dream about during my first months and years. Mom and I did manage, though, and it was really cool watching them read books and surf the net by themselves.

It was just another day at school, at least for me. Rebecca would probably disagree, since she appears to be on the way to officially having a first ‘real’ boyfriend. I won’t bore you with the gory details; but at least there are advantages to having the Sight. This guy is so not meant to be ‘the’ guy for Rebecca. Anyway, let’s move on; shall we?

Thursday after school is definitely turning out to be one of my family business work days while Rowen is busy at the computer store and Mom has Alicia to help her. Alicia thought it was funny that Ethan and Ehlana were given matching iPads. I wonder what she'd say if we told her that they’re for a lot more than movies, music, and audio storybook entertainment. We had a snack and drinks in the kitchen when we first got home, and then I went to the office to do my homework before playing with my companies until dinnertime. We just went with a Mac and Cheese and hot dogs meal; and then it was time to head over to the Inn for game night.

With Dad out of town, Miranda drafted Mom to be on her team; and they went on to win the game night championship. I think that Aunt Leanne and Uncle Adam were playing to lose, or at least come in second; but in a way, they did win too. Grandma and Grandpa were there for game night too, and they all came home with us to help out with Ethan and Ehlana. The nursing, chat, and bedtime story was fun, and we linked up with Dad so he could be with us, at least telepathically, for an hour or so. The twins showed off their fledgling computing skills, and even took turns reading us the bedtime story from one they’d picked out online.

Mom and I were sent to bed after that, and Ethan and Ehlana were going to stay up and entertain our grandparents, aunt, and uncle while we’re getting some sleep. One thing that watching them has done is give me a real appreciation for Mom; specifically how well she handled doing all of this by herself with me. I’m also learning to appreciate having more than three hours of continuous sleep; and it’s definitely time to work on that until Mom and I need to be up at three. We’ll need the rest – tomorrow is dinner and a movie night; and Dad will be home from the city.

No wonder I love Fridays!

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Cassie's Journal - Sept. 21, 2011

Mom has had lots of help from her friends during the day all week, and almost always had a visitor over to help with morning, noon, and afternoon feedings. She and I both had help from our friends tonight. Rowen’s doing a sleepover with me, and we’ll be doing the three o’clock feeding so that Mom can sleep through until morning, and Patricia spent most of the evening with us, and is staying until after she helps Mom with the midnight feeding.

We had a fairly quiet day at school, and then Rowen and I mostly took care of Ethan and Ehlana after school to give Mom time to get some work done. That included a long telepathic chat time in the lounge while Rowen and I did our homework, and a walk to the park. There might have been some sharing of contraband Emporium frozen treats while we were on that walk, but we’re quite sure that all of the evidence from our ‘spoil your dinner’ crime was cleaned up; even if there was some unvoiced parental suspicion about our little ice cream caper.

Mom nursed the twins before we ate, and Rowen helped her with that while I set the table, took care of the rest of the work on the side dishes, and kept an eye on the casserole until it finished cooking in the oven. We all pitched in to clean up, and then had time for a short Magi lesson before Rowen’s Mom came over. Ethan and Ehlana weren’t all that excited about having to play normal babies for a few hours, but they were very convincing. Their public progress was carefully worked out to be just a bit on the advanced end of the development range, and considering the special abilities that we shared; Rowen and I thought it was very funny when Patricia compared the twins to what Rowen had been like as a baby.

Speaking of needing to pretend, one of my least-favorite parts of needing to do that happens every fall – dealing with the hype over all of the new television shows. I love movies, and even a few of the more intelligent network shows; but sitting through watching some of the kid-favorite shows is more than a little annoying. Thankfully, Rowen feels the same way, and this year, we have the ability to get around that problem by doing just a few minutes of Magi-powered surfing to get the various episode synopses and some kid twitter and blog commentary to give us what we need to avoid being declared television outcasts at school without having to waste a couple of hours of every afternoon and evening. Tonight, Rowen and I didn’t watch the premiers of X-Factor, H8R, or the ongoing quest that is America’s Next Top Model; among others.

We did watch Up All Night with the Moms and twins, and since they can’t talk with us about the show while Patricia is here, I’m sure that Rowen and I will be answering a lot of questions from Ethan and Ehlana when we do their bottle feedings at three. If there are actually parents out there like that couple, all I can say is – please seek professional help immediately!

After our little adventure into television weirdness, Rowen took advantage of the Jacuzzi opportunity. Patricia’s helping Mom with nursing the twins, and Mandy and I got ready for bed and I’ve been playing on my computer while waiting for Rowen. We have a few more things to do before getting some sleep, and there’ll definitely be a little telepathic girl and cat chat; but I’ve pretty much covered the major news for the day, so it’s time to wrap this up and move on.

Three days down; two more to the weekend!

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Cassie's Journal - Sept. 20, 2011

Ethan and Ehlana were ready to party this morning; and the hour and a half that Mom and I spent with them until four-thirty or so pretty much offset the extra continuous sleep we’d been able to start the night with. We did have fun, but sometimes it’d be nice to have a little less fun, and a bit more sleep!

After that post-feeding nap, we were up and going again with the usual morning nursing, Tai Chi, and breakfast routine. I was running ahead of schedule and met up with Rowen at her house before we walked over to the school to get started on another fun day of playing normal students. I have to admit that spending the whole day learning about things that I was taught when I was a baby can be a bit frustrating, but at least I can spend some of that time thinking about my work on the family business and the Magi project that Uncle Adam and I are doing.

Rowen was working at the store after school, so I took care of my homework after school, and then worked in the office until dinnertime while Mom and Alicia took care of the twins. Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne were our support help for the evening. Mom did our healing lesson, and then Uncle Adam and I worked on our project for an hour or so before we wrapped up the day with a near-repeat of the nursing, telepathic bedtime story, and snack time. Mom and I were sent to bed again after that too, and as soon as I’m finished this; I’m going to take advantage of the extra down time!

P.S. I nearly forgot! Aunt Leanne and I are going to Crystal Springs this Saturday afternoon to take care of a little shopping. I get to invite Rowen too, so hopefully she’ll be able to come with us. I know this isn’t exactly information that you might think important to be saved and read about by Magi a millennium or three from now; but when you think about it, there is some value in knowing about the things that ten-year old Magi girls of our time love doing just as much as any ‘normal’ kid. You can include Magi women and teens for this, since they all love shopping at least as much as Rowen and I do.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Cassie's Journal - Sept. 19, 2011

The wet weather moved out of the Ridge River area overnight, and it was nice to see the bright sunshine this morning when Mom and I got up to take care of the twins before going outside to exercise by the river. We were all missing Dad as much as we did every time he was away, and the first morning always seemed the toughest. I tried to spend as much time with Mom, Ethan, and Ehlana as I could before needing to leave for school, but it still didn’t seem like very long before Rowen came over to round me up and we headed out for the day.

Sally Reynolds started our day and school week off great by giving Rowen and I invitations to her eleventh birthday party. She hasn’t become a really close friend, but Sally will always have a place on my friends list just for being the first girl at school to invite me to her party after I moved here last year. Her invitation also reminded me that there was a fairly significant anniversary coming up in just under two weeks – two if you counted Mom and Dad’s wedding and my adoption separately. I should definitely talk to Dad about any plans he might have for that weekend; with Aunt Leanne and Grandma to see about doing something special for them too; and we’ll definitely need to set up a date for going shopping.

While thinking about birthdays and anniversaries got the day off to a good start, and Rowen and I did have fun at school, there wasn’t anything else all that exciting going on in our class – just the usual lessons and class work. After school, Rowen and I did our homework first, and then she helped Mom with Ethan and Ehlana while I went outside and cut the lawn. Leaving it until the weekend had been an option, but with all of the rain we’d had, that would’ve just made the work on Saturday that much harder – especially if we’d needed to rake the clippings for the whole yard.

Rowen stayed for dinner, and we both helped Mom with the cooking and cleanup before she had to go home. Grandma and Grandpa were our evening volunteers, and they took care of Ethan and Ehlana for a couple of hours while Mom and I did a Magi lesson, and took care of a bit of work on the family business. We did the bedtime story while Ethan and Ehlana had their nine o’clock feeding; with Grandpa telling the story; Dad joining us via Mom's link with him; and me providing the telepathic enhancements and imagery.

Except for writing this, my work for the day was done after that. Grandma and Grandpa are staying until after the midnight feeding, and they sent Mom to bed while they continue to watch Ethan and Ehlana. Since Mom will have to get up for the three o’clock feeding; they’re going to bottle-feed the twins at midnight, and I’ll help Mom nurse Ethan and Ehlana at three instead of the other way around like we’ve usually been doing the night time feedings. The best news there is that Mom and I should both get nearly five uninterrupted hours of downtime; which I’m going to get started on right now!

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Cassie's Journal - Sept. 18, 2011

It’s been another rainy day; though there was at least enough of a break in the weather this morning so I could go outside for my morning Tai Chi. I was hoping to exercise with Aunt Leanne and Uncle Adam, but they must’ve decided to skip today, or were busy with Ethan and Ehlana while I was out in Rowen’s back yard. There was an audience of one watching me, but I pretended not to notice the eight-year old, second-floor admirer so he wouldn’t be embarrassed.

Rowen and I helped her Mom to make breakfast, and then we were set free to get ready for church while the boys cleaned up. Mr. Emerson definitely got the worst of that deal; since his two helpers were a fair bit less enthusiastic about their jobs; and he probably ended up doing most of the work. The rain was coming down steadily by the time we left for church; so we drove over, and Rowen’s Dad dropped us off at the front doors before going to find someplace to park. Mom and Dad were already there, and judging by their smiles, I really didn’t want to know what they’d been doing with their night off from kids.

Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne were smiling too when they joined us; and Ethan and Ehlana looked like they’d both had fun and were glad to be reunited with Mom, Dad, and me. After the rounds of hugs and kisses, Rowen and I got to each take care of one of the twins until it was time for us to go to Sunday school with the rest of the kids and teens.

The Emersons had family plans for the afternoon, so I was bff-less for the rest of the day. Dad needed to work in the office, so while he did that, Mom and I did a long Magi lesson with Ethan and Ehlana after lunch. They had an afternoon nap after the mid-afternoon feeding, and I kept Dad company in the office and worked on the family business for a couple of hours. We were meeting Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Leanne, and Uncle Adam at the Inn for the late buffet, so once the twins were up again, I helped Mom with them until it was time to drive over to the Inn.

We were a bit early, and there was a small line-up waiting for tables, but that gave me a chance to go back into the kitchen and visit with Rebecca, Jenny, Dillon, and Jake for a few minutes. Miranda, Jacob, and Stephanie were all really busy, but I did at least get to stop them long enough for hugs before they continued on with their work. Dillon still looked as happy as he’d been at church this morning after spending most of Saturday with Violet. Some of the other guys working with him in the kitchen teased him about hugging me first, but he ignored them, and had wanted to thank me for inviting Violet to come for the Fall Festival weekend. He was even happier when he found out that the invitation had been given full parental approval since the last time he’d talked with Violet.

The buffets are always great, and we all had fun for the hour and a half or so that we were at the Inn. Dad still had a bit of work to get done once we got home again, so Mom and I took care of the inevitable question and answer time with Ethan and Ehlana. They went to sleep after their nine o’clock feeding, so Mom and I both took that opportunity for some quality Jacuzzi time. Dad was finished his work by the time we were finished doing that, and we had our bedtime snack in the kitchen before he and Mom went upstairs so he could pack for his trip and wait for the twins to wake up for their midnight feeding. Mandy and I were sent off to bed, and once I have this archive entry done; I’ll be ready to get some sleep. Mom and I do have lots of help with the twins this week while Dad’s away, but we’re still going to have five very long, busy days ahead of us.

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Cassie's Journal - Sept. 17, 2011

The good news this morning was that the yard work was called on account of rain. Mom was happy to have us help her with housework until lunchtime instead while she and Alicia helped her with the twins and their usual Saturday work. I cleaned the third floor, and the second floor guest bedrooms and bathroom while Dad took care of the living room, dining room, office, and main floor bathroom. We had lunch shortly after Mom had finished nursing the twins at noon, and then Rowen came over to hang out with Mandy and me in the lounge for the afternoon.

We watched a movie and played until a bit after four, when we found out that I was going to be doing a sleepover at Rowen’s house. Ethan and Ehlana were doing a sleepover too; though they weren’t going over to Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne’s house until after their nine o’clock feeding. Aunt Leanne and Rowen’s Mom had set up the surprise for Mom and Dad so that they could have most of a night off before he’d be away for the week. I had time to pack my bag and make sure that Mandy had everything she needed before Rowen and I walked over to her house; getting there just a few minutes before her Mom and brother got home from the store.

Patrick was going to have Scott Faulkner staying overnight with him, and was sent upstairs to get his room cleaned up – or as Rowen advised me; stuff all of his junk into the closet and hope nobody opened the door. Rowen and I helped out with making dinner for six, and had everything ready by the time that Mr. Emerson got home after closing the store for the day. Dinner conversations at the Emerson’s usually included a large dollop of computer talk.

Now that they were getting into a slow time of year at the store, Mr. and Mrs. Emerson were talking about things they could do to get new business. Building on their one-customer custom computers was one option; though since Rowen's Dad was the only one who could build them right now, they were limited in how much they could do with that. I personally liked their idea for a data center. They already had a small setup that the school, town, and most of the businesses in the Ridge River District used; so it really wouldn’t be all that hard to add capacity for new clients. I might even know exactly where to find a few big customers to help make that work out very well for them!

Patrick was usually very shy whenever I was around, but he and Scott were both fired up tonight, and acting like typical eight-year old boys. Rowen was more annoyed by them than I was, but her parents were able to mostly keep their goofiness to a minimum during dinner; and then the two boys went up to Patrick’s room to play video games while the rest of us watched a chick flick in the living room. They saved their worst for after we all went upstairs to bed, and then they spent more than an hour trying to spy on our bedtime chat and spring pranks and practical jokes on us.

Rowen and I both did a little surfing and emailing on our computers while we sat up in bed talking; and that was when I found out how Violet’s day in Crystal Springs with Dillon, Jake, and Stephanie had gone. They’d done a little shopping, caught the late afternoon matinee, and then gone out for dinner before they all had to head for home. Violet also let me know that Dillon would be going to Woodvale for an overnight visit in two weeks; and when I sent her a reply, I invited her, Dawn, and Jillian to come to Witch Falls for the Ridge River Fall Festival – pending parental approval, of course.

Going back to the junior pranksters, sometimes it’s very tempting for Rowen and I to use our special gifts to deal with things like annoying little brothers and their buddies. They’d likely be less enthusiastic about their tricks after a few creative applications of Transmutation or Telekinesis on, for instance, the rubber snakes and spiders they tried to scare or gross us out with. Speaking of the little troublemakers; they’re back and at it again! Time to wrap this up, since it seems like the only way to stop them from bugging us is to call it a night and go to bed; so that’s exactly what Rowen and I are going to do.

Friday, September 16, 2011

Cassie's Journal - Sept. 16, 2011

Today’s school highlight was music class. We started our introduction to orchestral musical instruments, and it was a lot more fun than the recorders and ukuleles we’ve used in music classes up to now. While we’re doing this unit of study, we’ll get to try playing as many of the different instruments as we want, and then next year we’ll get to pick one to learn how to play. I thought that the alto saxophone was cool, and Rowen liked the flute the best. No surprise that more than half the boys wanted to try the drums and percussion first. Not one guy would even come near a flute, let alone pick one up and try it. Boys!

Rowen and I did our homework right after school, and then we took care of Ethan and Ehlana while Mom worked in the kitchen. Uncle Adam, Aunt Leanne, Deborah, and Nick were all coming over for our Friday night dinner and a movie, and Rowen was staying too; though we weren't doing another sleepover tonight. It’s been a cool, damp day, so we went upstairs to the lounge, watched a little television, played with Mandy, and Ethan and Ehlana told Rowen and I about what they’d been doing all day while we’d been stuck at school. Rowen is getting used to just how extraordinary my little brother and sister are, but she still looked a bit amazed whenever Ethan and Ehlana actually talked with us, or talked about how their education was progressing. I’m usually just amused – especially when they talk about things that bug them; like not having the physical abilities yet to write or type on a computer keyboard.

Those are problems that I definitely can relate to, and I had a suggestion for them about what they might be able to do about that – get Mom to install voice recognition software for them. My idea sent Rowen into the giggles as she pictured Ethan and Ehlana in their carriers wearing computer headsets and working on computers in the office. That did seem funny, but it would also work, and the twins were so fired up about the idea that they had us take them downstairs to talk with Mom about it right away.

Mom was fairly amused, but liked the idea too – especially since she was currently the person doing most of the page turning and computer typing for the twins. She was even more enthusiastic when Rowen suggested that a pair of iPads might be an even better idea for Ethan and Ehlana to start with. That way they’d be able to use the voice recognition software and probably be able to manage a fair bit with the touch screens too.

Since we were downstairs anyway, Rowen and I set the dining room table for dinner, and then stayed in the kitchen to talk with Dad and Nick while they took over cooking duties and Mom and Aunt Leanne went upstairs to nurse the twins. Uncle Adam and Aunt Deborah joined us just before dinner was ready after having another busy Friday afternoon at the clinic; and Mom, Aunt Leanne, Ethan, and Ehlana came downstairs again by the time we had everything on the dining room table and ready to go.

My favorite part of our Friday night dinners is getting a chance to catch up on what everyone’s been doing all week. I don’t always get to hear about everything when we’re busy with other things like game night, Magi lessons, or work. School news from a teacher’s perspective is always fun too, and I’m really glad that Aunt Deborah and Nick are getting so close. I doubt it’ll be all that much longer before Ethan, Ehlana, and I can adopt him as an Uncle!

After dinner, Rowen and I watched Ethan and Ehlana again while the cleanup was being done, and then we watched ‘A Cinderella Story – Once Upon a Song’. We won’t tell on them, but Dad, Uncle Adam, and Nick may have broken a man-law or two by actually seeming to like the movie. There were the usual, required chick-flick jokes, but I definitely heard Daddy humming one of the songs while helping to clean up from our drinks and snacks.

Aunt Leanne and Uncle Adam walked Rowen home when they left, and they were going to meet up with Aunt Deborah and Nick at Sheldon’s. Mom and Dad were invited to go too, and I offered to watch Ethan and Ehlana, but they decided to stay home and make it an early night. We had a little question and answer time with the twins while Mom nursed them, and once I’m done with this archive entry; Mandy and I are going to get some sleep. Even though Dad has to get ready for his week in Crystal Springs; hopefully we’ll manage to have some fun to go along with the usual weekend work.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Cassie's Journal - Sept. 15, 2011

As I sat here in bed with my computer, I realized that this was really the first time that I’d stopped all day; and even now, writing this archive journal doesn’t exactly count as not doing anything. It’s been one of those crazy-busy days, and I’m going to try and make this quick so I can get a few hours of sleep before I’ll need to help with the twins in a few hours.

Rowen and I had fun at school. Mrs. Warren assigned our first big project of the year – this one in science – and gave us time to get started on them. With a Gym class, lunch, and recesses added in; it was nearly non-stop fun all day! Since Rowen was working at the store after school, we did our after-school snack there, and then I went home and worked in the office on the family business until dinnertime. Mom had Alicia there to help her until then, but since Grandma and Grandpa were having dinner with us, Alicia decided not to stay and eat with us tonight.

Mom wasn’t directly involved in the travel plans that Nancy Emerson coordinated, and though she was regularly kept up to date on everything, Grandma and Grandpa’s upcoming trip to South America was the main dinner conversation topic tonight. There's still just over five weeks to go before they’d be going, but the final travel arrangements, and their itinerary, had been finalized now; and they’d wanted to talk about both the work side of what they’d be doing for the family business and the sightseeing and fun they had planned around the work.

Grandpa joked about taking me along as their personal translator. I thought it was a great idea, but Mom and Dad didn’t think I should take a month off of school to do that, and vetoed the suggestion. Oh well – maybe they’ll let me go on a summer trip with Grandma and Grandpa sometime. Anyway, for this trip, their four weeks are going to be split up with a week each in Peru, Chile, Argentina, and Brazil. Most of their work will be checking out our business investments; though they’ll check in on a few charity projects too.

We’d been able to take our time having dinner, and Grandpa, Dad, and I did the cleanup while Mom and Grandma got Ethan and Ehlana ready to go out to the Inn for game night. Rowen met up with me there, and we ended up hanging out with Rebecca and Jenny for most of the evening. Sometimes I really miss doing things like this with them all the time like we did before they ‘crossed over’; but neither Rowen nor I miss it enough to join them on the other side yet. The good news for us tonight was that Rebecca in particular was having a ‘boys are gross and stupid’ day; though it was fairly obvious that her sentiment was directed at one specific boy.

I didn’t mentioned this in my journal last week, but Ethan and Ehlana are very popular at game night; and they love getting passed around – mostly among the Moms, Grandmothers, and teen girls. There aren’t usually very many babies or toddlers at the Inn on Thursday nights, so that makes them a bit of a novelty. One concern that had come up was from the ongoing comments about how good they always were – never crying or fussing in public. We all talked about how to deal with that as part of Ethan and Ehlana playing ‘normal baby’, but decided not to have them do anything different. It was one thing not to talk or read in public, but pretending to scream and cry for no reason other than for show just seemed silly – not to mention noisy and irritating to all of us!

After spending a couple of hours playing games we went home, and I helped Mom get set up to nurse the twins while Dad went to work in the office. Ethan and Ehlana had a lot of questions for us while they nursed, but they were soon ready for a nap too. While they slept, Mom and I joined Dad in the office, and we worked until just a few minutes ago; when I came up here to my room and got ready for bed. For me, that extra work time was mostly because I’ll be taking most of the weekend off from family business work. Now that’s something to look forward to – one more school day, and the weekend will be here!

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Cassie's Journal - Sept. 14, 2011

We had a fairly quiet day here in Witch Falls today. Nothing particularly exciting happened at school; though most of the boys, and a handful of the girls, are getting pretty fired up about our football team’s home opener this Friday night. Rowen and I won’t miss watching that game at all while we’re doing our usual dinner and a movie night instead.

Grandma Emerson was doing an after-school lesson with Rowen today; so I tagged along for that. This week, Rowen’s grandmother has her working on a Transmutation of metals; changing different properties of a small alloy metal bowl. While it was something that I had learned years ago, getting to play Magi with my best friend is always fun; and Rowen really is very good with Transmutation.

After the lesson, Rowen and I picked up Ethan and Ehlana and took them out for a long walk. That included a little play time at the park, and then the twins and I walked Rowen to the computer store before going home again. Dad was there already, and he continued to work on making dinner while I helped Mom with Ethan and Ehlana.

I took the night off from work, and Mandy and I took care of the twins while Mom and Dad both worked in the office for a couple of hours. I helped Mom again with the evening feeding; had a shower; and am now in bed earlier than I’ve been able to manage in what feels like weeks. Even Magi Masters need a little extra sleep now and then!

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Cassie's Journal - Sept. 13, 2011

We had the first classmate birthday of the school year today. Rowen and I don’t really hang out with Karla and her best friends, but we did pick up a card and a little gift that we left on her desk before class started this morning. Mrs. Warren had a cupcake and candle for her too; and Karla seemed to be having a fun day.

Other than Karla’s birthday, it was a pretty quiet day at school. Rowen was working at the store today, so I worked in the office after getting home; doing my homework first, and then spending a couple of hours on the family business. Having Alicia helping Mom with the twins makes doing that a lot easier, and I had everything I wanted to get done finished by the time dinner was ready.

Mom had me teach most of the lesson we did with Ethan and Ehlana after dinner. Tonight we worked on their Telekinesis, and though we do have them each practice the exercises, they naturally want to work together. It’s amazing to see what they can accomplish in tandem, and the control they have is just as impressive as the raw power. We tested their limits a bit during the lesson, and by the time we were done, they were ready to nurse and then have a nap. I helped Mom until they were sleeping in their cribs; we got a snack and drinks ready; and then joined Dad in the office. While Mom and Dad both worked at their computers, since I was done my work, I just checked my email and surfed while chatting with them for a while.

News from the family tonight via my email included Violet’s plans to meet Dillon, Jake, and Stephanie in Crystal Springs this coming Saturday. Dawn sent me an update on how she and Jillian were doing, and Mark and Grace both sent replies to my email to them without really telling me anything about what I wanted to know. Maybe I’ll suggest to Aunt Leanne that we invite Mark to come here for Thanksgiving; though I guess he might be busy with his own family and work.

Since the twins were sleeping, we skipped story time tonight. It was nearly eleven when Mandy and I went to bed, and we’ve been having a little cat-chat as I took care of this and a couple of other archive entries. We’re both ready to get some sleep, so I’ll wrap this up and call it a night.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Cassie's Journal - Sept. 12, 2011

The big news at school today is that Amy White and Jared Spencer got engaged on the weekend. Amy – Miss White – looked so happy today; and I was really glad that Jared finally got around to asking her to marry him. Rowen and I had our chance to congratulate Miss White at lunch time; though nearly everyone at school wanted to spend some time with her, so we only had a minute to admire her ring and share a couple of hugs.

Mom, Ethan, and Ehlana had heard about the engagement by the time Rowen and I got home from school, but that was still the top story during our snack and chat time. After that break, homework was next on the list, and then Rowen and I took Ethan and Ehlana out for a walk to the park while Mom worked on dinner. Rebecca and Jenny were there with some of their friends – apparently to watch some of the boys play football. The twins actually managed to distract them from boy-watching for about ten minutes, and then we let them get back to that while we played on the swings and at the fort with Ethan and Ehlana.

Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne came over for dinner, and after helping with the cleanup, Uncle Adam and I spent an hour or so working on our Magi research project. I’d spent a little time working on that before and after church, and we started by discussing what I’d found out about each person. The Carter family (Carter Construction, not the Ridge River Ranch Carters) is turning out to be an interesting case for us. Mrs. Carter, Ellen, is one of Eleanor Byrd’s grandchildren. She’s a Magi, and so is their three-year old son, William; so it’s a bit surprising to find out that her baby not only is not a Magi, but only a moderate latent. Mr. Carter is a weak latent, but that doesn’t really explain such a disparity in Magi potential with their children.

We decided to start archive files for each person in town, and Uncle Adam will take care of those records for us. My next job is to come up with some kind of a power scale that we can use in our assessments for the Magi and Latent groups. There is a ‘normal’ range too, though we probably won’t have time to research that for a long time; and I’m not sure whether that normal range means anything beyond an indication of each person’s abilities.

Mom and Aunt Leanne were busy with Ethan and Ehlana while we were doing that, and then Mom joined us for a healing lesson. She had a surprise for us tonight – a guest patient! I’ll refer you to her archive for the personal details, but Uncle Adam and I each helped heal one of the senior members of the Magi Council; and Mom advised us that we’d be getting to do this with and for other Magi. It’s too bad that we can’t do that for everyone, but this is still going to be amazing!

I wrapped up the evening with a little family business work in the office after Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne went home. Mom, Dad, Ethan, and Ehlana were in the office then too, and we combined work, snacks, nursing, and the telepathic bedtime story so that we had all of that done by shortly after ten o’clock. There’s always more work that I could do, but it’s been a long enough day, and my Jacuzzi is calling to me!