http://www.boyscouttrail.com/cub-scouts/wolf-scout-games.asp
Some people are just amazing, and I love sharing how amazing they are! Thanks to people like this, cub scouting for Chugger-dude will be that much easier. We can't wait to play the games!
Friday, December 28, 2012
Friday, December 21, 2012
Chugger-dude's birthday from Salt Lake CIty, Utah
He loves these messages from grandparents! It is fun to see his eyes light up as he reads special messages just to him. He also loved getting a nerf gun so that he can have nerf gun wars with the Goob, who got one on Saint Mikulas Day, some rope (he has already tied up Lek into a chair), and a huge Alpine Milka chocolate bar (that is probably already gone :)...)
Dear Chugger-dude,
Dear Chugger-dude,
Happy Birthday!
Wow, you are 8 years old! I am so excited for you. I hope your birthday was wonderful! I hope we get to see you soon.
I love you so much! Have a wonderful day!
Love,
Grandma (and Grandpa)
Here are some highlight pictures!
Here are some highlight pictures!
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| Coconut and the chocolate cake he requested for his birthday...yum for him! (yuck for mom :)...) |
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| Nerf Gun war time! |
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| This is A LOT of chocolate |
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| We love having this rope! It has been everywhere in the house :) |
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Q-dawg and coins
Q-dawg has a thing with things in his pockets. My keys in the States, for example, were way too big to keep in his pockets. "They pull my pants down!"
He had only 1 key at a time that he carried :).
Coins are part of this...but maybe it goes a little deeper than just a pockets thing. He gets rid of coins as soon as he can, and never carries them around. However, here in Hungary they always want the exact change. If you hand them a bill to pay and there is change in the total, they will sit there and wait for you to fish for coins to give them to make it less change for them. "Nincs," I've learned to say. ("Nothing.") It doesn't matter how big the bill or how little, how close the paper money amount or far. We have had bus drivers glare at us for having too big of bills, even if they have ample money in their tills.
Well, Q-dawg being the nice person he is, tries now to carry around change...especially for bus drivers.
However, I think it is beginning to affect him! Just last night he had a nightmare:
"I had a dream that someone paid me with a bag full of coins! It was horrible."
Poor guy.
He had only 1 key at a time that he carried :).
Coins are part of this...but maybe it goes a little deeper than just a pockets thing. He gets rid of coins as soon as he can, and never carries them around. However, here in Hungary they always want the exact change. If you hand them a bill to pay and there is change in the total, they will sit there and wait for you to fish for coins to give them to make it less change for them. "Nincs," I've learned to say. ("Nothing.") It doesn't matter how big the bill or how little, how close the paper money amount or far. We have had bus drivers glare at us for having too big of bills, even if they have ample money in their tills.
Well, Q-dawg being the nice person he is, tries now to carry around change...especially for bus drivers.
However, I think it is beginning to affect him! Just last night he had a nightmare:
"I had a dream that someone paid me with a bag full of coins! It was horrible."
Poor guy.
Chugger dude's birthday post from Norway!
Dear 
Hyrum,
Hyrum,
We
had such a great day with you for your birthday! As you can see from
the photo, we went mountain climbing. The path was steep, but the
scenery was very beautiful. You were so helpful as we hiked. I hung on
to you and you pulled me up the steepest places. When we got to the top,
you decided to rapel down the cliff. We decided to just watch you, then
we hiked back down the trail. You were amazing. 
We love you so much. We are excited to see you in July. Have a great adventure in Hungary. 
Love, Grandma and Grandpa
Nay, Axis and Allies, Chugger-dude's birthday
(I am so grateful that I am able to, at least for one season of our lives, capture all the little things that make up life!)
*tap, tap, tap...tap, tap, tap*
As I hear the sound from the kitchen, I take quick stock of the situation. First question that enters my mind: where is Papaya? "Hmmm, should I worry about what she is doing in the kitchen?" I wonder aloud to Avot, busily studying her science across from me. I am trying to check Avot's math assignment amidst distraction and need to make a quick call.
"Sorry, mom!" the two of us hear Papaya call from the kitchen, as she climbs down from whatever she was doing. Nothing has crashed, she looks alright...guess I will keep checking math and take on whatever mess Papaya left...later :).
Speaking of Papaya, her "nay" (blankie) is dying slowly. I keep trying to sew up the blankets, but they are getting a lot of use here. I think I will just start folding it in half and sewing it together. I am getting a lot of sewing practice :).
Papaya and Hava love to take the little stools we got from Ikea and turn them upside down for little cradles. So cute! They also do what their older siblings do: take random toys and books and wrap them up in blankets or pillow cases and give them to me or each other for gifts. Every day is like Christmas...until someone wants the toys back :).
Lek, the Goob, Liliputian and Chugger-dude are playing Axis and Allies right now. For any who have played that game, it takes a lot of dedication, so I am soooooo proud of Lek in keeping it going! Only a couple of minor blow-ups have threatened to end the game, but they are still going. Miracle of miracles! Talk about serious bonding and developing people skills!
Chugger-dude's birthday...the much anticipated day of the month! Well, one of two, at least, but both super wonderful :)! Waffles for breakfast, grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch, Spy Kids 3 for quiet time movie (sigh! thank goodness for iTunes rentals that makes them so happy :)...), and paprikas csirke for dinner with chocolate cake, vanilla frosting and coconut--at least on the part of the cake he eats :). Chugger-dude, like his brother the Goob, has lists: lists of birthday meals, lists of birthday presents, lists of Christmas presents. I just tell him to write it down and then show me when I need it :). He has had his list started since July!
Oh, and yesterday he kept making sure, "Now, mom...I don't have to do any jobs tomorrow right?" He even asked, "Maybe I shouldn't have to do any jobs today, because, you know, tomorrow is a very special day. It is my birthday." Nice try, small fry. Go ahead and finish washing up the table and sweeping the floor :).
*tap, tap, tap...tap, tap, tap*
As I hear the sound from the kitchen, I take quick stock of the situation. First question that enters my mind: where is Papaya? "Hmmm, should I worry about what she is doing in the kitchen?" I wonder aloud to Avot, busily studying her science across from me. I am trying to check Avot's math assignment amidst distraction and need to make a quick call.
"Sorry, mom!" the two of us hear Papaya call from the kitchen, as she climbs down from whatever she was doing. Nothing has crashed, she looks alright...guess I will keep checking math and take on whatever mess Papaya left...later :).
Speaking of Papaya, her "nay" (blankie) is dying slowly. I keep trying to sew up the blankets, but they are getting a lot of use here. I think I will just start folding it in half and sewing it together. I am getting a lot of sewing practice :).
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| So sad! |
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| Still usable! |
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| Falling apart! |
Lek, the Goob, Liliputian and Chugger-dude are playing Axis and Allies right now. For any who have played that game, it takes a lot of dedication, so I am soooooo proud of Lek in keeping it going! Only a couple of minor blow-ups have threatened to end the game, but they are still going. Miracle of miracles! Talk about serious bonding and developing people skills!
Chugger-dude's birthday...the much anticipated day of the month! Well, one of two, at least, but both super wonderful :)! Waffles for breakfast, grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch, Spy Kids 3 for quiet time movie (sigh! thank goodness for iTunes rentals that makes them so happy :)...), and paprikas csirke for dinner with chocolate cake, vanilla frosting and coconut--at least on the part of the cake he eats :). Chugger-dude, like his brother the Goob, has lists: lists of birthday meals, lists of birthday presents, lists of Christmas presents. I just tell him to write it down and then show me when I need it :). He has had his list started since July!
Oh, and yesterday he kept making sure, "Now, mom...I don't have to do any jobs tomorrow right?" He even asked, "Maybe I shouldn't have to do any jobs today, because, you know, tomorrow is a very special day. It is my birthday." Nice try, small fry. Go ahead and finish washing up the table and sweeping the floor :).
Grown-up, Sick Pipalicious, Sister bonding with Spooner, and devotional
Hava is all about "being grown-up": "Mom! When am I going to be grown-up? When I am this big?" "Mom, I am fat so I am grown-up." "Mom! I think I am grown-up!" "Mom, I cut my waffle all by myself, so soon I am going to be grown-up...and I am going to be a teenager."
Pipalicious is celebrating Christmas the same way she did Thanksgiving...although this time she didn't wait until we were sitting down to open presents to throw-up. She did it a few days early, so maybe she will get it out of her system before the big day. Hopefully, none of the rest of us get it into their system before the big day :); that is the trick!
This morning, Papaya and Hava did their usual "over-stimulation" of Spooner. He gets passed back and forth (with Mommy's help) and gets smothered with hugs and kisses. This morning was particularly sweet. Hava was waiting for her turn while I got Papaya settled, and Spooner flailed his little arms in her direction. "Mom! He wants me!" He sure does, and he totally made her day!
Our kids each have "a day"--a day to pick the devotional stuff, pick the songs for the meals, and pray at the meals. I love to see what they pick. Some want something different every time, and others pick the same songs and activities meal after meal, week after week :).
I think that I will start marking down some of the devotional stuff they pick, because they are really special sometimes, and sometimes just really characteristic of that child at that time, and it would be fun to remember :)...like when Chugger-dude regularly picks "...when Herald Angels Sing, remember that song, mom?"
Today, Liliputian found a special one, one that helps me to think of the meaning of the season. We have been watching one of those special "Jesus movies" (as my kids call them) about every day for devotional. They are on lds.org--the ones that the First Presidency of the LDS church initiated last year. It has really brought home to me the life of Christ, with His mercy and love for each of us.
Well, today, Liliputian found an "old" mormon message at the following link:
An Easter Declaration
It is beautiful. Thanks, Liliputian!
Pipalicious is celebrating Christmas the same way she did Thanksgiving...although this time she didn't wait until we were sitting down to open presents to throw-up. She did it a few days early, so maybe she will get it out of her system before the big day. Hopefully, none of the rest of us get it into their system before the big day :); that is the trick!
This morning, Papaya and Hava did their usual "over-stimulation" of Spooner. He gets passed back and forth (with Mommy's help) and gets smothered with hugs and kisses. This morning was particularly sweet. Hava was waiting for her turn while I got Papaya settled, and Spooner flailed his little arms in her direction. "Mom! He wants me!" He sure does, and he totally made her day!
Our kids each have "a day"--a day to pick the devotional stuff, pick the songs for the meals, and pray at the meals. I love to see what they pick. Some want something different every time, and others pick the same songs and activities meal after meal, week after week :).
I think that I will start marking down some of the devotional stuff they pick, because they are really special sometimes, and sometimes just really characteristic of that child at that time, and it would be fun to remember :)...like when Chugger-dude regularly picks "...when Herald Angels Sing, remember that song, mom?"
Today, Liliputian found a special one, one that helps me to think of the meaning of the season. We have been watching one of those special "Jesus movies" (as my kids call them) about every day for devotional. They are on lds.org--the ones that the First Presidency of the LDS church initiated last year. It has really brought home to me the life of Christ, with His mercy and love for each of us.
Well, today, Liliputian found an "old" mormon message at the following link:
An Easter Declaration
It is beautiful. Thanks, Liliputian!
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
A Peanut Christmas, Mormon Rap, and mud
We are having a Peanut Christmas...
Now, lest you have flashbacks to that low-budget, depressing production that is often mistaken as a Christmas "classic" cartoon, let me clarify. Our Peanut christmas doesn't have a scraggly Christmas tree nor a cast of depressed children...although I do often feel like the mom that is the "wah, wah, wah" voice in the background of my children's lives :).
Our peanut Christmas is quite literally filled with peanuts: peanut shells on our fingers (Papaya puts them on her adorable fingers like olives...not quite so tasty, though!), peanut shells underfoot, strewn across the counter top, and peanuts shelled at an intense rate to maintain that mess despite my best efforts to clean up. The peanuts were a kind gift from a couple from Germany who shared a marvelous FHE/dinner evening on Monday night. I guess I wanted peanut butter and the Lord answered this way :). The couple even brought some bona fide German applesauce! Yum! Fotunately, the giant bag of peanuts they gave us is halfway gone, so only two more days of peanuts everywhere since it has taken two days to get through the first half, right?
The Real Q
No wonder I can't figure this man out! Get this: On Saturday night, we finished "The Chosen," which Q-dawg has been reading aloud since a little after we got here. The end is very powerful, as the father explains to his son why he imposed the silence upon him...the sacrifice involved. My amazing hubby started crying as he read, much to the shock of the kids. They all thought he was joking, but I knew it was just an amazing moment to share as a family.
Sunday night? Different story altogether. We started "scripture study" later than usual, so Q-dawg pulls up the "Mormon Rap" on youtube, plays it (to the delight of the kids), and then says, "How about that for scripture study for tonight?" Awesome. Flashbacks, anyone? :) Station wagons, brown panelling...ah! Nostalgic!
mormon rap
(I can totally see my Vanguard youth chums recreating this on their own!)
MUD
Okay...there is one thing we have more of than peanuts...mud. Mud, mud everywhere. The kids go out to exercise (on sidewalks!) and come back mud-covered. They walk to church. Mud on everything. So, of course, if they go out to just play...well. I don't need to say more. Unfortunately, since we don't have a drier, it takes about a two-day rotation for clothes to get through, and we minimized clothes to get over here, so Liliputian and Chugger-dude (two of the muddiest) are learning how to brush mud off with a washcloth so they don't run out of clothes. I don't even acknowledge the words, "Mom! I put my pants (shirt, etc.) in the laundry a week ago and don't have it back yet." Komolyan. Seriously. There are only so many places our limited clothes should be, so they know just to look. It inevitably comes up hidden in some corner. This laundry system is almost "lose-proof!" ("Komolyan" is Hungarian for "seriously" and Q-dawg uses it a lot. The kids know the word well :).)
Back to the mud, Pipalicious was just given a new coat at church on Sunday and spent about 30 minutes this morning wiping mud off of it from when "the kids were pushing me down for fun...it's okay, I liked it." Nice. Pipalicious's motto could be, "It's alright. I don't care."
I decided to add a label to my label "cloud", courtesy of this post and the subject, I am sure, of more to come: "messes." Then, when something big hits that leaves me pulling my hair, I can just pull up all these examples and laugh, reminding me that "This too shall pass..."
Now, lest you have flashbacks to that low-budget, depressing production that is often mistaken as a Christmas "classic" cartoon, let me clarify. Our Peanut christmas doesn't have a scraggly Christmas tree nor a cast of depressed children...although I do often feel like the mom that is the "wah, wah, wah" voice in the background of my children's lives :).
Our peanut Christmas is quite literally filled with peanuts: peanut shells on our fingers (Papaya puts them on her adorable fingers like olives...not quite so tasty, though!), peanut shells underfoot, strewn across the counter top, and peanuts shelled at an intense rate to maintain that mess despite my best efforts to clean up. The peanuts were a kind gift from a couple from Germany who shared a marvelous FHE/dinner evening on Monday night. I guess I wanted peanut butter and the Lord answered this way :). The couple even brought some bona fide German applesauce! Yum! Fotunately, the giant bag of peanuts they gave us is halfway gone, so only two more days of peanuts everywhere since it has taken two days to get through the first half, right?
The Real Q
No wonder I can't figure this man out! Get this: On Saturday night, we finished "The Chosen," which Q-dawg has been reading aloud since a little after we got here. The end is very powerful, as the father explains to his son why he imposed the silence upon him...the sacrifice involved. My amazing hubby started crying as he read, much to the shock of the kids. They all thought he was joking, but I knew it was just an amazing moment to share as a family.
Sunday night? Different story altogether. We started "scripture study" later than usual, so Q-dawg pulls up the "Mormon Rap" on youtube, plays it (to the delight of the kids), and then says, "How about that for scripture study for tonight?" Awesome. Flashbacks, anyone? :) Station wagons, brown panelling...ah! Nostalgic!
mormon rap
(I can totally see my Vanguard youth chums recreating this on their own!)
MUD
Okay...there is one thing we have more of than peanuts...mud. Mud, mud everywhere. The kids go out to exercise (on sidewalks!) and come back mud-covered. They walk to church. Mud on everything. So, of course, if they go out to just play...well. I don't need to say more. Unfortunately, since we don't have a drier, it takes about a two-day rotation for clothes to get through, and we minimized clothes to get over here, so Liliputian and Chugger-dude (two of the muddiest) are learning how to brush mud off with a washcloth so they don't run out of clothes. I don't even acknowledge the words, "Mom! I put my pants (shirt, etc.) in the laundry a week ago and don't have it back yet." Komolyan. Seriously. There are only so many places our limited clothes should be, so they know just to look. It inevitably comes up hidden in some corner. This laundry system is almost "lose-proof!" ("Komolyan" is Hungarian for "seriously" and Q-dawg uses it a lot. The kids know the word well :).)
Back to the mud, Pipalicious was just given a new coat at church on Sunday and spent about 30 minutes this morning wiping mud off of it from when "the kids were pushing me down for fun...it's okay, I liked it." Nice. Pipalicious's motto could be, "It's alright. I don't care."
I decided to add a label to my label "cloud", courtesy of this post and the subject, I am sure, of more to come: "messes." Then, when something big hits that leaves me pulling my hair, I can just pull up all these examples and laugh, reminding me that "This too shall pass..."
The List, Mr. Intensity, and Avot the mischevious
One thing I like to do as I am journalling our days, is to think about those things that I would miss about the person if they were not with me tomorrow. Morbid, perhaps, but I honestly think that one thing I learned from losing Isaak was how much all the little, seemingly unimportant things mattered and were things to cherish. It makes it easier to make note of the seemingly "everyday."
For instance,...
The Goob has a list. Not just any list. It is a never-ending, ever-changing list. It is called: "the list of things to save up for..." I hear daily updates on this list. I think the current total of "all I need" is $355. (He uses his screen time on Fri/Sat to look up things on Amazon to keep the tally current with their "needs." Now he just needs a job, he says. Probably true, since I have told him I don't have that many jobs to pay him for, since most of the jobs are done in our home simply because we all do the dirtying :)...unfair?)
Today it is an Axis and Allies game of his own so that he can try a new way of doing one of the battles that Lek insists is boring and doesn't want the Goob to do while playing with him nor with anyone else. "Or a Lord of the Rings version!" he just chimed in. Like I said, never ending and ever-changing :)...so fun!
Another thing...Lek loves to be heard. I love when he comes up and plops himself down wherever I am, whatever I am doing and says, emphatically, "Mom,...what's for lunch?" or "Mom, what do you think about..." He is always thinking and I love to hear what is going on in his mind, even if I don't always have the time for it at that particular moment. He is also quite the chess challenger, and, if I am feeling particularly humble that day, I will play him. He "whips my tush" more often than I would care to admit, and does it quite handily. He has even beaten his father, although not for our little chess tournament, much to his dismay. (The coveted chocolate bar went to Q-dawg, who only lost to Pipalicious..."because she was so cute! She would say, 'Got you, dad!' and 'Wow! I can get you again!'" What a great daddy...)
...and everything is dramatic, important and demands immediate attention.
Avot and Lek have an ongoing battle of the bands going--the selection of music. In fact, Lek will keep one song going and going just to keep Avot from having a song on. Sigh! Avot loves to tease, drawing on people with dry-erase markers in their sleep, loves cooking, and patiently waiting to hold Spooner. She is the only one that doesn't ask to hold him, but I know she is always good for it. Her eyes light up when I offer him to her. She just, for the most part, doesn't want to add to the ruckus,...unless it looks like fun or can bring a laugh.
For instance,...
The Goob has a list. Not just any list. It is a never-ending, ever-changing list. It is called: "the list of things to save up for..." I hear daily updates on this list. I think the current total of "all I need" is $355. (He uses his screen time on Fri/Sat to look up things on Amazon to keep the tally current with their "needs." Now he just needs a job, he says. Probably true, since I have told him I don't have that many jobs to pay him for, since most of the jobs are done in our home simply because we all do the dirtying :)...unfair?)
Today it is an Axis and Allies game of his own so that he can try a new way of doing one of the battles that Lek insists is boring and doesn't want the Goob to do while playing with him nor with anyone else. "Or a Lord of the Rings version!" he just chimed in. Like I said, never ending and ever-changing :)...so fun!
Another thing...Lek loves to be heard. I love when he comes up and plops himself down wherever I am, whatever I am doing and says, emphatically, "Mom,...what's for lunch?" or "Mom, what do you think about..." He is always thinking and I love to hear what is going on in his mind, even if I don't always have the time for it at that particular moment. He is also quite the chess challenger, and, if I am feeling particularly humble that day, I will play him. He "whips my tush" more often than I would care to admit, and does it quite handily. He has even beaten his father, although not for our little chess tournament, much to his dismay. (The coveted chocolate bar went to Q-dawg, who only lost to Pipalicious..."because she was so cute! She would say, 'Got you, dad!' and 'Wow! I can get you again!'" What a great daddy...)
...and everything is dramatic, important and demands immediate attention.
Avot and Lek have an ongoing battle of the bands going--the selection of music. In fact, Lek will keep one song going and going just to keep Avot from having a song on. Sigh! Avot loves to tease, drawing on people with dry-erase markers in their sleep, loves cooking, and patiently waiting to hold Spooner. She is the only one that doesn't ask to hold him, but I know she is always good for it. Her eyes light up when I offer him to her. She just, for the most part, doesn't want to add to the ruckus,...unless it looks like fun or can bring a laugh.
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Getting ready for the ball and pictures
As I am sitting here, feeding Spooner and updating memories here, Hava came up to me with the paint brush she has been carrying around for the last hour, hoping to paint something. She started painting my face, "so you can get ready for the ball." "Wonderful!" I said, and let her do it, until I noticed that the brush was a little moist,...and that she was licking it in between strokes.
No more getting ready for the ball for me!
No more getting ready for the ball for me!
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| Avot making chocolate chip pancakes for St. Miklas Day...yummy! |
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| Papaya making sure the car seat works that we borrowed so we could come home from the hospital in a taxi...the things we didn't think of until we got here :) |
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| Papaya loves to draw! St. Miklas went out on a limb and gave her some "washable" markers for Christmas; "washable" doesn't include every surface, but is working well enough... |
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| Our Christmas tree needed a little help with decorations, so Pipalicious has been busy making them out of paper and Legos |
Sweet Spooner
How adored can a baby be?
There are not enough hours in the day for all 10 of us to get our fill holding our newest little family member :). Fortunately, he is easy-going, only really fussing when I have put off feeding him for too long. He starts out rooting for food, so I try to feed him before he gets too worked up, but sometimes (okay, most of the time) I am already involved in a project or activity of one sort or another--imagine that :). We did pick up a binki today at a little house-shop, which should help for the lag time between when he wants to eat and when I get there.
For instance, we heard the milk man out in the street with his music the other day, and I was the only one ready to take the bottles out to buy some. So, I left Spooner with everyone, and raced out to meet him. Lek showed up as the man was filling up the 7th liter and said, "How about I finish up out here so you can feed Spooner?" (We get 12 L on Thursdays.) Avot was pacing the kitchen with a fussy little one, and was relieved to see me. The binki would have come in handy then :).
And, the binki is pink. Avot should love that :). She already has lodged a complaint to Santa about Spooner's jammies that have some salmon dots on it mingled in with brown dots. I wouldn't call them "pink."
Anyway, back to the baby, he is so delicious! Even when he fusses, his little face contorted with indignity, we all just "ooh" and "ahh" at his cute little infant cries. It reminds me of Q-dawg's oldest sister every time I hear that sweet little cry. She once told me that at church her new baby was crying like that and she was just smiling away, enjoying the innocent cry, while she figured the people around her thought she was crazy, to be smiling while her baby was crying. "It's just so cute!" she told me :). It always makes me smile to think of her telling me that, and I have enjoyed infant cries ever since. Well, maybe not so much when the baby is inconsolable and in the middle of the night, but for the most part :).
Papaya and Hava insist that the baby does not "eat" but "drinks" and "bites." So smart. I love intelligent children. They are great big sisters and don't enjoy his crying as much as I do. In fact, if he starts fussing, Papaya comes racing to me saying, "Baba! Baba! Bite!" We are still trying to convince them that it is cute when he fusses, and that this is his way of "talking" to us. Papaya is thrilled that he gets a diaper change like she does, and will lay right down for a change now with him as a "changing buddy."
Kissing is sometimes a problem with the colds that are coming through the family, but most of the kids have been good at kissing his hat or head, and not his face or hands. I just wish babies didn't change so fast! All those cute little skin folds and wrinkles are filling out all over his body. He has these adorable giant feet at the end of his twiggy legs that will undoubtedly chunk out like those of his siblings at this time. Sigh. He also still has his little pinki toe crossed with the toe next to it. So cute!
He lies awake a lot during the day, looking around, blinking slowly and focusing on empty air...or "angels" as my mom always says :). His nose is "huge" according to Q-dawg, who knows his noses. We love his cute little sleeping noises, the grunts and groans. Everyone loves to burp him, although they aren't quite as eager to change him, but that is alright...I am a pro at this point :). Q-dawg and Lek are always good for it, though, and Spooner has "nailed" both of them. I guess my turn is next.
Doctor Visit/Update
His jaundice is gone for the most part and his umbilical cord is finally off, although we still need to get his dose of Vitamin K from the patika (pharmacy) for clotting. When we went to his fourth doctor appointment, the "official" one week one they do here in Hungary, they said they were concerned with his weight. Really? He was 3440 g when born, 3175 g after four days and in the height of his jaundice problem, and then back up to 3414 g at that visit. The nurse in the office insisted that it was a problem and we needed to come back in a week, but I just kept silent. It's funny how in the same breath they can tell me that I probably know all I need to about babies and then say that "in Hungary, it's policy that we do this or that" and that what I think doesn't count for anything.
Remember me and the word "policy"?
Yeah. It went over just as well this time. After she said again that they needed to see Spooner next week, I kindly, but firmly, told her that I understood "policy" is in place to prevent emergencies, but that situations can be treated individually and policy can be discarded when it is unnecessary. She firmed up her lips and threw at me the "well, in Hungary..." line one more time. I simply smiled and said, "We'll see."
There are not enough hours in the day for all 10 of us to get our fill holding our newest little family member :). Fortunately, he is easy-going, only really fussing when I have put off feeding him for too long. He starts out rooting for food, so I try to feed him before he gets too worked up, but sometimes (okay, most of the time) I am already involved in a project or activity of one sort or another--imagine that :). We did pick up a binki today at a little house-shop, which should help for the lag time between when he wants to eat and when I get there.
For instance, we heard the milk man out in the street with his music the other day, and I was the only one ready to take the bottles out to buy some. So, I left Spooner with everyone, and raced out to meet him. Lek showed up as the man was filling up the 7th liter and said, "How about I finish up out here so you can feed Spooner?" (We get 12 L on Thursdays.) Avot was pacing the kitchen with a fussy little one, and was relieved to see me. The binki would have come in handy then :).
And, the binki is pink. Avot should love that :). She already has lodged a complaint to Santa about Spooner's jammies that have some salmon dots on it mingled in with brown dots. I wouldn't call them "pink."
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| See the adorable hat? It's an early Christmas present from his Norway grandparents...we had to make sure it would fit :) ...and there's the adorable pink binki. I like to call it "camouflage" color--see how it blends in with his skin? |
Papaya and Hava insist that the baby does not "eat" but "drinks" and "bites." So smart. I love intelligent children. They are great big sisters and don't enjoy his crying as much as I do. In fact, if he starts fussing, Papaya comes racing to me saying, "Baba! Baba! Bite!" We are still trying to convince them that it is cute when he fusses, and that this is his way of "talking" to us. Papaya is thrilled that he gets a diaper change like she does, and will lay right down for a change now with him as a "changing buddy."
Kissing is sometimes a problem with the colds that are coming through the family, but most of the kids have been good at kissing his hat or head, and not his face or hands. I just wish babies didn't change so fast! All those cute little skin folds and wrinkles are filling out all over his body. He has these adorable giant feet at the end of his twiggy legs that will undoubtedly chunk out like those of his siblings at this time. Sigh. He also still has his little pinki toe crossed with the toe next to it. So cute!
He lies awake a lot during the day, looking around, blinking slowly and focusing on empty air...or "angels" as my mom always says :). His nose is "huge" according to Q-dawg, who knows his noses. We love his cute little sleeping noises, the grunts and groans. Everyone loves to burp him, although they aren't quite as eager to change him, but that is alright...I am a pro at this point :). Q-dawg and Lek are always good for it, though, and Spooner has "nailed" both of them. I guess my turn is next.
Doctor Visit/Update
His jaundice is gone for the most part and his umbilical cord is finally off, although we still need to get his dose of Vitamin K from the patika (pharmacy) for clotting. When we went to his fourth doctor appointment, the "official" one week one they do here in Hungary, they said they were concerned with his weight. Really? He was 3440 g when born, 3175 g after four days and in the height of his jaundice problem, and then back up to 3414 g at that visit. The nurse in the office insisted that it was a problem and we needed to come back in a week, but I just kept silent. It's funny how in the same breath they can tell me that I probably know all I need to about babies and then say that "in Hungary, it's policy that we do this or that" and that what I think doesn't count for anything.
Remember me and the word "policy"?
Friday, December 14, 2012
Blessings...
Things I love about Hungary:
-raw milk delivered to my door, practically, for the same price as the "on sale" milk at the store (well, this doesn't include "box milk" but I don't really consider that milk...)
-opening a can of tuna fish and seeing--lo and behold!-- it is filled with bona fide tuna, not half filled with water like in the States
-discovering that the produce is actually all half as expensive as I thought it was, since I was only converting the price to dollars in my head...I wasn't dividing it the additional 2.2 lbs=1 kg reduction I needed to in order to compare it to prices in the States (yeah...going to the store involves a lot of math!)
-lack of humidity is not a problem, and abundance of it can be easily solved when you listen to the advice of your brother and sister who live in Maine and get a marvelous invention called a DE-HUMIDIFIER! (yes, they exist, even if they may be a completely unknown contraption to those of us from Utah :)...)
-people are so private that, even though we may stand out in a crowd, everyone politely looks away :)
-once you tell people "I am learning Hungarian, but just speak a little" they are patient and eager to help you
-dairy products are amazing, and the baking cocoa divine (once you find it :)...)
-crackers and candy, on the other hand, aren't that tasty, which helps cut back on calories
-Papaya says "kutya" for dog in such a cute way, as does Pipalicious when she says, "koszonom!" ("thank you!") all the time
-because we walk everywhere, I am in great shape and recovering quickly, even if I was a bit of a whiner about the walking at times :)
-because of the DE-HUMIDIFIER, we no longer have to air our house out two times a day in sub-zero temperatures; nice, eh? It was one of the long list of steps our landlady had given us to minimize the mold (however ineffective it was for us during the whole month we have been here), along with "open the kitchen window every time you boil water," "keep the shower room door open at all times," "don't dry anything indoors" (the cellar is warm and dry, albeit musty smelling), and some other fun instructions. (Our landlady is what Q-dawg calls "particular"...we even have a cool sign in the bathroom she wanted us to post that says "PLEASE DO NOT THROW THE TOILET....")
**Okay, clarification on that last part, that is what the sign says, followed by "...NO TAMPONS, NO SANITARY NAPKINS" but the first part is verbatim, and we thought it good advice :). My boys can be a little crazy, so we have strictly curbed our toilet throwing.
-raw milk delivered to my door, practically, for the same price as the "on sale" milk at the store (well, this doesn't include "box milk" but I don't really consider that milk...)
-opening a can of tuna fish and seeing--lo and behold!-- it is filled with bona fide tuna, not half filled with water like in the States
-discovering that the produce is actually all half as expensive as I thought it was, since I was only converting the price to dollars in my head...I wasn't dividing it the additional 2.2 lbs=1 kg reduction I needed to in order to compare it to prices in the States (yeah...going to the store involves a lot of math!)
-lack of humidity is not a problem, and abundance of it can be easily solved when you listen to the advice of your brother and sister who live in Maine and get a marvelous invention called a DE-HUMIDIFIER! (yes, they exist, even if they may be a completely unknown contraption to those of us from Utah :)...)
-people are so private that, even though we may stand out in a crowd, everyone politely looks away :)
-once you tell people "I am learning Hungarian, but just speak a little" they are patient and eager to help you
-dairy products are amazing, and the baking cocoa divine (once you find it :)...)
-crackers and candy, on the other hand, aren't that tasty, which helps cut back on calories
-Papaya says "kutya" for dog in such a cute way, as does Pipalicious when she says, "koszonom!" ("thank you!") all the time
-because we walk everywhere, I am in great shape and recovering quickly, even if I was a bit of a whiner about the walking at times :)
-because of the DE-HUMIDIFIER, we no longer have to air our house out two times a day in sub-zero temperatures; nice, eh? It was one of the long list of steps our landlady had given us to minimize the mold (however ineffective it was for us during the whole month we have been here), along with "open the kitchen window every time you boil water," "keep the shower room door open at all times," "don't dry anything indoors" (the cellar is warm and dry, albeit musty smelling), and some other fun instructions. (Our landlady is what Q-dawg calls "particular"...we even have a cool sign in the bathroom she wanted us to post that says "PLEASE DO NOT THROW THE TOILET....")
**Okay, clarification on that last part, that is what the sign says, followed by "...NO TAMPONS, NO SANITARY NAPKINS" but the first part is verbatim, and we thought it good advice :). My boys can be a little crazy, so we have strictly curbed our toilet throwing.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Dinner with the Singing Bees
19:12--"Mom!! Is dinner ready?" How should I know? Lek is on dinner. I started the chili at 17:00, Q-dawg met with the landlady at 18:00, who showed up an hour early (fortunately, I was already comfortable with how clean the house was), and then I did a little catch-up on the blog. Lek had arrived home around 17:45 from grocery shopping with Q-dawg, and started bread sticks, so I figured I was good.
Maybe I should feel happy with the power of "say-so" to make all meals officially ready?
So, we gather. The chili has boiled down to a comfortable paste that any spoon could stand upright in...although it didn't taste so much like chili, as like spaghetti sauce with beans instead of meat :). The "chili seasoning" packet that I thought I picked up so carefully at the store was feisty hot, apparently. Fortunately, I had learned my lesson from the previous chili packet and tasted the seasoning with a little on my pinkie finger before liberally applying to the brew. Zowie! That's not going in this pot! (The Goob was thrilled to find out it was spicy and kept sampling it. He even "shared" with Papaya, much to his delight...and her chagrin.)
The breadsticks are a mile high and beautifully done. Lek has found another talent.
Q-dawg asks Liliputian to choose our customary song to start our meal. "Mary, Mary" she says. Q-dawg starts singing "Mary, Mary, where you goin' to?" from the Beatles as Liliputian starts singing "Mary, Mary hush see the child" from the LDS song book.
Just so you know, they don't work as a round,...in case you were wondering.
We finish the song, and Liliputian prays for us, while Papaya happily alternates between taking a bite and then folding her arms with her eyes squished closed.
We start to eat. It looks like someone came through sprinkling cheese and breadstick crumbs like confetti...and we have just begun. Papaya does her customary spillage quota (fortunately, it's just water this meal...the hot chocolate from breakfast was a little more challenging to clean-up). Lek leaps to assist her, preventing her from using the clean kitchen towel on the floor and substituting a washcloth.
Avot declares, as the meal begins: "Mom, this is delicious!" When I look at her skeptically, she says, "It is! Of course, mine is, but I don't know about theirs," indicating the Goob on one side, and Chugger-dude on the other.
"His has hot spices in it, and his has coconut, but mine is delicious!"
Mealtime is never boring at our house.
I've been done for 20 minutes. Hava is still negotiating an acceptable number of "bites until done" with Q-dawg. I am in denial in this room, "airing" it out from the anti-mold spray we just applied to the walls, and imagining a fairy-tale world when I walk back out there, and the Goob has already done his dinner help, and everyone else has done their dishes. Maybe if I wait long enough...
...everyone will have disappeared and I will just get to do it all after we put the kids to bed with Q-dawg , who has a tender place in his heart for me stuck at the sink at the end of the day :).
Maybe I should feel happy with the power of "say-so" to make all meals officially ready?
So, we gather. The chili has boiled down to a comfortable paste that any spoon could stand upright in...although it didn't taste so much like chili, as like spaghetti sauce with beans instead of meat :). The "chili seasoning" packet that I thought I picked up so carefully at the store was feisty hot, apparently. Fortunately, I had learned my lesson from the previous chili packet and tasted the seasoning with a little on my pinkie finger before liberally applying to the brew. Zowie! That's not going in this pot! (The Goob was thrilled to find out it was spicy and kept sampling it. He even "shared" with Papaya, much to his delight...and her chagrin.)
The breadsticks are a mile high and beautifully done. Lek has found another talent.
Q-dawg asks Liliputian to choose our customary song to start our meal. "Mary, Mary" she says. Q-dawg starts singing "Mary, Mary, where you goin' to?" from the Beatles as Liliputian starts singing "Mary, Mary hush see the child" from the LDS song book.
Just so you know, they don't work as a round,...in case you were wondering.
We finish the song, and Liliputian prays for us, while Papaya happily alternates between taking a bite and then folding her arms with her eyes squished closed.
We start to eat. It looks like someone came through sprinkling cheese and breadstick crumbs like confetti...and we have just begun. Papaya does her customary spillage quota (fortunately, it's just water this meal...the hot chocolate from breakfast was a little more challenging to clean-up). Lek leaps to assist her, preventing her from using the clean kitchen towel on the floor and substituting a washcloth.
Avot declares, as the meal begins: "Mom, this is delicious!" When I look at her skeptically, she says, "It is! Of course, mine is, but I don't know about theirs," indicating the Goob on one side, and Chugger-dude on the other.
"His has hot spices in it, and his has coconut, but mine is delicious!"
Mealtime is never boring at our house.
I've been done for 20 minutes. Hava is still negotiating an acceptable number of "bites until done" with Q-dawg. I am in denial in this room, "airing" it out from the anti-mold spray we just applied to the walls, and imagining a fairy-tale world when I walk back out there, and the Goob has already done his dinner help, and everyone else has done their dishes. Maybe if I wait long enough...
...everyone will have disappeared and I will just get to do it all after we put the kids to bed with Q-dawg , who has a tender place in his heart for me stuck at the sink at the end of the day :).
What is it worth?
How much would you pay to have your children develop better relationships with each other, when they were really struggling before?
How much would you pay to see them devour and re-devour classics that you hope will shape them for the rest of their lives?
How much would you pay to have your 14 year old son come up to you and say, "You know, mom. I think Satan has been trying to get me to think that it is immature or baby-ish to be spiritual for all these years." Pause. "And I think he's wrong."
How much would you pay?
As Q-dawg and I run into one obstacle and another (immigration office exorbitant fees and extra forms, having to move here unexpectedly and now finding mold under and through everything...yeah, awesome), one expense after another, I had to step back the other day and reflect: "What would happen if we had to move back tomorrow? Would it have been worth it?"
Yes. I guess God knew what He was doing when He directed us to come here...
Go figure :)!
So why all the transition? Why all the moving around? I know I will be able to look back and see the big WHY--eventually. But I can't help but wonder a bit now and then why it all has to feel so unstable here; like when I find new bits of mold around the house, or when we find out from our landlady today that the people who lived here previously vacated suddenly because "the house was unlivable." ...because of mold. Nice :S. Or,when we find out that we might actually be in the ward boundaries of another ward in Hungary...one that is very hard to get to, if not impossible, using public transportation on the weekends. I know people in Africa walk for hours to and fro, but I am not sure if I am ready for that yet. Hand-washing laundry, but miles in the cold? We'll wait and see what the verdict is of the two bishops involved, and figure things out then if we have to :).
Well, maybe I found the answer this morning in my scripture reading. I came across a scripture that my Nook had been randomly moved to that was not in my usual reading place; well, it was "random" or "a tender mercy from Heaven,"...you can decide for yourself. In Ether 2:6-7, I read the following this morning:
How much would you pay to see them devour and re-devour classics that you hope will shape them for the rest of their lives?
How much would you pay to have your 14 year old son come up to you and say, "You know, mom. I think Satan has been trying to get me to think that it is immature or baby-ish to be spiritual for all these years." Pause. "And I think he's wrong."
How much would you pay?
As Q-dawg and I run into one obstacle and another (immigration office exorbitant fees and extra forms, having to move here unexpectedly and now finding mold under and through everything...yeah, awesome), one expense after another, I had to step back the other day and reflect: "What would happen if we had to move back tomorrow? Would it have been worth it?"
Yes. I guess God knew what He was doing when He directed us to come here...
Go figure :)!
So why all the transition? Why all the moving around? I know I will be able to look back and see the big WHY--eventually. But I can't help but wonder a bit now and then why it all has to feel so unstable here; like when I find new bits of mold around the house, or when we find out from our landlady today that the people who lived here previously vacated suddenly because "the house was unlivable." ...because of mold. Nice :S. Or,when we find out that we might actually be in the ward boundaries of another ward in Hungary...one that is very hard to get to, if not impossible, using public transportation on the weekends. I know people in Africa walk for hours to and fro, but I am not sure if I am ready for that yet. Hand-washing laundry, but miles in the cold? We'll wait and see what the verdict is of the two bishops involved, and figure things out then if we have to :).
Well, maybe I found the answer this morning in my scripture reading. I came across a scripture that my Nook had been randomly moved to that was not in my usual reading place; well, it was "random" or "a tender mercy from Heaven,"...you can decide for yourself. In Ether 2:6-7, I read the following this morning:
6 And it came to pass that they did travel in the wilderness, and did abuild bbarges, in which they did cross many waters, being directed continually by the hand of the Lord.
7 And
the Lord would not suffer that they should stop beyond the sea in the
wilderness, but he would that they should come forth even unto the aland of promise, which was choice above all other lands, which the Lord God had bpreserved for a righteous people.
Sometimes, He doesn't want us to stop, I guess :). Sometimes, it is too early to settle, for we haven't arrived at that land of promise yet. I like to settle too early, perhaps, and need to trust more. Besides, like I said, even if we headed back today (which we are not!), I wouldn't exchange this whole experience for anything. My family has already been shaped, molded, and blessed in answer to prayers that I have had in my heart for years. I have heard my children say things that show that they have internalized truths and are coming to understand themselves better, as well as know that there is a God in Heaven that loves them. Q-dawg and I are getting closer and we are both learning so much...about Hungary, hungarian, and the Lord.
What price would I pay? All this and more...
...now I just need to do it more cheerfully :).
Chess-mania!
It all started with Mom trying to come up with an activity to go with my "Wulf the Saxon" book discussion. (Incredible book, by the way.) I thought, it's about battles, it's about strategy. How about a chess tournament? Of course, a chess tournament generally includes more than two people (Avot and I), and that was everyone in our discussion group, so we expanded it to include the family...well, except Hava and Papaya, who both insist that they can play, too.
In fact, cute moment for the day: Pipalicious decided that she wanted to teach Hava how to play and then let her win. They played a little-known version--for all I know, my kids invented it--called "Death to All," when they play until every piece is dead, not just checkmate. And Pipalicious let Hava win...just like my little Pipalicious.
So, tournament time. For the past few days, we have had every chess board (even the one on our computer) going three or four times a day. So far, Lek is in the lead, although he still has one more to go--Q-dawg. Lek completely triumphed over me, in an almost embarrassingly short time. Avot gave him a little more of a challenge, actually making him sweat for a while.
I love it!
In fact, cute moment for the day: Pipalicious decided that she wanted to teach Hava how to play and then let her win. They played a little-known version--for all I know, my kids invented it--called "Death to All," when they play until every piece is dead, not just checkmate. And Pipalicious let Hava win...just like my little Pipalicious.
So, tournament time. For the past few days, we have had every chess board (even the one on our computer) going three or four times a day. So far, Lek is in the lead, although he still has one more to go--Q-dawg. Lek completely triumphed over me, in an almost embarrassingly short time. Avot gave him a little more of a challenge, actually making him sweat for a while.
I love it!
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Chess, hair-dos, legos, and Papaya
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| I love seeing my kids fall asleep while looking at books. Children's Illustrated Classics are her latest favorite. |
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| The infamous bunny slippers! Papaya never wants to wear them, and Daddy's always trying to get her excited about wearing them. |
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| Papaya's always naked. Note the panties don't have a diaper underneath them like they should. She's always stripping which is probably why she has a cold right now. |
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| Pipalicious's lego creation from "Lego Class" with the Goob. The older kids all organized classes for the other kids. Here Pipalicious made a spaceship with stars around it. Avot did an Art-Craft class, Lek- a cooking class, and Pipalicious an activity class. |
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| For our activity with Wulf the Saxon (awesome book), we had a chess tournament. This is the last stage of Lek's and my game...I am brown. I would love to have someone else play it out and beat him for me, seeing as I lost miserably in the next several moves. |
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| Another of Lek's talents...hairstyling! He loves to "create" with Papaya's hair |
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| She loves it too! |
Avot's amazingness...
Want some humor? Check out Avot's writing blog, and if you need an invite, let me know!
Some of my latest favorites are:
The evil memory wiper
"Time Out"
This one had to be reposted here...in honor of St.Miklas Day :):
Some of my latest favorites are:
The evil memory wiper
"Time Out"
This one had to be reposted here...in honor of St.Miklas Day :):
Paul's Christmas Tragedy
By "Kate Wynstelle" (aka "Avot")
Listen, my children, and you shall
hear
Of the midnight ride of 8 reindeer.
In the month of December (25)
A fat, old man gets in to drive.
In a sleigh all filled with boats
and toys
(Enough for all the girls and boys)
This fat, old man-all dressed in
red-
Sets a white cap on his head.
He picks up reins, and waves
good-bye
To all his elves, and Miss Sweetie-pie.
Then he calls out his same old call
“Go Dasher, Go Dancer, get up with
you all!
Prancer and Vixen don’t think of
stopping.
Comet and Cupid! What are you
dropping?!
Donner and Blitzen, keep going
strong,
We’re gonna be flying all the night
long.”
The deer all sigh as they pass the
moon
The fat man and presents made
burdens not boons.
Each one of them wanted their own
Christmas present.
They thought that a carrot would
surely be pleasant
That’s all they thought of at their
1st stop
In London, on one of those brick-red
roof-tops.
They considered the orang-ness of
carrots supreme
As they left 15 presents for the
small Dutch Queen.
In Egypt they wondered how carrots
would grow.
They also were baffled at the lack
of snow.
As they doubled the Cape they ran
into a storm.
But that was alright, that was the
norm.
As Russians ran out to receive all
their favors
The ung’lates thought only of
delicious flavors
They thought of them all the way down to
Nepal,
Where they nearly hit a big mountain
called Saul.
The orange trees that grew all over
Japan
Made the reindeer go dizzy, their
heads really swam.
All over the ocean the reindeer were
hungry.
All over the water their tummies
were grumbly.
They thought that they were all
going to die
From the hunger they felt as they
passed through Lehi
At old Honduras, where they had
ceased
They thought they‘d give up and just
"Rest In Peace".
But no, they first must visit Brazil
Then over to Scotland for the last
unfill.
They wearily flew back up to the
North
They could barely keep their hooves
moving forth.
But they finally made it, although
thy had doubted
Into the fine house the fat, old man
shouted,
“Hey, dear, we’re back! And, boy,
what a ride!
I landed smack dab on each roof that
I spied.
Each house that we went to had
cookies galore!
I ate and unloaded, which was no
great chore.
There was something funny, I must
confess,
On each of the plates was some sort
of orange mess.
Don’t know what it was, but I left
it down there,
And whisked up the chimney with soot
in my hair.”
The reindeer all heard this, and
sighed a great sigh.
“Looks like grass again boys.” But then the deer died.
My artists!
Liliputian and the Goob have spent the past hour drawing with various body parts. They did a fair job, but I had to laugh when I heard the Goob say the following:
"I tried doing it with my ear, but that hurt like the dickens. I put the clip part of the pen on the side of my ear, but it didn't work. It hurts!"
Papaya always has a pen and paper with her. She draws all the time, on whatever surface she can find, so I just try to keep her supplied. She'll draw on adds, scratch paper, anything... she just prefers a pen, unfortunately. If I keep an eye on her, it is normally just fine. I just need an eye just for her!
Anyway, the other day, she came up to me with a paper she had been working on for quite some time. "Bugs, mommy, bugs!" And they looked like bugs! Little circles with precise little lines around them, and little eyes on them, with irises and all. So fun! My little artist...
"I tried doing it with my ear, but that hurt like the dickens. I put the clip part of the pen on the side of my ear, but it didn't work. It hurts!"
Papaya always has a pen and paper with her. She draws all the time, on whatever surface she can find, so I just try to keep her supplied. She'll draw on adds, scratch paper, anything... she just prefers a pen, unfortunately. If I keep an eye on her, it is normally just fine. I just need an eye just for her!
Anyway, the other day, she came up to me with a paper she had been working on for quite some time. "Bugs, mommy, bugs!" And they looked like bugs! Little circles with precise little lines around them, and little eyes on them, with irises and all. So fun! My little artist...
Thanksgiving...Hungarian style
Enough water has passed under the bridge that the trauma surrounding Thanksgiving has subsided to a dull ache, so I think I can revisit it and even smile a little about it :)...
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| Lek got fancy and made some crust designs on the top of his pumpkin pie |
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| yes, I am putting a "turkey" together with toothpicks, turkey thighs on the bottom, stuffing in the middle (which actually turned out rather scrumptious, out of bread shaken in oil and herbs), and chicken breasts on top |
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| It's enough to make anyone go vegetarian |
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| Lek is quite the pie maker, even with using a glass jar as his "rolling pin" |
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| Okay, Avot spent hours making and rolling out these rolls...we even mashed up potatoes to replace the "potato pearls" we normally use. I didn't grease the pans, nor did I know how long or what temp to cook them at either, apparently. This is the pan after I tried to get them out. |
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| This is the sorry implement that broke while trying to get the rolls out. At this point, I threw this down, and told everyone I was going to bed. I came out a few minutes later with the camera and said between clenched teeth: "Someday, this will be funny." |
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| Doesn't look much better, but the kids and Daddy were happy, so that's what counts, right? :) We found out later at a Piac (market) that the only whole turkeys they sell here in Hungary come around 35 pounds at the smallest. There is no way that is fitting in our tiny oven! |
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| The feast! Yes, this is how we eat normally...on our cushions :) |
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| The Perfect Pumpkin pie...well, actually, it is butternut squash pie, but it works :)! Homemade evaporated milk and all... |
Resting up? Hahahahahaha....
Life with mom in bed:
It all began with two 5 hour trips into Budapest (love
public transportation!) for jaundice tests for Spooner, one on Wednesday, one
on Thursday. Heavenly Father blessed
both Spooner and me: Spooner so he wouldn’t get sick being out and about, and
me with continued healing in spite of walking and being up and about for the
trips.
Come Friday, I’m feeling great, so I start doing a little
more around the house. I love order and
straightening when I can, so I just did a little here, a little there, sat up
more than laid down—that kind of thing.
Well, I over-did it and was in bed again all day Saturday and am back
in bed this beautiful Sunday morning.
What fun for everyone else!
For instance, yesterday:
-Q-dawg did one of his least favorite things in the world,
next to cleaning up vomit: Christmas shopping…without me. I gave him a
list of ideas, and he and Lek went off to conquer. I think it is just painful for him, as a man, to see the hard-earned money be spent...even though he sees that there is a time and a place for it. It is just hard to see it happen, I think :).
-Meanwhile, as they were gone later and later, I realized
the last thing Q-dawg would want to do when he got home was go grocery shopping
for the week, so Avot graciously and happily consented to do it for him. She has only been once before, helping Q-dawg
last week, and, not only did she get everything, she even spoke Hungarian to
someone to ask where the baking cocoa was, and was understood and helped! I guess when chocolate is on the line, she is
willing to go outside of her comfort zone :). Brownies, here we come!
-Avot had taken Chugger-dude, the Goob, and Liliputian with
her to help, so I was here “resting” with Spooner, Papaya, Hava, and
Pipalicious. Pipalicious turned off all
the lights in the rest of the house (Spooner and I were hanging out in my room—the
warmest room in the house), and built barricades across the doorways with all
the coats, blankets, and pillows she could find, even covering some of the
doorways with sheets held up with books on either side as a screen. Ingenius :). She and Hava ran around for a while before I
asked them to start cleaning up, just in case everyone got home soon. They did a marvelous job, too! I was so impressed!
-Dinner? Hmmmm…Q-dawg
still gone (since around 15:00, I think it was, poor chap), Avot and crew just
getting home at around 20:00….let’s have some dinner! Fortunately, the three ladies that brought
food this week brought enough for several meals, so we heated up some soup from
one meal, pulled out the salad from another, and then opened the bread Avot had
just purchased to go with it. Voila!
-Q-dawg and some of the kids had purchased the Christmas tree earlier that day, and it was
sitting, thawing in our cellar. After getting
home 30 minutes after dinner started,
Q-dawg and Lek threw down some dinner (what was left of it) and headed down to
cut off an inch of the bottom off the tree—a process that ended up taking almost
an hour with the blunt saw we found on the property. Lek ended up whacking off the end with a
hammer, “a great way to vent my frustrations at the sawing, mom!” he excitedly
told me later :).
-Christmas tree upstairs…time to rig it up! Needless to say, by the time they were done,
it was about 22:30, and when Q-dawg noticed the time 15 minutes later, it was a
quick, “bedtime, now!” and off to bed!
 |
| Q-dawg strung up three cords to keep the tree upright :) |
 |
| Avot strung popcorn on strings the next day to add to it...Papaya and Hava haven't eaten too many of them :) |
Next morning, I lazily lingered in bed, listening to the
prep for Sunday, until:
-No breakfast is ready…Avot is busy washing the last pan of
dinners from Church members so they can take it with them to church…eat
whatever is there! More leftovers of the
rakot krumpli we have been eating once or twice a day for four days now? Tempting…
-Q-dawg comes in and lovingly whispers: “Hava wet the bed, so there is a big soaked
spot on the couch-bed. She also in the meantime had an accident on
the floor of the bathroom, so it is covered.
Only four of us have eaten anything, and we have 15 minutes before we
need to go. What do you want me to do?” Okay, maybe there was a hint of frustration
and exasperation mingled in the 'loving whisper.' “Where is Hava now?” I asked. “Standing in the bathtub in her soaked
pajamas.” Hmmm…make the call for me :)? He offered to stay home, not wanting to leave
me like this, wanting me to rest, and said he could send Avot with some other
kids to church. Sigh…I can get up.
Since he has gone, the excitement with the stay-at-home
sickies has not died down (Pipalicious, the Goob, and, dum, dum, dum... Papaya!):
-Dishes still piled up.
-Floor in bathroom mopped, laundry going, bed cleaned, room
aired out.
-Papaya found the left out cinnamon syrup while the Goob,
Pipalicious, Spooner and I were having church on our own in the warm room…use
your imagination, and then probably add more stickiness and spread it over two
rooms. The Goob was a saint and is now
on his second mopping, finding the first mopping left it sticky. Saint.
-Tender mercy? After
all the showers and clean-up this morning, there was still hot water for my
shower.
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