My kids always love hearing about what they were like as a baby, so here is a little Spooner spotlight:
He is on a great schedule! I have had friends tell me that they like to feed their baby right when they wake up, let them play and poop (important!), and then put them to sleep without nursing.
I thought I would try it, and he seems to love it! Late at night, when he and I are over-tired, I tend to cheat and nurse him a little to sleep sometimes, but for the most part he does the system just perfect and seems really happy. He is a terrific pooper (not like Hava, who would, literally, go for a couple weeks without pooping...scary!), and is much happier after he does. He gets what I call "the pooping glaze of the eyes" just like Papaya. It's a look I am very familiar with after changing diapers almost every day for 16 years. (Yes, Avot is sweet sixteen this Friday!) And, speaking of diapers, I have come to almost cherish the little diapers of my babies. Silly, perhaps, but maybe because it is just such a relief that everything "works" and it's not as nasty as, well, when they get bigger.
But enough about poop! :)
Spooner is getting better at holding up his little body, and loves shoulder rides on Lek. He does the little head-wobble thing, hums and makes other darling noises in his sleep, and enjoys sucking on his sisters' chins. (Weird.) Speaking of his sisters, Liliputian and Pipalicious are champions at putting him to sleep. Pipalicious prefers to do it "without any blankets," I believe is the phrase I hear so often, because then he fits better into her tiny arms.
He smiles like a champion, particularly at his father. On Sunday, while skyping, Q-dawg was telling a story, and Spooner just kept watching his daddy and smiling. It didn't matter what I did--Daddy was the focus. He will even laugh a little, and his whole little face lights up as joy just pours out of that tiny body.
He still punches himself in the face, still has a pink binki (we have two green ones I purchased, but we haven't lost this one yet, so we're saving those :)...) He sleeps for 6-7 hours in a row most nights, and will occasionally just drift off to sleep in his daddy's arms. Avot loves to hold him, but doesn't try and compete with Lek and Liliputian. The Goob prefers the "quick kiss" approach and will be silly with him, but isn't much into holding him. Not enough interaction, probably :). Chugger-dude has even taken his turn a time or two holding him.
Spooner is a sweet snuggler, still doing the "tuck the knees up under his tummy thing," which I love.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
My sweet Chugger-dude
Chugger-dude has always been dear to my heart. His goodness and steadiness have been present since he was tiny. He was a great baby, a gentle toddler full of snuggles, and is a sensitive, compassionate kid.
Here's just one reason he is so special!
I gave the kids a limited amount of room to bring things to Hungary. Do you know what Chugger-dude picked? A picture that he got that has a saying on it: "What would Jesus do?" along with a picture of Christ. Heart of gold.
The kids found it the other day and hung it up on the wall in the boys room. Tonight, he called me in, and (rather than impatiently tell him that it was past his bedtime and I was done like usual :S...) I went in. So glad I did! :) (Definite drop of awesome.)
He said: "Mom, I was going to go to sleep, but then I looked up on that wall and read where it said, 'What would Jesus do?' and I thought about it and thought about it, and decided to say my prayer. That is what Jesus would do."
Heart of gold!
He is excited about his baptism on Saturday. Here in Hungary, it is a big event where you invite other wards and missionaries bring their investigators and new converts to it. So fun! Q-dawg and I will be giving the very short and simple talks in Hungarian, our family will sing "Families can be together" in Hungarian, and Chugger-dude has asked his father to baptize him. Wonderful! Chugger-dude said it would be fine to have the program in Hungarian for the people who are coming. We told him we could do it in English and have translators so he could understand it, but he thought about it and said, "No. It's alright to have it in Hungarian."
I am so grateful for a husband who is worthy to baptize his son! He is just the right kind of dad :). (See this cool mormon message about fathers! This one's for you, honey!)
Tonight, the two of them traveled into Budapest with a member who was taking Avot to Enrichment night so Avot could watch her kids while she went. She is a good friend, named Rachel, whose husband works at the Embassy. Anyway, Rachel dropped my two men off at the Buda building, while she and Avot went to Pest for Enrichment. They were able to make sure that they have baptismal clothes that fit them, which is good. Now, I have sent the information off for a program to be made, and we just have talks to write and treats for about 30-40 people to make. No problem! :)
Yeah for Chugger-dude! The day has finally come! Getting baptized is definitely what Jesus would do, my dear boy.
Here's just one reason he is so special!
I gave the kids a limited amount of room to bring things to Hungary. Do you know what Chugger-dude picked? A picture that he got that has a saying on it: "What would Jesus do?" along with a picture of Christ. Heart of gold.
The kids found it the other day and hung it up on the wall in the boys room. Tonight, he called me in, and (rather than impatiently tell him that it was past his bedtime and I was done like usual :S...) I went in. So glad I did! :) (Definite drop of awesome.)
He said: "Mom, I was going to go to sleep, but then I looked up on that wall and read where it said, 'What would Jesus do?' and I thought about it and thought about it, and decided to say my prayer. That is what Jesus would do."
Heart of gold!
He is excited about his baptism on Saturday. Here in Hungary, it is a big event where you invite other wards and missionaries bring their investigators and new converts to it. So fun! Q-dawg and I will be giving the very short and simple talks in Hungarian, our family will sing "Families can be together" in Hungarian, and Chugger-dude has asked his father to baptize him. Wonderful! Chugger-dude said it would be fine to have the program in Hungarian for the people who are coming. We told him we could do it in English and have translators so he could understand it, but he thought about it and said, "No. It's alright to have it in Hungarian."
I am so grateful for a husband who is worthy to baptize his son! He is just the right kind of dad :). (See this cool mormon message about fathers! This one's for you, honey!)
Tonight, the two of them traveled into Budapest with a member who was taking Avot to Enrichment night so Avot could watch her kids while she went. She is a good friend, named Rachel, whose husband works at the Embassy. Anyway, Rachel dropped my two men off at the Buda building, while she and Avot went to Pest for Enrichment. They were able to make sure that they have baptismal clothes that fit them, which is good. Now, I have sent the information off for a program to be made, and we just have talks to write and treats for about 30-40 people to make. No problem! :)
Yeah for Chugger-dude! The day has finally come! Getting baptized is definitely what Jesus would do, my dear boy.
Kids and Spooner, The Goob's sandwich, Knights of Freedom
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| The Goob's creativity leaks out all over, he has so much! This time it landed on his hungarian sandwich, as we call them: cheese, sausage, cucumbers, peppers, and tomatoes...yum! |
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| More fun with the camera and the baby! |
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| They got some pretty good ones! :) |
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| Lek loves his newest brother! They are good buddies. |
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| Hava wanted her turn. Nice, Spooner. Did you learn that from Daddy, or one of your brothers? |
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| Spooner learning how to play the Goob's new army dice game, which takes a lot of prep and a lot of work, apparently. So cool! |
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| Here's a quick look at our Knights of Freedom activity/book discussion for Paul Revere. "Fishing" never gets old. Magnets, hair pins, and lots of little girls that love to color the fish I cut out made this activity not only super-easy, but a project for my preschool class as well! I love it when my work serves double duty :). We have some videos of them really getting into it, but we haven't figured out how to get it uploaded onto this site. So fun! |
Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, it's off to Buda we go!
Time to be officially legal!
Q-dawg went yesterday to Buda with the older kids to pick up his residency permit (we can now be here for 3 years officially!) and see the new movie of "The Hobbit" (which they loved). Q-dawg came home and said, "I have some good news for you! They weren't so happy with us this time that the rest of you didn't have residency permits yet, so we have an appointment, tomorrow, to turn in our applications, and we have this mountain of paper work to do. And all of us get to go." Super. :)
Thank goodness, the Goob and Chugger-dude already had a FHE lesson ready as part of Cub Scouts and the dessert was the extra pudding cake from the celebration last night (Q-dawg's birthday). Spooner, however, had other plans. Every time I went to fill out the paperwork, Spooner would want to be fed or held...at least it felt like it :). When it was finally 11 pm, I gave up and went to bed. Thank goodness the morning went pretty well. I finished the last one at the last possible moment before we had to leave to catch the bus. The kids were already on their way when I hurried out the door. True, Papaya only had a jacket on (nice), but the others were all dressed warmly and Papaya had enough layers she ended up being fine.
The bus was on time (woohoo!), and we all headed to Buda!
When we got there, we started off on the mile walk to the immigration office and our appointment. Apparently, the people at the office were opening an hour early just for our family! As I sat there in the office, watching nine different stations work on our applications while Q-dawg hovered around just in case they needed something and the older kids tried to keep Papaya from going beserk, I kept hearing "kilenc" and "csalad" ("nine" and "family"). I just kept thinking "curious workmanship" and tried to keep smiling in face of all the looks and comments. I know I should be used to it, but I think that the pig festival kind of made me gun-shy of being on the spot. (Post to come! Pictures are on our other computer :)...)
Two and a half hours later, and $900 later, we walked out. Fortunately, they changed their minds about making us pay for official translations of each birth certificate ($30 a whack!). They made us pay in stamps, which, apparently, they stick onto our application to show we paid. Crazy. I guess if it's all government, it all goes to the same place? Anyway, the building is still intact and no worse for the wear for us having been there, so I guess, overall, it was a success. Now we just need to get our landlady to sign a paper that says all of us actually live in our house...which is not as easy as it sounds, but we are hopeful :). Avot and Lek were crucial in our departure maneuvers getting out of the building, and they were wonderful! Chugger-dude, Liliputian, the Goob and Pipalicious had fun chasing each other around outside while they waited. Papaya and Hava took turns cleaning the floor of the office with their backs with their tantrums. Nasty-sag. Spooner "filled his pants," so we got to do the lap change, because it seemed more sanitary than using the bathroom :). Having nursed while I sat at the station for an hour and a half, he happily sunk into the "Snugli" baby-pack and went right ot sleep. Good baby!
On the way home, as we were heading back to our bus, tired, hungry and wet from trekking in all the slush, we must have been quite a sight. As we went along the sidewalk, we tended to fill it from side to side. The sticks that some of the kids were swinging increased our radius of potential damage, and we had the conversation about not bringing sticks on the bus...again :). At one point, we saw a family of four approaching in the distance, and Q-dawg turned to me and said, "Four on eleven...let's take 'em on." I'd say the odds were slightly in our favor :).
Q-dawg went yesterday to Buda with the older kids to pick up his residency permit (we can now be here for 3 years officially!) and see the new movie of "The Hobbit" (which they loved). Q-dawg came home and said, "I have some good news for you! They weren't so happy with us this time that the rest of you didn't have residency permits yet, so we have an appointment, tomorrow, to turn in our applications, and we have this mountain of paper work to do. And all of us get to go." Super. :)
Thank goodness, the Goob and Chugger-dude already had a FHE lesson ready as part of Cub Scouts and the dessert was the extra pudding cake from the celebration last night (Q-dawg's birthday). Spooner, however, had other plans. Every time I went to fill out the paperwork, Spooner would want to be fed or held...at least it felt like it :). When it was finally 11 pm, I gave up and went to bed. Thank goodness the morning went pretty well. I finished the last one at the last possible moment before we had to leave to catch the bus. The kids were already on their way when I hurried out the door. True, Papaya only had a jacket on (nice), but the others were all dressed warmly and Papaya had enough layers she ended up being fine.
The bus was on time (woohoo!), and we all headed to Buda!
When we got there, we started off on the mile walk to the immigration office and our appointment. Apparently, the people at the office were opening an hour early just for our family! As I sat there in the office, watching nine different stations work on our applications while Q-dawg hovered around just in case they needed something and the older kids tried to keep Papaya from going beserk, I kept hearing "kilenc" and "csalad" ("nine" and "family"). I just kept thinking "curious workmanship" and tried to keep smiling in face of all the looks and comments. I know I should be used to it, but I think that the pig festival kind of made me gun-shy of being on the spot. (Post to come! Pictures are on our other computer :)...)
Two and a half hours later, and $900 later, we walked out. Fortunately, they changed their minds about making us pay for official translations of each birth certificate ($30 a whack!). They made us pay in stamps, which, apparently, they stick onto our application to show we paid. Crazy. I guess if it's all government, it all goes to the same place? Anyway, the building is still intact and no worse for the wear for us having been there, so I guess, overall, it was a success. Now we just need to get our landlady to sign a paper that says all of us actually live in our house...which is not as easy as it sounds, but we are hopeful :). Avot and Lek were crucial in our departure maneuvers getting out of the building, and they were wonderful! Chugger-dude, Liliputian, the Goob and Pipalicious had fun chasing each other around outside while they waited. Papaya and Hava took turns cleaning the floor of the office with their backs with their tantrums. Nasty-sag. Spooner "filled his pants," so we got to do the lap change, because it seemed more sanitary than using the bathroom :). Having nursed while I sat at the station for an hour and a half, he happily sunk into the "Snugli" baby-pack and went right ot sleep. Good baby!
On the way home, as we were heading back to our bus, tired, hungry and wet from trekking in all the slush, we must have been quite a sight. As we went along the sidewalk, we tended to fill it from side to side. The sticks that some of the kids were swinging increased our radius of potential damage, and we had the conversation about not bringing sticks on the bus...again :). At one point, we saw a family of four approaching in the distance, and Q-dawg turned to me and said, "Four on eleven...let's take 'em on." I'd say the odds were slightly in our favor :).
Saturday, January 26, 2013
The power of...DAD!
Today, we had the kids do their "super clean the room" Saturday task while we made omelettes. (Tomorrow is Q-dawg's birthday, and we like to extend our food celebration a little beyond the day itself.)
We heard this from the boys' room: "Hey! No one is powerful enough to do that!"
"Except Heavenly Father!"
"And Jesus!"
"And Daddy!"
Love it! Q-dawg keeps good company in his greatness :).
We heard this from the boys' room: "Hey! No one is powerful enough to do that!"
"Except Heavenly Father!"
"And Jesus!"
"And Daddy!"
Love it! Q-dawg keeps good company in his greatness :).
Friday, January 25, 2013
Rockin' devotional!
Nothing like a devotional when we are all singing "Families can be together forever" with my two year old yelling, "No! No! NOOOOOOOOO!" through the whole thing.
Talk about togetherness. You can just feel the love!
Talk about togetherness. You can just feel the love!
Monday, January 21, 2013
Hava's new nickname and Q-dawg's INCREDIBLE poem!
Q-dawg is great at coming up with nicknames for the kids. In fact, all of their names have stemmed from things he has commented on, from "Tumble-weed Avot" (from when she was a baby and rolled all over the place), to "Lek-raiser" (use his real name, and look for the Halloween movie connection...yes, that is my Q-dawg :)!).
Today, I told Hava her full name, lovingly and gently, gazing into her eyes. Nice mom moment, right?
Well...
Hava stopped, looked at me, then said determinedly, "Dad gave me a new name." She paused, thinking, then said, "I'll be back."
A few moments later she came running in delightedly, calling out, "Tiny Bladder! He calls me Tiny Bladder!" She was glowing. "I love my new name!"
Yeah. I had to write this down so I could share it with her when she is sixteen.
And here is the amazing poem Q-dawg wrote about the circumstances that earned her this glamorous new nickname: (all Q-dawg's poems are titled with the title of a Beach Boys song...random :)!)
Today, I told Hava her full name, lovingly and gently, gazing into her eyes. Nice mom moment, right?
Well...
Hava stopped, looked at me, then said determinedly, "Dad gave me a new name." She paused, thinking, then said, "I'll be back."
A few moments later she came running in delightedly, calling out, "Tiny Bladder! He calls me Tiny Bladder!" She was glowing. "I love my new name!"
Yeah. I had to write this down so I could share it with her when she is sixteen.
And here is the amazing poem Q-dawg wrote about the circumstances that earned her this glamorous new nickname: (all Q-dawg's poems are titled with the title of a Beach Boys song...random :)!)
Be True to
Your School
By Mark
Wilson
“I need to go pee!”
Rang out like a shot.
It was five minutes ago
she sat on the pot.
“You were just
there”, I said with chagrin.
“That was poo; now
it's pee that comes from within.”
Said the girl with a
bladder the size of a pin.
We rushed to the Posta
and waited in line.
Only one cut before us,
she did not opine.
Seven bucks blown on a
fax of three pages,
it was off to the Coop
tempering belsőből
rages.
With the girl with a
bladder the size of my wages.
With nowhere to pee and
the bravado of heck
The time bomb I heaved
and she straddled my neck.
Visions of warm yellow
rivers of pee
beat at my brain as I
ran at full speed
Oh! The girl with a
bladder the size of a pea.
As home came to view so
did our neighbor.
Sweet pee smiled as
under her load I did labor.
Our neighbor declared,
“Oh! That is so cute.”
If she knew of the
danger she would have stayed mute
'bout the girl with a
bladder the size of a newt.
Into the gate, the
house- Blessed pot!
Down with the panties,
that sure hits the spot.
My neck was dry but my
legs sure did warble.
I was panting and
wheezing- my words I did garble.
Love that girl with a
bladder the size of a marble.
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Residency permit and Baptism news!
Drum roll, please!
Q-dawg has an official email that he got his residency permit...we just need to wait for it to arrive. Then he will be here officially and can get a local job. It will help him get out a little more (he wants to teach), and will supplement what he is getting through his online-appraising services. He is also considering becoming a "customer-service" consultant...people in stores and in sales positions are all just grumpy! Okay, maybe not everyone, but most of them :).
Woohoo! The visa is good for 2 years, so that is good news for now :).
Also, we heard from our Branch president that Chugger-dude can be baptized in the Buda ward house, and will look into getting that happen in the next couple weeks. We were waiting to get settled a bit, and, also, to see if our grandparents in Germany could come and visit for it, but, now that we're settled and know that they cannot come to visit, we can move forward.
Lots of good news!
Q-dawg has an official email that he got his residency permit...we just need to wait for it to arrive. Then he will be here officially and can get a local job. It will help him get out a little more (he wants to teach), and will supplement what he is getting through his online-appraising services. He is also considering becoming a "customer-service" consultant...people in stores and in sales positions are all just grumpy! Okay, maybe not everyone, but most of them :).
Woohoo! The visa is good for 2 years, so that is good news for now :).
Also, we heard from our Branch president that Chugger-dude can be baptized in the Buda ward house, and will look into getting that happen in the next couple weeks. We were waiting to get settled a bit, and, also, to see if our grandparents in Germany could come and visit for it, but, now that we're settled and know that they cannot come to visit, we can move forward.
Lots of good news!
Spooner Pics for Misty :)
| Lily took these pictures of Spooner one day, while they were hanging out (she does that a lot with him). |  | ||
| Hangin' out |
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| Not so happy... |
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| Slowin' down |
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| Is anybody listening? |
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| Yep...and here's proof that we are just sitting here, watching the baby cry :) |
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| Liliputian loves Spooner's nose |
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| Now he's really mad! |
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| Happy with Liliputian again |
Very solid what?
I just overheard the Goob talking to Spooner as he set the baby on the floor to poop: "Let's lay you on the ground so no one has to feel your very solid fecal material."
I love 11 year olds. :)
I love 11 year olds. :)
Little girls, Lek, and Spaghetti Sundays
Papaya, Hava, and Pipalicious have some beautiful blue dresses that they got for Easter from their grandparents in Utah last year. I love them and they wear them every Sunday. One week, someone commented in Hungarian, "They're beautiful! Are they angels in a play?" Fun!
Hava was given a huge set of ponies as a present from her grandparents in Norway, and they are played with every day. Unfortunately/fortunately, it has become a lesson in sharing :S. Papaya also loves the horses and it is hard for her (and me) to see why, if Hava is carrying 14 horses in her hands, Papaya cannot have 2 to play with :). Ahhhh. I don't force the sharing...most of the time. However, I do put them in time-out a lot if it creates fighting. Good news, though. The sharing is happening more often, and Hava will come running in to me, excitedly saying, "I shared!" Woohoo!
Papaya is adorable and a monster: the wonder of two-year-olds! She likes to pretend to nurse her little doll baby, rock it to sleep, and push it around in a stroller. Today in nursery, she was giving it a bath in the little play dishes they had in nursery--probably because she has seen it before in our house! :) She loves to call things "big huge!", like the hymn books at church. When she wants something hard to write on, she calls out: "Big Huge!" and toddles over to wherever a hymnbook is, puts it underneath her drawing book, and is content. She also loves to sing. Any time she sees notes in something (like in the little board book she had a church today) she starts singing nonsense words at the top of her lungs. She is particularly good at the glorias in "Angels we have heard on High" and the "Valassz Jo" (or whatever the Hungarian version of "Choose the Right" is) after we practiced it for a week as a hymn during scripture reading time.
Speaking of scripture reading time singing, Lek has been practicing conducting the music for us. He is getting really good at it quite quickly! He is great at following a piano, and making sure he is getting the down beat. He can even sing some in Hungarian while he is conducting! Woohoo!
I must have Lek on the brain, because it reminded me of something else...This last week in science, we were studying about the physical make-up of the earth: crust, core, and all. We were discussing magnetism and its effects on the planet. We learned that, among other things, it protects the earth from the "cosmetic rays" of the sun, right, Lek? We don't want any of those rays plastering us with eyeshadow and lipstick, right? :) We love having Lek around because he is so good-natured and loves to laugh with us, even when it was his mistake :). He'll never forget about the effects of magnetism on the cosmic rays of the sun, I think!
Lek has developed the amazing "pizza breadsticks": breadsticks covered with cheese, garlic and fried sausages that taste like bacon. Yummalicious! We have them about once a week, along with ground beef/pork roll-ups and Spaghetti Sundays, the last being one of my favorite traditions. A few years ago, I got into a kick where I wasn't making spaghetti...no reason. I just hadn't made it for a while. Q-dawg made a couple comments about spaghetti, in his non-invasive, polite way, and I didn't pay much mind to it (nice wife, eh :)?).
Anyway, he gave up on me and decided that he would make spaghetti every Sunday to give me a break. Now that Lek has mastered breadsticks (the normal kind, too), we have it every Sunday, and no one complains! Woohoo!
Hava was given a huge set of ponies as a present from her grandparents in Norway, and they are played with every day. Unfortunately/fortunately, it has become a lesson in sharing :S. Papaya also loves the horses and it is hard for her (and me) to see why, if Hava is carrying 14 horses in her hands, Papaya cannot have 2 to play with :). Ahhhh. I don't force the sharing...most of the time. However, I do put them in time-out a lot if it creates fighting. Good news, though. The sharing is happening more often, and Hava will come running in to me, excitedly saying, "I shared!" Woohoo!
Papaya is adorable and a monster: the wonder of two-year-olds! She likes to pretend to nurse her little doll baby, rock it to sleep, and push it around in a stroller. Today in nursery, she was giving it a bath in the little play dishes they had in nursery--probably because she has seen it before in our house! :) She loves to call things "big huge!", like the hymn books at church. When she wants something hard to write on, she calls out: "Big Huge!" and toddles over to wherever a hymnbook is, puts it underneath her drawing book, and is content. She also loves to sing. Any time she sees notes in something (like in the little board book she had a church today) she starts singing nonsense words at the top of her lungs. She is particularly good at the glorias in "Angels we have heard on High" and the "Valassz Jo" (or whatever the Hungarian version of "Choose the Right" is) after we practiced it for a week as a hymn during scripture reading time.
Speaking of scripture reading time singing, Lek has been practicing conducting the music for us. He is getting really good at it quite quickly! He is great at following a piano, and making sure he is getting the down beat. He can even sing some in Hungarian while he is conducting! Woohoo!
I must have Lek on the brain, because it reminded me of something else...This last week in science, we were studying about the physical make-up of the earth: crust, core, and all. We were discussing magnetism and its effects on the planet. We learned that, among other things, it protects the earth from the "cosmetic rays" of the sun, right, Lek? We don't want any of those rays plastering us with eyeshadow and lipstick, right? :) We love having Lek around because he is so good-natured and loves to laugh with us, even when it was his mistake :). He'll never forget about the effects of magnetism on the cosmic rays of the sun, I think!
Lek has developed the amazing "pizza breadsticks": breadsticks covered with cheese, garlic and fried sausages that taste like bacon. Yummalicious! We have them about once a week, along with ground beef/pork roll-ups and Spaghetti Sundays, the last being one of my favorite traditions. A few years ago, I got into a kick where I wasn't making spaghetti...no reason. I just hadn't made it for a while. Q-dawg made a couple comments about spaghetti, in his non-invasive, polite way, and I didn't pay much mind to it (nice wife, eh :)?).
Anyway, he gave up on me and decided that he would make spaghetti every Sunday to give me a break. Now that Lek has mastered breadsticks (the normal kind, too), we have it every Sunday, and no one complains! Woohoo!
Eagle Scout Lek!!
Woohoo!
As of 2 am, two weeks ago tomorrow morning, Lek became an Eagle Scout! After all his hard work before he left (and it was all his because he had a pregnant, packing mom to work with), he finally had his Board of Review via skype. I cannot believe I haven't blogged about it yet!
Funny story behind the time of day we had it: His records for his Eagle got sent to a Murray scout troop...one we have never been affiliated with :). They contacted us and said they would still be happy to process it and conduct the Board of Review, even though we didn't know them and they didn't know us. We thought, "sure!"
So, after a few weeks of back and forth figuring out a time, Lek got an email that went something like this:
"We have organized some men to conduct the Board of Review via skype at 6 pm our time this next Sunday. That should be about 10 am your time. Would that work?"
We had sent an email that they had misinterpreted 8 hours in the wrong direction :). 6 pm Utah time is actually 2 am Hungary time, but at this point we were so excited to get it done, that Lek said, "Let's do it!" He politely replied that the time they proposed would be great, and set his alarm.
Alarm went off, he got up and got into his scout shirt, and came into our room to skype. Because our doors are so thin, we could hear most of what was said, and it was incredible. The men that were working with Lek were incredible mentors, able to inspire, support, and validate Lek. I was soooooo impressed, both with Lek's answers and their feedback. If all young men or scout leaders could be and talk like those men, we would have many more amazing young men in this world!
Congratulations, Lek!
As of 2 am, two weeks ago tomorrow morning, Lek became an Eagle Scout! After all his hard work before he left (and it was all his because he had a pregnant, packing mom to work with), he finally had his Board of Review via skype. I cannot believe I haven't blogged about it yet!
Funny story behind the time of day we had it: His records for his Eagle got sent to a Murray scout troop...one we have never been affiliated with :). They contacted us and said they would still be happy to process it and conduct the Board of Review, even though we didn't know them and they didn't know us. We thought, "sure!"
So, after a few weeks of back and forth figuring out a time, Lek got an email that went something like this:
"We have organized some men to conduct the Board of Review via skype at 6 pm our time this next Sunday. That should be about 10 am your time. Would that work?"
We had sent an email that they had misinterpreted 8 hours in the wrong direction :). 6 pm Utah time is actually 2 am Hungary time, but at this point we were so excited to get it done, that Lek said, "Let's do it!" He politely replied that the time they proposed would be great, and set his alarm.
Alarm went off, he got up and got into his scout shirt, and came into our room to skype. Because our doors are so thin, we could hear most of what was said, and it was incredible. The men that were working with Lek were incredible mentors, able to inspire, support, and validate Lek. I was soooooo impressed, both with Lek's answers and their feedback. If all young men or scout leaders could be and talk like those men, we would have many more amazing young men in this world!
Congratulations, Lek!
Snow in the ceiling? Blessing in disguise...
We have loved the snow this week! Nice temps, and off and on snowfall have been such a blessing for my kids who love snow...especially Avot, the woman with the snow dress :).
However, this week we noticed some water patches developing in the ceiling in our kitchen and in the hall. When Q-dawg called the landlady about them, she gave him permission to go into the attic to check it out.
This is what he found:
Love it! Snow inside the attic. This house just keeps getting better and better :)! The lack of insulation would also explain a lot about our difficulty trying to keep our house warmed up :)...not to mention our mold problem.
However, there is an up-side to this!
Q-dawg also found some old sleds in there that the landlady said we could use. Sweet! And by "old," I mean old! Layers of dust and dirt covered them, but the kids were determined and so they and Q-dawg took them for a run down a hill Q-dawg had already scoped out last month. But there were four of them, so we're good to go!
Check it out!
Not much to look at, I guess, but the batteries ran out on our camera before we could get better ones. The kids say you fly down this hill, it is so long.
And, yes, it "counted" for the kid's exercise for the day...one of the big questions in everyone's mind in our house :).
However, this week we noticed some water patches developing in the ceiling in our kitchen and in the hall. When Q-dawg called the landlady about them, she gave him permission to go into the attic to check it out.
This is what he found:
However, there is an up-side to this!
Q-dawg also found some old sleds in there that the landlady said we could use. Sweet! And by "old," I mean old! Layers of dust and dirt covered them, but the kids were determined and so they and Q-dawg took them for a run down a hill Q-dawg had already scoped out last month. But there were four of them, so we're good to go!
Check it out!
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| Some of the gang ready to go! Nice sleds, eh? |
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| Wonder Hava, sticking it out on the slopes until she had to go potty and Daddy made a mad dash home with her :) (Poem forthcoming!) |
And, yes, it "counted" for the kid's exercise for the day...one of the big questions in everyone's mind in our house :).
"Never in my life..."
When Q-dawg did his usual trip around the block this morning, shovelling walks as he went, a man asked, "How far away did you come from?" Q-dawg answered, "Not far, just from the next street over." The man asked further, "Are you just doing that for service?" to which Q-dawg replied, "Well, I'm \going up to the neni's house (older lady) that lives on the corner, and I'm just making a path on my way there."
And he said, "Never in my life have I ever seen anything like that."
Funny or sad, you decide :).
We have had a lot of snow here this week, and the kids are in heaven! Here are some other pictures of us enjoying the snow:
And he said, "Never in my life have I ever seen anything like that."
Funny or sad, you decide :).
We have had a lot of snow here this week, and the kids are in heaven! Here are some other pictures of us enjoying the snow:
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| Our beautiful, snow-covered backyard, one of our Pipalicious/Liliputian pictures |
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| Lek wanted to get this view of the snow on our neighbor's roof...cool! |
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| Pipalicious and Liliputian got a hold of the camera and took a bunch of winter pictures--this is one of them :) |
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| Chugger-dude and the Goob, in one of the paths they made for Fox and Geese. Later, Hava was outraged that a cat would walk through the perfect snow and ruin their course. Imagine that! Hava,...outraged? :) |
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| Taking a break from Fox and Geese so mom could get a picture. And, yes, Avot is in a dress. :) Beautiful, isn't she? |
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| Oh, no! Pipalicious has a snow ball! |
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| Liliputian, showing off the size of the snowman's head |
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| I love my girls! |
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| Hava wanted to make sure this picture was captured...not sure why, but here it is :)! Maybe she can tell me someday :)... |
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| And here are my men! |
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| Here is the ramp they constructed to roll the middle section on top of the bottom |
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| And now Frosty has a head, complete with carrot and cap! |
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| Check out that height! Avot and Lek had to get the head-ball on by standing on tip toes and stretching as far as they could. |
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| What a happy guy... |
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| Here is Q-dawg, modelling the wound he got from doing a superman with Chugger-dude into the ditch in our front yard. Now you know where my kids get it from :)...awesome! I love it! The wound doesn't look like much from here, but it created a goose-egg that took up the bottom third of this side of his arm for a couple days. Ouch! I guess we need to get him playing football again so he doesn't have to jump in ditches to get bumped up and bruised for thrills :). J/K! |
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| The Goob took a picture of this cool icicle they found on the way home from a walk. |
WARNING: Bags for sale!
One thing about Hungary is that almost no stores give out bags with their groceries. You can purchase them for above the price of your groceries, but very few stores give them to you gratis.
Now, this may be an environmentalists dream, but can pose some problems if you don't bring enough backpacks and bags for yourself :).
So, the other day at the market, when a woman offered to sell me a bag, I considered it. I had (as always) misjudged how much space I needed for the things I was buying and was a little short of backpack space.
"Mennyibe kerul ez?" I asked. ("How much is it?")
Her answer had something to do with "8" (I have a hard time transitioning from words to numbers), and I thought, "Oh, 80 forint. That's not bad." (It's a little less than 40 cents.)
It turned out to be 800 forint...$4.00! And it was like the plastic bags you pick up at Macey's, that gather in your closet until you run out of space and have to run them down to the Walmart to recycle them, if you can't use them fast enough,...not even a cloth one!
I was too shocked to try and think of the Hungarian I needed to say, "NO WAY AM I GOING TO BUY A BAG FOR $4!", but let me tell you, I sure figured out what I would do next time that happened!
Live and learn.
Now, this may be an environmentalists dream, but can pose some problems if you don't bring enough backpacks and bags for yourself :).
So, the other day at the market, when a woman offered to sell me a bag, I considered it. I had (as always) misjudged how much space I needed for the things I was buying and was a little short of backpack space.
"Mennyibe kerul ez?" I asked. ("How much is it?")
Her answer had something to do with "8" (I have a hard time transitioning from words to numbers), and I thought, "Oh, 80 forint. That's not bad." (It's a little less than 40 cents.)
It turned out to be 800 forint...$4.00! And it was like the plastic bags you pick up at Macey's, that gather in your closet until you run out of space and have to run them down to the Walmart to recycle them, if you can't use them fast enough,...not even a cloth one!
I was too shocked to try and think of the Hungarian I needed to say, "NO WAY AM I GOING TO BUY A BAG FOR $4!", but let me tell you, I sure figured out what I would do next time that happened!
Live and learn.
Church and our run for the bus!
Exciting morning going to church. The cinnamon rolls courtesy of Avot were divine, we were all good to go--potty runs and all--and to the bus stop 7 minutes early, 10 minutes earlier than the bus actually came. Whew! As we went racing off the first bus towards the spot where the second one was coming shortly, Pipalicious sighed and said, "I wish we had a car."
Sometimes, my dear, that would be nice :).
In spite of one baby doll drop by Papaya, we were crossing the last parking lot just as the bus pulled up. A lady was getting on too, which gave us a few more seconds to get there. Made it!
Church was wonderful! One of the missionaries approached the senior couple sister missionary in our ward, Sister Wiggins, and asked if she knew how to play the piano or would do it. The previous week, one of the young missionaries played and seemed to enjoy it. I had made the mistake in our previous ward of asking the sister missionaries if I could play the piano, when they had been practicing all week to be able to do it. Oops! They had felt awkward, uncomfortable, and I ended up doing one and them the other. So, I had promised myself I wouldn't ask someone if I could play it if they were already doing it.
Well, the other missionary that played here in the Erd branch was apparently transferred last week, and so now we didn't have anyone. Woohoo! I waited about 2 seconds (okay, maybe I didn't even wait 1 second) after the senior missionary said she didn't play the piano when I breathlessly rushed in and said, "I'll do it!" Despite the frenzied, desperate look in my eye, they let me :)
So, while Q-dawg and Lek took care of some business, I played a prelude, Avot was in another room putting in and tuning her new violin strings (woohoo!) the rest of the kids were more or less good. Papaya kept coming up to the piano, but then seemed to be okay back with Lek when he came in.
The branch president met with our family today. Apparently, he lives in Buda, but was asked to come to Erd specifically to be the branch president. He is wonderful! He doesn't speak English, but he is a patient, kind and loving man. He asked me to play the piano every week, and Avot to lead the music. The missionaries might be teaching an Aaronic Priesthood class for Lek, too, and the Goob come July. I found out that there were actually only three other ladies of the branch besides me who were there today in Relief Society. Two others were in Primary and one was in Young Women's with Avot, her friend, and her friend's cousin, who was visiting. I also found out that there is really not a nursery, but Papaya did alright with me in RS, eating pretzels on the side and reading her little books. Most of the women spoke a little English, so, between English and Hungarian (a horrible mixture, I am sure!), I was actually able to make a few comments.
One lady told Lek that she was grateful he was there: apparently, she had been struggling with her six year old son to get him to sit on the chairs each week. He has asked her for a white shirt and tie, but she said she won't get it for him until he can sit on the chairs. This week he watched Lek pass the sacrament, and told his mom that he wanted to do that like Lek, and so he sat on his chair! So cool! There have not really been any young men in this ward apparently, so it is great for the younger children that are there to see an example of a youth in the Gospel. Go, Lek!
It is soooo nice that we can bear our testimonies by how we act and dress, even if our Hungarian is still coming slowly. The kids are getting better at inserting phrases and words, in prayers and in our conversation. Hava and Papaya are particularly excited to learn them through songs. Today, as I sang "Popcorn, Popping on the Apricot Tree," Hava kept asking Daddy for words to insert in Hungarian. Cool!
So, the exciting conclusion of our church trip for the day...another dash! This one was a little more thrilling. We were only half-way over the sky bridge (that goes over 10 lanes of freeway traffic), with a parking lot and street still to cross, when we saw our bus! Oh no! Q-dawg started into a full-out run, Hava on his shoulders, with all of us trickling behind. He made it to the bus, and had paid for the tickets and was just moving down the aisle as the Goob and I brought up the rear. Traffic had stopped in either direction for three separate groups of our family to cross. The Goob was carrying a backpack and a duffle bag, bringing up the rear. The kind people who were stopped in their cars waiting for the rest of us to pass also waited for him. Maybe they have all had to race for the bus as well and knew what it was like? Thank goodness!
Sometimes, my dear, that would be nice :).
In spite of one baby doll drop by Papaya, we were crossing the last parking lot just as the bus pulled up. A lady was getting on too, which gave us a few more seconds to get there. Made it!
Church was wonderful! One of the missionaries approached the senior couple sister missionary in our ward, Sister Wiggins, and asked if she knew how to play the piano or would do it. The previous week, one of the young missionaries played and seemed to enjoy it. I had made the mistake in our previous ward of asking the sister missionaries if I could play the piano, when they had been practicing all week to be able to do it. Oops! They had felt awkward, uncomfortable, and I ended up doing one and them the other. So, I had promised myself I wouldn't ask someone if I could play it if they were already doing it.
Well, the other missionary that played here in the Erd branch was apparently transferred last week, and so now we didn't have anyone. Woohoo! I waited about 2 seconds (okay, maybe I didn't even wait 1 second) after the senior missionary said she didn't play the piano when I breathlessly rushed in and said, "I'll do it!" Despite the frenzied, desperate look in my eye, they let me :)
So, while Q-dawg and Lek took care of some business, I played a prelude, Avot was in another room putting in and tuning her new violin strings (woohoo!) the rest of the kids were more or less good. Papaya kept coming up to the piano, but then seemed to be okay back with Lek when he came in.
The branch president met with our family today. Apparently, he lives in Buda, but was asked to come to Erd specifically to be the branch president. He is wonderful! He doesn't speak English, but he is a patient, kind and loving man. He asked me to play the piano every week, and Avot to lead the music. The missionaries might be teaching an Aaronic Priesthood class for Lek, too, and the Goob come July. I found out that there were actually only three other ladies of the branch besides me who were there today in Relief Society. Two others were in Primary and one was in Young Women's with Avot, her friend, and her friend's cousin, who was visiting. I also found out that there is really not a nursery, but Papaya did alright with me in RS, eating pretzels on the side and reading her little books. Most of the women spoke a little English, so, between English and Hungarian (a horrible mixture, I am sure!), I was actually able to make a few comments.
One lady told Lek that she was grateful he was there: apparently, she had been struggling with her six year old son to get him to sit on the chairs each week. He has asked her for a white shirt and tie, but she said she won't get it for him until he can sit on the chairs. This week he watched Lek pass the sacrament, and told his mom that he wanted to do that like Lek, and so he sat on his chair! So cool! There have not really been any young men in this ward apparently, so it is great for the younger children that are there to see an example of a youth in the Gospel. Go, Lek!
It is soooo nice that we can bear our testimonies by how we act and dress, even if our Hungarian is still coming slowly. The kids are getting better at inserting phrases and words, in prayers and in our conversation. Hava and Papaya are particularly excited to learn them through songs. Today, as I sang "Popcorn, Popping on the Apricot Tree," Hava kept asking Daddy for words to insert in Hungarian. Cool!
So, the exciting conclusion of our church trip for the day...another dash! This one was a little more thrilling. We were only half-way over the sky bridge (that goes over 10 lanes of freeway traffic), with a parking lot and street still to cross, when we saw our bus! Oh no! Q-dawg started into a full-out run, Hava on his shoulders, with all of us trickling behind. He made it to the bus, and had paid for the tickets and was just moving down the aisle as the Goob and I brought up the rear. Traffic had stopped in either direction for three separate groups of our family to cross. The Goob was carrying a backpack and a duffle bag, bringing up the rear. The kind people who were stopped in their cars waiting for the rest of us to pass also waited for him. Maybe they have all had to race for the bus as well and knew what it was like? Thank goodness!
Monday, January 14, 2013
Doesn't it Bite to be Right?
Tonight we were running short on white chocolate candybars for Q-dawg's FHE treat: white chocolate covered pretzels. (Imagine that. What can I say? They make me happy :).) I gallantly offered to walk to the local market up the street, figuring it would "count" as my exercise for the day :). Before I left, I did a quick "kid-check" to see who was where. Everyone but Papaya and Spooner were wrestling and romping in the boys' room, so I asked Q-dawg if it was alright to leave with Papaya unattended with Spooner. I suggested Papaya stand at the sink to keep busy instead of wrestling with her baby brother. Q-dawg was skeptical, remembering all the other times Papaya has dumped the water out on accident all over the floor, but I suggested that we just dump out half the remaining dishwater out of our dish bowl and let her play, sure it would be alright. Q-dawg sighed and agreed. Donning my coat, my boots and grabbing an umbrella, I headed out into the steady drizzle.
The drizzle made the snowy streets and pathways mushy, but I didn't mind. I like the rain (especially when I have an umbrella), and happily and dramatically recited all the lines I could remember from my parts in Romeo and Juliet. By the time I got back home, I was almost giddy with happiness...I guess I shouldn't be out on my own too often, or it might be permanent :).
Upon entering the house, I was surprised to see a cute little trail of wet footprints leading out of and into the kitchen. As I rounded the corner to see the kitchen full on, there was Pipalicious, happily mopping the floor, the dishwater bowl empty, and dishwater remains still on the chair Papaya uses to play at the sink. Q-dawg didn't say a word.
I came in, silly grin still on my face, and said, "Doesn't it bite to always be right?"
Someday, maybe, he'll be wrong about something, but, until then, I will just pretend like I know what I am talking about :).
Just moments later, Papaya tried to ride her new little bike off of the dining room table, narrowly missing a face plant against the rock border to our doorways. Poor girl! Earlier today she split open her chin on the side of the table...again! And just yesterday she walked into a big pan Lek was holding and cut open her forehead. So, with bandage already on her chin and forehead, now she is nursing a sore nose. Nice!
She must be two!
The drizzle made the snowy streets and pathways mushy, but I didn't mind. I like the rain (especially when I have an umbrella), and happily and dramatically recited all the lines I could remember from my parts in Romeo and Juliet. By the time I got back home, I was almost giddy with happiness...I guess I shouldn't be out on my own too often, or it might be permanent :).
Upon entering the house, I was surprised to see a cute little trail of wet footprints leading out of and into the kitchen. As I rounded the corner to see the kitchen full on, there was Pipalicious, happily mopping the floor, the dishwater bowl empty, and dishwater remains still on the chair Papaya uses to play at the sink. Q-dawg didn't say a word.
I came in, silly grin still on my face, and said, "Doesn't it bite to always be right?"
Someday, maybe, he'll be wrong about something, but, until then, I will just pretend like I know what I am talking about :).
Just moments later, Papaya tried to ride her new little bike off of the dining room table, narrowly missing a face plant against the rock border to our doorways. Poor girl! Earlier today she split open her chin on the side of the table...again! And just yesterday she walked into a big pan Lek was holding and cut open her forehead. So, with bandage already on her chin and forehead, now she is nursing a sore nose. Nice!
She must be two!
Hava-isms
I love how my friend did this on her blog to keep track of which kid was doing what I call "kid-isms"...it makes it easier to find later when they ask, "Mom, what cute things did I say when I was a little kid?"
So, onto Hava: this morning she picked "Fifty Nifty United States" for our patriotic devotional song before our pledge, the one where we all march around in chaos or order (or sit to the side and sing, if you're one of the boring older kids :)...). So, we sang the song, and it is a long song. In fact, Chugger-dude used to pick it every time so that he would have longer to lead everyone in marching. Anyway (I interrupt myself more than my kids do! And here I am doing it again!), we got to the end and were ready to say the pledge when Hava put on those angry eyebrows she is so famous for around here and declared, "We did not sing 'Indiana'!!" When we assured her we had, she was still indignant. So I said, "Go ahead...sing 'Indiana' :)." She sheepishly did, and we were able to move on. Whew!
Just now, as I was typing this, I heard a hysterical, "Mooooooooom!" as Hava bullied open the door to the outside. Dancing frenziedly in place, she hollared, "Please someone turn on the bathroom light for me!" I hurriedly stripped her snow suit off while she was dancing, turned on the light, and then shut the door, as Hava made her way in the bathroom, relieved. Now, when I say "made her way," this brings us to another Hava-ism.
Hava is terrified of our toilet. She can reach the light just fine, but insists on us doing it. Sometimes we do, sometimes we don't, but she has literally had accidents if we don't do it for her. Crazy kid. So, her approach to the toilet. She starts off about 5-10 feet away from the bathroom door. She pulls down her pants and panties, and then proceeds to back slowly up to the toilet, so she doesn't have to see "down the hole." Then, after a quick washing of hands, she darts out again. Poor dear. She is completely traumatized by toilets now!
She is going through some kind of phase right now...much like her cousin, Soapy, it sounds like. Acting out, belligerent, doing naughty things just to be naughty...even pointing them out so she will be caught! Someone needs attention, or mom just needs to keep on keeping on, and hope the phase will pass soon. My mom remembers "fours" as being a hard year, so hopefully we will have our happy Hava around more later :). For now, we'll take the moments of sunshine she allows us to see, and the snuggles she allows me to get.
So, onto Hava: this morning she picked "Fifty Nifty United States" for our patriotic devotional song before our pledge, the one where we all march around in chaos or order (or sit to the side and sing, if you're one of the boring older kids :)...). So, we sang the song, and it is a long song. In fact, Chugger-dude used to pick it every time so that he would have longer to lead everyone in marching. Anyway (I interrupt myself more than my kids do! And here I am doing it again!), we got to the end and were ready to say the pledge when Hava put on those angry eyebrows she is so famous for around here and declared, "We did not sing 'Indiana'!!" When we assured her we had, she was still indignant. So I said, "Go ahead...sing 'Indiana' :)." She sheepishly did, and we were able to move on. Whew!
Just now, as I was typing this, I heard a hysterical, "Mooooooooom!" as Hava bullied open the door to the outside. Dancing frenziedly in place, she hollared, "Please someone turn on the bathroom light for me!" I hurriedly stripped her snow suit off while she was dancing, turned on the light, and then shut the door, as Hava made her way in the bathroom, relieved. Now, when I say "made her way," this brings us to another Hava-ism.
Hava is terrified of our toilet. She can reach the light just fine, but insists on us doing it. Sometimes we do, sometimes we don't, but she has literally had accidents if we don't do it for her. Crazy kid. So, her approach to the toilet. She starts off about 5-10 feet away from the bathroom door. She pulls down her pants and panties, and then proceeds to back slowly up to the toilet, so she doesn't have to see "down the hole." Then, after a quick washing of hands, she darts out again. Poor dear. She is completely traumatized by toilets now!
She is going through some kind of phase right now...much like her cousin, Soapy, it sounds like. Acting out, belligerent, doing naughty things just to be naughty...even pointing them out so she will be caught! Someone needs attention, or mom just needs to keep on keeping on, and hope the phase will pass soon. My mom remembers "fours" as being a hard year, so hopefully we will have our happy Hava around more later :). For now, we'll take the moments of sunshine she allows us to see, and the snuggles she allows me to get.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
First week in Érd
Report on our first Sunday in our (probably) new branch:
The Goob was excited: "I helped the teacher learn a few words in English, and she helped me learn some words in Hungarian! This is my best week ever!"
Lek had other thoughts: "I was looking forward to one week without a calling!" Apparently, the new branch president here in Érd was a gentleman who used to be in our Buda ward and had seen Lek conducting the opening hymn in priesthood. He invited him to lead the opening and closing song today...and he did it :), with his dad's encouragement. Lek also commented, after hearing the Goob's comment above: "Well, my teacher spoke a ba-zillion miles an hour, and I only understood about five words!" Q-dawg had gone up to that same teacher after his lesson and told the teacher that his head hurt from trying to understand the teacher's rapid Hungarian. The teacher responded jokingly, "Yeah. I tell the missionaries that when they can understand what I am saying, then they speak Hungarian."
I was able to speak a little and understand so much more today than even last week. It will give me incentive to keep trying when I feel the Hungarian I am learning is doing no good and I get frusrated :). The kids loved primary, Papaya went right into nursery without any hesitation, and there are a couple pianos we might be able to practice on after church each week. Hoorah! Church is only two hours and starts at 9 am.
Best part, for me, anyway, is that I just heard that Avot is an answer to a prayer. Just last week they had prayed that they would double the size of their Young Women's group...and they did, with Avot! There are no other Aaronic Priesthood young men, unfortunately, but Lek likes hanging out with his dad, though. So much for the 100 cute young women we told Lek might be there :)!
As for getting there and coming home, we get to do the Singing Bee dash from one bus to another for our transfer...across one street, then a parking lot, over a sky bridge spanning six lanes of traffic, across another parking lot, and another street--all in eight minutes or less (less if the bus we are on is running late, which it was--sweet! We barely made it as the second bus was pulling up--whew!). I carry Spooner, Lek takes Papaya, Avot is on "hustle Pipalicious" duty, and Q-dawg gets Hava on his shoulders. The job of the other kids is to just not be at the back of our group. The Goob wants to video tape it next week, with "Mission Impossible" music running in the background.
Lek was asking for "it" on the way home--he kept pelting Q-dawg with snowballs, until Q-dawg put Papaya on the ground (she was on his shoulders and delighted to have such a safe place from which to enjoy the snowball fight). Some Hungarians drove by slowly moments later, probably puzzled at the sight of seeing a man in a suit wrestling a young man to the ground and whitewashing his face in the snow.
The Goob was excited: "I helped the teacher learn a few words in English, and she helped me learn some words in Hungarian! This is my best week ever!"
Lek had other thoughts: "I was looking forward to one week without a calling!" Apparently, the new branch president here in Érd was a gentleman who used to be in our Buda ward and had seen Lek conducting the opening hymn in priesthood. He invited him to lead the opening and closing song today...and he did it :), with his dad's encouragement. Lek also commented, after hearing the Goob's comment above: "Well, my teacher spoke a ba-zillion miles an hour, and I only understood about five words!" Q-dawg had gone up to that same teacher after his lesson and told the teacher that his head hurt from trying to understand the teacher's rapid Hungarian. The teacher responded jokingly, "Yeah. I tell the missionaries that when they can understand what I am saying, then they speak Hungarian."
I was able to speak a little and understand so much more today than even last week. It will give me incentive to keep trying when I feel the Hungarian I am learning is doing no good and I get frusrated :). The kids loved primary, Papaya went right into nursery without any hesitation, and there are a couple pianos we might be able to practice on after church each week. Hoorah! Church is only two hours and starts at 9 am.
Best part, for me, anyway, is that I just heard that Avot is an answer to a prayer. Just last week they had prayed that they would double the size of their Young Women's group...and they did, with Avot! There are no other Aaronic Priesthood young men, unfortunately, but Lek likes hanging out with his dad, though. So much for the 100 cute young women we told Lek might be there :)!
As for getting there and coming home, we get to do the Singing Bee dash from one bus to another for our transfer...across one street, then a parking lot, over a sky bridge spanning six lanes of traffic, across another parking lot, and another street--all in eight minutes or less (less if the bus we are on is running late, which it was--sweet! We barely made it as the second bus was pulling up--whew!). I carry Spooner, Lek takes Papaya, Avot is on "hustle Pipalicious" duty, and Q-dawg gets Hava on his shoulders. The job of the other kids is to just not be at the back of our group. The Goob wants to video tape it next week, with "Mission Impossible" music running in the background.
Lek was asking for "it" on the way home--he kept pelting Q-dawg with snowballs, until Q-dawg put Papaya on the ground (she was on his shoulders and delighted to have such a safe place from which to enjoy the snowball fight). Some Hungarians drove by slowly moments later, probably puzzled at the sight of seeing a man in a suit wrestling a young man to the ground and whitewashing his face in the snow.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Cinnamon Walnuts
Found this in my "drafts" and wanted to keep it! This is one of my favorite treats...well, okay, I have a lot of favorite treats, but this is definitely one of them!
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup evaporated milk
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups walnut halves
Directions
- In a heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, milk, cinnamon and salt. Cook over medium heat, without stirring, until a candy thermometer reads 238° (soft-ball stage). Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla and walnuts. Spread onto waxed paper to harden. Break into pieces. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Yield: about 1 pound.
Spooner sucking, Hava brewing, and Spooner's Octopus
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| Princess Pipalicious working her magic with Spooner. She likes to ask, "can I hold him without his blanket?" |
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| Normally, we get a shot of the baby sucking the end of Q-dawg's nose. Pipalicious must be related, and let him suck on her chin! |
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| Darling Hava, working her magic with the old dishwater in the kitchen...all dressed up! |
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| Q-dawg liked how he looked with his big hands, but, apparently, Spooner didn't want any pictures just then... |
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| Spooner loves his octopus he got for Christmas--he likes to box it with his little "ice cream cones" |
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| Avot thought she should be able to count this for her exercise for the day. He loves to smile and coo at it! |
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