Little Zulie is three weeks old today! She is still not super awesome at sleeping at night but sure loves to be held by everyone else all day long :D. She is focusing more but still does those adorable newborn things of going cross-eyed, making those little "O" shapes with her mouth and scrunching her bum up when she stretches. Smells like a baby, cries when she doesn't get food when she wants it...just adorable.
The Goob is still thriving in his combination of community college classes and public school...and remembering that he has responsibilities at home as well. One of his biggest responsibilities is to keep us smiling and laughing. And test our limits with teasing. And test our ability to "discuss" important issues like bed times and what constitutes cleaning up the kitchen after dinner (his current responsibility). His braces drive him crazy by popping off when he eats soft things like pizza but he tries so hard to treat them well.
Liliputian is still the angel of peace in our home, bringing calm wherever she goes. She loses herself regularly in books, reaches out to friends for YW's and knows just what to do to help people when they are distressed. She enjoys thoroughly this time with Avot home and she, Avot, the Goob and any other child that happens to be around can be found laughing regularly. Good times! She is delving into Marine Biology like her father and enjoys her discussions with him. She is also taking on some beautiful Christmas music in her piano practicing which makes me super happy to hear it. She, Avot and I also are learning "Inscription of Hope," a
beautiful song.
I believe in the sun, even when it is not shining
And I believe in love, even when there's no one there
And I believe in God, even when He is silent
I believe through any trial, there is always a way
But sometimes in this suffering and hopeless despair
My heart cries for shelter, to know someones there
But a voice rises within me, saying 'hold on my child'
I'll give you strength I'll give you hope, just stay a little while
I believe in the sun, even when it is not shining
And I believe in love, even when there's no one there
And I belive in God, even when he is silentI
believe through any trial, there is always a way
May there someday be sunshine
May there someday be happines
May there someday be love
May there someday be peace
We will get to sing it tomorrow. So fun! She also loves being outside, plays in the piles of leaves and comes in dirty with her little brothers.
Avot is an angel to have at home! She is always doing little things to make my life better: folding a batch of laundry, cleaning up the kitchen, running to the store for something or other errands. She was relieved yesterday when I decided I would try to go shopping while leaving little Zulie at home: shopping for Thanksgiving is not an easy task or responsibility :D. It will be easier when she does it for her own little family starting one child at a time. I love to hear her violin music, get her hugs, listen to her teach seminary for me, see her just
being here! It will pass all too soon, so I am trying to soak it up now :D.
Chugger-dude is a constant delight. He has had some fun adventures recently trying to go fishing with Pipalicious. He gets easily distracted with his two little buddies, Spooner and Binks. He has a great attitude playing games he doesn't really like and getting smeared. Fortunately he plays games he wins at too :). He has rediscovered reading with Micheal Vey books and grudgingly even read "The Giver," since I asked the kids who wanted to watch the movie to read the book as well. He has fun at Young Men's. This last week he played basketball in the gym with his friend Isaac, cousin Kalani and another young man from the ward while the older kids planned a 14 and older activity for December. That's one thing I like about Chugger-dude: he is always willing to make the best of situations. He writes his accountability journal in painstaking cursive every day...blows me away. Super cool kid. His favorite color is blue. He and Liliputian have been jogging back and forth to the library for their exercise the last couple days.
Pipalicious is having fun playing the piano more and more. She also loves her bedtime and puts herself to bed on her own between 8 and 9. I look forward to hearing her cute voice piping, "Is there anything I can do to help you, mom?"
Yes, let me get you a list...I sometimes feel tempted to say in jest, but that cute little thing already does so much. Most of the time, my answer is "nope, I'm good." She is super excited about doing the play that Avot is putting on now, "The Drama that is the Book of Ether," coming to a youtube channel near you soon. She likes things to be right...and to make sure that those around her are
right as well, but is working on that ;). Unfortunately, that is a default in most of our little family, a family of leaders. She was super cute on her birthday. When I asked her what she wanted to have for meals it went like this:
"Porridge for breakfast.
Those bacon and tomato sandwiches for lunch.
And...asparagus for dinner!
Oh, and sauteed mushrooms."
Normally it is a four course meal with each meal. For Pipalicious? Just make sure her favorite veggies are in it!
Speaking of food, Hava has been cooking more and more lately. Recently she helped me make dinner and lunch and it was just great to be in the kitchen together. She is always a super list of options and alternative ways of cooking...some are a little too exciting for me. She adores her little sister, loves to color and draw and would sing for everyone every day. Oh, and speaking of music, we recently introduced Christmas music into the line-up of possible piano pieces and it was like I opened a flood gate with Hava. She has learned probably half the songs in one of our books in just a week, she is so excited! My little musical wonder. She still likes to snuggle. She has fun making her hair into buns and does a great job at it. She is also obsessed with scratching off people's dead skin and scabs. It is so funny to have her come up to me and say, "Mom, can I scratch that off?" When it was paint from projects around the house, it was no problem. :D. She is a cutie. Her current job is "Make Breakfast" and it is fun to do it with her. She picks things up pretty quickly.
Papaya is an amazing big sister to Zulie! She would take care of her all the time if she could! It is so fun to see her with the baby, talking to her, helping her "play," talking to her and snuggling with her. Zulie is lucky. It is as thought Papaya knew she was coming somewhere in her heart and finally her little playmate is here! This week I have tried doing something new in homeschooling: asking the little kids what they want to do with me for 15 minutes. Papaya chose a little drawing time together, when I made her just select one thing. It was fun to sit at the table and draw pictures out of a little drawing book we have with her. Spooner, Binks and Hava joined us before we were done. Super sweet! Papaya loves saying prayers with me at night and has such a great depth of spiritual awareness. Her prayers are sincere and heart felt, a contrast with little Spooner's that usually include a list of whatever is silliest at the moment combined with what he wants, ending with "amen, achoo!" I love them both!!
Spooner has a kid's activity book that is "his" and has a bunch of fun recipes in it. He has his birthday treats all planned out using it, including a "crown cake" :D. We made "hippopotamuses" (octopuses) the other day and he had a great time! We used white chocolate chips to make the eyes, noses and mouths and I made them
jumbo to make the rolling out process go faster. When he saw them after they were cooked, and that they didn't have the M&M eyes per the book's illustration, he was a little disappointed. While he was appeased for the moment, when we were at the store the next day, he exclaimed, "Mom!!! Get these M and M's!! Then we can make the hippopotamuses like in my cookbook!!" Who can say no to that amount of adorable enthusiasm for only $2.39? We bought 2 bags :D. (Hava was there and wanted to get some to play this very noisy and enthusiastic "mouse" game. We'll have to do it tonight :D.)
Binks is just adorable. He would be outside all the time if we let him. His favorite command of power lately is, "Mommy says no" or "Mommy says yes" as though that is the final word. Seldom do I remember saying what he uses those expressions on, but apparently he does. He is also always mindful of where the baby is and is super sweet to her. He is quick to grab her binki for her or a diaper and tell me what I should to do to make her happy. He
loves to snuggle while I read books to him, too, and can be a tower of raging fury when Spooner pushes his buttons too much as Spooner is so often guilty of doing. Binks walks with a manly swagger to compete with any I have seen and will be quite the athlete when he grows up. The Goob likes to wrestle with his Dad right now and he better keep it up and keep in shape. He has some little brothers coming along that may just give him and Lek a run for their money ;).
Sitting here watching my little one eat
How can a baby, so week and so small
