Sibling Love, Missionaries, Heart Attack

Binks loves learning by following the example of his siblings!

And I love that the older siblings love to teach and help!

Here is sweet Pipalicious helping out Spooner

Enjoying our newly paved driveway!!  Woohoo!!!!

Elder Bennett...one of our dear missionaries!

Here is a letter from Q-dawg to Lek that references our missionaries:

I'm glad you are getting some investigators. They always make missionary work more satisfying. What is the name of the man from Gyor? There is a street in Gyor named Biszinger Setany. It is named after your great-great-great uncle. There is also a statue of Biszinger in the town hall. 

The néni story is great. A néník és a részeg bácsík mindig szeretnek beszélni sokaig. 

It sounds like you are having a great time. Thanks for the pics. That looks like yummy food. Mom and the kids are in Wellsville so I am eating cheese curds and cold cereal. The Zyborgs and the Medina meeting have saved be from malnourishment the last couple days. We'll see how I fair for the rest of the week. 

Our flag football team is still undefeated, but we had four extra guys this last week so I didn't play as much as I would have liked. I had a sack and some tackles. Today the four elders, Bishop, President and Levi Pace and Christopher Wrobleski and I played. It was super fun. We play touch so no great tackles. I had a sweet block on Levi that allowed the Bishop to score a touchdown. I also pulled in a deep pass that Levi tried to pull out of my hands. 

At the Medina meeting Elder Bennett shared his testimony. He said it was the first time he has born his testimony in Fast and Testimony meeting since he was in Primary. He has changed a lot since he first arrived in Medina. He has really grown to love the people. That is an important key in missionary work. People will recognize when they are loved and they will respond better. 

Cool pics. That food plate is making me salivate like one of Pavlov's dogs. What is the thick book? Does Smith Elder know you took that picture? How do you two get along? 

Szeretlek!

Apuuuuuuu 

Elder Bennett was even here when Avot got her mission call! We are sad to see him go but love all the memories we had with him :).

We wanted him to feel at home so we all stood on chairs or buckets

A more realistic look at his height compared to the rest of us

This boy loves his oatmeal!

Heart Attack with quotes on it from my Avot...and sweet Papaya grudgingly posing with me :)

Makes my day

Sick Fun!

Okay...this sick bug is crazy.

After a month and a half of off and on traveling with family (so cool!) we came home on Sept. 25th with hand, foot and mouth disease.  Then it was a quick follow-up with a recurring flu/cough bug that we just can't kick!  I will think we are good and then BAM! That night someone else will start with a fever or a cough.  Hmmmmmm....The up side is that we are spending some sweet together time that is pretty low-key around here :).

"Low key" defined:
-I was helping Chugger-dude finish up his cooking merit badge.  As he was reciting the causes and side-effects of food poisoning (and how to prevent them), my eye caught the food that had been left out on the counter for a few hours following lunch.  Nice :).

-I straightened and cleaned out our cupboards and countertops that are just reaching their first birthday!!!  I spent the time going back and forth between reflecting on the time before counter-tops, lights and floor and wondering how in the world it could have become this dirty after just one year!  Our fridge looks like it has survived 10 years!  Lots of good use, right?  The shelves have literally groaned as I put gallon after gallon of milk on it following our weekly grocery trip.

-Hava and Papaya have been out "adventuring" as much as they can in our back yard and piddling stream that is very low at the end of the season here.  Binks will try and follow them as much as possible and Chugger-dude is enjoying his rollerblades while he chases the two little boys around whenever he is outside.

-Spooner loves to snuggle and curls up in my lap whenever I am sitting, which makes eating a little difficult but it is cute.

-Hava told me the following yesterday morning when she woke up: "I stayed awake for a long time just watching you and listening to you snore.  Oh!  It wasn't your snoring that woke me up.  I just didn't want to sleep for a long time."
Sigh.  Unfortunately when I am sick and stuffed it makes the snoring worse :(.  No wonder my throat is parched and dry in the morning: I have been making noise all night.

-The Goob and Chugger-dude have really stepped it up and become the men of the house.  Q-dawg is gone for most of the week with Liliputian and Pipalicious out in the wilderness.  With me being sick, the boys have stepped up on their own to offer to help me with things.  It has been so sweet! The Goob is hungry for competition so he ropes Chugger-dude into all sorts of competitions that often end with one of them angry and one of them crying but they still keep doing it and the over-all effect seems to be positive :).

-Papaya has designated herself as "master salad builder"-

This is the salad she made for herself last night.  Yes, those are pickles.  She cleaned out everything in the fridge that she could think of that would go in her salad.  So adorable!   She made salads for Hava and me as well.  They were very good!

(Hey Kelder!  Grab some lettuce and follow your little sis's example for dinner: work wonders!)

Q-dawg's update on our house and vacation down south so far....

(In response to Lek's letter: "The Death of a Friend")
Szia,

That is too bad about your fan. I know that it meant a lot to you. When Mom and the kids were at Moore's farm and I was home alone I had the cooler turned off because I was either in the basement or gone most of the day. The nights were usually rather pleasant, but one night it was hot so I turned a fan on and slept with the fan blowing on me. I told mom, "Don't tell Kel." Your name also came up this past week. I had just finished wiring 6 can lights in the living room then I wired the switch and finally went in to the basement and wired the circuit breaker. As you recall I had you wire all the previous breakers because Ted had shown you how to do it. This is the first one I wired. After I was done I went into the living room and initiated the countdown. The whole family joined in, "10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1...." Then I flipped the switch....nothing happened. I exclaimed in despair, "Where's Kel?" I was so sure I had done everything right. I switched breakers. I switched breaker positions. But nothing made it work. So I grabbed a chair to sit in and went into the living room to mentally go through the entire system to try to figure out why it wasn't working. As I positioned my chair I saw an unfinished outlet box just below the light switch and remembered that I had run the power to go through that outlet box. I quickly twisted the wires together and we had another count down. Everyone, and me in particular, was very pleased to have the lights come on. We now have lights in the 1/2 bath, living room and foyer. We used a medallion on the foyer fixture that looks cool. I will send some pics when we finish painting the walls and putting in the floor. 

That is a great story about your falu blast. I remember being at an appointment on my mission in some distance subdivision at night and missing the last bus so we would end up walking forever to get home. It also reminds me of that night our family went to visit the Mensaros family in Diosd, just outside Erd. Afterward we walked a few miles through the dark and snow until we made it to our bus station. Those kinds of experiences make great stories and great memories. I'm glad your comp survived his crash. With your companionship record with bikes, maybe you two should stick to walking. 

I'm glad you and Elder Szuch (is he of Hungarian ancestry?) had a good experience street contacting. I mentioned that my trainer wasn't the hardest worker. It was always fun to go on splits and experience the excitement of sharing the gospel with energy and love. 

Right now we are at Aaron and Niesha's house. We met them a couple days ago at Gettysburg and had an interesting tour of the battlefields; although it was hard to immerse myself in the sites because many of the areas had small cliffs that the little monkeys were attracted to so I was spending a lot of time watching kids to make sure no one plummeted to their death. Yesterday we went for a very short hike, spending most of the time playing in a creek. Then we went swimming at one of the HOA pools. We had lots of fun and I had a great time during the 15 minute intervals when no kids were allowed in the pool. I would splash around and jump of the diving board as I teased the kids sitting on the side waiting for the 15 minutes to pass. I am such a good dad. 

Today at church I met a member who served his mission in Hungary about 8 years ago. His first city was also Papa, but because it was his first city he couldn't remember any of the member's names. His name is Colby Flint. Maybe some members there know him. He also served in Erd and Szeged and Pecs so we talked about the people we knew in common and how the church has grown in the different areas. 

BYU lost again yesterday. They played UCLA and the final score was 14 to 17. I think Taysom Hill has lost some of his speed and strength since his injury. For the first time in his career he had negative rushing yards when the game was over. The BYU and the Utah games started at almost the same time so we watched them both at the same time on a split screen on Aaron's big TV. There was usually a lot of action going on between the two games. Utah won, but they were playing an easy San Jose State team.   

I think Drew is really missing you. He is trying to get Hyrum to go exercising with him. Sometimes he is successful, but, as you know, Hyrum likes his sleep. I have also taken to teasing Drew more now like I used to tease you. For example, I was making some Brazilian limeade today and Niesha was getting out her blender. She said, "sometimes it leaks out the bottom." I said, "So does Drew." In the past I would have said, "So does Kel", but since you are gone now Drew gets to take the brunt of my mean comments which always get "the look" from Mom. He good naturally takes it, but asked Mom today, "How do you say 'Old Man' in Hungarian?" He is taking up the torch. 

Eli is as cute as ever. Aaron and Niesha have those two big great Danes. Zsaman will see them and start making a funny barking noise which is more like the hooting of an owl. He still enjoys dancing and jiggles when he runs wearing nothing but a diaper. When he was climbing on some large flat and slanted boulders at Gettysburg he lost his balance and fell forward and landed on his naked belly. He made a little monkey noise then got up and started climbing around again. His padding saved him from any injury. 

We pray for you daily. (We also include you and Tova in our count down when we are driving together as a family.) Keep loving the Hungarian people. Share your testimony whenever you can. Lose yourself in service. You are a great young man and the Lord can work miracles through you as you dedicate yourself to His work.

Szeretettel,

Apuuuuuu 

Letters from the Fam to Lek

You may notice many similarities between this and Avot's letter. I am in too much of a hurry to edit it but love the different flavor :).

It is Sunday morning, and we are all sitting around the table getting ready for cereal.

I am going to type for everyone:

Papaya: I am six.  I miss you.  You are my best brother.  Please pass the milk.  No mom!  That wasn't on the list!  Please pass the milk wasn't on the list!!!  Mommy, don't spell that, please.

  

Hava:  Guess what, Lek?  I split my leg and I got stitches.  Now Dad calls me "Stitches" a lot.  And guess what?  (Liliputian: "You're it.") I got 11 stitches!  And there are 11 kids in our family.  Love you, big brother!

Pipalicious: How is it up there?  We had this fun little lost travel to the temple from the Moores.  We ended up being 20 minutes late. Luckily we got there, yay!  We actually got to go in the black tube again. Do you know about the black tube?  It's pretty big. You could crawl inside it and we would roll it up the hill, go in it, and let it roll down. Ahhhhh! (Mom: Even the missionaries have gotten inside and rolled down, it is that big. It is very long, too and crazy fun!  Not that I would know :).)

I love you so much! XOXOXOXOXOXOX

Chugger-dude: (same as Avot's...thank goodness for "copy" and "paste"!)

Spooner: "Dead mummy, dead mummy, achoo! Three four five, come alive!!"

Liliputian: Binks and I went on a gator ride and then it started downpouring really hard and we were really far away from the house, so we were really soaked when we got back.

The Goob slaughtered us in Monopoly.  I kept landing on Park Place and it had four houses on it. (The Goob: In the end, everything I owned had a hotel. It was a happy game.)  Mom won "Cash Flow" being a mechanic.  I won and I was a nurse.  (Mom: The Goob never got out of the rat race because he was a lawyer and had lots of expenses.) And two children. And he spoils his children.

I got stuck in a car and it had garbage in it and it stunk really really bad and it was five hours until where we were going to and so we had the windows down.  But we got rid of it really soon.  We listened to oldies music all the way down to the temple. Miss you!

Love you!  Bye :).

The Goob: Hi Lek!  I have Imperial Assault. It cost about $80 but it was well worth it.  Ummm, last night was when we first started campaign mode on it.  And Mommy was the Empire. It was really fun even though it was 10 something when we started, but it was really exciting.

Let's see, ummm.  How is your mission?  Is it exciting?  Have you run into any pedestrians yet? How is your health?  Chugger-dude and I have this new evening ritual where we first do pull-ups as many as we can do (I can do 12).  And then we read our scriptures, say our prayers and write in our journals. And then after all that, we do nose-to-ground push-ups and we do them without stopping, without any breaks in between and the last time I did it I barely got 35 and then I just couldn't lift any more.  It was really tough but it is fun.

How is your companion?  What is he like?

Sincerely, your non-narcissist brother: The Goob

Binks: scream, whine, pause, lift leg, whine again. (Translation: I want to nurse.)  Silence. (Translation: I have a big green slug crawling out of my nose and a poopy diaper, but I am sitting on Mommy's lap watching her type to you so I don't care.) Sniff. Sneeze. Cough.  Gross.  Mommy is going to stop typing and sanitize.)

Letters from the kids to Avot

To Avot:
It is Sunday morning, and we are all sitting around the table getting ready for cereal.

I am going to type for everyone:

Papaya:  I miss you. And I want to tell you that I am six.  I got $20 from Oma and Opa.  I am going to spend it on 3 "Big Eyes" (stuffed animals at Rosenkrantz) on Sunday. I got a elephant from a store when it wasn't Sunday.  I had $10 and I bought a cute elephant.  Her name was "Peaches."

Hava: Dear Avot, Every night, well, some nights, I love it when you tell us scripture stories.  And guess what?  I split my leg!  I split my leg and I got stitches.  Now Dad calls me "Stitches" a lot.  And guess what?  (Lily: "You're it.") I got 11 stitches!  And there are 11 kids in our family.

We went to the Moores' house. We went on travels and Mom let us get some food in our pack-packs.  It was fun!  We got rained on a lot. (Mom: the rain was crazy heavy, too!  They were soaked several times and would run in the house and get a shower when it was all done.  Lots of laundry, but lots of fun!!!)

And that's all for today!  I love you!

Pipalicious: We had this fun little lost travel to the temple from the Moores.  We ended up being 20 minutes late. Luckily we got there, yay!  We actually got to go in the black tube again. Do you know about the black tube?  It's pretty big. You could crawl inside it and we would roll it up the hill, go in it, and let it roll down. Ahhhhh! (Mom: Even the missionaries have gotten inside and rolled down, it is that big. It is very long, too and crazy fun!  Not that I would know :).)  I love your stories!  They're so cool. Is it kind of scary just with no relatives?  Your room is awesome.  There is no more mattress on Hava's and my bed.  I love you SOOOOOO much!

Chugger-dude:  A few days ago, Dad, the Goob and me went on a hike and the first hike was fun.  It was sort of tiring.  Dad was tired that I was getting tired so fast.  And then we went on three other hikes.  We went up "George" hike (Mom: Gorge, but the Goob made it funny by calling it "George") which had lots and lots and lots of stairs going up.  It had a bunch. But then when we went down west rim trail, it had lots more stairs then George.

Then we went up east trim trail, which had lot more stairs again!  And then we went down George trail. On the first hike, we found a salamander and a bunch of toads and frogs.  We also went through this tunnel that went under a freeway and it was very long.  And fun.

Have a fun time!  Don't die :)!

Spooner: "Dead mummy, dead mummy, achoo! Three four five, come alive!!"

Liliputian: I just asked Mom if I could send some chocolate to where you are at.  She said no, but that I could put some money in your account.  I am going to put some money in your account so you can buy some chocolate for yourself.  Send me a picture of your chocolate, please!

What is your new companion like?

Drew slaughtered us in Monopoly.  I kept landing on Park Place and it had four houses on it. (Drew: In the end, everything I owned had a hotel. It was a happy game.)  Mom won "Cash Flow" being a mechanic.  I won and I was a nurse.  (Mom: Drew never got out of the rat race because he was a lawyer and had lots of expenses.) And two children. And he spoils his children.

I miss you! Mwa! (Air kiss :))

And don't worry. I didn't cut my hair at all yet.

The Goob knows the truth and that you like me more. (The Goob: Whatever!  I'm her favorite brother!) And you will probably guess what the lie is.

The Goob:  Dear Avot, I am still your best friend at home!  Lily just told me that she was your best friend and not me, but don't worry, I know the difference between a truth and a lie..sometimes :). Umm.  (clear throat) (Nasty sound in throat) "What!"

I was stuck in a car for five hours yesterday and it was the worstest experience I've ever haded!  Love my grammar? I have it for you, because I'm homeschooled: "h-o-m-e-s-k-u-l-e-d."

Binks: scream, whine, pause, lift leg, whine again. (Translation: I want to nurse.)  Silence. (Translation: I have a big green slug crawling out of my nose and a poopy diaper, but I am sitting on Mommy's lap watching her type to you so I don't care.) Sniff. Sneeze. Cough.  Gross.  Mommy is going to stop typing and sanitize.)

Isaa-boo:  Don't forget me, Mom!  Avot, I am with you, watching over you. I am so proud of my big sister!  I can't wait to meet you in heaven again. Know that I love you!

Buttering Mom Up

One thing I forgot to mention was that while I was negotiating screaming baby, seminary and watching Papaya color with Spooner, the oldest three at home were busily cleaning up the kitchen (to a shine) and doing something in the living room, which was pretty messy from our day of fun.

Liliputian, the Goob and Chugger-dude cleaned up the house and helped get everyone to bed and scriptures and prayer and reading done by 8 pm.  Liliputian even scratched my scalp while we read (one of my favorite things).  "It's Mother's Day just for you," she said.  I agree.

Tickling the back of my mind was the thought, "Hmmmm....I wonder what comes next."  Lek had this down to a science, "prepping" mom for the question.

It came right after everyone was in bed.  By 8 o'clock remember?  Clean house, everyone in bed on time...Mom heaven.

"Can we watch a movie?" 

"Sure," I said, to their delight.  Whether that was the reason for all the awesomeness or not, it was done sweetly and quickly and, well, done :).  I am good with that.  They have been particularly sweet since we came up here and we have been doing more together.  I am content.

Snuggling, Girls, Games, Etc.: A Good Day

Yesterday was a good day.

The kids had a good time.
We did lots of good learning and "experiencing."
I wasn't too crazy, frustrated, angry or sad :)
A good day.

Binks bedtime
I think the first thing I think about when I think about yesterday was snuggling with Binks before he went to sleep. I am trying to transition him to just going to sleep in his crib.  He is not only getting old enough but he is very heavy and long to be carrying around to sleep every night :).  He had just eaten applesauce and popcorn with the older kids so his tummy was happy and Liliputian rushed him into the back bedroom where I was after he finished eating.

I just held him as he stared off into the night.  It was sweet.  I was content. It was a good feeling.  I picked up "Go, Dog, Go!" and started reading it to him and he just snuggled and listened to every page.  I love it when they are old enough to read to!

Then I laid him down gently and he just wiggled and snuggled with his bedding until he fell asleep while I read and texted beside his crib.  Sweet boy.

Pipalicious and Co.
Pipalicious was adorable yesterday...as always :).  She, Hava and Papaya were gone for over an hour in the woods in the morning together. "We went in to play one game but then decided we didn't like that one and ended up playing "Indian, White Man, and Slave" (I think that was the three...)." 

Later that afternoon, the same three came up to me and said, "We want to cook something.  What can we cook?"  When I said they could make cookies, their eyes all lit up and they bounced into the kitchen to make oatmeal white chocolate chip cookies, which we all enjoyed for our treat that night.  The good thing about having so many people is that by the time you cook up one batch, everyone just gets three smallish cookies and it is gone :)! 

That night, she asked if she could sleep in my bed with me.  Hava has been sleeping there the previous couple of nights and I haven't heard Pipalicious request that in my memory.  "I would love it," I said.  Of course, Hava (the sleeping magnet) insisted that she needed to sleep near Pipalicious (or anyone, for that matter) so it was a very cozy night in bed :).

Games and classes
I have been trying to be more consistent with specific scholastic stuff now that the year has begun so we had our brief Latin and Grammar class yesterday right after devotional for the Goob and Liliputian. The Goob did a great job on devotional and the classes were quick and relatively painless.  We then set up Imperial Assault, a new action board-type game that involves a lot of learning and strategizing.  Whew.  That almost blew my brain but the Goob was patient with me.  At one point, it was 39-0 his favor and we play til 40 points in that scenario.  At one point, I really tried to figure out if I actually could even still win with where I was at in the game.  The Goob waited patiently as I mentally shifted my forces and I ended up winning.  What a nice chap :).

I came up with three objectives in playing these kind of epic games that are not usually my cup of tea:
-bond with the Goob
-learn some strategy (hahaha)
-learn how to lose well, if not just for myself, for my children so they could also learn how to do the same
It was pretty fun.

I also played "Apples to Apples" with Chugger-dude and Liliputian which was pretty hilarious, "Elfer Raus" which Liliputian almost won but in which the Goob pulled a last-minute victory and a math-UNO game with Pipalicious and Hava.  I even played a little bit of Legos with Hava and Papaya right before devotional!  It has been so delicious focusing on the kids and their learning and having the time and space up here to help clarify priorities.

Spooner, the whirlwind
Re-reading this post, I realize I didn't mention our little whirlwind Spooner: the mess of cereal and treats he dumped over the chair in the living room, the box that I thought he turned on outside and panicked about, his bounding and bouncing through the house screaming in delight as the Goob chases him and Binks and Papaya around before dinner, the way he quietly sat on the table and watched his big sister Papaya color next to me while I tried to do a little more Seminary while Binks whined at my feet.    Spooner is in an interested stage right now and whenever storms blow in, like the one we had yesterday, I can just count on any rational, coherent response on his part being thrown out the window.  Papaya also responds pretty exremely to drastic changes in barometric pressure but right now Spooner is our best little barometer.  Whew!

Storm and lessons

I set up my computer and material for Seminary study out on the patio. I looked up at one point, hearing a change in the outside noises.  It sounded like freeway noises but was getting louder and closer.  Puzzled, I figured that someone was working on a nearby road and looked down.  The Spirit told me to look up again and I looked more closely in the direction of the sound.


It was rain.  A solid wall of rain, moving its way closer and closer.  I hurriedly grabbed an armload of books and computer and raced it into the house, followed by a second quick trip as the drops started falling.  The rain plastered the area I had just vacated and I hurriedly shut windows in the house, went outside to do the same in the van and then headed down to where the kids were playing on the playground to make sure they were alright.  They were huddled excitedly under one of the platforms on the playground. The main deluge had hit the house on the hill so they were alright.  As I walked back up, all sorts of analogies and lessons were coming to mind, the strongest being that it was good that I was up on the hill (like being spiritually prepared or in the temples) so that I could see the storm approach.  It was good that I could recognize the signs of the storm approaching so I could prepare, even if the storm was moving in fast or could be very damaging.  We had a house or a place of refuge to flee to as we can have in our own lives or we can flee to Christ like the wise man vs. the foolish man.  The Spirit could help me identify the signs of danger even when my natural response was to discard the thought of any problems.

My favorite lesson?  My children, who were far away from me, were fine.  They were taken care of and watched over even while I tried to hurry and react to the storm.

Missing my hubby
I miss Q-dawg.  He is busily working at home supporting our lifestyle.  We will hopefully see him before the weekend. He had one serving of ice cream for lunch, dinner...and breakfast.  No wait, he said that he drank a whole bunch of lemonade for breakfast and part of lunch.  Right.  When I told him I was going to pack him food next time I left, he told me there were casseroles in the fridge...they just needed to be heated up :).  Love that man!  He makes me smile and I appreciate all that he does for us! 

Q-dawg did have a couple games of football he got to play in over the weekend and was able to watch the BYU game as well.  A busy day of church on Sunday and then some work on the house and dinners with the Zyborgs round out his experience at home.

Yesterday was a good day.

Unfortunately, I think today I am going to have to really buckle down and finish the seminary training courses I need to have done by Monday, the first day of class. I am excited and nervous hopeful that the Spirit will guide my teaching and preparation so that I will be able to be inspired how to balance homeschool mom-ing, living and teaching seminary all together :).  I am sure it will be a time of miracles.
 

Moments and Late Nights

Spooner at age 3 is big into measuring and using tools.  Just barely, he was using the measuring tape to see how tall his baby brother was...and Binks was patiently and excitedly looking up with big hero worship at his big bro.  Love it!

Chugger-dude spent almost an hour at the skate park with his two baby brothers.  He was on his ripstik and his bros were on their little plastic bikes.  Speaking of great big brothers!

We had a late night last night going to a free performance of "Winter's Tale" at Delaware Park in Buffalo...so worth it!!!!  Coupled with the late night before that of going to the Hill Cumorah Pageant it has been a late night week, but the kids have handled it well. I was amazed at how well-behaved they were for the Shakespeare in particular. I got to enjoy the whole thing!  It was fun to hear the lines I knew so well from my own kids' time putting on "Winter's Tale."  Great play.

Hava just came in excitedly yelling, "I did it!  I did it!!! I just opened up a can for the first time ever with a can opener!!!!"  Momentous times :).  Love that girl and her enthusiasm.

Pipalicious took some fabric and "made" a skirt for Hava using duct tape, yarn and some sewing.  Budding young artist.  I need to get a picture!  Liliputian is working on putting together a quilt so I guess it sparked some sewing creativity.

The Spirit told me to paint with my kids today.  For once I listened.  We just spent over an hour sitting at the table playing with watercolors, finding different kinds of projects/images to re-create and then trying it out on paper.  Something so simple, so inexpensive and so open to doing whatever...and we all felt closer and supportive and more rested.  Small miracles that bring big ones, I guess :).

Liliputian is upstairs savoring the last of "The Blue Sword." The Goob is at scout camp. Spooner is wandering around stinking up the house with his incredibly poopy diaper.  I am trying to work my way through "the pile" that has accumulated during the week, including stuff to mail to Avot and sign-up forms for the Goob and NYLT that he is going to next week.  I should have checked before I signed him up, but apparently it is located in New Jersey.  6 hour drive.  Again, the Spirit said to send him, so it must be worth it!  I guess sometimes it is easier to follow a prompting when you don't do too much research so you can talk yourself out of it, right?  I know it will be good for him and Q-dawg and I are making it a weekend to pick him up by celebrating our anniversary in New York City the night before.  Woohoo!  (Well, hopefully...still planning that one :).)

Time to get back to the pile!  Just wanted to capture the moment....

Kid's Blogs

I have updated the links for some of the kids' blogs in the header above.  This is what you will see.  Just click on the address for the link to work.

http://joyouspraising.blogspot.com/  (Avot's Spiritual/Mission Blog)
http://kelderofbuda.blogspot.com/  (Lek's Mission Blog)
whiteassnow-avot.blogspot.com
hungaryfun.blogspot.com
thegoobsspot.blogspot.com
https://naturelovinlil.blogspot.com/ (Liliputian's Photo Blog)
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http://beautifulhavala.blogspot.com/
http://deliciouspipalicious.blogspot.com/

Update with interruptions :)

It has been a while since an update, so here it is in a whirl!

Avot is applying for college and is hoping to go in the fall.  She just took her GED, has her ACT completed and we just need to finish it up.  It has been hard to fit in with all of her other activities: debate, work for her dad, choirs and finishing up the play.  It has been fun and a little challenging to navigate the expectations and changes for her now that she is an adult.  We almost did the first scenario of this Studio C:

...but we decided to wait until a few days after her birthday :).   I will have to post separately what Q-dawg and I are doing, but we feel it is a way to foster independence and help effectively as they start to go out on their own...but basically it will just become more and more uncomfortable should any child be tempted to stay, mwa-ha-ha-ha! Avot loves it :).  For now, she is enjoying reading more, teaches our sign language family choir and cultural dance day,....

Break!
We interrupt this regularly scheduled blog post as we rush off in response to the sound of vomiting in the other room!

As I was writing this post last night, Hava gave us proof that she was really sick and not just tired.  From her top bunk, she managed to contaminate three different beds as she leaned up to the edge to "do her business."  Unfortunately, Papaya was slumbering peacefully in her bed two levels directly beneath and got nailed...even worse than Hava herself.  Fortunately, my darling husband is a man among men and he took care of Papaya while I worked on Hava and the beds.

Carrying the bedding downstairs and already feeling a little overwhelmed with the week I have ahead of packing up our house with this tired pregnant body, my mind went to a bible video that has been in my thoughts a great deal lately:

I have tried to keep the perspective of the Savior in this scripture.  He knows that whether the tempest gets calmed or whether it brings them to their deaths, God is mightier than it all and will be good in His sight.  He not only is calm, but he sleeps.  I have been trying to capture that feeling in my life lately when I feel the storm raging, that feeling of peace that allows for slumber in the midst of the storm.  I pictured the storm last night, as I walked to the laundry room past all the mess, all the boxes, all the moving that still needed to be done on top of sick, vomiting children, feeling the weariness in my drained body.  And I felt peace.  Somehow, I can still find peace and joy in the storms if I look for it...or it is a divine gift, more likely.  Either way, I will take it!

Pipalicious is so cute.  She just sparkles and bubbles with joy most of the time.  One of her favorite things to do is, whenever someone makes a statement of something profound, meaningful or reads a scripture, she will pipe up, "Yah, it's kind of like moving to New York!" She has been excited for all of this.

If Spooner could just stop pouring, my life would be a lot easier.  He seems to have impeccable timing, pouring things out just as I am ready to walk out the door or as I have another obligation elsewhere....but you can't just leave stickiness to spread!  Not in a house with as many feet as we have!  Crazy kid :).  He is darling with an adorable apologetic twist of his head and sweet little kisses to make everything better.  He just loves to watch

Lek is still keeping very busy with dancing, working, school and social with "Jane Eyre" finished, but it is nice to have one less thing to balance for him!  He and Q-dawg have been having some epic wrestling matches, too, which is good for both of them. As they were going at it the other day, I called out to Lek, as he fought to regain position from underneath his father on the lawn: "Just think!  Moments like this will make victory all the sweeter when you do beat your dad someday!"  Lek just flashed me a strained grin.  I love watching them go at it!  It has been a bit harder for Lek after he twisted his ankle last week playing football, but he still managed to keep up with his many dance practices and other obligations.  What a guy!  He has also been enjoying his biology class now more that they are working on "macro" organisms.  Last week they dissected the perch and he decided that he was the dissecting pro, able to isolate miniscule body parts for examination.  Love it!

The Goob has quite the wit and keeps us laughing :).  He is excited to try out his air-soft weapons in New York and loves being with his friends around here whenever he can.  He is amazing at keeping his living areas clean, although some days (like this morning) he can get a little frustrated about cleaning up after others.  The little girls spent yesterday afternoon in "creative mode," basically moving everything from their bedroom into the front room to recreate a home...including clothing :S.  Yes.  A little overwhelming, but he bit the bullet and did it.  What a man.  He also has a fantastic scout leader who has been getting him through some fun merit badges lately and takes them on camps regularly.




He has a fun group to camp with and laughs a lot :).  He is also the Deacon's Quorum president and has been taking his responsibilities seriously, praying for and reaching out to the members of his quorum. He has a great heart and a talent for leadership so it is fun to see him grow and apply what he has learned in this role...and he makes it fun :).

The Goob loves doing the Duolingo French and is very motivated to progress: once he gets to a certain point, he gets some French pick-up lines.  :)  So funny!

Hava and Papaya have spent a lot of time snuggling and reading with me lately...well, when I am actually sitting down :).  Sometimes, I need to say "wait!" for my poor tummy after it gets climbed of for a while, but their brown and blue eyes respectively are so adorable when I can just focus on them and not on my sore body :).

Liliputian is in a fun stage of learning.  She is playing her piano lessons right now, loves lists, and completes hers almost every day.  She loves family history and Duolingo and is currently working on Swedish, Spanish, and German.  She is really a blessing to me, helping with the kids, snuggling, rubbing her Dad's feet every night during scripture reading and is a champion animal care-giver...her area of stewardship in our home.

Chugger-dude has been sick off and on for the last week, which hasn't been so fun for him :S.  He has the best smile, a good heart, and can be very tender, which his dad is great at helping moderate for manhood. :)  When they played football last time, Lek came up to tackle him and aimed low to try and miss his head but Chugger-dude also lowered his head and got clobbered on the head.  Poor chap!  Fortunately, Q-dawg was there to encourage him to "buck up!" and the game moved on.  Dads are wonderful people :)!

Car fixed, vegetarian Lek, LEGO movies, and Spooner's update...and a few other odds and ends

I went visiting yesterday with a lady for the first time and we were there for two hours in beautiful, sisterly sharing.  Love it!  Everything was pretty calm and peaceful here when I got back.  Q-dawg and Spooner had fallen asleep on the couch together, Lek was reading a book, Avot taking a nap, the "middle kids" were playing some type of imagination game downstairs, and Papaya?

Papaya was roaming the house with only a diaper on.  Typical :).

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Our car is back from the shop!  After a week of "it'll be done early!" then "the battery is dead and because it is a hybrid, the only charger that we can find to recharge it is in California, and we need to get it shipped in" then "wait!  we found a cable that just needed to be re-plugged in...works great!" then "warning lights are flashing...got to take it in again" to the most recent "it is just fine...ignore the flashing and beeping" it runs!  It is so nice to have two cars back, as we have set up a schedule that has me going somewhere two days a week.  It is nice to not have to borrow the Moore's car anymore (yeah for great neighbors!).

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Lek is thinking about going vegetarian, and we are incorporating some cool recipes to accommodate that...yum!  I particularly love the mediterranean/middle eastern ones that I have found.  Super delish!  And, speaking of yummy recipes, last night we had a new meal (not vegetarian) but it had some delicious sweet potatoes cooked with apple juice, oregano, and pork roast...all slow cooked all day in the crock-pot.  Sweet potatoes are a new thing for us, but everyone loved them!  Woohoo!

Lek is looking forward to trying some new foods and cooking some personal dishes the nights we have meat in our dishes...and he promised to let me sample some :).
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The Goob spent hours creating a little "stop-motion" Lego movie that was quite hilarious last week.  He is so amazing!  I love to see his creativity and humor combined like that :).  He is also doing a great job back as our "breakfast making man" after over a month of trying out the lunch stewardship.  He is great at making us laugh and is considerate in always asking what he can do to help me.  He is going to make some girl a very lucky husband someday!

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I went up to Logan with my three oldest girls last Saturday to celebrate a baby shower for Cody and Bianca's first baby (Q-dawg's baby brother and his wife).  They are such a sweet couple,...that baby is so lucky!  It was wonderful to spend some time with them.  We also were able to enjoy some time at the park with my family right before that, although I didn't plan very well and spent most of the time trying to find someplace to cook our meat :S.  Ahhhhh...the best laid plans of mice and men so often go astray... (I should read that book again, although I remember it being kind of dark...)  At least, Q-dawg and the rest of the non-shower kids were able to enjoy the fam!

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Spooner is starting to stand, walk, eat a few solids (finally!) and has two cute little teeth.  He still has us all wrapped around his adorable little finger!  One of his favorite places to stand is at the top of the stairs and bounce up and down as he watches the action in the house and out the front window.  He is not sure about grass, but definitely loves to be where the action is and will risk a little grass action if it means getting there.
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Last Friday, I was pretty wiped out after one of our long "Master Class"-"Theater"-"Choir" days. I was tired and a little out of sorts.  When my darling Q-dawg asked if there was something he could do to help, I said, "I think I just need to organize something." He gave me the hug I also asked for and then we went and straightened and cleaned out the garage.  We had also just purchased a new lawn mower the night before, so our handyman Lek put that together and was off making the front and side yard look fabulous while we worked in the garage.  It was great to feel like we were making headway in getting settled in...still. :).

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After debating back and forth, I decided to bite the bullet and tell Hava it is her birthday this Saturday, knowing it would be a week of up and down emotion as the "big day" got closer and closer.  Now, to make it magical! :)

What a day!

Crazy, crazy!  I feel like our life has just gone from insane to crazy since we came back from Hungary.  Oh, how I miss that beautiful land and its beautiful people!

Today, I realized at 12:30 pm that the "backpacking trip" for the Goob was really a backpacking trip, and he was supposed to be packed, food and everything for himself, by 1 pm.  I had just finished up the last of five piano lessons I gave this week (Lek went to South Dakota last minute with Grandma, Shara and Carlos and Hava opted out of hers in favor of chasing chickens, which I could totally understand).  I thought I was doing pretty well.  Checked the list.  Saw that he had to have all those cool, light backpacking items like jerky and tuna fish...all before 1 pm.  Wow.

The next 45 minutes were a blur, but we got to the scout drop off only 15 minutes late; not bad when all the Goob had together at 12:30 was a home made mess kit, some underwear and a poncho. (I had told him I would help him...not his fault :).)  I was pretty proud of myself!

I looked around at the disaster of a kitchen, but felt the peace and quiet of my home sink into me.  Oh, well.  Kitchen can wait. 

I posted on my Lazarus blog this morning about looking for the "gentle side of God's commands"...so I have been trying to do that today.  As a result, I sat and just enjoyed watching my Liliputian read to her little siblings from the stack of huge books we just got from Richardsons gratis. (Better than Christmas!)  I think my favorite part of the whole time watching them was that Papaya actually rested on me, still for a few moments, before dashing off to do something else in the room...oh!  And I loved watching Hava attach her brother's rope to the top of the triple bunk bed in that room, tie a double half-hitch around her thigh while standing at the bottom of the bed, and then try to scale the triple-bunk bed.  I just want to know where she figured out how to tie a double half-hitch :)!  She has been hard at work "making swings" in the backyard all morning.  What a dear!  (Right now she is tying up the door with a series of complicated knots...I am not sure what she is trying to do, but she is happy :)!)

Now time to go attack that list of to-do's and get ready to head out for a weekend with Aaron and Niesha and their kids at their cabin.  Good things.  It is amazing how full of the "gentle side" life can be: snuggling, reading books, gazing at beautiful blue eyes and feeling gentle baby skin, the wonderous glow of Chugger dude's eyes as he masters yet another piano piece or the delight of the Goob when he tells a man he is hiking with, "My mom spoils me" (Jolly Ranchers candy and beef jerky...he is easy to please :).)

Modesty is...

Lek found an interesting youtube video last night about how "Modesty is hottesty," and the horrifically catchy tune has been haunting us all morning.

Pipalicious kept repeating in tune, "Modest...is hot.  Modest...is hot."  A little uncomfortable with my six year old's use of "hot," I asked her, "Do you even know what 'hot' means?"

"Yes," she told me matter of factly. "Six."

I love Hungarian :).

Chickens and other stuff...

Glimpses into my day:
"Hang on for a minute. My two year old just dumped 18 eggs on the floor. Can I call you back?"
"What? One of the FIVE MILLION emails I have been sending out lately to set up our homeschool groups didn't make sense? Weird."
(15 year old) "Wait, mom, this brownie batter tastes funny. How much water was I supposed to put in? Half a cup? I thought you said, 'Three cups.'" (Me) "That was three cups of FLOUR." Oops! :)
"What is that noise? Is it the kids or the chickens?"
Yep. We just got 12 chickens...halfway on our way to our 24 ideal!

What a day!

That was the abbreviated facebook version.  Here is more of the story:
 -I'm sitting here watching my wonderful lil' brothers explain "Acquire" to my lovely niece Annie who is visiting us; we just enjoyed a big dinner of mushroom soup burgers, mashed potatoes, corn, and garden-grown tomatoes (courtesy of my sweet neighbor), had our usual crazy FHE, and now are playing games while Q-dawg works, poor chap;  he has baptisms with the youth in the morning, so he is getting ready for that...
-Papaya came up to Avot while I was at a meeting planning for choir and acting group while Avot was at the computer: "Bloody," Papaya said, holding up the pointer finger that she cut the little tip off while using a butter knife to cut up the candybar she snuck out of the fridge
-had a three hour long meeting with four amazing women trying to get our new Vanguard group going...great, but exhausting
-found out we have 16+ boys in our Knights of Freedom group...whew!
-got the girls started painting rocks (idea from Niesha R's pinterest account) for little caterpillar rocks for our garden (that is full of weeds)
-at one point, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed and cried out, "All I want to do is sit and read to my little girls!"  Lek looked at me sympathetically and said, "Go ahead.  What can I do?"  What a saint.  I sat down and read.  It was a moment of heaven in my day.
-the Goob is in Idaho aka heaven with Richardsons right now; we just got back last night from being up there to enjoy Corissa's farewell talk before leaving to serve on her mission...what a special time to be with their family!
-Chugger-dude vacuumed up Mark's car and all the tootie fruities the girls dropped on his floor on our trip to Idaho...the ones he didn't eat, anyway
-Lek fixed our toilet seat...Mr. Fix-It Man does it again! :)...he finished the chicken coop up as well...what a man!
-Papaya only ran into the road once today 
-Avot went to babysit again this morning; she does babysitting and cleaning for a woman weekly, and is awesome at it! She is also doing appraisal preps for Q-dawg, so she is getting money set aside for her own mission in a couple years
-we walked to the park, where I walked in circles and talked on the phone...mom of the year!   
-Spooner is pulling himself up on everything, cries sometimes now when I leave the room, is okay with chocolate, but not American milk, and has some fierce face-grabbing techniques that left their mark on my face a couple days ago

Devotional was by Avot and Hava and it was inspired.  I'll post about it on Lazarus, but let's just say, I used it as the thought in my mentor meeing and it stayed with me all day.  Some days you just need to pray with faith and then hit the ground running. :)

Dog days

The heat's been dreadful, with lots of humidity for some time.  Today is cooler with a great breeze, so we all slept better.  For now, all the kids (including Spooner and Lek) have migrated to the main room, so it is 9 kids in a room and all pleased as punch to be cooler.

Here are some things we have been doing to beat the heat:

-Lek and Avot continue to duel over chess. Avot read up on some tips online so it has been about 50/50 winning for both.  Here is a game Lek wanted documented:

The opponents:

The game!  Checkmate on brown!

Here are some shots of when Lek was chasing the little girls around taking pictures...

Papaya decided to pick up a little light reading and has chosen "Uncle Tom's Cabin" for her first book

Avot's doing a little house cleaning and took a picture of her periodic chart that she put up to memorize the elements...or at least see how they fit together...nerd. :)