On the flip side

Not wanting to get the award for the most depressing blog on the net, I thought that today we'd hit some of the lighter moments...

Gabey is looking as if he is wanting to get somewhere. He loves tummy-time and he has just started putting his legs underneath himself. He can get into a crawling position all on his own. Thankfully, he hasn't added any forward momentum to his new trick. Mom is just not ready for that yet.

Gid the Kid is a blast to observe. He really watches to see what the other kids are doing, and takes his cues from them. When everyone is doing what they should, this works great. He'll hang close to the group, and I watched him go sit down (at the door) by the other kids who were ready and waiting for mom's cue to head outside and load up into the van. This is great. Later, when we were leaving, Michaelyn accidentally tripped and scraped her knee. Gideon, who was near by, dropped to the ground in a like manner and mimicked her cry of pain. It took a minute to convince him that he was OK.

Lilija is very smart. She observes what the other girls are doing and tries to follow suit. At least, when it is her idea to do so. Today, the children took turns talking to Daddy. Michaelyn talked first. I watched as she walked an imaginary path around the living room while she chatted with Michael. She asked questions like, "do you have our house yet? what will it look like?" Chloe took the next turn on the phone. I smiled as I watched her walk and chat in a similar pattern. She even asked the same questions. Lily took the cake! She was trying so hard to "walk" when it was her turn on the phone, that she nearly neglected to talk. When she did ask her questions, I overheard one in particular. "Daddy, will we live with you?" What a pumpkin.

Levi is quite the little guy. We have been working on table manners at home. These all seem lost on him. He can't figure out why we would pass something through two or three peoplet to get it to him. He is content to climb on top of the table to get it. But, he loves to know the rules. If I ask him, he can even tell me which rule he has violated. "Levi, are you supposed to climb on the table." "No." "Levi, what are our table rules?" This is where he gets specific. "Rule number one, stay seated. Ask to have something passed." I am waiting for the connection to be made in his sweet little head. I hope it will happen before he is married.

Chloe got a special treat today. I was so blessed by her persistence in completing her chores that I set a little peppermint patty on the counter for her. I said, "Chloe, you have done such a good job, I want to give you this treat. When you are finished putting the silverware away, you can eat it. Eat it here in the kitchen and please don't tell the other kid's about it." A few minutes later, Chloe brings her little treat out of the kitchen and finds me (other little people all around) and says (with the help of an amplifier I think) "Mommy, is this candy for me?" I don't think that she heard a word I said in the kitchen after "I want to give you this treat..."

Michaelyn has learned to be a little more discrete, at least about special candy treats. She is really learning about the "unsaid things" that happen around us everyday. She just hasn't learned not to say them. When Michael and I spell things to one another, Michaelyn likes to figure out what we said. Usually, we are not spelling to keep things from her specifically, so it is Ok that she knows. However, she just doesn't want to know, she wants us to know that she knows. Many a surprise trip to the z-o-o and the d-a-i-r-y-q-u-e-e-n have been tipped off by a very excited new speller. Recently, she is trying something new. She still wants me to know that she knows, but she is trying to keep her news confirmations to a whisper and animated sign language (a language that only she can understand).

Sorry no pictures. I hope you can understand, my tech guru is in Germany. Frankly, this is the most time that I have spent on the internet in years. God bless your homes with joy and laughter.