its about time

This has been a fun year for us. No one really checks blogs anymore, but I figure I need to be jotting things down so that I can remember the good things going on in my life with my family.

I won't go recap the entire year.

Levi just turned 10 the other day. That means I have been a parent for a decade! Wow, I am old. And so is he. Levi is awesome; he has a strong sense of self and is happy (mostly), he is always such a big help at home with his younger siblings. Right now Levi LOVES Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit and of course lego. Levi's creativity is developing and he loves drawing and comics and playing hide and go seek outside in the dark with his friends.

Enoch got baptized this year! It was such a great day. Enoch has really grown up a lot this year. He is as smart as a whip and can sometimes spell words better than myself. He has a love for playing outside, which is helped by having a neighbour his age right across the street. Enoch shares a love for the same books as Levi, and is often found with his nose in a book.

Monet is my girl. So glad I have a girl in this life of boys! She is thriving in kindergarten, learning to read simple words and I have heard from more than one parent about how kind she is. That just warms my heart; to hear that my kids are kind. Monet takes her role as big sister very seriously and makes up hundreds of games for Thad and Zeke to play. Her imagination has not slowed down as she has gotten older.

Thaddy-bear is really no longer Thaddy-bear. Although he does like it when I use his name and sing the good ol' Gummy Bears theme song from the cartoon. Thad is in joy school and loves it so much. He dresses himself most days, and adds interesting details like socks on his hands or a cape and no shirt. He loves to laugh and to make others laugh. Knock knock jokes are probably one of the funniest things to him in the entire world.

My baby is growing way too fast. Just yesterday I was marvelling at how tall he was as Josh was holding him. He was a nightmare as far as sleep goes, but we took his bottle away a month or two ago and he is  (finally) sleeping through the night. He doesn't say a ton of words, but a few of them are Dada (or course), mum, baba---bottle, nah-nah---night-night, shoe, no, nose and nana--banana.  His first words were tick tock for some reason. He used to repeat that all the time.

I am starting an independent dental hygiene business. It has kept me plenty busy and has been fun as I am enjoying the steep learning curve of running a business and dealing with insurance companies. I try to only work 5 days a month or so, so I feel like at least it hasn't taken over my family life. Josh might say otherwise, though. I run when I can and avoid housework whenever possible. Just read my first e-book which I thought I would never do, but loved using the in-phone dictionary.

Josh has started a scripture study class with a few couples from our ward. It has been very enlightening and enjoyable. I guess I can't make as much fun of him anymore for being so anti-social.  He is really into listening to podcasts by James Altucher, Tim Ferriss, Eric Thomas and Les Brown to name a few. Josh wants to get a six pack and thinks a lot about cross fit and navy seals and such. But I think he'll reach his goal when I do the same and stop eating sugar of any kind.

All in all our family has had a good and memorable year. We are feeling blessed and watched over.

spring!

Had the most glorious outing yesterday. Just to the park. But all 5 kids went, all 5 kids had fun, all 5 kids got dirty and wet and a slurpee. OK, Zeke didn't get one. But the weather was warm and sunny, and not windy and cold.... just lovely.

Ezekiel finally figured out how to go up and down the stairs safely and by himself. We had the stair blocked for almost 4 months, keeping him away from the stairs. So nice to not have to hop over a big chair or a big board in order to leave the main floor. It seems like once this kids learns one thing, he likes to keep going. He took his first steps last Wednesday, and already he is starting to walk on his own often. Since then he has learned how to stand up in his high chair and crawl onto the table. Oh! And don't forget that he now knows EXACTLY what to do if he finds a toilet lid up. He is finally taking a bottle and will be weaned by the end of the month. tear.

It took a long time, but Thad is now potty trained. He was more difficult than the last two to teach (no one will ever be as hard as Levi was, knock on wood), but once we figured out what motivated him, it was a breeze. With Levi it was Cars. Enoch was candy. Monet; Disney youtube videos. And turns out for Thad it is over the top praise and recognition. When the older kids do something in primary, like give a talk or prayer, after church they get to stand on the table and we all clap for them. We then all enjoy a treat, while the child on the table gets a double portion. Well, we put Thad up there once after peeing on the potty, and overnight he managed to figure out how and when to use the potty. He is so cute on the table, raising his right arm up high like a champion. Yeah, Thad!

Monet has loved every minute of pre-school. I can't believe she will be in kindergarten next year. She is starting to get close to knowing how to read, being able to make the sounds but not put them together. She is my biggest helper and enjoys helping me in the kitchen or folding laundry. I love seeing her imagination at work and watching her play with her friends.

It is now November and I never published this. I guess I will now. Sorry Enoch and Levi, better luck next time!

ziki

I need to write a little something about our sweet baby that is turning into a 2 year old right before our eyes! He is just 8 months, but has been crawling for nearly 2 months already and is quite good at going up the stairs. He is also good at going downstairs, but when he does this he needs someone to catch him as it is a face first free fall.  Zeke got his first two teeth right before Christmas and stood all by himself holding onto nothing just the other day. He still gets up several times a night but at least he sleeps in his own bed now instead of ours.

This little guy isn't so little. By 6 months he was in 12-18 month clothes, and just today his 18 month onesie for church barely snapped up.  I had to really force it. This same shirt Thad wore in the summer time. As in 4 months ago. My family jokes that Zeke's head is a big as mine, but it really isn't true. Not sure why they think that is so funny.

Ezekiel walks with his walker and lights up when Daddy enters the room. He also recognizes when Daddy starts up the missiles and laughs delightedly. We all sure love this little guy. It's sad that he is growing up so fast.