Month: January 2019

The kids were sick and it snowed a lot on Martin Luther King day. I had grand plans of sitting everyone down to start the tradition of watching Selma together, but I was also sick and just let the kids watch Harry Potter a bunch while I rested inside. I did manage to do a lot of shoveling outside and put the kids in snow gear to enjoy the snow while I shoveled. Lydia built a snow man!

Abe here. Lily and the kids are sleeping. Perhaps I should be sleeping as well, but I’m enjoying some quiet time, which is something I mostly find on Sunday nights. I love it.

Yesterday, I was proclaiming my gratitude and joy over the fact that no one in our family has gotten significantly sick since February of last year. Now, one day later, literally everyone in the house is sick except for me.  Haha, the timing is incredible!

I first want to mention that Lily wrote a beautiful blog post called, “Why I Stay” and it was published in the By Common Consent blog.  Here is link. Check it out!

I don’t have any pictures of today, but I do want to report a funny anecdote about Ammon. Lily told me this weekend that this week he was running all around the house like a superhero (naked I’m sure) and wearing his cape. Then Lily heard a “thud” and Ammon came crying. He tearfully explained that he hurt himself while jumping (off of what I’m not sure), and then followed up with the comment, “I no fly”. It appeared that Ammon was crying both at his physical pain, as well as his first realization that he cannot actually fly. Reflecting back to other injuries Ammon has sustained (falling from the tree etc) I think a lot could be explained if this whole time he has believed that he could fly…..:)

Church was wonderful, but I was whiped out all day. I couldn’t sleep until 2:30 AM Friday night, and Lily also pinched a nerve at 4:00 AM while sleeping and needed help, and then Saturday during the day, I finished the Old Testament (5 year journey!) instead of napping, so I was a bit of a mess today. Lily was unbelievably loving and affirming to me today, assuring me that our kids were very lucky to have me, even if I was grumpy towards them and had a short fuse today. I’m sorry about today kids!

I started to feel better when we all did a puzzle together (sans the babies) and things were quiet, clean and calm.

Today I woke up practically unable to move because I slept on my back wrong. Yoga helped a TON and now I feel loads better. But Abe also had a rough night and barely slept because of all of his work stress, so we both took it sooooo easy today. Well, as easy as you can take it with four kids.

I went to yoga, grocery shopped a bunch, and cooked red lentil, spinach and lime soup and prepped the mornay sauce for a mac and cheese dish this week. I also cleaned the house, which was completely trashed by the end of the day. It took a long time.

Clarissa is a little sick, and we feel bad for her. But we are so grateful that the rest of the family has basically stayed healthy for ELEVEN MONTHS!!! We are not immune deficient after all!!! It’s so amazing. Knock on wood.

Abe had a dance party to cheer Clarissa up. Ammon photo bombed the pic, and he is naked because I’ve learned that he poops the minute I put him in undies and clothes. So my new strategy is to leave him naked all the time that we are at home. He doesn’t really like it, but he never has any accidents when he is naked, so for my selfish sake, he will probably be naked all the time. Poor boy.

On Friday my friend, Candace, and her twins, Aria and Bentley, came over for a playdate. We visited while the kids played, and then Candace, Mary, Lydia and I all played Bananagrams.

Afterward we got in the car and picked up Abe. Candace’s mom, nephew and sister also joined and we all drove up to Midway to see the ice castles there. It was magical, and I want to go every year. The kids had so much fun exploring the castles, passageways, fountains, and slides. Lydia pretended to make ice cream out of the icicles and had a grand time offering everyone ice cream. Abe and I took turn pulling Clarissa along in the sled. She couldn’t sit up, so she just lay there with her hands hanging out of the sled. Every person we passed got a good laugh out of her.

At one point I bent down to pull Clarissa’s gloves on tighter, and then I stood up and Ammon was gone. I got panicky thinking about how cold it was, how it was going to be dark soon, and how he would never even think to be concerned about the fact that none of his family was nearby, because Ammon just assumes everyone is his best friend. Sure enough, ten minutes later Abe found Ammon happily chatting with some ice palace workers, and they were just starting to figure out that his parents had no idea where he was. That was a huge relief.

Pictures:

 

 

On Thursday morning I went to yoga, and Abe helped get the kids ready. Mary had a HUGE meltdown because she hadn’t done one of her assignments, and I lost patience with her because I felt I had really tried my best to help her get the assignment done, but she hadn’t cooperated. In reality, I could have made a better effort to help her. It was a very rocky start to the morning, and I wish I had been soooo much more patient.

Mary ended up forgetting something at home, so after feeding and reading to the babies, I loaded them in the car and headed back to school and bumped right into Mary when I entered with her binder. Mary looked so happy eating a birthday cupcake, and I was so relieved. When I picked Mary and Lydia up after school, I asked how Mary how her day went, and she replied that it was the “best day ever!” I guess her teacher was not hard on her and one of her friends also didn’t do the assignment, so it didn’t matter. PHEW.

For dinner we had an Indian feast. I made curried eggplant, curried cauliflower and chickpeas, and saag paneer (only with, er, tofu instead of paneer). I ordered chicken tikka masala and naan from our local Indian restaurant, and we had a huge dinner when Abe came home from work. It felt kind of like a Friday because the kids got Friday off.

I took Ammon and Clarissa to the library on Wednesday morning. The preschool program there is so good for Ammon, and I think the toddler’s story time is good for Clarissa, even if she has THE shortest attention span of all my kids. I never recall having a problem with Mary or Lydia at story time. In my memory, those two would pay rapt attention. Lydia was too shy at the time to do the motions or participate, but she would sit quietly and absorb it all. Mary would participate! I remember being so charmed by that novelty. And neither girl would even contemplate wandering around the library during story time.

Ammon was, um, different. He would roam all around, but he was also curious about story time, so he would also pay intermittent attention.

Clarissa pays attention for three minutes, max. And then she’s antsy and wants to play. I have made the mistake of releasing her from her stroller, but I’ve learned that if I do that, I will pay the price when it’s time to put her back in. Her screams are deafening! So now I just take her to story time for two or three minutes, walk quickly around the library checking out books for myself or for the kids, and then go back to story time for another two minutes. And even then we just barely stave off the tantrum Clarissa is dying to throw…

But she is so cute. I had so much fun with her during the night routine because Ammon was asleep and the girls were at dance. It was just the two of us, and I got to just sink into watching Clarissa and talking with her. She is very conversational, even though she hardly ever forms a recognizable word. She points and communicates splendidly. We had such a good time.

Lydia was very happy because she is now old enough to go to Activity Day Girls. It’s at 7pm, which is normally the time she is supposed to be in her bedroom (not sleeping, but doing quiet things). She was so thrilled to be out of the house instead!

While she was gone, Abe and I had a special snack with Mary. We asked her lots of questions and smiled at her cute answers and mannerisms. Her eyes get very wide when she is being sincere, and she has the most adorable, raspy little voice.

My Saturday meal prep is paying off! I haven’t had to resort to fast food or yucky stuff once this week! Okay, okay, it’s only Tuesday. But I’m still proud of myself! On Sunday we had salmon, green beans, spinach, apple, and barley salad, and an apple sharlotka. On Monday we had eggplant rollatini (and I went out afterward for beets and pizza with Emily). Today we had cheese soufflé, made from the base I prepared on Saturday, green beans, and butter lettuce.

We also had two playdates today. Emily brought over my leftovers from Pizzeria 712, and Chloe and Ammon spent an hour playing together. Then after school Ellie Hanson came over and played with the kids until dinnertime.

After dinner, Abby came over to babysit while Abe and I went ministering to the Taohoes and the Morrells. We had so much fun and felt like we were on a date.

The kids were over the top excited to see Abby. Lydia made a sign, “Welcome, Abby!” and taped it to her door.

She also composed a poem about how much she loves Abby and had Mary read it to Abby. They worked out a signal for Mary to make when she couldn’t read one of Lydia’s words. Mary would make the signal and Lydia would read the problematic text. I wasn’t there, but I can imagine it was such a cute system!

I think the kids love Abby.

This morning I took the kids out for errands and to the Orem library while the cleaning people cleaned the house. It was so nice to come home to a clean house, especially after we trashed it so much on the weekend!

In the evening I went to Pizzeria 712 with my neighbor, Emily. She and I always have very deep, intense conversations that leave me very inspired but kind of emotionally wiped. She is a beautiful soul.

Abe called my dear former home teacher, Brother Richardson, and chatted about his work issues and fears. Brother Richardson gave him wonderful counsel and advice. We are so blessed to have such people in our lives.

Our favorite part of Sunday was after we put the babies down. Abe and I played bananagrams and a flower matching game with the girls. It was so fun!

On Saturday morning I left early to get some errands in so I could prep food for the week. As I was leaving, Mary, who had gotten up before everyone else, asked so sweetly if she could come too. I said of course, and she excitedly informed me that we were going on a mommy daughter date. I have actually been meaning to take Mary on a mommy-daughter date for a while, so I was thrilled that she suggested one!

We just did groceries together, but it was such a nice opportunity to enjoy having such a cute, cute daughter. Mary is nothing if not over the top cute. She always has been. Sometimes I don’t appreciate this because I interpret her cuteness as manipulation or even immaturity (the bad kind), but honestly, when I take a step back and remove myself from the picture, Mary is just so adorable. And because of this, she gets a lot of attention everywhere she goes. We can’t go anywhere without someone solemnly telling her how much they love her red glasses, for example.

When we got home, I hurried to prep a bunch of meals for the week and then I took off for hot pilates and bikram after. I thought I might not make it through bikram because I was so tired after pilates, but somehow I made it through and didn’t even go into shock this time!

Then I came home, did my hair for the week, and collapsed on the couch with Abe, who was taking a break from putting the basement back together and all of the playmobile play the kids had him do while I was at yoga.

After that I had a really hard practice with Mary. I feel so bad about these. But I take comfort in Prince Albert. I have been reading online about Prince Albert because I love the show Victoria. He supposedly used to hit his children’s fingers at the piano.

Before I was a parent of children who practice instruments, I would have been horrified by this. Now, even though I don’t hit my kids’ fingers, I have the utmost sympathy and admiration for Prince Albert. I mean, the man was not only a spectacular king-in-the-wings, but he was also a TIGER PARENT.  He was incredible! Somehow he made time to supervise his children’s piano practice even when he had so much going on (and sooooo many kids!). I am in awe. So I definitely don’t judge the finger hitting, and I completely, completely understand where that came from. It is maddening when your child turns off her brain and decides that she can’t/won’t do a simple task. It really is.

At the same time, I wish I had more self control and didn’t lose my mind when my child refuses to play a simple measure for the umpteenth time.

After practice, we rushed everyone into the car and drove to Olivia Marshall’s play, Annie. Olivia was Molly, and she was fantastic! Everyone had a great time, although I left with the babies at intermission to drive through Chick Fil-A for everyone else, since we forgot to feed people dinner at home. Oops. The price of practice, I guess?

After we put the kids to bed, I binge watched Victoria while Abe kept working on the basement. Thank you, my love.