Isaac's Journal

March 25, 2013

We've had a good couple of months, especially considering that it's been winter. Even now that it's technically spring, we've gotten snow twice in the last two weeks. It always helps to have swimming lessons to look forward to twice a week. Especially this year, since we're doing them at the same time as the Slacks. The first session you shared a level with Roman, then you passed the test and moved up to the same level as Christian for the second session. Watching you swim is pretty incredible – you have strong, purposeful, well-formed strokes. I think you are a better swimmer already than I ever have been.

At the end of January Daddy took me along with him on a business trip to San Jose. You and your siblings stayed with Papa and Grammie for five days. I think you had a lot of fun – sleeping over at the Slacks one night, doing a special nature program, watching extra movies – but it was you who really, really missed us. The other kids didn't seem too fazed by our absence, but you repeatedly mentioned how much you missed Mom. Then when I got home and Dad went straight to Ohio, you were the one who cried about how much you missed Dad! Truly such a tender heart – I am thankful that you care so much.

You got to go skiing with the homeschool group again three times – and this year we went the same day as the Jacobs kids, so you and Daniel got to ski together quite a bit. Of course you did very well and all but the biggest story was when you, Dad, Daniel and Abby went to the top of the mountain together. Abby was a little slower than you boys, so Dad told you guys to go on ahead to the lodge. Apparently you got part of the way down the mountain and couldn't figure out which way to go. You and Daniel conferred and concluded you were lost. But you decided to bravely ask a stranger which way the lodge was. You followed his directions and successfully got down the mountain, but not before peeing your pants for lack of a restroom. Although it seemed to give you a bit of a rush once you realized you had made it, I think you were genuinely quite freaked out.

The day after a big adventure (like skiing) is normally quite difficult for you. It's like you live for those highs, and coming down to real life is very disappointing. Things that are normally easy for you become overwhelming or despised and you often take your frustration out on others. So hoping to make “normal days” more fun, plus desiring to have some one-on-one time with you, I had the idea of building “special Mommy-Isaac time” into each week (currently Thursday afternoons). You look forward to it with great anticipation. It has been fun for me too!. Generally we spend time talking about your daily Bible reading and other things on your heart then transition to a fun activity. We've played games, built a Lego set together, and just last week we experimented with your electronics set. I'm hoping our weekly time together will become a long and cherished tradition.

I've also started giving you piano lessons. I sensed you were ready, but you weren't interested unless I was your teacher. So I'm starting you out with the idea that you will likely transition to another teacher at some point. You are a quick study and so far understanding the staff and rhythms, etc., have come easily. Playing duets together has been a good incentive for you to practice as well. You are also very good at math. Recently you had to start adding columns of numbers over a thousand. It overwhelmed you and you pouted most of the morning. But after getting over it, you now routinely get all of those problems right, even though it would be easy to make little “mistakes”.

Another change is that the Belchers are back. Nadya's food allergies were dangerously worse in Russia, so they had to come home. We are all so glad to see them again. We got to go hiking (M Hill) on Grace's birthday with them and they have been over to play a few times. You and she and Abby have a very special friendship. I found you writing Grace's name in cursive over and over and over again. At this point you are assuming you and she will marry one day – that would be okay with me! (But these things seldom work out the way we think they will.)

You are growing up in so many ways; it is hard for me to wrap my mind around the idea that you will be eight so soon! I bought you a booklight and have started letting you read in bed for a half hour or so. In the morning you come up and say, “Mom I read 4 chapters (or whatever) in the Jesus Storybook Bible last night.” I pray so often that you will know his “never stopping, never giving up, unbreaking, always and forever love” for you.

Abby's Journal

March 25, 2013

We've had a good couple of months, especially considering that it's been winter. Even now that it's technically spring, we've gotten snow twice in the last two weeks. It always helps to have swimming lessons to look forward to twice a week. This session you are in a class with your friend Evie from church. You seem to look forward to lessons, although, as you would say (you say this about a lot of things), “they're not my favorite thing in the world.”

At the end of January Daddy took me along with him on a business trip to San Jose. You and your siblings stayed with Papa and Grammie for five days. I think you had a lot of fun – sleeping over at the Slacks one night, doing a special nature program, watching extra movies. It was long enough that I really wanted to get home and see my kids again! I missed you guys!

You got to go skiing three times this year with the homeschool group. Daddy took you twice, and we were both amazed by how quickly you picked up on it! Coordination is not always your strong suit, but you were skiing intermediate slopes your first time out!.Your favorite thing to do is bomb straight down the bunny hill – which is funny to me, since that's what I love best also. You, Isaac and I also went to a free ice skating day and you did great! We were all picking up speed but you seemed pretty balanced. You fell down quite a bit but always caught yourself with your hands. Then right before we left you smacked your forehead hard on the ice. I went to you and as I picked you up you started snorting, your eyes rolled back in your head and you passed out. It was a very scary thirty seconds. Even after you came to I had visions of brain swelling and permanent damage. But thankfully you are just fine.

We have started doing “Mommy-Abby special time” on Friday afternoons. You asked me to play with you so often and I felt like I brushed you off too much, so I decided to intentionally build some time for that into each week. We have had a lot of fun! So far we've played Barbies and Legos, had a tea party, designed and decorated headbands, and made and painted salt dough food and dishes for your American Girl doll. I am so glad we have the chance to spend that time together, and I hope it will become a long and cherished tradition.

I have been so pleased that your determination to obey has increased and your willingness to focus on your chores and schoolwork has greatly improved. It makes for a much more pleasant morning! In fact, I have not had to give you more than a gentle reminder for several weeks now. You have been so pleasant and helpful. Your giving heart amazes me. Often when I give you a privilege (eg you may pick the movie) you give it away to Isaac. You gave Matthew $22 dollars for his birthday! And you share all of your dolls and Barbies with Ellie, even though she wrecks their hair and takes their clothes off.

You have been loving to read! I called you a bookworm, but you said, “I am not a worm!” We have a Bible storybook sitting in the living room and you have probably read a dozen different stories out of it in the last week or so. You are so imaginative! One night you and Isaac were up a little late gabbing with Dad and I and you told us about your made-up creature, the Litingmobae. A lion had a baby with a tiger who had a baby with a monkey and so on. You also have been really “into” Legos. You build houses and picnic tables and wheelchairs and give all of your people names and change their clothes. And their family is the richest in town because they have a servant – the chef, named Bob. The prettiest girl has to be named Kylee, because that's your favorite name.

Matthew's Journal

March 27, 2013

We've had a good couple of months, especially considering that it's been winter. Even now that it's technically spring, we've gotten snow twice in the last two weeks. Most of us are starting to experience a bit of spring fever – but you wake up nearly every morning and say, “Do I have to go to Bible study or church or swimming lessons today?” And if I say no, your response is, “Yay! I get to stay home and play all day!”

At the end of January Daddy took me along with him on a business trip to San Jose. You and your siblings stayed with Papa and Grammie for five days. I think you had a lot of fun – sleeping over at the Slacks one night, doing a special nature program, watching extra movies. It was long enough that I really wanted to get home and see my kids again! I missed you guys!

You turned four! I can't believe you are so big now. We celebrated by having four of your friends (Beckham, Conner, Gideon and Sequoia) over for a “Builder Birthday”. You seemed to love your brownies covered in toy construction vehicles (scooping chocolate chips into a dump truck) and the activities: decorating plastic builder hats, hammering nails into floral foam and reading “Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site.” We also gathered at Papa and Grammie's a couple days later to celebrate you and Beckham together – complete with a Superman cake. Your gift from us was a scooter – now you don't have to walk when Isaac and Abby ride their scooters. You rode it all the way to Safeway a couple of weeks ago!

Daddy took Isaac and Abby skiing a couple of times, so you, me and Ellie got to have some fun “little kid” time together. We went to the play area at the mall, then had lunch, got candy and rode a couple little rides. You loved it, and it was fun for me to get to focus on the two of you and do some of the activities that we did more often when there weren't any “big kids”. One of those days I helped you build your new Lego race car set. It really bothered you that there were a variety of ways that the cars could be built – and not enough pieces to build all of the versions simultaneously. Once we finally got that ironed out, it bothered you that we still had pieces left over! So I made a “control panel” out of random leftovers and that made you very happy indeed.

We have also loved having the Belchers back from Russia. You and Nadya have been calling yourselves “Jewel and Jake” whenever you play together. I also overheard you tell her, “When we're grown up, we can't live here. We'll have to get our own house when we're married.” You really value your friends – if we've gone more than three or four days without seeing Beckham, you'll start begging to see him. And you were really sad when Gideon played airsoft with the big boys instead of staying inside with you.

Every morning after you get dressed you pick up your room. This is something you do without prompting from me. You like things to be clean (I wonder where you got that? -ha!) and you are willing to do the work to keep your spaces that way. You make Isaac's bed for him to keep your shared room looking tidy. Even your tool bench has a place for everything and everything in its place. I often have to remind you that it's okay to make a mess while we're playing as long as we clean it up when we're done.

You are so funny in a lot of ways. You hate for other people to be loud, but when you are unhappy your screech can top any one else's. And you have a near-constant soundtrack to your play. You'll be driving trucks or building blocks while making drum track sounds with your mouth. Boom ba boo bo pshht! At lunch you turn your apples into blocks and your crackers into trucks. You'll play the whole meal, but when I finally tell you that you must eat now . . . you can clean your plate in three minutes.

We sing together every night before bed and you've been picking, “Jesus loves you he who died.” “I just love that song, Mom!” We sing it together, and you are careful to get each word right. You've been talking about how you want to do what's right, but “Jesus loves us even when we sin, right?” Oh how I pray that you may know Christ - that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. (Eph 1)

Ellie's Journal

March 27, 2013

We've had a good couple of months, especially considering that it's been winter. Even now that it's technically spring, we've gotten snow twice in the last two weeks. Even you are feeling a big cooped up, I think. You beg to go along whenever anyone is leaving the house! We get out at least four times a week – church, twice to swimming lessons (where you play in the YMCA nursery) and once to Bible study (which you love!).

At the end of January Daddy took me along with him on a business trip to San Jose. You and your siblings stayed with Papa and Grammie for five days. I think you had a lot of fun, but it was hard for me to leave you for so long. I'm glad you did so well.

Daddy took Isaac and Abby skiing a couple of times, so you, me and Matthew got to have some fun “little kid” time together. We went to the play area at the mall, then had lunch, got candy and rode a couple little rides. You loved it, and it was fun for me to get to focus on the two of you and do some of the activities that we did more often when there weren't any “big kids”.

You are definitely not a baby anymore! It is hard for me to believe that you will be two next month. Now you are speaking in full sentences, “Mama, can I help you mix the eggs?” and so aware of everything and everyone. You LOVE to have me read to you. After reading our baby “board” books to four children I have them all memorized, but you've got them all memorized now too! I brought home a nursery rhyme book from the thrift store one day and you asked me to read it probably five to ten times a day for the next two weeks.

Although you are NOT a baby, you understand how to act like one and you are really good at it! Sometimes you will say, “I a baby,” then lay down and stay in character for the next twenty minutes or so. This includes you refusing to talk, even though we try everything in our power to induce you to do so! It takes impressive control on your part! Sometimes you'll pretend to be a kitty or a doggie in the same sort of way. You love babies, especially new cousin Izabelle. You are always happy to hold her or “pet” her. Really any one you spot under the age of three commands your intense attention. And you call them all babies.

You can't dress yourself yet, but you can undress yourself. It seems you prefer to wear just a diaper. Also you tend to take out your pigtails, to the point where I wonder why I bother to dress you and do your hair at all. It is helpful that you can bring me diapers when you need a change then throw away your dirty ones. That's your only “official” job, but you often choose to help me unload the dishwasher and you like to help Matthew collect the wastebaskets to dump into the kitchen trash. I also often have you set the silverware on the table; you'll hold up a fork and say, “Who's this one for?” and when I answer you set it in just the right spot.

You have a good sense of humor – it seems like you have a feel for what will make people laugh. I was reading you a baby animal book the other day. I would say the name of the animal and ask you what sound it made. You got them all right until I said, “What does the chicky say?” You looked right at me because you knew I would laugh and answered, “Grrr!”

Ellie's Journal

I can't believe it's another new year. We had a good time over the holidays. Thanksgiving was here in Rapid. We hosted all the family – including Nana who was visiting from Michigan – plus a couple of Bangladeshi students. It was nice to have Daddy take a couple of days off of work because he had been traveling a lot for work. Although his new company is doing very well, his clients have been asking him to travel several times a month.

The next month was a blur of fun: watching the Parade of Lights, packing shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child, having a cousins sleepover at Papa and Grammie's, having friends over, making gingerbread houses with Slacks (you carefully stuck gumdrops all over yours!), Storybook Island lights display, going to the Heerens to decorate sugar cookies . . .

And then we left for MN. We spent a whole week. On the drive there you went a whole day without a nap for the first time. (joy!) You got showered with presents and also got a cold, so you weren't eating or sleeping quite right. It was a bummer, but you still managed to be fairly cheerful. Everyone just loved your pigtails and big blue eyes. After we got home you still had presents from Dad and Mom to open – we gave you a toy purse and a toy phone, which is just what Grandpa Curt and Grandma Kim had given you. So I put one of each away and you didn't even get much of a Christmas gift from your own parents – how sad is that? But you got a new baby doll named Hannah from Papa and Grammie and you love her very much.

You are always thinking about other people. When we get in the van you'll say, “where Matt-Matt go?” because you can't see him from your spot and you want to check if he's there. You ask about where Daddy is, where Papa is, you'll name the people in the pictures hanging on the fridge. If you find a toy that belongs to a sibling, you'll run and give it to them. You are also very huggy towards your little friends around your size (sometimes much to their distress!). But at the same time the things you pick up are distressing sometimes. I've heard you sitting in your high chair and for no reason repeating things like “poopy face” and “na-na-na-na-boo-boo”. It doesn't sound quite right coming from a 21 month old!

Your vocabulary is growing every day and you often ask me, “what's this?” You can even say, “pacifier” now. Three word sentences are not uncommon. You can tell me almost all of the basic animal sounds and names of the animals. You can count to three and you know that eight comes after seven. Sometimes I'll hear you trying to sing the ABC song. You'll also sing Jesus Loves Me, and Row Row Row Your Boat (usually while sitting in the laundry basket rocking back and forth). We still need to work on knowing your colors though – you almost always get them wrong!

So far you are a decent eater. You prefer vegetables to fruit – in fact in order to get you to eat fruit I have to make smoothies. But you will gobble up peas or broccoli or red bell peppers or carrots! You like eggs and beans but not most meats – cheap protein I guess! You are starting to prefer water to milk, and you will help yourself to it by getting a cup and standing on the toilet to fill it at the bathroom sink!

We all love you dearly, but you really do have a way of getting in the way. I hope you don't grow up scarred by all the times you're told “no!” by myself and your three siblings! One day you were climbing on the table and I said, “No, Ellie, you may not do that.” You looked at me, stuck two fingers in your cheeks and stretched your mouth wide. It took all I had not to bust out laughing. You are quite a ham really! If you realize something you said or did made us laugh, you'll do it over and over ad nauseum. Really you are a spark of joy and sunshine and we all know how much brighter our lives are because of you.

Matthew's Journal

I can't believe it's another new year. We had a good time over the holidays. Thanksgiving was here in Rapid. We hosted all the family – including Nana who was visiting from Michigan – plus a couple of Bangladeshi students. It was nice to have Daddy take a couple of days off of work because he had been traveling a lot for work. Although his new company is doing very well, his clients have been asking him to travel several times a month.

The next month was a blur of fun: watching the Parade of Lights, packing shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child, wrapping presents (you picked a fairy doll for Abby, a yo-yo for Isaac and a stuffed animal for Ellie), having a cousins sleepover at Papa and Grammie's, having friends over, WaTiki waterpark for Abby's birthday, making gingerbread houses with Slacks, Storybook Island lights display, going to the Heerens to decorate sugar cookies . . .

And then we left for MN. We spent a whole week. You got showered with presents (trucks!) and spent a lot of time plastered to the TV (Wii and movies). A few times you played in the snow, and you also built a race car out of Legos. You loved walking across the driveway to “visit Grandma Fluff-fluff” and I think she adored having you – just you. I think you talked her ear off.

After we got home you experienced screen withdrawal. It helped a little bit that you still had presents from Dad and Mom to look forward to (we couldn't fit them in the van so you couldn't open them on Christmas). We gave you a tool belt – which you had been wanting for months. So along with the toolbox you bought from Isaac a while ago and the tool bench you got for Christmas from Papa and Grammie, you are all set!

One of the most fun things of our school year so far has been our monthly “play-days”. I organized the homeschool families from church to get together on the 3^rd Monday afternoon of each month at the church. The moms visit, the babies nap, and the kids play. You love this time each month and look forward to playing with your buddy Gideon. You play tag or tag along with the girls when they play house or even just drive trucks on the floor.

You just started swimming lessons for the first time (after last year's failed attempt). You are doing great! It helps that Beckham is in your class, but you go cheerfully with no complaint each time. I am glad you are big enough to enjoy it now.

One favorite occupation is building “forts” all over the house – but primarily in the living room which is our central living space. It is interesting to watch you because you obviously have a clear vision of what you are trying to achieve and when the building materials (sheets, pillows, chairs) don't cooperate, you get very frustrated. Also frustrating for you is your little sister Ellie, who thinks she is playing with you but actually messes up whatever it is you have built. It gets frustrating for me to spend the whole day alternating between you shrieking because Ellie wrecked your fort and Ellie shrieking because she doesn't get to play with you!

Sometimes you say things like, “That is very peculiar.” And it just sounds so funny coming out of your little mouth! Another “peculiarity” about you is that I think you would live on apples, bread and butter if you had your way. Tonight you brought up, “There is God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Jesus is a man and the Holy Spirit is like the angels and God is the main God because there can't be three Gods.” Whoa. I wonder what our bedtime conversations will be like in ten years? I also treasure it when you hold up one finger, then another, then a third as you say, “I. Love. You.”

Abby's Journal

I can't believe it's another new year. We had a good time over the holidays. Thanksgiving was here in Rapid. We hosted all the family – including Nana who was visiting from Michigan – plus a couple of Bangladeshi students. It was nice to have Daddy take a couple of days off of work because he had been traveling a lot for work. Although his new company is doing very well, his clients have been asking him to travel several times a month.

The next month was a blur of fun: watching the Parade of Lights, packing shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child, wrapping presents (you picked out something for each of your siblings but just “didn't see anything Daddy or Mommy would like”), having a cousins sleepover at Papa and Grammie's, having friends over, making gingerbread houses with Slacks, Storybook Island lights display, going to the Heerens to decorate sugar cookies . . .

Of course your birthday is in there too! You wanted a Barbie birthday party this time with not too many activities – just time to play. So you and your ten best friends ate brownies and ice cream then played Barbies and played on the hill behind our house. For your birthday we gave you my old American Girl doll, Kirsten. You were so excited! It was fun for me to pass down such a treasured part of my own childhood. We also went to the WaTiki waterpark as a family for your “special thing”. As always, you picked fried rice and Chinese dumplings for your meal. You also lost your first tooth the day after your birthday!

Soon afterwards, we left for MN. We spent a whole week. You got showered with presents and spent a lot of time plastered to the TV (Wii and movies). A few times you ran around in the snow, but it took quite a bit of cajoling to get you out there. You got a lot of new Barbie gear from Grandpa Curt and Grandma Kim, so you played that. On Christmas day, Daddy's cousin's daughter Emily – who is your age – played with you. It's fun that you are getting big enough to play games with the adults sometimes – you got a kick out of that as well.

After we got home you experienced screen withdrawal. It helped a little bit that you still had presents from Dad and Mom to look forward to (we couldn't fit them in the van so you couldn't open them on Christmas). We gave you some outfits and accessories for your American Girl doll. You were so glad to “finally” be able to change her clothes! You've also expressed an interest in the American Girl books. We made it through the first Kirsten book – I told you if you'd read the first three pages of each chapter, I'd finish for you.

Speaking of reading, just today you finished the AlphaPhonics book! This is a big milestone for you – it means you are a “real reader” now. I offered to buy you a Barbie bed but you want a pocketknife like Isaac got for his reward. You also received your own “big” Bible today – complete with a pink daisy cover.

You are so funny – some days you want to stay in your pajamas and not even brush your hair. Other days you experiment with layering your shirts and want your hair done up in “two braids along the side of my head then they come together in the back.” I hope I can guide you in your choices, affirming your desire to look pretty while also offering wisdom about the true beauty of the heart.

We are still struggling with you being very easily distracted. Often I tell you to get dressed, then go check fifteen minutes later and you haven't even started. It is frustrating for me, but I think the Lord is showing me that you are good at valuing the things I miss. For instance, you notice the things around you where you are and want to interact with them. You hear a sibling needing help and you drop what you're doing to help them. You think of a great story and you lapse into daydreams until it is worked out in your mind. I think these things make a beautiful part of who you are. The trouble is how to let you be who God has made you to be while still teaching you a minimum of discipline required to thrive in life.