I missed celebrating May the 4th with my kids! Man! It is so fun to do stuff like that and I love to see their eyes light up when we're having fun and they see me playing along.
Ruby loves Emma. She read her stories tonight for about an hour. Today Chris and I came home from our date and Ruby was in her poodle skirt/dress sitting on the wood chair in front of the house, holding a Book of Mormon and some scripture-marking crayons just turning pages.
Betsy reads in the morning in her room because she wakes up the earliest. I still hear her sometimes whispering to Ruby, "Wake up, it's morning." Which is cute and also makes my blood boil a bit. She's into reading and writing "I love you" notes to everyone.
Abby loves to be in control. If I start singing a song she will usually say, "Stop." And this is also true for a story or something I'm doing, like dancing. And if I, or any of the other family members she says it to, don't stop, she starts screaming. She still often says, "Hold me."
She loves Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Miss Mary Mack, and Brown Bear, Brown Bear What do you See. And she calls the latter book by its full name. This week we sat down many times to read both of those. One time I started Brown Bear and she said, "Stop. I read it." So I held her in my lap and turned the pages. And she read the whole thing! Including the animal noises we make with the little rhyme/song to read that story. Wow. She also likes me to read Miss Mary Mack and say the line without the last two words, which she then fills in. So cute.
Abby also went poopies on the potty this week. One time, but still! That's amazing. Ruby says she potty-trained Abby. If it's not true yet, it will be. She also laughs socially with everyone.
This week had two days in the high 80s, which came out of nowhere. So at night our house was quite warm. All the kids slept in just their diaper (except Betsy who just last week started sleeping with underwear!), and went to the bathtub a few times to run cold water over themselves. They were very uncomfortable. How lucky we are to live so comfortably most of the time. It reminded me of the sweaty days in Palo Alto with no air conditioning, a nursing baby, snuggling kids, and 90 degree weather. That was hard.
One of the hottest weekends in Palo Alto I said we have to get something to help. The air was so still in our apartment and we just dripped sweat all day and night. On Saturday I went to the store and got a fan because I was going crazy. It helped some. That Sunday Bishop Jason Peery asked if he could come over to visit us. He came over in his suit and I felt so embarrassed having him sit in this super hot house. His jacket came off. And he started dripping, too. I had bought ice cream at the store the night before, too, so our kids could have a cool treat in the afternoon. We got it out while he was there and offered him some, too. It was very humbling.
Gabriel started robotics at school, which he got selected for through a lottery. Gavin didn't get selected, so it's interesting to watch them learn in this situation. Gavin came home and said, "Mom, guess what Gabriel got chosen for?! Robotics! I'm so happy for him!" Later he told me he wished he could do it, too. So sweet that he could choose his reaction to be kind when he felt bummed. Gabriel went to one Robotics meeting after school with Mr. L, who wrote and said Gabriel is a natural leader.
Gavin had one morning this week where he had to take an extra shower because of an accident. I was upset and short with him, more than I'd like to be. He was ready and leaving and I said good-bye to him. He left out the front door and about two minutes later the door opened and he ran back to me and said smiling, "Didn't you forget something?" He was smiling a huge grin and looked adorable and innocent. I immediately gave him a kiss to send him on his way. I saw how pure his feelings and intent were and felt humbled by that. My kids teach me everything about life and what's important. I couldn't feel more grateful for this time with them. And it's a challenge at the same time. Amazing!
