Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Every year Hunter's school does a Memorial Day concert outside, where they pay tribute to all of the kids' family members that have served or are serving in the Armed Forces. Each grade sings a couple of songs--this year Hunter's grade sang My Country Tis of Thee and You Are My Sunshine. Can you spot the ray of sunshine that belongs to Hunter?
Sunday I couldn't resist matching up the boys, since I can. Unfortunately, while I can match their outfits, I can't always match their facial expressions. Thus Caleb shows his serious side while everyone else acts like their usual silly selves. Notice the Crocs on the kids' feet? We splurged and got each of the boys a pair this weekend--I think they'll be worth every penny.
 
We had a little Memorial Day shindig in our backyard on Monday--after we cleaned out the toy room and mowed the lawn and installed our window A/C's. The kids had fun swimming in the kiddie pool and slip-n-sliding and we did a couple of fireworks. I wasn't up to cooking for a crowd so we did Bring-Your-Own-Picnic with a dessert to share, which turned out pretty great. Cliff made some fabulous mango bars and Chris shared her extra creamy honey ice cream, that totally kicked my honey ice cream's butt. Nate-n-Devanie brought Krispy Kremes, the hit of the party and the Smiths brought popsicles to cool everyone off. I just love summer holidays and lounging around in the backyard in the shade, watching the kids run around in their swimsuits having fun together. It's just perfect. John and his buddy, Bill, showed up just as the party was coming to a close, which was the cherry on top of the entire day for the boys.
 
Our A/C decided to quit working with the heat and the humidity so we spent a good part of the day yesterday outside in the shade and in the water. Of course that meant introducing Caleb to his first swimming pool. He was thrilled with the idea of swimming like the big boys and I actually got to sit and let my feet soak for a few minutes. That is until I noticed some brown goop oozing out of Caleb's swim diaper and into the water I was soaking my feet in. That kind of put a damper on the whole luxury of it all and I suppose kept my feet planted firmly on solid ground. At least it felt good while it lasted.
That about sums up the weekend. We test drove a Suburban on Saturday. I don't have a picture of that because I was too busy trying to fit five carseats and four kids in a space that wasn't exactly made to hold five carseats and six kids and of course, it was really hot and humid and the kids were exceptionally grumpy. And we also saw Over the Hedge which was pretty funny except for the number of times Denver had to go to the bathroom. We didn't get around to the chicken coop--maybe we'll do that this weekend. Maybe not.
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Sunday, May 28, 2006
Growing up, my favorite kind of toast was "jam under cheese." I love the taste of warm homemade strawberry jam mixing with gooey melted cheese, hidden under a crisped bubble of toasted cheese. The edges of the toast get crisp, but the bread under the cheese & jam is moist - almost like fresh bread. I later learned the combination of cheese and jam had been taught to us by my Dad, and Mom had actually never tried it, nor did she think that it sounded very appetizing. But she would make it for us on request, and she tolerated us making it all those years.
A few years back, a friend told me about the Monte Cristo sandwich from the Blue Bayou at Disneyland. I admit that my reaction was more like my mother's to jam under cheese: "Ham? Turkey? Cheese? Deep fried? with JAM? AND powdered sugar?!?" I had thoughts of Elvis-like decadence complete with bowls of bacon to snack on like popcorn. I have been to both Disneyland and Disneyworld since then, but I still haven't tasted Disney's Monte Cristo.
I had never eaten at Bennigan's until 4 years ago when I came to work in Connecticut, and I discovered the Monte Cristo for myself. I then introduced it to Shana when she and the kids came out. It became a regular favorite of ours - although not too often due to the potential for deleterious health effects from deep frying.
We took my parents to Bennigan's about a year ago, and I made Dad order a Monte Cristo Sandwich. He protested the presence of processed American cheese on the sandwich, requesting instead real cheddar cheese. Due to the fact that they make the sandwiches and dip them a day in advance, they were unable to customize his sandwich (That was their claim, maybe they may just crack them out of the freezer when you order).
Dad - this is for you. You can customize this one with cheddar, pepper jack, gorgonzola, limberger, Amish special horseradish - whatever you fancy. Our preference is homemade raspberry jam with Swiss and American cheeses (although I may need to try gorgonzola sometime ...) This is supposed to be the "real deal" Disney recipe, from a passholders' newsletter.
 Monte Cristo Sandwich
Batter
1 1/2 Cups - All-purpose flour, sifted
1/4 Teaspoon - Salt
1 Tablespoon - Baking powder
1 1/3 cups - Water
1 - Egg
Sandwich
1 Ounce - Sliced white meat of turkey
1 Ounce - Sliced Swiss cheese
1 Ounce - Sliced ham
2 Slices - Egg Bread
Sift flour, salt and baking powder together. Add water to beaten egg, then add to flour mixture and mix well. Set aside.
Make a sandwich using turkey first, then Swiss cheese, and then ham. Cut sandwich into quarters using toothpicks to hold sandwich together. Dip sandwich in batter and fry in 360 degrees canola oil until golden brown. Remove toothpicks and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve with raspberry jelly presented as a dipping sauce.
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Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Sunday morning we all voted on pancakes for breakfast so Mark whipped up a batch of his famous pancakes and I fired up the griddle and tadah! We had a Pancake Hibachi. Mark poured the pancake batter onto the griddle and the kids added their own "special" ingredients--mostly chocolate, white and peanut butter chips with the occassional blueberry or banana here and there.
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Tuesday, May 23, 2006
With Aaron's baby birds and Catherine's baby birds all flying away, I decided I'd better check on our own baby bird. I've noticed Mama bird hasn't been attending to the nest quite as often as she used to and now I see why. There's no room. Plus, it's a bit messy up there, which I guess happens when you have kids, whether they are baby birds or monkeys, like ours--things just get. . . messy. Anyway, she's probably also hoping her baby will make an attempt at flying away soon. Mostly it's just amazing to me how quickly those baby birds grow from pink little slimey things to real, feathered little birds and then they just fly away, ready to start their own little lives. How do they learn everything they need to know about cats and digging up worms and building a nest and flying south just by sitting up there in their wee little nest for two weeks? And how in the world do their mommies just let them fly away like that, not knowing if they'll figure it all out before they hit the pavement? Mother Nature really is amazing. As much work as it is, I'm glad I get at least eighteen years to raise my baby boys and make sure when they do hit the pavement, it's a good experience. It's sort of like being a penguin (see this post), I guess. It has it's perks at times but humans definitely have it better. Definitely.
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Monday, May 22, 2006
Last week while Grandma Stout was in town we decided to visit a local nature center. We managed to snag a day with perfect weather (I think it was the only day it hadn't rained all week) and had all sorts of fun. While Grandma and I enjoyed looking at these adorable baby goats:
the boys were busy looking at this:
While Grandma and I discussed these:
the boys discussed this:
Getting the boys to look at any of the animals was like pulling teeth. Then, probably because there was no fence keeping them away, the boys had all sorts of fun watching these:
 
Denver chased the female turkey into some bushes, which sure upset the three males who immediately cornered Denver and let out some of the loudest gobbles I've ever heard.
Denver was also fascinated by the chickens, probably because he could stuff sticks and weeds in through the chicken wire, which piqued the chickens' curiosity. Of course that freaked me out because none of the chickens looked too healthy and all I could think was, "Are bald patches a sign of Bird Flu?"
There was a great big sleeping pig that the boys tried really hard to wake up, including throwing rocks at his head, but to no avail. We also saw some cows and some horses and some sheep. Finally the boys were sick of the smelly animals so we hiked up the hill to the playground which was what the boys really wanted to do all along. There was lots to climb on and slide down and I must admit it was a pretty great playground.
 
And of course I found this swing that I think Mark needs to build for me sometime after he builds a chicken coop for "the girls." It looks simple enough but sure was nice to sit in.
Anyway, we walked and played until our tummies were growling. Then, we picked Mark up for lunch and took Grandma to one of our favorite diners, Lucky's, where we enjoyed some fabulous malts and onion rings and probably gained back every ounce we lost while we were hiking around the Nature Center. But it sure was fun.
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Sunday, May 21, 2006
If I hadn't been knocked flat on my butt with this nasty cold, I would have posted this last week when it was still current. But I was knocked flat on my butt and am still struggling to feel even halfway normal again (anyone know what a sinus infection feels like), so a week late will have to do. Anyway...
 I had a pretty nice Mother's Day this year. Mark made me my all time favorite breakfast in bed, Yeasted Waffles, and the boys showered me with all kinds of fun gifts like a family size griddle (it will no longer take three hours to make Saturday breakfast), a skin for my Ipod Nano, an armband for my Ipod Nano, Nanny McPhee on DVD and a nice assortment of homemade cards and pictures. Hunter wrote me both a very nice letter, as well as a poem, which made me feel like the luckiest mommy ever. See for yourself:
My Mom
by Hunter Henrichsen
My Mom is like a flower whose smell is everlasting.
My Mom is so sweet like a birthday cake.
My Mom is so warm like a blanket.
I love my Mom.
Anyway, I just wanted to express my love to the five wonderful men in my life and tell them that there's nowhere I'd rather be than right here in this moment with them. Thanks for the great Mother's Day!
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Thursday, May 18, 2006
Here's our latest pic of the babies. They were snuggled in face to face and after we oohhed and aahhed over how cute and precious they looked they proceeded to knock each other in the face with all four fists flying. Their heartbeats were practically the same rate which I think confirms my theory that they are the same sex, boys--what else could they possibly be? I've gained a whopping three pounds which the Dr. says is amazing, that most women gain much more by now. I pointed out that most women don't start out packing an extra 20 pounds that they never lost from the previous baby, which is only seven months old. If only the scale were that kind. Our "official" ultrasound is scheduled for June 16th and I still think we'll be waiting until they are born to find out their sex(es). Sorry. My favorite thing about being pregnant right now is whenever the boys ask why I get two of whatever we're eating (donuts, scoops of ice cream, twinkies, candybars, etc) I get to say, "How many babies are in my belly?" To which they always disgustedly reply, "Two." Life is so unfair. My morning sickness is gone and I'm not quite as sleepy as I used to be, so things are looking up just in time for summer--hallelujah. Now if I could just kick this cold bug--I might actually be able to stay caught up with the laundry.
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Tuesday, May 16, 2006
I've always said if you want a pet that's hard to kill you should get a Beta, a.k.a. a Japanese Fighting Fish. I swear those fish can go weeks without food and live for months in a dirty, smelly fish bowl and they'll never complain. They require no time or attention and offer free entertainment that the kids love--ever try putting a mirror next to a Beta's fish tank? Anyway, that's what I thought until we had Denver. About a month ago Denver must have decided that Elmo, that's our fish, must be starved to death and feeling a bit chapped because he dumped about a month's worth of fish food, as well as half a bottle of baby lotion into the fish's bowl. We somehow managed to save the poor thing from that very unnatural disaster and thought we had explained very clearly to Denver that Elmo only needs a small pinch of food. But yesterday Denver was once again concerned with Elmo's eating habits and determined he must be in desperate need of nourishment, because he dumped another pile of food into the tank. Hunter, upon discovering the very sunken and stiff fish along with a small mountain of food on the bottom of the fish bowl, concluded that Elmo must have thought it was breakfast, lunch and dinner time and over did himself in the eating department. And sure enough, the fish was dead. So now I'm afraid I've got to take back what I said about pets that are hard to kill and suggest that if you have a kid like Denver, maybe it's best not to have a pet at all because they will undoubtedly find a way to kill it, even if it's a hard kind of pet to knock off.
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Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Yesterday, as I was walking home from dropping Hunter off at school, a lady asked me how my family was doing and if everyone was well. The question irritated me because I know, whenever someone asks that question, one of us always ends up getting sick. Anyway I smiled and said, "We're all healthy thanks. But now that I've said that, someone will probably end up sick." Sure enough, three of the four kids have come down with sore throats and poor Noah is especially miserable. Why is that?
Noah had kindergarten orientation today. Several weeks ago when we returned from Hunter's parent/teacher conference I immediately began to praise Hunter for a good report from Mrs. H. Noah, who had been listening on, immediately burst into tears and ran up to his room, devastated. I hurried after Noah and asked him what the matter was. In the most heart-broken sobs, Noah cried, "I thought the meeting was for me." For Noah. . . for Kindergarten. Ever since then Noah's been anxiously but very patiently waiting for this day to come. And today he so happily left me to join his teacher--and didn't even take a glance backwards at me. And I felt so happy for him and so sad all at the same time--that he's grown up, that he's moving up in the world--a world that involves a little less of me, that he's confident and excited, that he's mine.
Our Stake recently did a survey about people's emergency preparedness. As a result my thoughts have once again been turned to our 72-hour kit and what still needs to be done. So this week I've been thinking about what food I can pack that first, will last a long time and second, the kids will actually eat. So today as I was doing the dishes, I started thinking about juice boxes and donut holes and spaghettios and boxed milk and I thought, "My kids like popcorn." And I started thinking about how I could make popcorn in an emergency. And I thought of the Jiffy Pop we received with a dinner that was brought in when Caleb was born. We can't use Jiffy Pop on our glass top range and so it's been stuffed away in a cupboard for the past seven months. But I had this great idea for an experiment: can Jiffy Pop be popped on a sterno can? So we tried it today and guess what. Jiffy Pop can be popped on a sterno can. And it's kind of a fun thing to do and would be a great distraction for little kids if you were in a tragic situation you didn't want to be in. So now we're gonna pack Jiffy Pop and M&M's in our 72-hour kit. And now I'm wondering if we can pack a portable DVD player and a movie in there too--just in case.
 
We went to the bank today, just for a quick errand. The boys love to go because of course, they get free suckers. So Noah and Denver each picked out a sucker and one for Caleb and one for Hunter. After his bottle, we gave Caleb his sucker. Pretty much, he liked it.
  
I've been craving all kinds of foriegn stuff lately. Things like clotted cream and scones from England and cheese bread from Rodizio Grill, or rather, Brazil. Anyway, I found this great online store that sells British Food--British Delights--and they sell clotted cream. So I ordered some and today I made homemade biscuits (our equivalent to British scones) and for dinner we had them with clotted cream and jam. It really was fabulous and for those of you who are curious about a real English Tea, you should try some for yourself. Of course, I can't tell you much about the tea, but at least I've covered the fattening, high calorie part.
And for one last random thought: How come when Denver puts a Pull-up on his head he looks so cute and when I put a Pull-up on my head I look so. . . stupid?
 
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Sunday, May 07, 2006
After noticing our birds fluttering around excitedly outside our front window I decided to take a peek. So far we only have one baby chirp but we're crossing our fingers for the other four.
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Saturday, May 06, 2006
Okay. . . so laundry and I haven't been getting along lately. We used to be friends. Once upon a time I actually enjoyed her. But lately, she's become quite cruel and our friendship is no longer what it used to be. You can't say I haven't tried. But the mountains of stinky, dirty stuff keep piling up everywhere. And no matter how often I try and switch her loads, she keeps getting mildewy and stinky. And I get up early and try and fold her and put her away. But the kids knock down her pretty piles and she never makes it on the hangers and the wrinkles come. . . oh those wretched wrinkles. And it never fails, as soon as the kids are all dressed in fresh, clean clothes they spill on her and roll around in the mud and spit up and poop on her. And I'm afraid laundry has become angry with me. And I love you laundry, I do, but your anger has gotten out of control and it's going to take drastic measures to make us friends again.
So that's why I took you to the laundromat today. It wasn't to punish you or me. It was in a desperate attempt to make things happy again. And those 50 lb. washing machines and dryers were so big and pretty and they did the job so fast. Four hampers full of crusty, filthy clothes were spotless in twenty minutes. And forty minutes later, all of you was warm and dry and fabric softener fresh. And in three hours I had washed, dried and folded a week's worth of you, as well as completed the grocery shopping. And for once in a very long time, we were both happy and the job was complete. And I've decided, as much as I love you Laundry, I love the Laundromat more. And at least for a little while, I will let you pile up during the week and save myself the torment of daily running up and down the stairs, gathering and carrying and dragging you around. And I will ignore you and be with my children and then, on Saturday we will have a date, you and I, at the Laundromat, where everything will be made right again and you and I will go home happy and at peace with each other. Yes. . . that is what we're going to do. We will survive this, Laundry. I promise. Things are going to get better but first, they are going to get a whole lot worse and I think this is the only way we will ever survive. Hang in there Laundry. . . hang in there. . .let me just find some hangers first.
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Thursday, May 04, 2006
Remember our bird last year that layed not one, but two clutches of eggs? Well a long time ago I read that if you leave a bird's nest alone, they'll come back again and again and again and continue to lay eggs there as long as the nest is there. Well, this is the nest above our front door, only this isn't last year, it's this year. And she didn't just lay 2 and 3 eggs like she did last year, but she layed 5 eggs! Anyway, when I told our "lollipop lady" (aka. crossing guard) that we had a nest full of eggs above our front door she exclaimed, "You live in a fertility house!"
They used to say in West Jordan to be careful drinking the water there. There were so many babies being born in our ward, it was the only explanation they could come up with I guess. And now I'm thinking there must be something in the walls of our home that caused me A)to become pregnant and B)to become pregnant with twins. Anyway, people have had a lot of questions about our present pregnancy and I've decided to dedicate this post to answering some of those FAQ's and make a record of my pregnancy so far.
Were we trying to get pregnant? Ummmmm. . . NO! Caleb was only four and half months at the time I became pregnant and I actually thought we were through having children. DONE! FINISHED! NO MORE! I was strictly nursing and while I know that is no guarantee, we were also using other methods of preventing a third unexpected pregnancy. But there you have it--if it's meant to be, I guess it will be!
Do twins run in your family? From everything I've researched, the kind of twins that are genetic are fraternal twins and they are passed down from generation to generation through women. There are no twins on my side of the family. My mother always wanted twins but never got so "lucky." However, on Mark's side of the family there are several sets of twins, but they are all identical, the not genetic type. Mark's dad is a twin as well as one set of Uncle's. His brother also had a set of twins. So either research is wrong and identical twins are genetic or God has a much greater vision than I do and has some mighty plan up His sleeve. I haven't decided yet.
Were you using fertility drugs? Are you crazy? No way! This happened all on its own, naturally. I've searched on the internet trying to find my odds of having twins without the genetic factor and the only things that I can find that might have helped is the fact that I've already had four children, I live in CT and I'm overweight. Other than that this was an act of God and I'm not sure why me. Unless there really is something within the walls of our home. . . . anyone interested in buying?
Did you feel different, like you might be expecting twins? Not really. When I first found out I was pregnant I did a little research on having twins. Not because I was hoping to have twins but because I was terrified of the thought and wanted to make sure it wasn't going to happen to me. Once I knew identical twins weren't genetic, I was certain I was safe and thought no more of it. My morning sickness was the same barfy-wise. When I'm pregnant I feel like I'm going to puke 24/7, but I never actually do. It was no different this time. I've also been extremely tired, but who wouldn't be being pregnant and chasing four little boys around the house all day? I'm not showing much, I haven't gained any weight--so there's really been nothing that would make me suspect twins. No, not at all.
So how did you find out you were having twins? Well, since we hadn't been trying to conceive and I had only had one period since having Caleb, I had no idea when I actually had gotten pregnant. So the Dr. scheduled me for an ultrasound to determine the due date. Lucky for me and Mark, Kathy offered to babysit so we got to go together. We were sitting around (okay so I was laying half naked on the table covered with a skimpy paper sheet) talking about vasectomies and the Dr. was doing the ultrasound and very casually said, "Well Dad it's a good thing you are sitting down." And Mark thought, "Why do I need to be sitting down? I'm not squirmish about the vasectomy. . . ." And the Dr. said, "There are two." And I said, "You are joking!" Because see, the Dr. is a family friend and maybe Kathy put him up to it or something. But no, he wasn't joking and in disbelief I said, "Where? I don't see it! Show me!" And he pointed the ultrasound wand to one baby and then to the other and I saw it and about passed out. But before I could I glanced over at Mark and he was whiter than a ghost and I thought for certain he was going to barf all over the Doctor's shoes. And the Dr. printed out the ultrasound pictures and said, "See ya next month" like it was no big deal, telling a mother of four very small boys that wasn't trying to get pregnant that she's going to have not one baby, but two babies delievered in seven months. And Mark and I drove home laughing the whole way home at the craziness of the whole thing and wondering when they'd quit playing the joke on us.
So, when are you due? The official due date is November 11th. I just added a ticker at the bottom of the website so you can all keep track of how pregnant I am. Of course, the doc says twin pregnancies rarely make it to 40 weeks and that they will probably c-section the end of October. We shall see.
Are they identical twins? Could you tell what sex they are? Too soon to tell either and I don't think you really can know for sure if they are identical or fraternal until they are born. My guess is they are identical, based on Mark's family history, and that they are both boys. I'm not sure any Henrichsens have had identical twin girls yet and I really doubt, with our track record, that we're going to start any new trends. I also think they are identical because there's no real reason I would all of the sudden release more than one egg unless I had the genetics for twins, which I don't.
Are you going to find out the sexes? No. At this point, because I'm so convinced they are boys, I'm not as hopeful for a girl as I was with Caleb. Everyone tells me I need to find out so we can have a Baby Shower and be prepared. But I figure we have plenty of baby clothes and even if they are girls, they won't be able to complain about wearing blue stuff at least for a little while. And two great big surprises at the end of what I have a feeling is going to be a very big and long pregnancy sounds like a good idea to me. So unless I whimp out like I did with Caleb and give in when the Ultrasound Tech asks, "Do you want to know. . ." we'll be finding out sometime in October when they're born.
How do the boys feel about having twins? Denver is ecstatic. I'm not sure two babies is enough for him. He absolutely loves Caleb and is thrilled with the idea of having three babies around the house come October. Hunter is happy. He always wanted a big family and seems satisfied with the number six--thank goodness. He originally said, "Two girls is good. A boy and a girl is okay. And two boys is a 'doh'" (like Homer Simpson would say). Now, however, he seems to want two boys cause 1)he and Noah get their own room if it is boys and 2)because then they can all wrestle each other. Noah--poor, sweet Noah--thinks it's "bad" and he hasn't budged on that one, not even a bit. Caleb has made no comment.
Any weird cravings? Yeah. . . prunes. And for those of you that don't know why that's weird, go eat half a bag of prunes and call me in the morning. I've also been craving salsa and really want some of the fresh stuff. Hopefully we'll make some this weekend, when I find the energy to go to the store and get me some cilantro.
Are you going to fit in your house? Of course. We're bulging at the seams already, but babies don't take up too much space and we've still got one unused room we can expand into. Unfortunately, that means any guests we might have will either have to sleep on the couch or hit the basement--but hopefully that won't keep too many of you away. They say "love grows best in little houses" and I'd definitely have to agree. As for the car--no matter what, we won't fit in the car and have already started the long process of finding one we will fit into. It will most likely be a Suburban, a Honda Odyssey or a Toyota Sienna. I'm clinging to whatever bit of "cool" I have left in me and refuse to drive a minibus or gigantic chevy van like we had growing up. If we have to, we'll drive two cars everywhere we go. Call me prideful--you're right.
And last but not least, How are you doing? Finding out I was pregnant was hard. I really wasn't ready for another baby. Being morning sick is bad but when the smell of your four month old makes you sicker--that's worse. I hadn't recovered from having Caleb, was sad to have to quit nursing, and was devastated at the thought of being back to three kids in diapers for another several years. Finding out we're having twins was even more overwhelming. The only good thing is that it makes everything kind of new and fun and exciting. I've somehow managed to work it all out in my head and convinced myself it's all going to be okay. Ultimately, I believe that everything happens for a reason and I have enough faith in God that I believe whatever the reason is, it must be a good one. And now we're just taking it one day at a time and surviving. Somedays are great, somedays are bad and most are right in between.
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Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Hunter came home from school today and informed me that he had "word building" homework, which normally he hates. Basically it's a set of letters that he has to mix and match and make words with. He's required to come up with twenty different words. Anyway, after he informed me what type of homework he had, he happily informed me that while he was in school he had thought up several words so this particular assignment should be a snap. A little baffled at his enthusiasm, I shrugged it off and went about my business. Awhile later he asked if he could play computer and I said sure, as soon as he had finished his homework. He then proceeded to copy the words from his list directly to his homework sheet. Unfortunately for Hunter, he made the mistake of mentioning Mrs. H writing these words on the chalkboard today in class. The lightbulb immediately went on and it became very clear that Hunter had been copying the words down in class so he wouldn't have to do it on his own at home. Clever, very clever.
Now maybe I'm a meanie, but to me that's cheating. When I questioned Hunter he insisted all the other kids did it too. Okay, I said, then I'll just write Mrs. H a letter and make sure that's allowed. Hunter immediately hung his head with a guilty smile on his face and suggested I not write the letter. Hmph! Isn't first grade a bit young to start cheating on homework? I was pretty disappointed in Hunter but more so in the class as a whole. And didn't the teacher catch on? Anyway, I realize that my job as a parent is to 1) be around to catch these sort of things and 2)encourage right and moral behavior in my children. Naturally, he's going to be tempted to cheat and lie and smoke cigarettes. I guess I'm just glad I'm around to notice when the peer pressure's gotten the best of him and help Hunter make better choices. And that's exactly what I hope he does next time because I tell you what--my boys aren't cheaters!
As a side, the school called yesterday and asked if I still wanted to send Noah to short day Kindergarten. I hesitated, because that decision sort of depends on who is teaching short day Kindergarten (we don't want Mrs. B again), but went ahead and said "yes." The secretary then said, "Good. Mr. A. (the principal) had a note on Noah's records but couldn't remember what it meant." Hmmmm. They inspire so much confidence in me up there at the school.
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Tuesday, May 02, 2006
At seven months you are "hell on wheels." You've learned to crawl at high speeds and have started pulling yourself up onto your feet. There's nothing that gets in your way and your brothers are learning there's no safe territory when you are around. Even now you sit in your exersaucer, trapped, shouting in protest because you can't get to Denver's lego creation that you were having so much fun destroying. Your favorite destination seems to be the basket of magazines under the entertainment center, where you have chewed through several issues of The Friend and Family Fun Magazine. You still shove everything you get your little fists on straight into your mouth and I'm constantly racing you to the next tiny "chokable" the kids have left on the floor for you to find. And you are oh so good at finding them.
You remind me very much of the Tazmanian Devil, destroying anything and everything that gets in your path. But sometimes you get tired and I can often find you sitting quietly with a chew toy in your hand, watching your brothers play around you or even snuggled up on the floor, sucking your thumb, with your silkie wrapped around you. You are such a happy and content baby and are excellent at calming and soothing yourself. I consider myself very blessed. You wake up every morning around 6:00 or 6:30 am but you never cry. You play happily with your crib toys until you fall back to sleep for another hour or so. And even then you rarely cry or complain--you just wait patiently for someone to come and get you. Sometimes I wonder if you'd ever cry and scream for attention--you seem almost resigned to a life of waiting for your turn. I wonder if you know you're entitled to a tantrum now and then. And if you did insist on some much deserved mommy-time, I wonder if you know I'd always come running, anxious to hold and cuddle you in my arms.
I wonder also, if you know how much you are loved. I worry often, having so many children, if you will all get the time and attention that you need to be happy and satisfied in life. At the end of the day I often feel frazzled after trying to listen to everyone's stories and kiss everyone's boo-boos and meet everyone's needs. And yet, as soon as my head hits the pillow at night, I almost always think of someone that got slighted or someone that asked for something and never received it, and I always feel like the world's biggest failure. I never want any of you to want for love and attention. But in the morning when everyone is in bed with us and we're all cuddled into a huge tangle of legs and arms and heads I feel a sense of relief--yes, everyone is loved and everyone knows it. Your brothers fight to lay by you in the morning and have had several fist fights over who can talk to you and who can play with you. They all want to make you laugh and there's not a single member of this family that wouldn't bend over backwards to see you smile. You are so totally loved.
You've cut your first teeth and enjoy all sorts of fruits and vegetables. You also love Biter Biscuits and Birgid Park's gingerbread men and do you ever make a mess with them. We tried giving you spaghettios last night and I've never seen you look so insulted in your life. I suppose it's an acqired taste. You've also learned to clap, sort of, and it has become one of your most favorite things to do when you are with us. The other day I was reading "The Train to Timbuctoo" to your brothers, with you planted firmly on my lap. Part of the book reads "clickity-clack, clickity-clack." As I read that part, I looked down and noticed that you had started clapping. I guess you thought I was saying "clappity-clap, clappity-clap" and I was so excited to see the wheels in your head turning and the connections you were making between what I was saying and an action you had just learned. You are growing so quickly.
You also love your Daddy like none other and when he's around there's no distracting you. There's no food, no toy, no game, no silkie that pulls your attention from your Daddy. You love sitting on his knee while he sings the William Tell Overature and bounce happily up and down like you're riding a horse. When he's around you want to be with him and no one can soothe you quite as well as your Daddy can. It's been like that from the very beginning (yes, you loved him more than me, even from day one) and the strength of your bond only grows more each day your together. But I can't think of a better person to fall in love with or always want to be with than your very own father and it just goes to show how smart you really are.
One night recently, you had a very rough time teething and neither of us got very much sleep. The following morning, I jokingly said to Denver, "Caleb is a very bad baby. Let's sell him at the store and I'll let you buy any toy you want with the money we get from him." Denver, in a bit of a panick, insisted that you are not a bad baby but a good baby and no, he didn't want a toy, he wanted to keep you. Ever since then, he is constantly reminding me that you are a good baby and prays at least twice a week that you will always be a good baby and that we will get to keep you forever. I think we all feel that way about you Caleb, but the thing Denver doesn't realize is that, good or bad, you are ours for keeps. And I can't remember how we ever lived without you before but I'm sure glad we don't have to anymore and I hope you'll stick around for a very, very long time.
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Monday, May 01, 2006
Today I took the kids on a "Blossum Walk." We go on all sorts of walks throughout the year. In the summer when it's warm and rainy, we go on "rain walks." The boys throw on their swimsuits and watershoes and we head out into the rain, where we walk in the gutters and throw rocks and check out storm drains. In the fall we go for "leaf walks." Basically we walk around the neighborhood collecting fallen leaves (and acorns and pine cones) and take them home to press and save for later. We don't do much walking in the winter but we do do a lot of sledding and snowballing and snowman building--although we have gone an icicle walk a couple of times in search of icicles to keep in the freezer for. . . a rainy day? Anyway, today I decided we'd try a "blossum walk" and see how many different blossums we could find in the neighborhood, especially since it's May Day and the blossums will soon be gone. So we loaded up the wagon and stuffed Caleb in the front pack and headed to the grocery store for eggs. And along the way we collected blossums and blossums and blossums--25 different types in all. It actually turned out to be fun and educational (since you can count and sort and classify the different blossums)and we even worked on a little flower arranging while we were at it, which by the way, baby food jars make great vases for all those little "blue-quets" your kids bring home for you.
  
Afterwards, we made Honey Ice Cream. It was just about as good as Hagan Daaz's Honey Ice Cream and pretty simple to make. I promised Chris the recipe if it turned out good so, here's the recipe for anyone else that loves Honey Ice Cream as much as we do. Enjoy!
Homemade Honey Ice Cream
5 egg yolks
2 cups of milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp. vanilla
Combine egg yolks and honey. Set aside. In a saucepan, bring milk to boiling point, then simmer. Add egg and honey mixture and simmer until thickened, stirring constantly. Strain and set aside to cool. Add cream and vanilla. Transfer to ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's instructions.
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