Learning to Ride

I have been trying to get Hannah to learn to ride her back since last fall. I took her training wheels off a couple of times in the fall, but she always asked for them to be put back on after a few minutes of trying. I decided to take them off again a few weeks ago and refused to put them back on. Needless to say she has hardly riden her bike the past few weeks. I helped her ride to the park one day last week, and she "had" it for a moment a few times. I thought it would be a good idea to try again last night after dinner. I was helping Hannah and then realized that she hardly peddles when I am helping her. I explained to her that she has to peddle in order to keep her bike from falling over. Once she really started to peddle, she got it right away and started riding all by herself. When Jonathan saw Hannah riding her bike, he said he wanted to try on her bike. I suggested we take off his training wheel (there was only one on his bike because the other one kept loosening). He was all for it. The first time he tired I could feel that he had his balance, so I let go of him and ran beside him. I had to steady the bike a couple of times, but he did Amazing!!!! He picked it up so fast. It takes him a while to get going sometimes, but he is working really hard at it. We went for a walk this afternoon and Hannah and Jonathan both rode their bikes. Hannah did more riding than Jonathan, and he probably did more trying to ride than riding, but niether of them complained or fell. We went up to IGA, the Drugstore and then back home. I am so excited for both of them. I am really happy that they are able to enjoy this accomplishment together. They are really proud of themselves. When we were getting ready to go outside last night, Hannah asked me to bring the video camera just in case she was able to do it! Cute eh!!!

Zoo Time

We finally took the kids to the zoo today. Gramma Stoklosa bought us a family membership to the Toronto Zoo for Christmas this year. We havn't felt much like going in the winter (although the zoo is open year round), but with spring arriving today was the perfect day. Hannah and I had play practice this morning, so we met Joel and the rest of the kids in Whitby. When we were just about to enter the Zoo we spotted the Lynch family. Hannah and Fiona ran towards each other right away and gave eachother a hug. We chatted for a few minutes and then went on to our zoo adventure. The kids got their own maps and we started on our way. We visited the Australian exhibit first. The kids got to see some snakes, sea turtles, really cool bugs that look like dead leaves, Comodo Dragons and an amazing live coral reef. The highlight for me were all the amazing fish. There were so many different kinds, each with incredible patterns that were vibrant and the colours were almost electric. We got to see the Sibirian Tigers, one came super close to the enclosure wall. I certainly would not want to meet a hungry tiger in a dark alley. Their paws are huge. Watching them was amazing. You could see the p0wer they have in their legs and shoulders as they walked around. Jonathan and Benjamin really liked the tigers. We didn't walk around the whole zoo, but we did see some reindeer, wild horses, kangaroo's, camels, a few monkeys and some mountain goats. I am glad that we have a family pass as there is so much to see.

I had an idea when I was on the treadmill this morning. I was thinking of what to make for dinner tonight, with Easter and Passover around the corner I have been in the mood for some tastes of my Jewish heritage. I decided to make some potato latkes and then I started to think about tomorrow....St. Patrick's day. Naturally I decided that I had to make an Irish dish (Potato and Leek pie), not just because of St. Patrick's day but because part of my dad's family came from Ireland. Having two culturally diverse meals planned it made me think of how much I enjoy cooking foods from different countries. I love to eat all the wonderful flavours from around the world. I have wished before that I had a cookbook that had a variety of recipes from man diffent cultures. I love recipe books, but I only have room for so many. I decided that I could make my own (I already have a pretty large collection of multicultural meals, so I would just have to organize them according to the country they came from). Then I got to thinking why not start a blog about it and then write a cookbook (why not think big right?). I have often thought I would like to write a cookbook, but didn't feel like I would have anything new to add...not until today. I am an expert when it comes to feeding my family.
My kids will eat dishes from Greece, South Africa, England, Mexico, Isreal, China, Japan, India,Poland, Scottland without complaint. But I can do better. There are so many wonderful meals waiting to be discovered. I like cooking meals from different countries because I want our family to appreciate how diverse a world we live it, yet how we are all the same. Eating the food from a country makes me feel like I understand a little about the people who live there.

Tonights meal was delicious. The potato latkes were crisp on the outside and nice and light on the inside. I also made chicken strips dipped in matzo meal. Hannah said she didn't like the potato latkes, but just before bed Jonathan said "that was yummy". When I asked him what he said he would show me. I thought he was going to lead me to the buttertart squares, but instead he pointed to the potato latkes (or what was left of them). He asked if I could make them again, but make more just for him! I always know dinner was a hit when my kids ask me to make it again!

Sour Milk

I had to laugh at my little Eden earlier this afternoon. She decided to get into the pantry cupboard and found one of her sippy cups. I did wonder how long it had been sitting there, but I didn't think too much of it...that is not until I heard her gagging a minute later. She gagged a couple of times and then she seemed to be okay. As soon as I heard her gagging I knew that there must have been some sour milk in the cup. I think I gave her some in it yesterday, so it can't have been that bad right?? It was so funny I couldn'thelp but laugh. In fact as I am writting this, the thought still makes me giggle. Eden has a very active gag reflex. It is amazing how the smallest taste of something can make her gag. I can still remember the instant reaction/gag she had when we were at Valerie and Glen's for dinner and I decided to try and give her some chicken broth. I had never tried it with any of the other kids, but thought I would give it a try. I should have known that it would be aweful as the colour was slightly...actually Idon't know what you would call the colour. It looked like gravy that had solidified. As you can imagine, it only took one taste for Eden to gag on it. Just to be sure I hadn't caused her to gag by putting the spoon to far into her mouth I tried to give her a second bite and sure enough she gagged again! Would it be really cruel to give her something she doesn't like on purpose just so we can record her gag reaction?????

I love you so much

We were on our way to Joel's Aunt Kim's funeral on Wednesday. From the back of the car Hannah said "I love you so much mum" and then Benjamin said "I love you so much mummy" and I told him that I loved him so much, and then he said "I love you so much daddy"...he went on to tell Eden, Hannah and Jonathan that "I love you so much". It was so cute. We made sure to point out to Hannah that she was being a good example to Benjamin by expressing her love for her family. Benjamin is still our little copy cat, but as you can see it is a good thing :) He had gone through a little spell when he didn't want to give hugs and kisses, but fortunately that didn't last long. I am really thankful that all of our kids are really affectionate. When we were sitting in the funeral, Jonathan just started to kiss my arm...I wonder what the people sitting behind us thought, but he just likes to come up out of the blue and give kisses. I felt really bad earlier today as I got upset with him because I thought he was trying to climb on my back and really he was just trying to give me a kiss.

Hannah's Audition

Hannah auditioned for the Oshawa Stake's production of Beauty and the Beast on Thursday (also her birthday). I had explained to her that I had to see if she would be allowed to participate b/c the kids were supposed to be 8 yrs and up. Hannah did amazingly in the Children's choir for the Stake Christmas contata. She was the youngest in the choir and had all the words memorized and she was really focused on following Sis. LaFrance. I had talked to Heather and Lori about her participating in the play and they were pretty sure she would be able to, but I didn't want to get her hopes up. Part of the problem is that there arn't a lot of roles for kids in the production. They were going to do their best to create some small parts. On the day of the audition I didn't really mention it to her much. I didn't want her to think about it too much and get silly (she likes to pretend to be scared or nervous, but I don't think she really is). I asked her around dinner time what song she wanted to sing for the audition and she asked if she could sing anything she wanted. I told her she could and then she said she wanted to sing "This is Me" from Camp Rock and that was it!!! When we got into the audition I was a little nervous (about my audition). I tried to get her to stand with me for courage but she ran to the corner and made funny faces whenever I looked over at her. When it was her turn, she was being a little shy. I asked her if she wanted me to sing the beginning of the song with her, which she agreed to and then whispered the first few words to me. She started to sang the first few words really, really quietly, but very quickly realized that she didn't need my help at all. She did so awesome!!! I was so proud of her. She has never done an audition before, or even sang in Church...although she certainly loves to sing a lot at home. Everyone clapped for her and then they talked about options for her (i.e. doing a mini me version of the "silly girls"). When we got home, she her song again for Joel while I recorded her.

I am so impressed with how mature she is and how she was able to understand that she might not be able to be in the production even though she had auditioned. I got the call from Sis. LaFrance on Wednesday just before lunch and she told me what a great job Hannah had done in her audition and that she was going to be a mini version of the "silly girls" with Holly, Chantelle and Abigail and she aslo gets to be a dancing carpet. She was so excited when I told her. We were looking through a Beauty and the Beast board book last night and wanted me to point out her part....we found one rug in the book, so she was happy. I will be playing the roll of Madame Grande Bouche (the wardrobe) so I am really excited that we will get to be in the show together and get to spend lots of time together. I love that she is into Musicals....she may not look like me, but she definitely gets her love of music from me!!!

Updates

Well...it has been a while. I have been wanting to post for a long time, but the longer I waited, the more I had to catch up on, so the longer I waited.....You see the never ending cycle. I had told myself that I would at least post once a week in the new year, but as we are 2 weeks in and this is my first post I am not doing so well. Instead of trying to backtrack over everything that we have done in the past few months, I thought I would do updates on the kids. I will post some pictures later that will fill in some of the blanks.



Hannah



Hannah is turning 6 on Thursday. It is hard to belive that we have a 6 year old, but on the other hand it feels like she has been with us forever. I really want to go back and look at pitures of her during the years to remember all the phases she has gone through. I feel like I can remember what she looked like, but I know I will be pleasantly surprised. She started gymnastics last Wednesday. They started off on the floor mats stretching and doing front rolls, then they went to the balance beam. Hannah wasn't quite sure how to get to a standing position, but once she did she was awesome. She didn't hold onto her coach at all. After she finished the high balance beam she walked backwards across the low balance beam (most of the other girls walked across it sideways). After the balance beam they did a little obstacle course where they had to jump up onto a mat, jump off, roll down another mat, do a kartwheel, crawl under a boxhorse and through a tunnel and then repeat. Hannah hasn't quite figured out how to get the momentum to roll over completely and to do kartwheels, but she will get there. The last station was the trampoline, which she had no trouble with. When we got home I asked her which part was her favourite, and she said all of it was. She has asked me everyday since then if it her day to go to gymnastics...even though I explained to her that it is only on Wednesdays and showed her the day on the calendar. At least she is enjoying herself.

Hannah continues to do really well at school. When I went in to visit her classroom her teacher said that she is the most mature girl in the class and that she is like the "big sister" to everyone. I was really amazed by how much french Mdm. Robert speaks in class and by the fact that the kids understand her. Mdm. Robert said Hannah was doing really well in all areas. Hannah is still funny about school. She will still ask why she has to go to french immersion, or why she has to go to school most mornings. I think she is just being a little silly or trying to see what I will let her get away with b/c once I tell her she has to go she doesn't mention it again. She loves school. She is such a social little girl. She is doing really well with her french. I consantly hear her singing in french. The funny thing about her complaining about going to french immersion is that she has always liked to speak in a different language...ever since she was little she would speak in her made up language...she still does it sometimes. Her new thing is making up french (or other) lyrics to go with songs we are listening to. She is so good at singing along to the tune that a couple of times I have almost asked if they have been teaching the kids to sing primary hyms in french!!!
Hannah is really trying to get into Hannah Montanna, but I have told her that she is not to watch it and I refuse to buy her anything Hannah Montanna related. I have seen little clips of the show and there is nothing really wrong with it, but I just don't want to encourage her to grow up too fast. I would rather her be interested in Barbie movies (at least they always get married at the end) then with watching teenagers have boyfriend/girlfriend relationships etc. She already gravitates towards older kids, so I don't want to encourage that in her tv watching. I know she has a hard time understanding that and has tried to sneak watching it a few times, but I can't say I didn't do the same thing when I was little (although I am pretty sure I was older than six when we would sneak watching "Three's Company" and "SantaBarbara"). She has watched "Camp Rock" and "High School Musical 2" which are both pretty clean and cute, but again don't encourage it.

Hannah is getting super tall. She is 4ft tall! I think that is pretty tall for a 6 year old. She is the tallest in her class and she is much taller than most of the kids in her primary class. Hannah has been a really nice helper around the house lately. Since the house has been up for sale she has been so much better at keeping her room clean. She has also been my happy helper with the dishwasher. I don't make her empty it all the time. but she does it a couple of times a week without complaint (although she did remind me tonight that I am supposed to pay her for helping and then she will pay me for making dinner, cleaning, laundry etc....we had had this conversation a few times). I love my little Hannah...she is still my baby girl, although she likes to remind me she is not a baby. I love watching her sing and dance. She might not look like me, but I can say that she got her love of music and singing from me!

Jonathan
It has been mentioned to Joel and myself a number of times lately that Jonathan has had a growth spurt. I would have to agree....he is another tall little boy. He is about 3.5 ft tall, not bad for a 4 year old. He is about the same height as Austin. Most of the size 4 long sleeve shirts are now to short in the arm, and some of his size 4 pants are floods. He got some new clothes for Christmas, but I don't think they will fit him for very long. I will have him wear them this winter for sure, but then they will get packed away until Benjamin is ready for them.

Jonathan started skating lessons 2 weeks ago. Joel takes him, so I havn't had a chance to see him yet. On his first week, he was really excited that he had a teacher named Jonathan! Joel said he did really good considering it was his first time on skates (even though we bought them for him the year before), he fell down a number of times but always got back up. Joel said that when he got up from one of his falls he was rubbing his bum:) He was excited to tell me about it when he got home, and excited to go again on Saturday. When he came home from his second lesson, he was so proud to tell me that he didn't fall once. Joel also mentioned that Jonathan had been sad at the beginning of his lesson b/c his teacher Jonathan wasn't there.

Jonathan loves going to school. There was a big snow storm on the Friday before the Christmas break started so all the buses were cancelled. We asked the kids if they wanted us to drive them to school, Hannah said "NO" but Jonathan wanted to go to school. I explained to him that alot of his friends wouldn't be at school and that it was okay if he wanted to come home once he saw that, but he still wanted to go. Joel said there were about 10 kids in his class when they got to school, but he wanted to stay. I felt really bad that we were all home (Joel worked from home b/c of the weather) and he was at school....at least he was happy about it! On the night before they went back to school from Christmas break, he was so excited. He laid out the clothes he was going to wear. I am a little surprised that he likes school so much as according to Mrs. Harris he does get into a little bit of trouble sometimes...shocking I know. She said that he is a really nice little boy, but sometimes doesn't like to sit down or stop playing when free time is over. She mentioned that he frequents the "time out" chair. I was surprised when she told me that b/c he had never mentioned it. I hadn't really asked him b/4 that b/c I thought he would tell me if it happened (he gets grumpy when he gets in trouble by someone other than his parents). Since she mentioned that I have tried to remind him to be good and not get a time out. Now when he comes home from school one of the first things he tells me is "I didn't get a time out today".
Over the Christmas holidays Jonathan really got into playing on "his website" aka Hotwheels. He loves to play all the games...including a few that involve shooting something....I am not super excited about that, but at the same time it is really cute to see him get so excited over winning a game (even though he never actually wins).
Jonathan has been much better with Benjamin lately. They play more together and he doesn't pester Benjamin as much as he used to. It probably helps that Benjamin is talking now and can tell us what Jonathan did. Sometimes when he does hurt Benjamin (acidentally I think) I will hear him apologizing right away. You can hear in his voice that he knows he is going to get in trouble. Jonathan is still really loving towards Eden. He still comes up to her and kisses her on the head, or tickles her under her chin. It is really cute.

Benjamin
What can I say about my little Benjamini. He is a cutie that is for sure. He is doing amazingly well with his talking. He is using full sentences and I hear him using new phrases all the time (of course I can't think of any right now). Sometimes it takes a few tries before I understand what he is saying, but we are getting there. One of the words he is using a lot lately is "why", but in a long drawn out and cute sort of way. He loves the farm and LOVES the horses. He asks me multiple times a time "can we see the horses at Nana and Papa's barn". When I say "not today", he replies "why". Another cute one is when he asks if he can go skating (with Jonathan) and I tell him he has to grow bigger and he says "alright". I might seem odd that I think that is so cute, but it is just amazing to hear him talking and understanding like an adult, when he is soooooo tiny still. I havn't had him weighed in long time, but I don't need a scale to tell me he hasn't grown that much. He continues to get taller....but there is still no meat on his bones that is for sure. I am not sure why, but it upsets me that he is so tiny. I think it is just because I worry about him. I worry that he is going to get picked on or made fun of because of his size...there is no way of knowing how big he is going to get, but his pediatrician likes to keep telling me that he is going to be small. The frustrating thing is that there isn't much I can do about it. There was a time when he would hardly eat, but that is no longer the case. Sometimes he will have 3 breakfasts.....he will finish a bowl of cereal and then ask for more and then a little while later he will still want more breakfast. He doesn't eat as much as Jonathan at lunch and dinner, but almost. I hear so many stories about premies growing to be 6 ft....I love my little boy. He went through a phase a few months ago where he wouldn't let me give me kisses, or if he did, he would wipe them away. Thankfully he is back to giving and receiving kisses from his mommy.

Lately Benjamin has been loving toy horses. He got some for Christmas, but really loved one in particular. Whenever he misplaced it he would ask "where's my horsie". We went to the rec centre last week to play and he insisted on taking it with him. I know he was holding it in his hand when I put him in the stroller, but when we got there it was gone. He immediately started asking for his horsie and hasn't stopped, so we went and bought him a new horsie today. He picked one that was similar (a pinto) to the one that he lost. This one is a little bigger, so hopefully it will be easier to keep track of.

Benmain loves hockey. He is more than happy to sit down with Joel and watch a hockey game (not the whole thing). He got some floor hockey sticks for christmas and loves to play with Joel in the basement. He also loves to colour. He will sit at the kitchen table for an hour colouring....you have to watch that he doens't colour himself though. He decided to take a green maker and colour all over his hands, arm and tummy one day last week (he also coloured on the couch and a book...the couch actually cleaned up better than his tummy!).

Every night after I tuck Benjamin into bed he asks me to sing to him. It used to be "I am a child of God" and now it is "I love to see the Temple". I gues he doesn't really ask me to sing he simply says "I am a child of God" or "I love to see the Temple". It is very cute. As soon as you start singing to him he gets this huge grin on his face and it doesn't go away until I stop.

Benjamin has turned into quite the copy cat....."CC" as we sometimes like to call him. He does everything that Jonthan does. He copies Hannah, but not as much as his big brother. It is really cute when he copies what Jonathan says...but not always so cute when he copies what Jonathan is doing, mostly b/c Jonathan shouldn't be doing it in the first place!

Eden
She is such a joy! I had to pause to think of what else to say. I love babies because they are so cute and innocent. How can you get mad at a baby. Whenever one of the older kids has be upset I always have Eden I can turn to (I have felt the same way with each of the kids) to make me smile and remind me of how much I love my kids. A lot of people will say that she is a serious little girl and doesn't smile...but they don't see her at home. She loves to laugh at her brothers and sisters and she giggles with me all the time. She loves to bite my toes....crazy eh!!!! She will also bite my hands and shoulder. She doesn't bite hard, so it doesn't hurt. She thinks it is absolutely hillarious. She laughs every time she does it. I am sure my reaction helps with that and because I love to see her laugh I make sure I react.

The biggest news with Eden is that she turned 1 on December 29th. The year went by fast, but I don't know if I feel like she is one yet. I was just thinking today that by the time Hannah, Jonathan and Benmjamin turned 1 I was already pregnant (although just)...crazy...I can't imagine being there right now, but at the same time it is going to be interesting going through her second year without being pregnant and knowing that she wasn't going to be the baby for long. I am looking forward to seeing how that feels. Eden started walking in since Christmas. She took her first steps the week before Christmas, but didn't realize she had done it. I didn't see her take any more steps until Boxing Day when we were at the farm. She took 3 steps between objects a couple of times. The first week she would take three steps, and then last week she would take 6-7 steps at once (although last Thursday she took 26 steps all without really stopping). Since the weekend she has been walking everywhere. She still crawls a little, but not really her bum scoot anymore. She has started to crawl on her hands and feet with her bum up in the air (just like Jonathan did) so that she can easily transition to walking. It is really cute to hear her walk up behind me. She is getting really good and fast. I finally caught her on the video camera tonight. I have been so terrible with that this year. It has sat idly in our room without being used, so we just barely caught her crawling on tape. Sorry Eden!

Eden is still a joy to put to bed. When you lay her down, she still reaches for her pink blankies and snuggles into it and then she will giggle and smile as I tuck her in. The past few nights I can hear her talking to herself for a few minutes before she falls asleep. She is still incredibly happy when she wakes up in the morning. She had been sleeping until b/w 7-7:30am, but the past week has decided she wants to get up an hour earlier. Hopefully that won't last too long.

I took Eden in to see Dr. McAllister last week for her 1 year check up. She wieghed 17 lb 5 oz with a length of 28 1/2 inches and head circumferance of 45 cm. She is smaller than Hannah and Jonathan were at a year, but I don't think by much. I have been meaning to look that up, but keep forgetting to. I am not worried by her size considering how tall Hannah and Jonathan have turned out to be...and it is less likely that she will get teased for being a small girl, than Benjamin will b/c he is a boy.

Eden has started to immitate a few things that we do. If you ticke her and say "tickle tickle tickle" she will repeat "ticka ticka ticka" and she has also started to say "sshhh". She even puts her finger to her mouth sometimes. We are so happy that she is part of our family. She balances the kids out perfectly. Right now she is pretty calm, but I am sure that will change a little. Her siblings adore her and are really good with her. Hannah is still excited for when Eden moves into her room and will sometimes talk about the things she is going to teach Eden.

All in all life is really good. Our house hasn't sold yet, but the house we want is still available. Our house is nice and clean (Joel is loving it, but so am I), we are all healthy and happy. I love being home with the kids. I have been trying lately to be more organized with the kids. I have been scheduling a few more things into our day and making a bit more of a routine and I like that. There is still plenty of freedom, but I find myself enjoying my time with the kids more and really appreciating the fact that I get to stay home with them and pretty much do what we please! I am fortunate that Joel is so supportive and works so hard to enable me to have what many would consider a luxury...I have to remind myself of that sometimes but I am really trying to take advantage of the time I have with the kids. I don't want to regret anything when they get older. On a personal note, I had an epiphany a few nights ago. I always pray that I will have more patience with my kids....something that I seriously need and then as I was praying one night I had that thought that I should pray to love them more and feel more compassion for them. I realized that the more love I have for them, the more patient I will naturally be with them as a result. Of course I don't need to say that I have always loved my children, but it was really cool to find a different way to acheive and answer to my prayer.

My Head hurts

Here is another cute Jonathan story. This morning I heard him say that his head hurt. I didn't think much of it and it didn't really seem to bother him much. On the way to watch conference at Church he fell asleep (only a 10 min drive). When we got there he woke up and immediately started to say that his head hurt. When we got inside the chapel, he sat with me. He WATCHED conference for the first 10 min or so (no talking, just sitting quietly on my lap), then I knew that he really wasn't feeling well. After a while, he asked if he could lie down and fall asleep. He laid his head on my lap and not long after fell asleep. He woke up half way through conference and you could tell that he was in pain. He sat with me for the rest of the time. I had to leave to get something, and when I got back you could see the tears in his eyes. He was upset that I had left him. I asked him if he wanted me to get him some medicine when we got home and he said no. Then I asked him if he wanted daddy to give him a blessing and he said yes. I told him to ask daddy, which he did. It was so cute. You could hear the tears welling up inside when he asked Joel. Once conference was over, Joel and Mike (grandad) gave him a blessing. The result was almost immediate. Joel blessed him that he would return to his usual energetic self (a testimony that blessings really come from Heavenly Father, as I am sure Joel didn't want him to be quite his usual energetic self :)) and that his head wouldn't hurt anymore. Within a few minutes of the blessing I asked him how he felt. He said his head didn't hurt anymore. I asked him if he knew why not, and he said "because my daddy and grandad gave me a blessing". I then heard him telling another sister "my head hurt, but know it doesn't because my daddy and grandad gave me a blessing". I am so thankful for the priesthood. I am thankful that my kids have a strong testimony of priesthood blessings. They have faith in their daddy and know that through the priesthood they will feel better.

First day of school

For Hannah's first day of school we decided to put her hair in rags. She has asked me to do this on a few occasions lately, but we forget until it is bedtime. She was a little nervous about going to french immersion, so I suggested this as way to distract her. It worked, she was all excited about it as soon as I suggested it.

Joel left for work late that morning so he could come with me and the kids to take her to school for the first day. She was really happy to see one her her friends from her class last year (Naomi). She is such a cutie. She met her teacher and then it was time to say goodbye. When she got home from school, there was a note from her teacher Mdm. Robert that said "Hannah had a great start today. She loves the dollies in our room. She loves to ineract with her teacher and her new classmates. She is very comfortable around here! What a nice girl!" Isn't that a nice note :)

Jonathan had his first day of school the same day as well (really he had a interview with his teacher in the morning and then went for part of the afternoon). He was excited to go to school. I wasn't sure if he would act shy, but he had no problem. It helped that there were toys to play with in the yard b/4 he went in, and he knew a couple of kids in his class (Mitchell Kucie from church and Logan from Hannah's dance). When the bell rang, he found his bag and stood in line. There were a number of kids upset to be leaving their mums, but not him. He waved goodbye and that was it.

Even when I forgot to pick Jonathan up for school, he wasn't upset. I thought that he was taking the bus home, but as it wasn't technically his first day of school, I was supposed to pick him up. I felt so bad, but he didn't seem to notice. He was waiting in the office with his teacher Mrs. Harris. He said he had a good day, but was looking forward to next week when they would get to do painting :)

Music to my ears

Jonathan continues to amaze me. After church on Sunday, Kerri-Ellen came up to me to share a cute Jonathan story. She said that he was giving his teacher a hard time in Sharing Time, and then the pianist started to play "I love to see the Temple". She said Jonathan sat up and said "I love this song. I went to the Temple with my mommy and daddy". She said he then sat reverently and sang the entire song :) So cute. We listen to the primary songs a lot in the car and I have really noticed lately how much he is enjoying singing. While we are on the subject of Jonathan singing, here is another cute story. Benjamin was upset when I was putting him to bed the other night. Jonathan suggested I sing him a song. I sang him "I am a child of God" and then Jonathan asked me to sing it to him. After I finished I said good night and left their room. Benjamin was getting upset again and I heard Jonathan say "don't be upset Benjamin", and now for the best part, then I heard him singing "I am a child of God" to Benjamin. Doesn't that just make your heart melt!!! I have heard him sing to him a couple of times since then. It is nice to know that he loves his brother despite all the trouble he gives him.

Swim test

The new Newcastle pool opened up this week. I took the kids swimming on the first day. One of the lifegaurds came up to me and said that next time I brought the kids, I would have to bring another adult (the child to adult ratio is 3:1), unless one of the kids can pass the swim test. I was pretty sure that Hannah could pass the test, so she went and tried. In order to pass the swim test, kids have to be able to swim from one side of the pool to the other without stoping. They also have to swim with their face in the water for a few strokes. As she was swimming the lifegaurd kept trying to give her instructions, so Hannah stopped. The lifeguard said she didn't pass the test b/c she stopped a couple of times, but didn't realize that she had only stopped b/c the lifeguard was talking to her. We went for public swimming on Wednesday and I had Hannah try the swim test again. This time she passed with no problem. It is so cute to watch her. She is an amazing little swimmer. At the end of last summer, she could swim by herself a little bit, but at the beginning of this summer she wanted to use a lifejacket or water wings again. I think she just lacked the confidence to go for it. We swam alot over the summer (once a week at the Bailey's, plus sometimes at the outdoor pool or at Gramma Burnfields pool in Wilmot Creek) and she got her confidence back. When we went to Palymra, she swam with Joel in the deep end, and fell in love with doing cannon balls into the pool. Now she can swim all over the pool by herself. She can even float on her back! Jonathan has been doing great with his swimming lately. He uses the water wings and can swim all over the place with them. It is so cute to watch his legs go :) Lately he has been swimming under the water a lot and sometimes he doesn't even plug his nose.

Palmyra

Palymra was great. The kids were the best they have ever been while we toured the sites. They sat through the whole Restoration movie at the Hill Cumorah visitor centre (only 15 minutes, but still great). Afer the movie was over, we went into the interactive part of the visitor center. Jonathan really enjoyed himself watching all the Book of Mormon movies. He made sure he went to all the different stations to watch them all. It is moments like those that you realize all the other crazy stuff that happens while we were there is worth it:) They were also really good in the grove and at the Joseph Smith homes. When we were in the log home another child kept picking up all the artifacts. One of the sister missionaries kept asking him not to and taking them away from him, but he kept grabing different things. I thought Jonathan and Benjamin were going to join him, but they just stood quietly and listened!!!!! AMAZING :)

The kids also had a lot of fun swimming on Saturday and Monday. Hannah was doing huge cannon balls into the shallow end by herself and then ventured into the deep end with Joel close by. She jumps in and then swap to the surface and over to the side of the pool by herself. Jonathan also decided to be brave and jump into the pool by himself (no lifejacket or water wings). I was amazed. Jonathan hasn't been much of a water baby, so this was incredible. A few times he jumped in without telling me. He did a good job of swimming to the surface, but I helped him to the side of the pool. I was so proud of him. Even Benjamin was getting brave in the water. He had his life jacket on, but he jumped to me a couple of times (with me holding one of his hands) and even started to kick his feet while I swam him through the water. It was so cute to see.
The weather was really nice. Saturday was nice and hot for swimming and then not too cold while we were watching the Pageant. Hannah and Jonathan fell asleep through the Pageant, but Benjamin stayed awake. It rained a lot on Sunday, but by the time we finished with the site seeing and went back to the campsite, it had stopped raining. A few sleeping bags in the tent got wet, but we were able to dry them out in the sun before bed. Eden slept great while we were there, so I can't complain :)

Eden is eating

Today is the day. Eden started solids...okay,okay, she actually had a Baby Mum Mum cracker on sat. and sun and really liked them so I decided I should try giving her cereal. She has been trying to grab my plate lately. I wasn't sure if that was b/c she wanted the food, or b/c she just likes to grab things. She did great with the crackers (they pretty much dissolve in the mouth) on the weekend and then had more today. She would get upset if I didn't give her the pieces fast enough. I also gave her some rice cereal today and she loved it. She didn't make any funny faces or gag or anything. She ate all that I had prepared (a couple of tablespoons for sure) and probably would have eaten more if I offered it to her. I should also mention that she is doing amazingly with her sleeping. I decided to put her in last saturday night (after she was wide awake half the night before just for the fun of it). I didn't want to do it, but thought I would see if it made a difference. If it didn't then I was going to bring her back into our room. She slept incredibly the first night. She went to bed around 8pm and didn't get up until 7:45am...I wasn't sure if that was just beginners luck???? the next couple of nights she got up earlier (1am and then around 4am), but after that she has been great. She has been sleeping until around 6:30 (although this morning it was 5:30) so I am extremely happy. I put her to bed and down to nap awake sometimes and most of the time she doesn't make a peep. She just puts her two middle fingers in her mouth and goes to sleep. She is such a dollie :) I just love her. She has such an amazing temperement. Even when she does wake up in the night, she is really happy. Most mornings she will lie in bed with me for an hour or more and just be content with a little toy or something. She gives the huggest smiles (although never when I have the camera....I think she is too busy looking at the camera to smile) and is truly just a happy little girl.

My sweet husband

Joel is away in Montanna on a Mine training course. He sent me the nicest email this morning that I want to remember :)
Hello my most wonderful wife!!

Was a long day travelling, and this more than any other trip I feel home sick. Probably because I haven’t been gone this long in a while, and I feel as though I’ll be missing so much, nothing in particular but just not being there. I’ve thought about you a lot throughout the day, wondered what you were doing, what the kids were up to, wishing I could be there rather than cramped in some plane or sitting on an uncomfortable airport chair. It started to weigh on my last night, I started thinking how harsh I was yesterday and that those were the last things I said and did before going away for a week. I’m really sorry! I wish I was a better parent and husband. Then I started wishing I didn’t have to go so I was in no rush to get packed. I’ve got a pretty nice view of the mountains from my window, but I’d rather be able to see my wife and kids.

Friday wasn’t much better, it was my own fault and I was mad at myself and took it out on you, I’m sorry! I hope you know how much I love you, I wouldn’t be able to get by without you. So much of who I am is because of you and the kids are very fortunate to have such a strong mom.

You’ve done a great job doing your cakes. I’m very proud of you! It’s refreshing to see you take such an interest and initiative in something. I think I’ve always had something, like sports or investing, for me to get into and I’ve always felt kind of selfish and guilty. You’re such a giving person, whether it’s to us, our family’s or friends, or people at church, it’s important to take time for yourself, to do something you enjoy.

You’re my best friend, my greatest love, my Eternal Beloved. Friday can’t come fast enough.

All my love from miles away,

Joel
XO

Kids of Steel Race Day

Saturday was Hannah and Jonathan's "race day". We hadn't made a huge deal out of it in the weeks leading up to it. On Wednesday I Jonathan if he wanted to do the race and he was still interested. They were both really good about it. Hannah did two races last year (one triathalon and 1 duathalon) so she had no problems with it. Saturday morning the kids got up early because they were all excited. When we left the house around 7am it was already hot. We arrived around 8am and got the kids bikes in the transition area, then they got their registration kits and then got their "numbers" on their arm and leg. Jonathan and Hannah were both in the same age group, but Jonathan was number 12 in the first wave and Hannah was number 31 in the 3rd wave. Joel took Jonathan up to the pool and waited with him while I watched with Hannah, Eden. Jonathan seemed fine and was dangling his feet in the water, but as soon as they said "go" he froze. He wouldn't get in the water. Finally Joel got him and they ran around the pool and over the the transition area. Once Jonathan got on his bike he past quite a few kids. I was at the pool with Hannah, but I was watching out the window and saw the first and last part of his bike ride. Joel said he did pretty good with the running part, but by far he was best on his bike. As soon as I came over to him he showed me his medal and said "I won" it was really cute (all the kids get the same medal). He seemed to have fun. As we were leaving he said "next time I want to go in the pool" (except he was using an acusitory tone as if we had said he couldn't go in the pool".

Hannah did great...expect for the start. When they blew the whistle to get in the pool, she stood up and jumped in.....her head went under and she got water up her nose, so she was a little stunned. Once she recovered from that she did really great. I ran with her (and Eden in the snuggly) to the bike transition area and then Joel stayed with her for her run. She is really good on her bike, but she could have been faster if she didn't still have her training wheels. We definitely need to work on that for September. She had no problem with the running...but it is hard to get your kids to be competitive, without making it all about winning. I don't think they really get the concept of a "race" and winning yet, but that is okay.

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Cleaning house

I decided to buy the Mr. Clean mopping system thing to help keep my kitchen floor clean. I wash it once a week, but it really could use it much more (especially under the table). Jonathan and Benjamin are constantly dropping food on the floor. Hannah and Jonathan were excited when they saw it and wanted to help, I explained that it wasn't a toy. A little while later I was on the computer and I heard a noise. I asked Jonathan what he was doing and he told me that he was cleaning and he was almost done. I checked it out a few minutes later and found him in the dining room moping the floor in his underwear, it was a funny site. He had taken the mop out and had washed the living room and dining room floor....except he used way too much of the cleaning solution. I could see it all over the floor (it sprays out the front of the mop). He insisted on finishing the floor. It was really cute, but at the same time he used the entire bottle of cleaning solution! I was hoping it would last more than one day :) He actually really likes helping me clean, or just helping in general. I find that when he is being a little out of control I can get him to calm down by asking him to help me with something. He has been pretty good lately. I have had numerous comments that he seems to have really calmed down lately :) Yeah! He has been really good at "Town Hall". When I picked him up last wee his teacher was telling me how great he was doing. She said that he is a pleasure to work with. It was good to hear that. I always worry how he will behave. I know he can get a little wild with me and Joel, but was pretty sure he didn't get that way for others....it was good reassurance.

Little stinker

Saturday night was not a very fun night for us....mostly me :( Joel had decided to tell the kids that they could have a sleepover in the family room....cute idea, but the kids were a little too excited about it. I had 3 cakes to finish and was upset b/c my new printer (with edible ink) that I was going to use for 2 of the cakes wasn't working (a whole other story), so I was very frustrated. I finally started on the cakes as the kids were watching a movie and then realized that Joel was going downstairs to workout. The kids finally settled down and I got what I needed to done. Hannah was the first to fall asleep, then Jonathan and finally Benjamin. I was up until about 1am finishing the cakes and then went to bed. Just as I was about to get into bed Eden woke up. I think it was b/c of the lights in the washroom...she decided that she was wide awake and didn't finally go to sleep until 3:30am... I was so tired. I tried nursing her I don't know how many times. She was pretty happy, but didn't just want to sit still. I kept having to move her around and give her something to play with. I moved into Hannah's room so we wouldn't wake up Joel. I finally rocked her to sleep and then she woke up again 30 min later. I nursed her and then she slept again until 6am...I was so exhausted. I have no idea what Eden was thinking. Surprisingly enough she wasn't cranky on Saturday. I decided to cut her sleep short (sometimes she will take an afternoon nap that lasts more than 3 hours) and see if she slept better through the night. I couldn't decide if I should put her in the crib or not. I put Hannah and Jonathan in the crib around 5 or 5 1/2 months...as much as I like my sleep, I kind of like my little sleeping buddy, but on the other hand, it would be very nice to not have her wake up multiple times a night. I finally decided to go for it. I put her in the basinet and placed the basinet in the crib. She was wide awake, and she didn't even make a peep. She woke up 12am and brought her into bed to feed her. I would have fallen back asleep, but she had a dirty diaper. After changing her, I decided to try and put her back in the basinet. I fully expected her to cry, but didn't hear a peep. I kept waking up and listening for her, but she didn't wake up until 7:45am :) I am not sure if that was just beginners luck??? I put her in the basinet again tonight. I am constantly amazed that she will put herself to sleep (I have been trying to put her to bed and nap awake for the past couple of weeks). It is amazing what babies can do. She is such a cutie pie. She is such a happy little girl. She gives the hugest smiles....especially to her mommy :)

The New Narnia

We decided to take the kids to "Narnia - Prince Caspian" aka "the new Narnia". For weeks, whenever the kids would see a Narnia preview on TV they would say "it's the new Narnia". The kids were pretty good during the movie. I was hoping that Eden would sleep through it (we went to an afternoon show partially for that reason). She slept a little at the beginning and then woke up. Benjamin ended up falling asleep on Joel. Grandad bought the kids a huge popcorn and pop for a snack, which was great, but also meant that the kids each had to go to the washroom during the movie. I took Jonathan to the washroom and then he ended up peeing on his pants.......I was so upset with him. I knew as soon as he sat on the toilet that it was going to happen as he didn't pull his pants down all the way and started going as SOON as he sat down. I was so frustrated with him. I knew that I was overreacting, but at the same time couldn't stop myself. I feel so horrible when I do that. Fortunately it is'nt that often. Aside from that we had a great time. The movie was really good and the kids enjoyed it. Jonathan wants "a new Narnia" sword he saw at Toys R Us for Christmas. What a funny boy. As I am typing this he is sitting beside me and playing with my hair. He has been doing this lately. He will sit beside me and run his fingers through my hair. He also will come up to me and just touch his hand to my face and hold it there and then tell me he loves me. I love how affectionate our kids are. They tell us multiple times a day that they love us and are always giving us hugs and kisses.

Fireworks

We celebrated Queen Victoria day with fireworks on Monday night. Bowmanville had it's anual fireworks at the Johnson's on Monday night. Joel went out with Jonathan earlier in the day and bought some fireworks from the big truck by the Bowmanville Zoo. When we got there it was REALLY windy, but we were prepared. We were dressed warmly and I had made a nice big thermos of hot chocolate. Yummy! There were hotdogs and chips and lots of desserts to eat. The big boys (daddy included) played catch while the little kids played around. At one point I saw Jonathan, Benjamin and Joel trying to roll down a little (extremely little) hill. It was addorable. They all happened to be wearing red. Benjamin was trying to figure out how to lie down so that he could then roll down. It was so cute.
Eden spent much of the night sleeping on Sister Johnston. Doesn't she look adorable. I love that hat :)
As usual, Hannah was trying to hang out with the big girls (Stephanie and Shania who are 7 years older than her). They are nice girls, but I would much rather her play with the girls her age. Joel took her to the fire to roast marshmallows, which distracted her enough so that she eventually started playing with Logan and Bianca. The wind died down once the sun started to set, so that made it even more enjoyable. Once the sun set, Joel brought out glow sticks for the kids. A little while later, Hannah came up to me and told me that she had given hers to Brother Wry's niece (also a Hannah, and not a member). I thought that was so thoughtful of her. Once the Brother Coutts and Brother Brignall started setting off the fireworks, we got comfy on our lawn chairs and cuddled under blankets and had our hot chocolate. I loved listening to the kids as they watched the fireworks, all their "wow's" and "ooh's". It was great. Moments like these make me so happy that we have had our kids so close together. I love that they will have many of the same memories.

Funny Boy

I just had to share a few things Jonathan has said lately.....Joel was wearing a pink polo shirt the other day ( I bought it for part of his "Don Johnson" costume). Jonathan came up to him and pointed to his stomach and said "why are you wearing a girls shirt?" I thought it was hillarious :) I was trying to fix the sink in the powder room yesterday (yes, again). I had the sink all hooked up and turned the water on....and then the leaking started. I drained the water and took the sink apart and turned it upside down and then the water came pouring out (evidently from somewhere inside the sink) and all over my pants. When Jonathan saw me he said "Mommy you had an accident" I told him it was water and he said "no, I see pee on your pants". What a cutie eh!