July Chronicles

Jean smiles a lot but tough to get to laugh. She likes to be with the kids, but not touched by them! She frequently has a 'deer-in-headlights' look that says something between "who sent me here?" and "are you people for real?!"

Enoch figured out how to climb out of the crib...trouble. Over the 4th Nate earned eternal bonus points with Enoch for inducting him into the Boys Sandbox Club. He loves chocolate popsicles(pronounced: clock-clet). His prayers sound like this:

"Dear Happy Father. Family...Jesus...family...where's Jesus? (looks around the room for a picture and whispers very loudly:) Right there!..family...Jesus...in the name of Jesus Christ, Oh Man!"

Quinn really likes eating the beans and peas from the garden. She scored two goals at one of her soccer games. It changed her whole game when we told her it was okay to take the ball away from the other team. She's still mostly in it for the half-time and post-game snacks. Every Sunday morning she makes a card for her Sunbeam teacher: Cox (not Sister Cox, just Cox).

Addie lost her first tooth! Her dad actually couldn't take it anymore and yanked it out. She made a lot of progress swimming this month and can swim in the big pool without a life jacket and dive to the bottom for toys.

Aaron bought himself a mill after 10 years of dreaming. Now if he could only remember some of those things he planned to make, "if he only had a mill!"

June Chronicles

On the way home from kindergarten graduation Addie announced:
"now I know what two new things feel like. I know what it feels like to be in first grade and I know what it feels like to have summer break!"
When Enoch returns from his adventures outside he always announces, "I'm home, mom!"
He likes to play with 'hick-up trucks' and 'dinoswords.'
Recently we were watching a little friend his age. I said, "say 'hi' to our friend Enoch." He smiled a mischeivious smile and then shot her a chilling scowl. He turned around and walked away long enough for me to gasp in surprise, then called over his shoulder, "only kidding mom!"
While working on our latest installment to our long-term food supply Aaron observed, "this is so inefficient. They could have a factory and machines and do this faster, cheaper and make sure it was done correctly." I offered that it would cheat us of the opportunity to be obedient and work hard together. Who wouldn't want to skip the crooked labels, fighting to push the button on the sealer and floor covered in wheat and rice grains?
The last few photos are my hobby photos as of late. Cooking is my outlet.

May Chronicles

Addie's mother's day card:

"My mom has blue eyes.

My mom has brown hair.

Sometimes she eats candy

but I don't care."

Addie's riddle poem:

A is the oldest

Q has a good imagination
J is a baby

and E is trouble.
T is a genius

and A is smart,

but F is the BEST!!!!
What is F?

Other big events for Addie include incubating real live chicks at school, practicing and performing the Reading Restaurant, and discovering 3 cavities at the dentist, who knew kids needed to floss? Obviously not me. Her dentist happens to be her primary teacher also. After her first filling Aaron asked her if she still wanted to go back to church and luckily she said she did. She also turned 6 years old and had a wild and crazy Mad Scientist Party.

The highlight for Quinn this month was going to Wednesday morning Sporties for Shorties at the local Aquatics Center. She's getting especially good at rock climbing. And for the record: she can now brake on her bike!

I have to note the curious black eye Enoch was sporting in some of the photos from last month. That was from playing frisbee, with Quinn, on the trampoline; a favorite pastime of the two of them. This month he discovered soccer. He even takes the soccer ball with us in the car when we go most places. He has also decided to take his sense of fashion into his own hands. That always happens when my 2 year olds discover 'the Red Cowboy Boots.' A particularly choice outfit consisted of a Brazilian soccer shirt, cars and trucks long johns and red cowboy boots up to his knees. He wore it to the grocery store. He got a lot of comments.

Jean started smiling. Of course, it's cute. The kids really like to get her to smile at them. It's a good thing her outfits are so darn cute on her to make up for Enoch's fashion statements.

We have all been working on planting our new fancy garden boxes. Addie is excited about the carrots. Enoch likes to keep an eye on the fast growing peas. Quinn planted her own zinnias (incidentally, the same thing my mom planted in her 'garden' when she was Quinn's age). Aaron's pride is his lettuce and spinach box. I'm especially looking after the herbs and flowers. I really had to argue for one box being my flower box. Aaron wanted all produce harvest crops. I tried to warn him that you don't garden in Flagstaff, (at 7000 ft, with an average late frost date of June 15) for a bountiful harvest; it's more for the experience. I like to say, I garden to learn more about God. It's a good experience.

April Chronicles

Kiddo Anecdotes:

Addie's latest doctrinal ponderings have been about a possible favorite color for Jesus. Maybe it is all colors. (mom: good thought. He used all colors when he created the world. I bet he liked them all). What if he only used his favorite colors, and there are more that he didn't use. But we don't even know them because we only know the ones he used on Earth?!?! (you got me there. What if?)
I also overheard her informing her siblings at dinner that 'all things are chicken. Even people have chicken in them." Chicken is a generic term for meat at our house.

Quinn's word of the month is "awesomest." The real bone tickler in her use of the word is how fast she says it. Say it as quick and enthusiastic as you can. That's how she uses it. It has an almost 'Napoleon Dynamite casualness' feel. If only you could see her riding her 'sweet' bike she'd gladly show you her 'skills.' which she refers to as her 'awesomest tricks.' One thing about Quinn is she always spends more time explaining things than actually doing them. Her first awesomest bike trick is to stand up while she pedals. "even Addie can't do that trick." The second awesomest bike trick is to pedal with no hands (even if that means using your wrists to steer sometimes). The third is a sparatic back and forth steering to make a snake pattern.
All of this she can do, and yet, she hasn't quite figured out how to use the brakes. We're working on it though, and when she gets that down, it will most definitely be the fourth awesomest bike trick. She turned 4 this month and had the awesomest "Q-U Heart" party. She chose the theme, thanks Grandma for making it happen.

Enoch's choice words and phrases this month took on a disturbingly slang sound. They include "wuck a heck" (what the heck-which he distinctly got from Addie). "Dang it!" (Quinn's curse of choice) and "hoe-we moe-we" (holey moley-picked up from Nana Tana). All exclaimed with full emotion and impeccable timing. It's a bit frightening to hear, but it makes us laugh. He also has this way of saying "O-kay" with the perfect mix of disappointment and consent. Half a sigh and half an agreement.

Jean is a little dear, who is still figuring out the world. She can gulp more air than any baby I've ever cared for and it causes her a lot of grief. She does not like to nurse to sleep. She does not particularly like to be rocked to sleep. She does not like to sleep when she can hear the kids playing. And she does not like the pacifier. But amazingly she does sleep. We just have to make sure to burp her for long enough and lay her down in the perfect drowsy 'window' of opportunity. She spends the majority of her life in the double jogger and a car seat. She likes to be on the go (a person pretty much couldn't survive in this family without that trait).

Special "Addition": cousin

Only 12hrs old and she still doesn't have pictures on her blog. That is so Camille!

There is still some heated family controversy as to how to spell his name:

Snorky, Snorkey, Snorkie, Snorkii, Snorki, Snorkee....

What is the popular opinion?