KiKi Comments

Sometimes kids seem to go through spurts where they just come up with some pretty random, funny stuff. KiKi has been doing that quite a lot this week. Thought I'd jot a few down before I forget them. The pictures have nothing to do with his comments; I just like them.

This is KiKi's "bedhead."

KiKi thinks he is beating SS in this wrestling picture.

The other day, KiKi was practicing writing his name on a Magna Doodle. He was very excited with his mastery and decided to show off for Daddy. He erased the Magna Doodle, wrote his first letter successfully, then wrote his second letter equally well. With mounting enthusiasm, he formed his third letter. Suddenly, he sat back, looked at it, and said, "Oops! That's upsiedown!"

Last night, we had lasagna for dinner. Though hubby and I really like it, the kids just really don't. KiKi likes to be the first one to pray before dinner. Last night was no exception. This was his prayer. "Dear God, Thank you for this day. Please help sick and hurt to get better. Please help us to like this food. Amen."

Tonight, KiKi and I were sitting at the table eating some ice cream. He was chatting away about all kinds of things, when he abruptly stated, "I can't talk anymore. I need to eat." A few moments later, he began chatting again, giving me the full details of some part of Batman's existence. Looking at his melting ice cream, he exclaimed, "I thought I said, 'NO TALKING!'"

Hope he brought a chuckle to your day too!

Thumbsucker No More!

Today, we officially celebrated the end of an era. Neil-Te decided that he would no longer suck his thumb a few weeks ago. So, he sadly put his Silkie on top of his dresser so that Silkie wouldn't make him suck his thumb while he was sleeping. I watched him do it with sadness and amazement that he had come to this decision on his own. Wanting to encourage him, I promised him a pack of gum if he could avoid thumb-sucking for an extended period of time. His gum reward, his sucking thumb, and his beloved Silkie.

I'm not sure if I really want to celebrate or cry. Maybe both.

The Weaker Sex

Hubby got sick almost two weeks ago, and the cold has been making its way through the men in the family. So far, SS and I have been spared. We're claiming that it is just proof of our womanly superiority. (Yes, we will get A LOT of grief if we end up getting sick, but we need to take advantage of opportunities like these in our male-dominated household.)
Here's what the little two looked like today. The big guys look alright, but they are sniffling and coughing. That doesn't stop the Nerf wars, though!
If you click on KiKi's picture, you can see all of the burst blood vessels around his eyes. We're calling them "crying freckles."

Neil-Te is struggling with headaches during this cold. Yes, nothing terribly new for him; but he woke up with one and started turning green again a little after lunch time. The headache won by 2:30, and here he is - crashed on our bed. When we were finally able to wake him, we realized that he had turned the electric blanket on, so he was a sweaty mess! lol

Nine at Noon!

CoCo is officially nine! Though he has already had a friend party and a sleepover with his cousin to celebrate his birthday, he did not officially gain nine-year-old status and privileges until today. So today, he officially gained the privilege of staying up until 8:30 and one more piece of laundry to fold every day. Here he is with the family after his morning presents.

CoCo added to his collection of Nerf guns, and our home felt like a battle zone all day. He was hugely disappointed when the gigantic Nerf gun he had been hoping for turned out to be a dud - the bullets kept jamming, but Daddy came to the rescue and took him to the store to exchange it for a "Berserker." Yes, the name says it all.

We had a temporary reprieve from bullet fire this afternoon when we went to see "Princess and the Frog." CoCo was a little bummed that he had to go to a G movie even though he is now 9, but he did understand the logic that all of his brothers were going too.

We had dinner with the grandparents tonight. CoCo chose taco salad this year. He got gift cards this year from both sets of grandparents. That seems like a tough transition for me. He really likes the gift cards, but that just makes him seem a little too old. Sigh.

Here is my big 9 year old!

Lots of Busyness

I realize that I've gotten behind, and there have been so many things going on that I just decided to post a picture from each major event as updates. I had considered blogging each event separately, but it appears that our busyness is going to continue for a few more days. The pictures are in reverse order, but I'm short on time.

The three older boys each made cars for this year's derby race. CoCo won 1st place in the Jr. Cadet races and also received the "Best Workmanship" award. Neil -Te won 3rd in the Jr. Cadet races and also received the "Most Original" reward. (His car was shaped like a caterpillar/worm/ant, but he wasn't holding it in this picture.) A won 3rd on the Sr. Cadet group and also won the "Most Original reward for his age group.


Yesterday, SS got her last two wisdom teeth out. She had the first two taken out in December and was not looking forward to going through it again. Unfortunately, she had some excessive bleeding today, and I had to bring her back to the dentist. He was able to fix her back up, and she is doing well now.

My dad and I celebrated our birthdays this past week. I think he's 39 this year; I'm claiming 32. Does that math work out? ;-)

A and CoCo had some buddies over last week for a little birthday party. We headed out to Adventure Landing so that the kids could play in the WOW factory. They had a lot of fun. Three other friends joined us as well; but since we picked them up on the way, I didn't get a group picture of everyone.

So... there is a very brief update. Maybe I'll get a chance for a better post in a few days!

11 on the 11th!

A's birthday started off in our traditional way - presents before Daddy goes to work.

We continued the birthday celebration by going out to breakfast with some of his grandparents.

Great-grandma made cupcakes, and A was able to make space for one even after packing away a grown-up-sized pancake breakfast! He was also pretty excited to be sung to at a restaurant!
Oma and Opa joined us for his birthday dinner - homemade mac and cheese, cucumbers, and tropical fruit salad.

Here he is - 11 on the 11th!

Enjoying the Melting

We made the mistake of leaving the trampoline assembled this winter, so we have had to have the boys periodically shovel it off. After the snowcane, the boys spent a couple of days working on it to completely clear it. Now that it has been so warm, they are taking advantage of the clear, and warm, trampoline to get some of their crazies out. Their favorite game is "Crack the Nut." Since they are only allowed to jump one at a time, one boy jumps while the others try to stay curled in a nut position. Whoever cracks last gets to be the next jumper.

A - surprisingly, my t-shirt all year round boy, was the only one to remain bundled.

Neil-Te- assuming his "nut" position.

Co-Co - looking pretty spectacular with his electric hair. He was wishing he could figure out how to do this all the time!

KiKi, who is saving some hot chocolate for later.

Church Pianist

CoCo had the opportunity to play a couple of songs during the prelude for our evening church service last night. Despite lots of time preparing and some nervousness, he is actually asking when he gets to do it again!

He looked awfully little sitting there.

He used on of his December recital pieces, "French Lullaby" and also played a new one, "Here I am to Worship." The second piece was very challenging - four flats, but he likes singing it at church and wanted to be able to play it.

Healthy New Baby!

Late this afternoon, Hubby's cousin had her baby. As you can see, her new baby is healthy, if not happy, in this picture! (I copied these off of Facebook because I know that some of you have been praying for this little one and her mother.)
After fighting with cancer, Hubby's cousin wasn't sure she could even get pregnant, let alone carry a baby to term. We were all concerned when she began having contractions over 10 weeks ago. The doctors were able to stop her labor and then put her on full bedrest. Praise God, this little one was even born past the due date!

Happy Day!

Afternoon with the Animals

The older three boys are part of an art class every Tuesday afternoon; and due to the distance, I don't have time to go back home during their class. So, I try to come up with fun things to do with KiKi during that time. Last week we went out for hot chocolate and donuts. This week, I decided to do something extra special - go to the local animal shelter. We walked through the rows of dogs and pretended that all of the echoing barks were their way of saying an enthusiastic, "HELLO!" to KiKi. Then we walked down the kitten rows and admired how they jumped onto perches. Then we strolled past the rabbits, the potbellied pigs, and even a mule. Though we moved in typical KiKi speed mode, he was interested and excited and full of smiles; and I was patting myself on the back for coming up with the perfect activity. As I buckled myself into the car, I turned around and asked, "So, did you have a great time?" KiKi replied, "It was so boring."

Yeah, I couldn't believe it either.

Home Study

Every year, we have to have a new home study to renew our foster care certification. We take training classes throughout the year to fulfill our training hour requirements. We get TB tests every other year. We submit Dr.'s paperwork on everyone in our family to prove that we are healthy enough to foster. We are sent a packet of paperwork to fill out every February in preparation for our home study. So, tonight we had our "official home study." Our paperwork has been signed. Our house has been inspected. Brownies have been served. Our homefinder left happy and certain of our re-certification. Not that we ever really feel worried about it, but it I just like to sigh in contentment with the knowledge that our girl can stay.