For some reason the weeks are flying by faster than normal and so is my memory of them. And somehow I let last week go by without writing about anything. I know I was crazy busy going to well-child appointments and vet appointments and cello lessons and soccer and school somehow fit in between all of that.
Lucy started up piano lessons with me this last week and I am amazed at how quickly she is progressing. She did get a virus in the middle of the week that had her down until just yesterday and even that didn’t keep her from practicing. She told me today that she is ready to pass off all of her songs and her scale. Poor girl had a fever on and off for about five days, accompanied with some congestion and a little cough. Thankfully she is feeling much better today. She has been so sweet. So meek and loving. We have spent a lot of time reading Before Green Gables together. We are trying to finish it before it is due at the library and this was a perfect opportunity to fit in a few more chapters than usual.
Tommy has discovered writing stories. He uses Microsoft Word and types them up. He does it for a fun past time. He doesn’t like the red lines under any of his words and can get frustrated when he can’t figure out the formatting he wants to use. But his stories are very fun to read. I will share one soon. He has also become a very good little cleaner and helper. We recently started a new cleaning plan where we each have daily responsibilities and Tommy loves lists, so this is something he is loving. He is helping everyone with items from their list so he can help cross them off. And he is getting a lot of satisfaction from seeing a clean house. I have to say, I am too. Divide and conquer. And my mother’s favorite saying, “Many hands make light work.” Oh, yeah and Tommy says his new hobby is helping people. A pretty good hobby, I would say. He went in for his five year checkup and he is about the 25th percentile for height and weight. He is 36 pounds and is 42 and half inches tall. It was fun to see the looks on the nurses and doctor’s faces when he started talking to them about what was going on. I’m used to his questions and knowledge, but I’m pretty sure he takes a lot of people by surprise when he starts talking like a little adult. He got two shots. The next morning I was asking him how his sore leg was and he said, “Yesterday it felt like someone was stabbing me in the leg with a sword, but today it just feels like a surface bruise.” He still blows my mind.
Taivan is starting to sing so many songs. He loves the ABC song right now. He follows along in his little animal alphabet book. And he is singing many primary songs, and his favorite way to go to sleep at night is by listening to primary songs from my iPad. I used to sing him all the songs, but that because very tiring. Now I’m just trying to sing him more songs during the day. And he is so completely enthralled with books right now. We are reading his favorites over and over. I remember having favorites from a very young age and it is fun that these books can live on and my kids can enjoy them. Go Dog. Go! and The Cat in the Hat for example. Taivan has been pushing boundaries a lot lately and I am trying to remember to remain firm. It is so much easier in the end. One of those boundaries is that he likes to come and climb into our bed in the middle of the night. And I pull him up in my sleep, because at the time it is easier to just snuggle him. But lately I can’t sleep well with him in the bed because there just isn’t room for Tom and Taivan and me. So I am pulling myself out of bed to go tuck him in his own bed. It should get better after a while.
Matthew has been doing so much around the house lately and I haven’t been asking him. He has been pitching in and helping and I am so amazed by his ability to see a need and to serve the way he does. He is a hard worker and he loves to make others happy. This last weekend he and Tom worked for over twelve hours removing and replacing the insulation in the storage part of our attic. He amazed Tom with his ability to stick to his task and do such a good job. He is such a good young man. He gets more irritated at times when he doesn’t agree with me, but I have to remember that being a teenager is teaching him how to separate from his parents and having a differing opinion is definitely okay.
Jenny has what Lucy is getting over and is hoping she will be better soon enough that we can go shopping for an Easter dress. I hope so, too. She is saving up her money to be able to do a bigger birthday party this year for all of her friends. She does not let money burn a hole in her pocket and is learning the value of saving. I’ve been helping her by getting her good deals on things from Hobby Lobby. 😉 She values a clean space so this new cleaning plan definitely appeals to her in that way.
Tom has been at his job a year now and was able to travel to Rochester, New York for about a day to help with some server admin stuff there. He is enjoying his work and we are happy to have him home most of the time. My favorite time of day is when he comes home from work in the evening and the time we spend together as a family over dinner and of course the Monster game he plays with the kids on the living room floor at Taivan’s request. And reading and praying together just makes everything right even though it isn’t always smooth sailing.
So I guess when I start writing things start coming back to my memory. Thankfully, because I know in another week I won’t remember these details. This blog is serving as a long term memory for me and my family.