chicken, bird, soldier

Its that time of year for us. Swimming lessons!! The kids have been at the pool every morning for the last two weeks and we've got one more to go. They are in 7th heaven. I really didn't know how Mallory would do as the last time we went to a pool she
was stuck to my neck the entire time. Sometimes as a mother i feel like flypaper...in the pool and during sacrament meeting are the two places where it's really unbearable. I'm not quite sure why it is that my four children find it necessary to be touching, hanging on, and/or fighting for my personal space at these times, but it drives me crazy. Imagine my surprise when on the first day Mallory got in with her teacher without even a whimper and has only left her class and put up a fight to go back in once. For me, that's a major improvement. I think what has helped her is that she has the most scantily clad swimming teacher out there. Her belly button "decorations" are bigger than her bikini and Mal sure has noticed. Every day she tells us about swimming and "My teacher, I love her" then she proceeds to lift up her shirt and inform us, again!!!, that her teacher has her belly button pierced. She's in the zone.

Megs and Isaac love the water and have a blast. They practice their strokes every chance they can out at the reservoir (as we go 2-3 times a week) and at the dinner table. To teach the back glide, the teachers use the phrase "chicken (pull your hands to your armpits), bird (extend arms out) and soldier (bring them down to your side)" and we've certainly gotten our money's worth out of "chicken, bird, soldier" as they've extended it to "...flamingo, mom, eli, megan, mallory, isaac, dad..." each with it's own action. I'm sure if you haven't heard and seen them perform their newest trick, the day will shortly come.

Eli has fun walking around the baby pool holding onto my fingers trying to avoid his siblings as they swim up to and splash his face. His mouth is only a few inches above the water level and each splash and wave causes him to choke. You would think the kids could see that, but they haven't yet. He only has a week left and so we'll see if he survives.

out of style

A few tidbits on my children's fashion statements as of late. Here is Isaac on the first and last days of school. You'll notice on the first day, he's got his hair combed, is wearing a nice collared shirt (with a matching t shirt underneath) with khaki shorts. Obviously, Mom
cared about her son's appearance as it is a reflection on her as a mother. It's as if he emulates, "that kid's mom surely has got it together" or "look how nicely that boy is dressed. His mother must have him trained well" I must say, that's what I think when I look at Photo A. However, as your eyes trail over to Photo B--wait, I can almost hear the gasp of horror--. My boy, for some odd reason, is into athletic shirts and shorts with his linen Sunday shirt. Oh, I know it has a collar, but please, orange and red!! Where does he come up with these outfits? He has a new one on every day. I can't quite get him to grasp the idea to go with either the athletic stuff OR the nice linen shirt. He won't. BOTH must be present. It's really too much. I don't even want to start on the no socks with the keds. It's all Matt's doing. Now, it's as if he is SHOUTING "look at me world, my mother doesn't love me and cares not what I look like out in public!" This agency thing is for the birds.

On to Megan. Now I love my first born dearly. We all know that. But sometimes she reminds me so much of me and I'm not so sure that's a good thing. Her recent wardrobe has come directly from Isaac's drawers. (Kurt, I don't want to hear it) Every day its cargo shorts and some boy themed tshirt usually with her keen sandals. Gone, at least for now, are the cute Mary Janes and pink embellished shirts with a denim skirt. Her first day of school to last day of school metamorphosis is just as disturbing as Isaac's. Maybe the fact that I never dressed her in pink as a baby is finally catching up with me. As I looked through my pictures to find evidence of Megan's new style emanated in her mother's childhood qwerks--this is the best I could do.

Whoa!! Is that a tie--and a sport coat? And how could I have a comb over at age 7? Mom--why would you let your favorite daughter (sorry, Heath) dress like this? Do you know what it says about you as a mother? (Mallory just walked by and said, "You're a boy") OK, maybe I'm overreacting and my kids choice of clothes won't have that great of impact on their little lives just yet. They still have a chance to turn out fabulously (after all, they have my life to look at as an example). If anyone can go from this ugly "boy" caterpillar stage and turn into the gorgeous "girl" butterfly that is now Lizzy, with as much grace as i, they have truly succeeded in life. Everyone pray for my kids success!

PS Thanks for the agency mom!!

Eli's First

In celebration of Eli's first birthday, i decided to start this blog so that at least his life documented. Unfortunately for his 3 older siblings, their childhood's will just fade away as i have been negligent in down jotting every little thing.

His birthday this year fell on Friday, but of course, church calls and i had an enrichment thing at 6:30. i passed the kids off to Matt as he walked through the door and everyone was asleep by the time i got home. Hopefully Eli won't remember that his first birthday was celebrated a day late.

Saturday was crazy as well but we all were together by 4 o'clock and we could throw something together for him. Lucky Eli got a "spomone", as we like to call it here. A chocolate cake with 4 layers of different colored frosting. I remember getting them as a kid and i think the official name is a spumoni cake. He was a little timid at first but soon figured out what was up. ( i don't want any comments about the aesthetics of the cake. i don't claim "cake decorator" as one of my endless list of talents!)

At the ripe old age of one, Eli has 2 teeth all the way in on the bottom and 5 (yes, he is ornery) coming in on the top. He finally figured that crawling is more efficient to scooting and it has now become his locomotor movement of choice. We are definitely missing the scoot though. He is going to have abs of steel from his last 5 months of mopping the floor with his rear. his newest fun trick is standing while drinking his sippy cup (just make sure he's not close to the stairs!) so walking may be in his near future (unfortunately for me). he has been our only binkie lover and boy does he love the bink. oh how i long for the days of the thumb sucker. we have been through 9 binkies in the past year. i'm sure when we move from this house, we'll find them all over the place, except for the one lost at the zoo...and the one Target...and the one that we found outside chewed to bits.

He also has started to talk. well, sort of. the only word he says is Iseeeeeeee. That's Isaac for all of you that are out of touch with baby talk. It actually is really cute. He looks at his brother and says, Iseeeeeeee, over and over.

ok on to our other children... Here they are in their easter outfits but obviously not taken on easter as we had 5 inches of snow that day. gotta love colorado in the spring!

Mallory is 3 now and we like to call her our spicy one.

The more children we have, the worse we become as parents. I really hope Eli turns out half decent. We let her get away with everything because we're just too tired (and she's too cute). Everyone pray for her! As you can see, she still loves her two fingers. She has gone through quite the transition when it comes to finger sucking. She started with her thumb as a baby, moved to her two first fingers by the time she was one, and for the past year and a half, she's been consistent with her two middle fingers. We still aren't sure how she doesn't choke--but whatever keeps her from screaming at her older siblings--we'll take.

Isaac and Megan have just finished school and we are desperately trying to find ways to keep them busy. I'm looking ahead and thinking that Aug. 20 can't come soon enough! ok maybe a slight exaggeration. Megan is a great help to have at home. I can't believe that at the end of the month she'll be eight. Am I old enough to have an 8 yr old? She is very good at being the oldest child. Poor Isaac has 2 moms (and sometimes 3, as Mallory loves to boss him around from time to time). Megan is very responsible and mature. She was sad on the last day of school to leave second grade because she was her teacher's little runner. She made daily trips to the copy room, office, pop machines, and other random errands for her teachers (she had 2) and i think she got used to her cushy life as teacher's pet. Third grade will be a whole new experience for her. She'll be back to the bottom of the totem pole and will have to start her schmoozing from scratch. It's good practice for her.

Isaac made it through kindergarten just fine. I can't believe that we were so nervous about sending him. I can't imagine what he would have done this year if we would have kept him back and in preschool one more year. We were so worried about him being the youngest in his class and him maybe not being mature enough to handle kindergarten just yet, but he proved us wrong and flew right through without any issues. Whew!!! Now on to first grade and a whole new set of worries for mom.

The end of each year the kindergarten puts on a play that they have been working on all year. Each of the 90 kids have parts and sing, dance, blah blah blah. Anyway it's a huge production. Our shy little Isaac, playing the part of "Ujama, the Wildebeest", in his costume made of egg carton and tin foil got up there and delivered his many memorized lines like a champ. Matt and I even got a surprise to see him get down to "Who let the dogs out"--something we hadn't previously rehearsed. Our son is definitely a white boy.

Matt and I are doing well- just the same old grind. bishopric--enrichment--bishopric--soccer--bishopric-- you get the idea.