Hannah:
- Was a flower girl last week in her Aunt Mary's wedding. She was lovely (of course), and gets the award for the best traveler in the kids group. She is a pro. She gets the gear in, sits down with the ipod, and kicks back for the flight.
- Can hardly wait to start the next level of math, Math-U-See's "Gamma." Lest you think that she is boringly studious, let me assure you that although she is rip-roaring-ready to begin multiplication ("multiplicating" as she calls it), the real reason is that the book binding is PINK. How could they have known what a motivating factor that would be to a 6 year old girl? And what will happen when the boys are ready for that level?
Daniel:
- Was the Hero of the Wedding. He wanted a job (Hannah had one...) but the ring bearer job was already taken. I told him that he had a special job to watch quietly and pray. He said that he would not, because he was going to be "The Hero!" Aunt Mary and I agreed that this was a fine job for him. Then he spent the entire weekend trying to figure out what The Hero should be doing. He finally landed on the idea that a hero is a gentleman, so he dashingly opened every door for every lady he could find. I tell you, this kid is a keeper!
- Daniel gets the award for the cutest moment on the plane. He is learning to recognize words and logos, and while traveling quickly identified the words and logos for our carrier, American Airlines. You have to know that Daniel has an uncommonly loud and clear projecting capability (ie. when he was born he came out screaming so loud that even the doctor was shocked). So there he was on the plane identifying every American plane he saw. This got to be a problem at the Dallas airport, as it is their hub. "American!" he exclaimed, pointing long bony fingers, "American!" over and over and over again. It was very cute, and was only be topped by his breaking out into song as we taxied to the runway "American! American! [God shed His grace on thee....]" at which point everyone on the plane craned to see the 4 year old singer and the entire plane erupted in chuckles. That's my Daniel! At least he carries a tune well.
Caleb:
- Has gone from being a constant drowning risk to a good swimmer! That is nothing short of an answer to prayer, and the work of a wonderful swim teacher. He is still our cuddly little guy.
- Caleb gets the award for the wedding stopper. Just after the pastor asked the formal legal questions about if anyone knew any reason why they should not be married, Caleb blurts out "Hannah! NOOOOO!!!!!" Apparently, he had been irritating Hannah in the pew during the ceremony, and she had had enough and hauled off and slugged him hard! Peter was sitting there with Abby sleeping in his arms, trying to shush them. I was standing up in the front trying to look like nothing had just happened. It seemed like everyone in the world looked first at Caleb, then back at me to see my reaction. Thank goodness Aunt Mary thought it was funny! Sometimes parenting is so humbling...
Abby:
- Gets the sweetness award. She is so endearing to everyone! She copies animal sounds when you read to her and watches your mouth and imitates sounds and words as she is able. Her four words are: Mama, Dada, Nigh-Night, and Bob (as in Bob the Builder, Daniel's newest obsession).
- She has also turned into our speed-crawler. The bigger kids think she is so cute that they don't even mind when she crawls right through their toys on the floor. I hope that continues for the rest of their lives (but I doubt it).
Peter:
- Gets the working-so-hard award. He is so diligent in his work, but he knows how and when to stop and play. He is so sweet too. I told him I was craving frozen yogurt while we were in Florida, and when we were in the airport he came back from walking the boys with a huge cup of Butter Pecan for me.
- Has been doing the P90X exercise regimen for a some weeks now and is having great results. I tried doing the Ab Ripper with him one night and it wasn't easy! I'm sure I could never keep up with plyometrics (or whatever it is called) and most of the others! The whole "bring it!" mentality cracks me up, but I've got to respect Peter's stick-to-it-ness. I'm thankful that he doesn't do it every single day, and that he has some give in his diet too. He's looking great, and feeling good. I'm proud of him.
Debra:
- Gets the brave traveler award. When we got to the airport to leave for Florida, Peter unloaded the car to so I could get in line, but there were no porters on the street! I ran to find someone and the security told me they were all busy just then. There were no carts around. So I circled the kids and told them that we were going to have to get all the gear in by ourselves. I swung two carseats onto my back, held a few carry-ons, and pushed Abby in the stroller. I had each of the 3 other kids pulling rolling suitcases and carrying things on their backs. Miraculously, we stayed together and got to our ticket counter, at which point a porter appeared to ask if we would like him to help. Yeah right, like I'm going to pay him something after I just herded (and "herded" is the best word) 4 kids, 3 suitcases, 2 carseats, 1 stroller, and 3 carry-ons into the line!
- Is loving summer. We swim every day, and do school when we feel up to it. I especially love the stage that Abby is in right now. The whole world is there to explore! She is just so...adorable! I love being a wife and mother. It is a lot of work, but so rewarding. Peter had a lot of mommy duties this weekend, and after the wedding, he told me that being a mom was hard work. Yes, yes it is. I'm glad he can appreciate it!
