KID NOTES January 2018-April 2018
I hung a little hook on the wall next to the play kitchen for Aila to hang her apron on. She loved it and said, “Mom, it’s feeling more like Home in here!”
Aila got a CTR ring at church today and she is ecstatic about it. She was so, so excited to be helping make dinner/set the table/etc and then Ben asked her to get diapers upstairs...she bolted up there, grabbed the diapers, ran downstairs and exclaimed, “I know what!!! I’m not superwoman, I’m C T R WOMAN!”
Emerson and I were downstairs when I told him I was going upstairs to switch the laundry. After doing so, I came down to find him on the counter playing in the sink. He knew he wasn’t supposed to and immediately said, “no mama, go laundry!”
After the Sister missionaries came for dinner today, Aila kept saying, “I know what I’m gonna be when I grow up! A missionary!!”
Abram reads hymns during sac mtg and softly sings. Usually Christmas hymns.
Aila—we read the words “nimble leap” in a book and now, anywhere we go, she'll say, "Mom, I'm doing a nimble leap!!" and leap her heart out.
While in Utah, Gpa Alan suggested that Abram and Aila play for Fred Tuttle across the street, who is dying from cancer. We explained the situation to the kids and they agreed...Abram played silent night the sweetest I've ever heard, Aila sang about baby Jesus, and they recited what they know so far of The Living Christ. I hope they remember the sweet feeling that was with us during that, with Fred weakly sitting on the couch and his angel wife, Mary, sitting next to him.
Took brownies to Sandy next door after her dad died. She got teary and asked for a hug—Abram and Aila were too timid but luckily little Bub stepped forward, arms outreached, and willingly gave her a hug. It was so sweet.
When Bub woke up from his nap today I walked in and said, “hello to my fuzz ball!” (Referring to his sticking straight up hair) He immediately popped up his head as if looking for something...For the next five minutes he kept asking for the fuzz ball and was really sad I couldn’t give it to him. He was finally satisfied when I let him bring a little soccer ball in the car to pick up Abram.
Bub asks for toast with “Jammie” (jam)
Bub asked for a “headband” (bandaid)
Bub was really sad and whining in the car: “Mom ah go to Santa Rosas!!”
Abram’s love language is a warm breakfast. Luckily for him (and all of us) we rarely have a cold breakfast, because he is the happiest clam when he wakes up to a warm breakfast, and a grouchy one when we have cold cereal.
Abram “sleeps with his bed made” so he doesn’t have to make it in the morning.
Aila’s best friend at preschool was out of town for a week (missed 3 preschool days) so the morning before preschool when she got back, Aila said, “I wonder if her hair is longer!!”
Emerson was attached to a stuffed doggie for a few days—in the car, “mommy! He’s looking at my shirt! He’s looking at my pants!” Holding his ball and smashing it up to the dogs face, “mommy, he sees the ball!!”
Aila asked to watch Home videos today (one of the kids’ fave things on Sundays) and it broke my heart to tell her that we don’t have them anymore. Our hard drive with videos from our kids as babies and even our travels from before we had kids burned in the fire.
Aila, after playing with the Thatcher kids during Abram's violin lesson, with the most lit-up eyes and rosy cheeks, “MOM. I had the BEST day EVER!! We had HOT salty popcorn, and then we went outside and played on the twisty swing, and then we jumped on the tramp and I jumped SO HIGH!!” I just love her enthusiasm for life.
After mine and Abram’s bike ride date got rained out, he excitedly requested to go to the library! We both enjoyed looking at books and reading together, just us two. Of course 95% of his books were about b-ball. Then afterwards we got frozen yogurt. :)
Aila, end of piano lessons—her teacher plays a couple songs from her book and Aila dances with Pom poms or scarves. Today, Aila requested a “slow song” and she literally closed her eyes and slowly, carefully danced around the room while softly waving the scarves. At one point she leaned over to me a whispered, “Mom, a swooping ballerina...”
Had a sad reminder today of the loss of our home videos. At Abram’s violin lesson, his teacher remarked about when he first started lessons and was “yea high”....I video taped most of his lessons for that first year so I’d know how to practice with him, and unfortunately our video camera/hard drive with all of those videos burned.
Aila, “Mom, doesn’t this sound like the most beautiful professional singer, except it’s me?” (Starts singing about flowers blooming in the grass in a high-pitched voice, while twirling.) me, “oh, Aila, it’s so beautiful!” Ben walks in the door...”daddy!! I’m the brilliant Aila-singer!” ...continues singing about butterflies and twirling around the house...
FHE tonight. Abram had the lesson and explained, with lots of detail, the plan of salvation. It was too cute how he aimed some of his teaching at Aila (knowing she didn’t understand it), and how Aila was really into it but also remarked, “this is hard!” (Especially when learning the words, celestial, terrestrial, telestial). Aila was in charge of activity and she chose to play king, queen, princess, prince, and knight. :)
Lately Emerson has been correcting everyone to call him the right name, “no, not Bub! Ehson!” (Emerson)
When Emerson gets hurt and comes to me crying or sad, “Chiss me, mama!!” (Kiss)
When Emerson is doing something he knows he’s not supposed to...I look at him and he says, “no, don’t see me, Mom!”
Every holiday or new season is a reminder of items burned. Seasonal picture books with the kids, decor, a specific journal entry of a memory, etc...
Aila, upon finishing her craft, “oh, I just finished and it’s bea-U-ti-ful!!” I love her optimism and confidence.
Also, “Mom, you wouldn’t ever be mean to your best friend, huh? Because it’s your BEST friend and you just LOVE each other! And do nice things for each other! Good thing me and Aria have the same best friend. Well not the same EXACT but we just love each other...she’s my best friend in the whole world.”
Knock knock jokes—Abram likes this one: “knock knock.” Who’s there? "Interrupting cow." “Interrupting cow wh—" “MOOOO!”
Here’s Emerson’s version:
“lock lock!” Who’s there? “Erupting-cow-sheep!” Erupting-cow-sheep who? “....moo!!”
At dinner we were talking about the new things Abram and Aila were learning in their music lessons. Emerson promptly left the table, and brought out the ukulele from the playroom. He walked over to the table and said, “mommy and daddy, watch!” And proceeded to play us a “song” on the ukulele. So so cute. Didn't want to be left out.
Aila, while coloring: “wow, this is just looking fanTAStic already!!”
New baby:
We briefly talked about names and Abram said without hesitation, “Sebastian!” (One of his soccer buddies at school) and Aila very seriously said, “Ariana”
Abram and Aila are both making plans about sitting in the back of the van together (right now it’s just Abram ;)
The night we told the kids, I lied down with Aila and she just kept smiling and beaming. It was so cute. And in between sucking her thumb, asking questions and making comments like “will the baby sleep in my room?” And “I just love babies. They’re fun to play with.” I love to watch her “mother” Emerson and can’t wait to see her with another baby in our family.
Emerson, multiple times a day, “Mommy, Mommy, guefss what??!”
Abram and Aila both lately, “wow, that’s incredible!”
Abram, about the pregnancy, “Mom, I actually want it to be a double or a triple and all boys. And if it’s a singler, a boy.” When he found out it was a girl, he put a blanket over his head and pouted for a good hour. I think he's over it now though...he will be a sweet big brother (again).
For FHE we had an Easter lesson where I placed symbols of Easter in plastic eggs and the kids took turns opening them and we’d talk about what it meant. Each kid opened three eggs. Emerson was so pleased when he opened a stone (in front of the tomb), a LEGO palm branch (Palm Sunday), and a picture of the savior praying in Gethsemane. Unbeknownst to me, he put those items in the basket on a shelf in his room. Several days after that FHE, he was saying something about his legos and then he climbed up on the shelf to retrieve all the items. He was so proud! This morning again (a few days later) as we were getting ready to start watching conference, he excitedly brought his picture of Jesus down to show Ben. What a sweet, sweet boy he is!
Sometimes life before the fire seems like a different life. We are constantly saying, “before the fires” or “after the fires”
Emerson, “mama, that’s co!” (Cool)
Emerson, “I want to go to recess.”
Emerson to Ben, at a friend's party when Ben had cake on his plate, so sweetly, “can you share with Bubba?”
Emerson when I tucked him in, "I'm mama's boy!!" (We tell him a lot that he's a mama's boy...because he is. And I don't mind a bit. Although it might be difficult when the new baby arrives!
Just for record's sake, here a couple links about the fires:
Short Fox News interview a few days after the fires (a small FaceTime interview near the end):
http://fox13now.com/2017/10/13/utah-firefighters-headed-to-california-to-battle-wildfires/
General Conference Special on KSL:
https://www.ksl.com/?sid=46290470
https://www.ksl.com/?sid=46290470
(the segment about NorCal fires with us starts at 30:20)
A sweet lady who made us a mosaic:
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A sweet lady who made us a mosaic:
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