Family Update

My poor blog must be feeling pretty neglected these days.  A lot of things have been going on and life goes and on and then the blog gets left behind. I have been keeping my Instagram updated so I can keep a record of all those little things I like to remember. But I do want to give my blog some love again.

Sometimes when I have writers block, the only way to get out of it is to just write my way out of it. I really have no idea what to write at the moment, but I am writing.

My life right now is revolving mostly around Zach.  A few months ago, we decided to have him do a program called Brain Balance. It is a lot of work and time and money and has really thrown our family into a different kind of rhythm.  He goes to the South Jordan center three days a week and has to do home exercises three times a day, six days per week.  We have also put school on hold. No school for the past two months for him.

Ever since I put him in public school last year, it became apparent very quickly that something needed to be done. School exposed all of his weaknesses and I just couldn't ignore it anymore. The more I thought about it, the more it dawned on me that Zach probably has Asperger's. He has never been diagnosed or anything, but when I looked up all of the characteristics of someone with Asperger's, he fit it perfectly. I could think of a specific example for every characteristic. So what was I supposed to do for him? He was really struggling. He knew he was and didn't like it either. But he just couldn't help some of the stuff he was doing that was driving all of us crazy and really causing him to clash socially with people at church and in the neighborhood.

I then heard a commercial for a place called Brain Balance. When I looked into with Rinar, it just all made perfect sense. It was applicable to him in every way. I knew I was at the right place. He does exercises to strengthen his right brain and isolate his left brain as much as possible. Zach's left brain is very strong and his right brain is holding him back. We have been working on developing his right brain. He is on a special diet (no gluten, sugar, dairy, soy, peanuts) and is doing things to get him physically stronger. We now go to the Treehouse Athletic Club as much as possible, he plays basketball, racquetball, lifts weights, and the like. I also have him working on a needlepoint project to  help him develop better fine motor skills. He plays the piano a lot, as well and has restricted screen time. I also try to have him go outside as much as possible.

So, you can see I have been sucked into a Zach vortex a bit. But it does seem to be helping and I am seeing changes in him. It is a lot of little things, but I know that those add up to big things.

Raef continues to go to the middle school and really seems to enjoy it. He seems to have figured out the system and his grades have improved a bit. Raef is fascinated with figuring out what makes a person popular. I get almost daily reports on his observations. I think he may have a future in sociology. One night I was diligently working on a puzzle that Harry had left undone on the dining room table. Raef plopped down next to me and just started talking and talking and talking about every thing that was happening at his school. I think he talked for about an hour without barely taking a breath. When he got it all out of his system, he thanked me for listening and then went to bed. It was so cute.

Eli is such a smart boy. He amazes me daily with the things he learns and retains. He is now working on Perpetual Motion, which is song 9 in the first Suzuki book. It is mostly done. His teacher Trina C. switched his thumb to the grown up hold, and he does not like it at all. He has really been fighting me on it. I have now resorted to threatening an allowance deduction if he doesn't hold his bow correctly. That seems to help keep him moving forward. He is reading well and his speed is increasing nicely. We are reading the Magic Tree House series. We are almost finished with book 7, "Sunset of the Sabertooth". Eli's math skills are phenomenal. We are now going to start learning multiplication. I already did a lesson and it is clear that he has a good grasp of it already. I have a feeling we will be out of multiplication by the end of April. I know I learned multiplication in 3rd grade. That kid. Holy smokes.

Harry is chomping at the bit to do school. I usually run out of time before we can do anything, but I know he is learning stuff all the time. He is halfway through the "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons" and seems to remember everything, even when I go a long time between each lesson. I am not worried about it, since he technically does not start Kindergarten until the fall. He is also a voracious puzzle solver and can get on some serious puzzle kicks. And he is really good at them.

Julia just loves having friends and going to play anywhere. She also loves to watch this show called "Monster High". I am sure it is trashy and she probably shouldn't watch it and I am gonna have to stop it, but I admit that I am being a lazy parent. But I do make her play outside as much as possible, which does cut down on TV time. Yesterday Julia and Harry went over to Amanda B.'s house to play with her kids. Her kids weren't home and they played there anyway. I didn't know this until they came home. It made me laugh so hard just thinking about it. Amanda is a saint. Sheesh.

Noelle is my heaven sent little girl. She is growing so fast and is hitting the cutest age of all. She walks and climbs and explores and is pretty mischievous, in the cutest way possible. When I pick her up she will give me the most meltiest, cuddliest hug ever and tap my back. She gives kisses and so full of love it makes my heart burst. She absolutely loves to take baths and showers, ride her wiggle board in the kitchen, and go bye-bye. If she could live outside, she would.

Life just keeps marching on around here. We have been really busy and I am hopeful about the things that we are working on and the way my kids are growing up.  Things are good.

Eli's Last Minute Birthday Party

Last week just flew by. I knew that Eli was having a birthday and then the horror struck on Friday.  Wait!?! Eli's birthday is on Sunday? Like, in two days?  Oh, no. This mama had nothing planned at all. Eli really wanted to have a birthday party. Luckily, I run quite frequently with Lisanne and Darcy and their boys are the same age as Eli. I asked them if Scott and Weston could come to a party the next day and they said yes!  Whew!  I then sent out a frantic text to the rest of Eli's basketball team and in the end, the guest list included 6 boys. It was the perfect size.

Then I went all crazy putting an amazing party together. Well, ok, no I didn't. I had Rinar stick some balloons up on the main floor, bought a cookie cake and fudgesicles, a bunch of junk for gift bags, and then made some pizzas. After thinking of a few games to play, the party was ready. 

The highlight had to be when we had the boys shoot action shots off the back of the truck like we did a couple of years ago when our family went camping.

They seemed to really enjoy it.

They also played some football in the front yard. This was a hit as well.

The important thing is that Eli got to blow out the candles, open a few presents, and feel very special for his day. Happy birthday, Eli.

Eli's SAU Graduation

Eli was able to attend Suzuki Association of Utah (SAU) graduation last week. He finished the Twinkle repertoire and passed it off. Now, he is just zooming through book one. And his technique looks really good to me. He holds his bow so much better than Raef and Zach ever did. He seems to be a natural at the violin.

Graduation was on Tuesday night, which is when his basketball games are played. I decided to take him to basketball first and then go late to graduation. Luckily, with all of my Suzuki experience, I knew he would play last and that it would be ok. I just had him wear a nice sweater over his jersey. Unfortunately, it slipped my mind that there was a white shirt, black pants dress code. When he got on stage, he definitely stood out from the crowd. Can you pick him out of the lineup?

 He played so well and was diligent at watching his teacher Trina as she led the group. So we had to go celebrate!

I am going to make it a goal to do this more often: one on one time with my kids. He had so much to talk about and it was fun to hear what is in his little mind. This kid is going places, for sure.

A Little Kid Update

Life keeps marching on in our household. Holidays are done and vacation is done.  I guess now we are just living. I have been consistently doing homeschool with Eli. He is such a bright boy. He astounds me. He reads, computes, and comprehends so well. I am grateful that he is a willing learning who remembers what is taught. Of course, lately he does give me a bit a push back. Eli will get interested in something else in the morning, like Lego creations or a puzzle and doesn't want to stop. It can get a bit dicey, but once I throw down the hammer and he cracks the books open, he does really well. Someday it is going to sink in that school will be done everyday, no matter what. But that realization has not happened to him yet.

Harry is such a neat kid. And he is a puzzle savant. I recently went to the thrift store and picked up a slew of puzzles in the 100-200 piece range. I think I bought 6 or 7. In one morning, he did every single one.  Then I went back to the thrift store and got some more. This time I was looking solely for 300 piece puzzles. I bought 5 of them. Sure enough, he has solved all of them. You can comfortably say that he really, really likes puzzles.

Puzzles have never really been Julia's thing. However, if the puzzle has an interesting subject matter like Barbie or Power Puff Girls, Julia is more than willing to give it a try. Her mind definitely does not work in the same way as Harry's. It is much more of a challenge to complete a puzzle and a year ago she couldn't do it. But I am happy to say that she has made a ton of progress in this area. 

A nice homeschool mom in Draper has graciously started a Lego club at the Draper library. For the longest time, we couldn't make it. But I have been trying to get them there on a more regular basis. The first week, I got a lot of resistance from Harry. But once he put his foot in the door the first time, he was hooked!

Eli loves it, too!

 As for Noelle, she is an unmitigated stinker at this point in her life. She climbs into, onto, over, and under everything. In this instance, she pulled out this drawer in the kitchen and climbed right in. I also found her dancing in the toilet! I put a picture of that on Instagram.  After the toilet incident, I went to Walmart and bought a bunch safety gates to keep her out of stuff.  But really, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Seahawks End Their Season

The crazy fall is starting to wrap up...thank goodness! Oy. Some how I have managed to get everyone where they have needed to go and everything seems to have worked out okay. Eli finished flag football this past week.  The kid was absolutely ecstatic to add another trophy to his shelf. He lives for the meaningless trophy. Don't get me wrong, I am glad he is happy and that he got one, but they only won two games this season. They didn't really earn anything. Some day he will understand.

But I can't take away from that happy face, right?

I think he was able to pull a couple of flags this year and he ran the ball for a total of about maybe +1 yards, but I might be generous in that estimation. However, he was definitely the cutest one out there. It has sparked a love of sport in him. Every day he goes into the yard and practices punting with Harry and Raef. I can see his coordination greatly improving. He is still a pretty slow runner but maybe if I got him some really good shoes, that would improve too.

Way to go, Eli!

My Blessings

The Primary Program was today and it was wonderful. The theme for the year was “Families Are Forever” and I was touched by the spirit as I listened to those precious children sing and speak their little lines to the congregation. There is power in the voices of the innocent.

I am fortunate that three of my children participated. They did a wonderful job. Eli had to say what his favorite Article of Faith was. He has a musical mind and since he learned them through music he decided to sing his part. It was precious. When he finished singing A Capella the first Article of Faith, you could hear the congregation murmur their admiration.

Julia was able to speak her part very clearly. She also sang well, except for the times she would make faces at Sophie Daynes, her little buddy. It was pretty cute though, considering they were right in front for everyone to see.

Harry was also in the very front and I watched him sing his heart out and just be a littlecutie. He got to say why he was glad he could watch General Conference, because he could see the prophet on TV.

It is the little things that make my life so incredibly wonderful. As the sacrament prayer was being said, I looked at three blonde heads lined up next to each other with their eyes closed and I thought to myself, wow, Heavenly Father has richly blessed my life.

Precious Kid Moments

I just love the funny little moments in my kids lives, and I get a front-row seat.

Eli wore a green shirt to the park. Clearly, it perfectly camouflages him with the grass.

"Look mom, I am invisible when I squat down like this."

Yep, Eli. You ARE invisible.

And then we went home for lunch. It was a long morning at the park. Harry was parched.

Problem solved!

Violin Recital

This past month has been pretty darn crazy. Every single day I have been taking the kids to something or another and Saturday is the worst because Raef and Harry have games and they are usually at the same time. The nice thing is that their games are always in the morning, so the afternoons are free. 

A few weeks ago Zach and Eli had their fall recital. It was wonderful. Eli played "Lightly Row" and he was a pro. He kept going even though he had a few little hiccups in his song. He also played "Old MacDonald" with a group in the middle of the recital. Zach's group piece was "Ashokan Farewell" it is a stunningly beautiful tune. I love it so much and his group played it exceptionally well.

Zach played Violin Sonata in E Major, 4th Movement by Handel. It looked like a walk on a sandy beach for him. No problem. 

Overall, the boys represented well. I am one proud mama.

The Highlights

 Here is a highlight of some of my kids amazing accomplishments this past week or so...

Stylist super-hero.

Fine diner.

Culinary explorer.

Future farmer of America.

Reader.

Fashionista.

It's Just Paper

Friday night was Father and Sons camp out for the ward.  The boys always look forward to this time with their dad. This year Eli and Harry were adamant about taking their coin collections so that they could show every one...captive audience, you know. Harry showed some people, but Eli really made sure to show everyone in the camp. He would walk right up to someone and ask them if they would like to see his coin collection. What? Were they gonna say no to that adorable face? I think not.

David D. and Ryan P. looked and admired the coins and asked him pointed questions about it. Bubba P. had great expressions of admiration as well. This must have really made Eli feel good.

But the best interaction had to come from the bishop, Dan E. He was one of the last ones to see the coin collection. Eli made sure to thoroughly display each coin, with a detailed explanation of its value and history. Eli made it clear that his coin collection was not for sale or trade. Bishop put this to the test. First he pulled out a dollar bill from his wallet to entice Eli, but he snuffed at that and told the bishop it was just paper.

Then the bishop upped the ante and offered a $10 bill from his wallet to entice this nascent coin collector. NOPE!

Finally bishop pulled out a crisp $100 bill. $100!!! Take it and run Eli! Take it....and RUN!!! Eli looked at it and thought about it a second and said, "Maybe for my lamest coin." The bishop laughed and told Eli that he must really love his coin collection. Eli agreed and said that his dad worked really hard to buy his coin collection, like for two months.

I just love this kid.

And Harry had fun too, but got tired and asked to go to bed.

On the way home, the boys stopped in Heber to visit Lindsay and Justin's shaved ice shack called WISP (Wasatch Ice and Soda Pop). I haven't been able to go yet, but Rinar said it was super delicious.  I can't wait to check it out.

Lunch Dates Galore

Exciting things are on the horizon for the next few weeks. We are taking Raef and Zach on an American history trip. We will be flying into Baltimore and then flying out of Boston. My mom is coming to take care of the kids while we are gone. I feel very blessed that she could do this for us.

Unfortunately, this means I am not going to see my four little kids for two whole weeks. That is a long time.  Eli suggested that I take him on a date, so I committed to taking all three of them individually on a lunch date this week. It was interesting to see what they picked.

Eli got to go first and he chose Panda Express. I was sure surprised by that.  He thinks it is the best restaurant in the world and that it is a fancy place. It just makes me smile. I made sure to get him some chopsticks and he did surprisingly well with them. Only a couple of pieces ended up on the floor. And boy, he sure had a lot on his mind. He would bombard me with the most random questions...how do light switches work? How do cars work? Did I ever have a coin collection when I was a kid? etc. etc. etc.  I can't even remember the questions because there were so many and they were in rapid fire succession. He is really at the gathering stage of his life, soaking up as much knowledge as he can.

Harry was the next day, Thursday. His choice? Well, where do you think a 4 year-old boy would choose? Yep, McDonald's. We didn't do much talking. He would go and play on the playground. Then he would come back and talk a little bit and then be off again. Harry was excited to get the french fries, chicken nuggets and toy. It was a Spiderman electro guy. He kept forgetting what it was called and would ask me repeatedly. He also really wanted chocolate milk, so after a quick stop at the thrift store, I splurged and bought him a bottle. The boy was really happy about that.

In the evening I took everyone to Hogle zoo. Raef and Zach were there to do a merit badge class on insects. So we spent a little bit of time at the zoo seeing the animals.

It was a cool moment when the gorilla decided to get a closer look at the kids.

Rinar flew in from Denver and was able to meet us for dinner after I left Raef and Zach at their class. It was a happy reunion. We are always very happy when daddy comes home!

Today, Julia finally got her turn for a date. She didn't really care where we went, just as long as she got to eat some pancakes. I decided to take her to The Egg and I, the newest restaurant in Draper, that happens to be super close to our house. She was an adorable little date, and had lots to talk about also. It was funny when they brought her a drink. I showed her that the straw was bendy and her face just lit up in amazement. She was wowed! It is good to be reminded of the cool little things in life. Bendy straws are pretty fantastic when you think about it. Julia also really loved the flowers on the table. She adores flowers, a whole lot. If you want to unlock her heart, give her flowers.

Eli's Primary Talk

Eli was asked to give a talk on Sunday in Primary. The topic was Jesus Christ. On Saturday, Raef sat down with him to write out a talk. This is what Eli said and what Rinar wrote down verbatim:

I'm going to talk about Jesus today. I love Jesus because he blesses me. I love Jesus because of his plan for me and that he loves everybody and he answers our prayers. I love Jesus because he made the Earth and I love it.

I love him because he made all stuff, bushes and plants and islands and trees and the forest and the temple. I love to be part of his church and love Him because he made the church. I love Jesus because He loves me! 

In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

As we were sitting in Sacrament meeting, he asked me if he was going to give his talk then. I told him, no. He was doing it in Primary. But you could tell that the kid was ready and willing to stand up in front of everyone and bear his testimony of Jesus Christ.

I told you, I think this kid is made of sugar on the inside.

Do I Look Like a Zombie?

It has been a long week of school work and whining. I thought it would be fun to take the kids to The Pie and then to the zoo, just to get a much needed break from the house.

 If you haven't been to The Pie, you are missing out. It is just about the most awesome pizza place anywhere, a University of Utah institution. Of course, I didn't want to have to deal with parking at the campus, so we went to a satellite restaurant in Midvale. But the pizza tastes just the same...totally, deliciously awesome. 

But for some reason, when we got out of the car, the weather turned south. And of course, everyone had a coat except for Zach. It quickly became clear that the zoo was not going to happen. Hence, I made up my mind that it would just be a pizza outing instead.

As we were waiting for the pizza, Eli randomly walked up to me and made this face...

He then asked me if he looked like a zombie.

"Yes, yes Eli. You absolutely look like a zombie!"

The rest of the day was pretty crappy, but this was a shining moment. This kid is always there to put a smile on my face.

An Amazing Cake

Thank goodness for sisters!  I have been so busy doing stuff and getting ready for our trip to Legoland that I really forgot about Eli's birthday. I mean, I am not that heartless. The trip is for his birthday, but I really didn't think about a cake for him or anything.  Never fear. Catye just whipped this beauty up for our Sunday dinner.

Isn't that amazing?  She made the entire thing herself, by hand: fondant, cake, everything. I am super impressed. And Eli was absolutely ecstatic about his cake.

He doesn't turn 6 until the end of the week. But it is going to be a birthday week celebration for this sweetheart.  We just love Eli.

Proud Moments

Saturday was a lot of fun. Rinar took Raef and Zach to the Klondike scouting event on Friday night. I was surprised to see Rinar come back home at about 9 a.m. on Saturday. I was getting ready to go to a birthday party. Rinar was with Zach. Apparently, it was so cold up there that when Zach had to go to the bathroom he was unable to unzip his pants. Poor kid. He was pretty devastated, but I am happy to report that by the time he was home and giving me his report of the unfortunate event, the tears were soon tears of laughter. I am sure that when he looks back on this embarrassing moment, he will get a good laugh from it! Rinar decided to help ease the pain by taking him to IHOP. IHOP makes everything better, right?

So I was on my own with the four little ones. But we made the best of it and headed over to the birthday party for Hutch. He is Harry and Julia's friend. The party was at a cheer gym. There were lots of things to jump and climb on and my kids had a blast.

Hutch's mom gave me the nicest compliment about my kids. She told me that whenever a kid needs help with something, they are always right there to lend a hand. Ahhh. That is sweet. I do have incredibly kind and loving children. They teach me every day how to be better.

Okay, I always post smiling, happy pictures of Noelle, but she has her moments too. She is human after all. Even if she is a 'super' baby.

And these two are close to being professional posers.

Once the party was over, we headed out to Eli's very first basketball game. It was a riot. I enjoyed it immensely. It is pretty much his soccer team with a few extra kids. They did great. They ended up winning by about 30 points! And I couldn't believe it, but Eli scored a basket and got two assists. He was really the only kid out there willing to pass the ball.

I am one proud mama.

Eli and B-Ball

Eli is going to play some basketball this year. Last week he had his first official basketball thing. They did a clinic at Albion Middle School to get these 5 and 6 year-olds revved up for their first season. And of course, this kid is absolutely adorable. He has a wretchedly horrible shot right now, but he dribbles pretty good.

The basketball games should be very entertaining.

Let the comedy ensue.

Library

We made it to the library this week.  I always feel super-organized and almost super-mommyish when I get my kids to the library.  My little ones love the library. Julia heads straight to the endless assortment of pink books: Barbie, Disney, Strawberry Shortcake, etc.  And Eli and Harry stick together as they scour the shelves for anything having to do with LEGOs.

 

 

I am finding that there is not an endless assortment of LEGO books. Hence, it would seem that we continue to check out the same books repeatedly.  Eli really loves it. He takes the book down to the basement, to his LEGO workshop, and then tries to replicate what he sees in the book he has checked out at the library. Eli has actually gotten pretty good at it and I love the fact that it helps to expand his mind to new possibilities.  Harry and Eli seem to becoming best friends. They do a lot of stuff together. 

 

Every kid should have a best friend, and when it is your brother, it is even better.

 

 

End of Year Recital

On Saturday, Zach participated in his end of the year recital. It was a Christmas concert and he was up there for every single song. They usually start with the hardest songs and then add kids in as the songs get progressively easier. When the last song is played, all the students are standing on the stage.

He is on the back row, smack dab in the middle.

Another year, another violin recital.

And Eli is on the cusp of being able to participate in his first recital. He now gets to play a few notes on the violin. Here he is, practicing hard, in between his whiny sniffles and frowning grunts of disapproval.

Oh, he just loves to practice. But doesn't every five year-old boy?

Thoughts

Near the end of September, Rinar and Zach ran a road race sponsored by Corner Canyon High School.  It was on a Friday afternoon and Rinar took the afternoon off from work to do this with Zach. It was fantastic. Zach looked comfortable out there and ended up getting 18th place overall.  I think he might have a future in running if he desires to do the necessary work. He may very well. I hope so.

This is what I looked like the day before giving birth. I guess I really did not get that big, even though I felt like a house. 

And this is all of the cousins together for the first time: Danny, Paul, and Noelle. And clearly, the cutest kid is on the right! 

My life is starting to get back to normal.  I am sitting down with the kids again to work on their school assignments, driving them to lessons, taking the little ones to the park. Life does not slow down.

I never realized how big Eli, Harry, and Julia have grown.  In my head, they are always little. But now that I am the mother of a tiny infant, the contrast is stark.  They are really big kids now. I am just grateful, when it is all said and done, that I did have a good break between Noelle and my older ones.  They have really grown up and are at a really wonderful stage in life. They are still little, innocent children, but old enough to really do and absorb.  Ages 4 and 5 are my favorite.  I can still cuddle with them, but they go to the bathroom by themselves, get their own drinks, play alone well, and are saying lots of funny stuff.  

I just hope with all the business in my life, I don't miss the little things Noelle will do as she grows up.  The little things are the best things. And speaking of that, she is now screaming at me and telling me in her adorable 3 week old voice that she is hungry.

Legos

My boys have all become obsessed with Legos.  Eli will play with them for hours on end, never getting tired of it.  He wakes up in the morning and as soon as he can, he heads down to the basement. The kid just loves Legos.  Harry is following his big brother's lead and is becoming as obsessed. And I just love it! What a great thing to get absorbed in. 

When we go to the library, they only check out Lego books and then Eli will take them home and try to recreate what he sees in the books.  And he is pretty darn good at it. I can't believe some of the stuff he has made.  And once he makes it, you have to take pictures of it and tell him how awesome he is and that he is a Lego master.  Darn right he is!

Just days before my eminent hospital stay, I saw a news report about a new Lego store that had just opened up in the valley. Considering the fact that my kids were going house crazy and that it was raining, I decided it was time for a field trip.  We left the oldest at home to work on school stuff and headed out to this surprise.  

Oh my word. If I had to guess what heaven looks like for a five year-old boy, this store would pretty much encapsulate it.  Eli was in heaven and as a matter-of-fact, Harry was pretty darn happy as well. They stared longingly at all the different sets, eager to put their little hands on them.  I just couldn't help myself and let them each pick out a small set. They were joyful.

I think it is money well spent.  Look at what this kid can build!  That is a snake and the long tail bends all the way through.  The head even moves. He did that all by himself.  And Raef built a super-cool tree.  Eli has good mentors to help him along.

We love Legos. Now with each creation, Harry and Eli take them upstairs and put them on the nightstand in their room.  I turn the light down low and they play with them as they are winding down for sleep.  The Legos are much beloved.