Eleni's Vitamin A Deficiency

 The poor thing 

 just can't seem to open her big, beautiful blue eyes for a picture

 any wider than this

no matter how hard she tries.

Especially when I am trying to get her to look at the camera. 

 So I tried taking pictures as she was explaining something to me,

 but it didn't work.

 At all.  She really tries, and the more she tries,

 the worse it gets.  The red-eye light on my camera seems to intensify the problem,

 so I told her to close her eyes and I would tell her when to open them:

TA-DA!  And we lost the smile and passed the closed-eye syndrome on to Gabe.

I Like to Ride My Bicycle--With Daddy

One of our favorite, easiest family activities is to ride our bikes down the church parking lot.  It's on a slight incline, so it's a perfect spot to teach the kids to ride bikes

Seth found this bike and fixed it up for Eleni.  

Craig's List, $20.  

Having this indoor-loving girl ride it around all day--Priceless.

 I'm so glad we have a picture of Gabe on his "motorcycle," because the blue wheels are no more.  Gabe left it underneath Seth's truck, and he backed over it a month or so ago (yes, I am quite slow at posting pictures).  Seth found two old tires (never mind that they were from the neighbor's old princess bike--and yes, he had permission) and replaced them so it's good as new, albeit a touch girly.  Gabe hasn't complained yet, since it still goes "really really fast."

 

Can I just tell you how grateful I am to have a Handyman Negri husband?  He has repaired countless neighborhood bike tires, my washer, dryer, the ottoman that keeps loosing a leg, the dying grass, broken toys, my vacuum that nearly broke from all my long hair, the garbage disposal, the sprinkler system, clogged drains, the sound controls on the computer, you name it.  Seth can fix anything.  He also installed our reverse osmosis system, dishwasher, prunes the trees, keeps track of our finances, keeps the cars clean and in repair, cleans the toilets (when we married, he promised me he'd always do toilets and he's been true to his word!), plants & harvests the garden, teaches full-time seminary, serves on the high council, teaches two online classes, takes the kids on dates, helps me know what to do with them when I'm pulling my hair out, and gives me chances to go to book clubs, girls'-night-out, relief society meetings, etc.  I am so grateful for how much he does for me and for our little family while balancing everything else.  Someday when life slows down and we're rollin' in the dough, he will build me a library for my books and buy me a harp and my life will be complete.  But for now we'll just settle for a peaceful bike ride in the church parking lot.

Laundry Volcano

At the risk of being quite embarrassed by the following picture of myself, I would like to share one of our ideas with you--one that actually worked . . .

With the birth of each child, I have watched our laundry pile grow exponentially.  I dump loads of clean, unfolded laundry on my bed, my reasoning being that I will be more likely to fold it because I need to sleep there at night.  But it doesn't work--we usually end up putting piles around the floor in my room and sleeping amid the towels and shirts.  One day I hauled the loads out into the living room and hollered for the kids to gather to play "Laundry Volcano" (I am a firm believer in Mary Poppins' philosophy that if you name a job something fun, it seems more fun . . . ).

How to play Laundry Volcano, as described by my kids:
1. Get lots of laundry.
2. Choose where people's piles go. It helps to put something of theirs in each spot.
3. Choose a person to throw the laundry (it's usually Mommy because she's the tallest).
4. The Volcano Person (i.e. Mommy) throws the laundry up into the sky.  It's the lava.
5. The kids catch the lava and put it in whose ever pile it goes. It helps if Mommy throws it high and you grab it out of the air.
6. At the end is folding. Everybody folds their own pile. (Gabe folds no pile--he helps fold the washcloths)
7. Put away your own laundry as fast as you can.
8. Mommy folds the extra stuff.

Sleepin' on the Job

 Sometimes all you want to do on a hot summer day is . . . 

 Funny--this was a while back, but the same thing happened again today.

Probably the result of a hot day at the park.

Look at Gabe's right foot!  Do you remember when it was like this?  I think we have been so blessed--he can run and jump and do everything like the other kids.  It's miraculous.

You Know It's Hot When 95° Sounds Balmy . . .

  . . . so we do a lot of this!

 and this . . .

 and this . . .

and we feel like this.

Cute Cousins!

 I had a fun, quick visit with my cousin Phillip and his cute wife Angie not long ago.  I'm realizing that I have issues with not taking pictures of the right things.  I didn't think to take a picture of them--sorry!  Evie and their cute baby Isabella were having so much fun together, we just took lots and lots of pictures of them. :)

 I do think Gabe is trying to be a fun, nice brother.  He just tries so . . . exuberantly!  He kept doing flips to make Isabella laugh (which did work, I have to admit), but he nearly kicked her in the face several times.  Yesterday he dropped a light saber on Evie's forehead, and a week ago he dropped a heavy toy gun on Jacob's.  Both now have big bruises.  What do I do with this boy?  Just love him, I guess!  And keep him away from violent video games and movies. . . .

Isabella's pretty face reminds me a bit of Eleni's at that age:

Isn't it funny how cousins can have such similar features?

I think Evie liked having someone just a bit smaller than her.

The Only Thing to Do in Summer Around Here . . .

 Our Stake Activity this summer is an evening at the new Rec Center.  My kids have looked forward to this all year--the place is amazing!  I wish I had more pictures of the whole center.  A lazy river, a "tubey-slide," a dumping bucket, various kiddy-pools--I wish we lived close enough to afford an annual pass, but we're out of the city boundaries.  So needless to say, this is a big treat.  As soon as I got there, I was wishing for my suit, which is saying something for me. :)

Gabe was 5 days into potty training, and Seth took the kids early while I ran some errands and brought Evie later.  When I arrived, everyone had cleared out of the water because someone had an accident in the pool--I was quite relieved to find it wasn't him!

Most pictures of Gabe are like this--"Can I see it?  Can I take a picture?  Pleeeeease?"

Kindergarten at Last!

Jacob has started Kindergarten!  Keeping him home this past year has been one of the best decisions we ever made.  I know it may not be the right thing for everyone, but about a year ago, Jacob prayed and felt good about waiting until six to go to school--so he could help the other kids, he said.  I think it was also so he could help me--he has been my right hand this past year!  Eleni and Gabe have really enjoyed playing with him, and he's been a wonderful example.  Still, I think he was quite ready to go.

 His bus stop is a little bit away from our house, so we all got to escort him.  However, after the first week he asked if he could just go by himself, because, ya know, he knows how to get there.

 Our nice neighbors let us cut through their backyard--actually, they let half the world cut through, as manifest by the packed dirt . . . they are very kind!

On the last legs of the bus stop trail . . . 

 Our other nice neighbor said we could wait in her driveway, which possesses the ONLY patch of shade on the whole street.  In 105 degree weather, we were very grateful!  The kids were "roasting to death!" as Eleni puts it.

 I'm afraid Gabe was incredibly disappointed not to be able to ride the bus with Jacob.  Eleni gets to go next year, so she didn't mind so much, but Gabe was ready to be a big kid.

 And don't worry--Evie was there too, both of us dripping sweat with our long hair.  It's just not worth it in this heat!

 Do you think he was excited?  We were lucky he had shoes to wear.  I had forgotten to get him new ones, as his old ones all had holes in them, so before school we packed into the car, drove to Wal-Mart an hour before the bus was supposed to come, and realized as soon as we parked that I had forgotten my wallet.  Luckily he remembered a bag of clothes our good neighbors had given us, and we hurried home and dug out a pair of shoes from the bottom.  Thank heaven!  The shirt is courtesy those same friends--we are very blessed with good neighbors!

And with the world's best kindergarten bus driver, Julie!

5th Grade?!?!?!?!?!

 This is Lydia's last year of elementary school--my little girl is growing up so fast!!!!  She has a guy-teacher this year, which I think will prove to be a good thing. After all, both her maternal grandfathers were Elementary teachers, as was my 5th grade teacher.  She's enjoying things so far.

She does miss her friends now in 6th grade, but has taken over the "mother hen" role with some of the younger kids, since she's the only 5th grader at her bus stop.  She especially enjoys riding home with Jacob--this will be their only year together in the same school!

It IS my birfday!

Gabe and I have been fighting all day--one of the kids told him how many days left until his birthday, but they somehow told him one day shy, and he hasn't forgotten.  Today he was convinced it was his birthday, and he kept begging to open his presents, to eat his cake, and to have a party.  So if nothing else, at least he gets an early-birthday-post! :)

 The other day we decided to make faces for the camera.  This is us being happy.*

*Being happy has been more common lately, ever since Gabe suddenly figured out how to go potty!  I dread potty training more than any other stage of child development, and I tried a while back and failed miserably after just six hours.  Seth suggested I use Gabe's brace shoes ("night-night shoes") as leverage. When he would beg not to wear them, I would say, "You can stop wearing them as soon as you learn to go potty."  One night as I was just about to put on his shoes, he said, "Well, can I go potty right now?"  I said, "Sure, if you want to," and he went right away.  He has been near-perfect ever since!  As he should be--he's three now, after all!  But definitely my easiest to potty-train.  Who would have thought? 

 A mad "Dark Bayder" (Darth Vader) face.

 Scared.

Thinking. 

 Sad and worried.

 Surprised and laughing!

 Just plain silly.

 Dark Bayder again.

The kissing one!  I love my boy.  Happy birthday, Gabe!