A City Life For Me

As a reward for finishing First Grade ahead of schedule, despite deputation, we promised Elaine a trip to a water park.  There is one near my parents called “Pirate’s Cove.”  It ended up being very busy…Denver schools get out earlier than NYC!  We also had to leave a little early because of a lightning strike in the area.  But we still had a great time, and the kids loved that the pool was just their size (depth wise).  Uncle Wesley didn’t have much work for that day, so he joined us too!  (A pleasant surprise, and I became glad for another pair of adult eyes!). These two stuck close together all day!  Elaine is enjoying the water now that she can swim a little, and Libs has been a true water baby from the start!    Nehemiah prefered the splash pad and stayed out of the pool and pirate ship.  Henry was chill about the whole thing and seemed to enjoy the water – another water baby?!?   Daddy and the three brave ones; Nolan did a g...

Henry’s Milestones from 9 & 10 months… 9 Months: Visit to the 9/11 Museum & Memorial, walked (or was strolled) across the Brooklyn Bridge, and enjoyed a Grimaldi’s pizza crust.  The Brooklyn Pizza crust finally got him to start eating food! He loved to play with the Cinderella castle and explore the bathroom every chance he could get. Favorite food – Veggies Straws! Says da-da-da-da   10 Months: Acquires top teeth Stands unassisted Loves apples and sweet potatoes, but dirt, rocks, pine cones, and bugs more. Loves tickles and playing patty-cakes with his siblings. If we discover him missing, he can always be found under the bed or unplugging the night lights. Wears his first little suit to church Enjoys grilled cheese sandwiches just like the rest of his siblings1 Took his first steps on June 23rd.

This morning we left for our next round of deputation meetings – six months of travel without going home.  We are heading all the way to the west coast – from San Francisco all the way to Vancouver and many stops in between.  When this trip is over, we will have traveled through all of the lower 48 states with the exception of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Louisiana.  We have spent most of this month searching for a home in the Bronx.  I am so weary of packing a lunch and spending all day in the car to drive 58 miles south to the Bronx and view several homes, fighting traffic on both ends of the trip.  We had one house almost under contract (Ben was tying his shoes to go meet with the lawyer when the inspection report turned up a problem that could not be settled).  We have submitted offers on two others but nothing has become “ours.”  I am disappointed, and I have cried many tears knowing that when we return after Thanksgiving it will not be to our...

This poor kid… he will be born and raised in a baseball city.  But he is from a confused baseball family. :: His Grampa is a major Red Sox fan.  (Auntie Mere gave him the Sox pacifier) :: His Daddy is an Orioles die-hard fan.  (It’s Cal Ripkin Jr.’s fault) :: He will grow up in “da Bronx”.  (That’s Yankees territory, and you don’t risk being a fan of anyone else.  Lydia – born just 9 days before him, gave him this pacifier clip) :: His siblings are somehow calling themselves Mets fans (tickets were cheap…what can I say?  They’re gonna get us in trouble!) :: And Mommy?  She just likes the Broncos and rules that make sense (not like baseball – errors?  Spitefully walking a good hitter or pegging a batter?)

Sticker Charts have been pretty effective for us.  What is it about stickers that motivates kiddos? When we first got back to Mountainville in April I noticed a whole lot of bickering and unkindness, especially between the two bigs (and they share a room!).  I had downloaded some potty training sticker charts, but I printed them out as “Kindness Charts”.  At first they were allowed to point out their kind deeds to me.  Once I got in the habit of looking for kindness, they had to wait for Mom to notice.  There was a sticker for each kind, thoughtful, and selfless deed.  Like making the other person’s side of the bed, or helping with their chores, or sharing a toy.  It really helped!  I have noticed a major improvement in the attitude of kind thinking toward others!  The reward was picking their own treat, up to $5, at the store.  Of course, they all opted for candy!  I was even excited to see them sharing candy, and with Nehemiah w...

Elaine has been pulling double duty in her school work lately so that we could finish before the next big deputation trip.  Her goal was to be done by May 31st.  Mommy & Daddy interrupted her plan a few times for house hunting and fun days, so she finished a day late.  Today she did six phonics lessons!!!  I’m so proud of her, and how she’s been doing.  She is a straight A student, and she read the Bible passage nearly without help for family devotions last night!  Congratulations Elaine – my second grader!!! She finished! Flashback to our first day of school this school year!   Taking her last spelling test – aced it! Evaluation for the state grade report – thanks Christine!