Quotable Madeleine

"Can we go buy another 3 Parkers?"

Madeleine was holding her new baby brother Parker when she said this. Do you think she wanted one for each child?

Grandma Lindy to Madeleine: "Do you take cute pills?"

Madeleine: "Uh-huh."

God Bless Abigail and Tender Feelings About Warren

Tonight, at dinner, a dejected-looking Warren says: "Abigail was the only person who voted for my costume in the costume contest at school today." God bless Abigail!

(Warren is a "Lost Boy" from Peter Pan. He really wanted to be this. So he has a full body koala bear costume he wears, like the animal costumes the boys in the animated movie wear. Then we put a black eye on so he looks a little tougher. We finished it off with a rustic-looking slingshot and a wooden baseball bat for a club. )

This morning, after Warren unloaded the dishwasher: "Mom! Unloading that big silver pot lid totally let me know what I wanted to be for Halloween next year: a kitchen warrior. I could use it as a shield and have paper plates for armor and use a butterknife as a little sword."

Tonight I looked at the webpage Warren is making about himself. In describing himself he wrote, "I like to play imaginary games and sports like baseball and soccer." Imaginary games. I wish I could always remember the way I feel about Warren right now--I don't think I could ever be frustrated with him again. Or that I could remember how grateful I am to Abigail for loyally voting for her brother. Surely I could never be impatient with a child like that. Sigh.

Quotable, from Abigail

"Abigail, what work did you do today at school?"

"I did research! I asked Ms. Sheri for a lesson on it."

"What did you research?"

"I researched butterflies. Butterflies are one of the most beautiful insects and there are...fifteen hundred to twenty-one hundred butterflies on Earth."

"Where did you do your research?"

"In the encyclo-millipede."

Quotable from Warren

"Mom, if they asked what your favorite form of transportation was on your primary spotlight sheet, I would put, 'My imagination,' because I can go to a whole different time, a whole different place and a whole different world."

Lessons from My Daughters

Last night Madeleine said her prayers, and just after she finished, she opened her eyes, smiled and simply said, "I know Jesus loves me."

The previous night, Abigail was in the shower. She had just put conditioner in her hair, so I knew she would have some down time. I asked her to brush her teeth while she waited. Her reply? "Mom, I can't. See, what I do is, I dance." Sure enough, when I passed her the toothbrush, she was rocking out in the shower.

And again, last night, Madeleine woke up just an hour after going to bed, crying. I dismissed it a little, thinking it would stop, but Abigail, who was still up, went right in to comfort her. When I walked in, Abigail was sitting by her in bed, singing "I Feel My Savior's Love" while she patted her back. She has such compassion.

If You're Happy and Your Daughter Knows It...

Preface: to understand this story, you have to know that one of my wonderful friends who sometimes watches my kids taught them to sing, "If you're happy and you know it say, 'Amen!'"

I decided to let one kid sleep in my big bed each night this week. Tonight is Madeleine's turn. As she lay next to me and I wrote out tomorrow's "to-do" list, I rubbed her cheek. After a moment of this, she sat up and leaned next to me, reached up her hand and rubbed my face. It was so sweet, I started to cry a little. Madeleine noticed and asked, "Mom, why are you crying?" I said, "Because I'm happy." She responded, "Could you say, 'Amen'?"

Unrelated but another happy moment of the day:

As part of Warren's Cub Scout requirements, he planned our meals for the day and then made breakfast all by himself--well, of course, Abigail the event-planner was there to help out, but he was in charge. I laid in bed :) He made scrambled eggs, toast with jam and apple slices. He even had to slice the bread himself. As they started eating breakfast, these were a few comments made: "Breakfast just is so much better when you plan it!" "These eggs are the best I've ever had." And they all ate it happily and energetically. I think I might start having him cook breakfast every Monday morning.

Moments from September

One day school was canceled for my kids, so they all got to have Tutu day and go to the splash pad with my mom. They were so excited waiting for her to come!
It was WWHS 50th Anniversary and I took my kids one afternoon to work on the 2000-2011 float. I was drawing this big Warrior emblem and having a hard time with proportions, so I laid Avery down and just traced her, then added some more muscles.
Abigail was so thrilled to get to help on a float. "Mom, I've been waiting my whole life to work on a float." Hilarious. She was really helpful, too. In fact, all three girls painted these feathers. Madeleine still has the blue paint in her hair to prove it.

Now that the 3 older kids are all practicing piano, Madeleine has jumped in right with them. She often insists, "I'm doing my practicing!" or "I need to do my practicing." In the picture above she is playing and singing, "DO is home."

I found this picture on the camera. I think Avery took it, but I'm not sure when. But those are M.'s pajamas, so I think it is one morning before I got out of bed. I don't let M. play the ipod, hence the total look of adoration in her eyes. She often protests, "I'm not 2, I'm 4!" since Avery is 4 and gets to play sometimes.
My kids enjoy pointing out Papo's political signs all over town. They get really excited when they see them, so naturally, Abigail made one of her own and stuck it in the yard. Referring to the side that is pictured first, she asked, "Are you allowed to do letters like this on signs?" You can see she decorated each letter with a different embellishment.
Today was our ward's Primary Children's Program in sacrament meeting. Kids 3-12 are the singers, speakers and even the piano players. Avery's part was, "There are many things we can do to gain a testimony of the scriptures. We can search, ponder and pray about the scriptures." Avery was very reverent and knew the words to the songs. Abigail could be heard over the primary on some of the songs and sang with gusto. No other word for it. She also played the violin for "I am Child of God" and was so cute standing on her little blue step-stool to make her visible. Warren played "Search Ponder and Pray" on the piano as all the kids walked up and he was great. He also gave a short talk about his baptism. It was all so sweet and I was very happy for them.

Answers to Prayers, Mother and Daughter

This morning after family scripture study, Abigail said, "I wish I could know if Jesus is real." I told her she could know, and asked Warren to tell her how she could know. He is learning the song, "Search, Ponder and Pray" on the piano, so I knew the answer would be ready. It was. He sang--improvising applicable words a bit:

Search, ponder and pray are the things that I must do.

The Spirit will guide, and deep inside I'll know that {Jesus is} true.

(It usually says, "scriptures are" in place of "Jesus is")

We compared the process to finding out if a note I'd left after school was really from me or not, or whether it was a made up note. Each time, there was a mock phone call (to represent a prayer) at the end to confirm what she thought about the validity of the note I'd left her. Then, we talked about Elder Bednar's counsel on receiving answers to prayers: sometimes it is like a light switch going on, and sometimes it is like a sunrise over the soul. We read a portion of "The Living Christ" and I asked her if she would pray about what she thought about Jesus sometime today, and said I'd check in with her at bedtime.

So after family prayer as she lay in bed, I asked her how her prayer went. She had forgotten and said, "I'll do it now." I was a little nervous; I wanted an answer for her right away that she could understand, but I know that it is up to God how He answers prayers, so as she prayed, I knelt next to her bed, and prayed alongside her that she could receive an answer as she prayed. When she finished, she was smiling; I asked her, "What happened?" She said, "I felt it." Big smile. "What did you ask?" I queried. "If Jesus was real and if the Book of Mormon was true."

I was so grateful for the answer to both of our prayers. I know it is a question she will ask again and again in her life, that one prayer at 6-years-old is not enough to last a lifetime. But I am so grateful that she has begun a foundation of her own now. She can build on that over and over again as she matures and grows. Each answer will come in a different way, but the answer will be the same. I am grateful for the faith, and the willingness to act on faith, of a 6-year-old girl.

Avery's Artistic Evolution--Going Backward in Time

August 2011: All of these were drawn in a 24 hour period; and there were more.
Late Spring 2011: "Mom, this is you and we are standing on your nose."
Early Spring 2011: We had just seen Star Wars, so I thought maybe she had drawn Princess Leia, but I think that is just my interpretation.

Slips of the 2-Year-Old-Tongue

One day I said, "No way, Jose!" (pronounced "hoe-say"). Madeleine grinned widely, giggled and repeated back, "No way, hay-so, hay-so!" It's my favorite expression as of late. Until...

Yesterday. On vacation I taught my kids to sing the hymn, "Come, Come, Ye Saints," an LDS classic. The pioneers sang it crossing the plains, we sang it crossing CA to OR. the first lines of lyrics say, "Come, come ye saints, no toil nor labor fear." So fast forward to yesterday. Madeleine is sitting at the piano and she sings: "Come, come ye saints, no toilet of a neighbor."

What language should I sing in?

When we were in San Diego, we drove up to Anaheim on Sunday so we could go to church at the Garden Grove Vietnamese Branch where I served my mission. It's always fun to re-connect with old friends there.

Since it was Fathers' Day, I told my kids they could go up and sing with the six Vietnamese kids in the branch. None of them ended up going for it, which was maybe for the better because, although they sang in English, they sang "Mother, I Love You" but with "Father" instead of "Mother". I don't think my kids have ever sung it that way, and I'm not sure they would've known what to do, but it would've been fun to see them try.

Anyways, when I first told my kids to go up Avery said, "What language should I sing in?"

"English," I told her.

"I don't know English," she said.

"What language are you speaking right now?"

"Hola!"

It cracked me up.

- Andy

Montessori Education

Our children attend a Montessori school and we love the Montessori philosophy of taking advantage of kids' intrinsic motivation to learn and encouraging them to learn on their own. We found this cool video the other day that explained one parent's perspective that we agree with:

The other day I told the kids that I wanted to work 45 hours in four days and asked Warren how many hours per day that would be. He answered, "It would be twelve hours on one day and eleven on the rest of the days," and I was pretty happy that he seemed to understand the concept of division without worrying about fractions or remainders.

- Andy

Dance Recital, Spring 2011

Dancing has enriched our family far more than I imagined it would when I signed the girls up. Impromptu performances on the rug, learning to be prepared for class, family dance parties, more "shows" orchestrated by Abigail, time with friends, plans to teach their own dance classes when friends come over, and mixed throughout, little glimpses of lovely ballet form and movements. I just thought it would be fun and hoped they would feel more comfortable with their bodies than I did as a little girl; it has done that and so much more to make life truly sweet. Here are some pics from their dance recital last weekend, along with some comments made by various kids.


"Your neck is the 'beautifulest' bone in your body." --Abigail, quoting her teacher

"She needs a diaper wipe." --Madeleine, regarding the pirate-y smudges on Avery's face

Abigail and her best friend. She was so pleased they got be partners in all the dances.

Abigail's Kindergarten Graduation

Isn't she lovely in her white graduation gown? She also wore her favorite, poofy, pink dress underneath. A special dress for a special day.

I kept thinking how grown-up she looked, and seeing her seated by all these other girls that she looked so much older than only reinforced that idea. She sat so properly--just like in this picture--for most of the ceremony.
One special tradition out our school is that the kindergarten grads are escorted in by a member of the elementary class, a sibling, if there is one. So Warren was Abigail's dutiful escort. I love the admiration in her eyes.
About kindergarten Abigail says, "Baking cookies is fun, 'cause we baked cookies. Um, making Mothers' Day stuff is fun, too. Like cards."

What works do you think you did the most? "Handwriting and metal insets." Abigail also did a lot of button sewing onto square patches, and even stitched them into a quilt using my sewing machine. She was such a fast learner. She also really enjoyed flower arranging and has taken it up at home with all the wild roses, weeds and volunteer flowers from the yard. "Oh, I also loved sandpaper letters."

Tell me about your kindergarten friends? "We like to do works together. We play." Abigail loved having her friend C-------- at school with her this year and will miss her next year when they are at different schools.

Abigail at 6

I love this picture of Abigail. It embodies her spirit and personality. Thanks to Aunt Annie, Abigail awoke to a chalked driveway and heart-attacked lawn. The heart were originally scattered around the lawn, but in true Abigail style, she plucked them up and arranged them in a neat line, holding a few back to pose with in this next picture. Abigail loves to arrange, decorate and design.

For her birthday party, Abigail wanted to go to "the plant nursery" and look at flowers and feed the fish in the koi pond. All the children were so cute running around the nursery, exclaiming over plants and admiring flowers. We picked blackberries from a big bush the kids chose some flowers to buy. I asked them to stop for a picture, and this was what Abigail composed--smelling the flowers. You'll notice one friend had an encounter with the koi pond just before we took the picture below. They are all making their best fish faces.
After the visit to Harper's Nursery, we went to the AZ Museum for Youth and played in the fairytale exhibit. We acted out a few stories, did a puppet show, made some crafts, read a few stories and had a great time. Abigail loves to dress up and has a flair for putting on shows. Then we went to our house for ice cream.
A few weeks ago Abigail said, "For my birthday I want kitchen stuff like Avery got for hers." So I looked through the Montessori catalogue and with Warren's help, chose some items that would be fun and useful for Abigail. They were a crinkle-carrot slicer, kid chopsticks, cutting boards, an apple corer and slicer, mini-souffle ramekins and a melon baller. It looked like a bridal shower. But Abigail was pleased and she really likes to help in the kitchen and prepare food by herself. She was also thrilled to get this cute cake-making set from her grandma.

The gift I really want to give Abigail is to change my way of being with her. The last few months have been rough for us. So many behaviors I see her do I recognize, painfully, she las learned from me. Even the ones she hasn't, I am often overly critical of, like always wanting to do and like what her friends do and like. She is so grown-up in so many ways, but that can be deceiving when I then create unrealistic expectations for her. I struggle just to have fun with Abigail. I want to invest in her emotional bank account more. I have made a lot of withdrawals lately, and I have got to do better. I told her last week that we were quitting violin. I'm not sure I meant it. I know it could be a lovely experience, but mostly, I just go into psycho-cranky mode when we need to practice. Her teacher is gone for several weeks, and so I think we will take another week off from practicing, because really, I think I am toxic to the whole experience. I will make a lot of "deposits" this week--time together, books read, hugs, lying in bed together to talk--just normal stuff. Then maybe we'll try practicing again.

The Age of Information

A few weeks ago we told the kids that we are expecting a baby. Later Avery asked, "Is it going to be a boy or a girl?" I replied, "I don't know." With a mixed look of curiosity, exasperation and 'duh-mom' on her face, she asked, "Can't you look it up on Daddy's cell phone or laptop?"

Below is baby's first photo, taken this week. Everything looks great.

Mainly Madeleine

Can't you just see how pretty she feels? No, those are not black-eyes; Abigail has a makeup box. I think Avery did the job. Madeleine is so full of fun. Last week as she leaned out the window, she said, "I'm don't falling!" and was so proud. Another time, the children were playing together outside when Madeleine came in alone and matter-of-factly reported to Andy: "I hit Avery." "Oh," he replied, "Do you think you should have some uh-oh time?" She yelled out, in perfect imitation of some older sisters, "I'm going!" and stomped off to her room. A few days later, Madeleine hurried past me in the hall into her bedroom, explaining she was going to time-out and just seconds later, Avery began crying at the table, "Madeleine bit me!" Maybe she will begin to exercise the self-control before she hits or bites next time.

Madeleine loves music, and she sings very well. If we are driving without music on, she calls out, "Music, momma." She often starts singing songs I didn't know she picked up, but I was still surprised when she sang in Spanish last week, "El gallo se murio ayer. Ya no cantarra, 'cucuri, cucura.'" When I ask the other kids to identify a solfeggio pattern I hum, more often than not, Madeleine eagerly responds first--with the right answer.
This is Madeleine's best friend. I put this picture in not just for archival purposes, but because it reminded me of something. Madeleine gets her binky at night, naps and sacrament meeting. She loves it dearly. So sometimes when she sees another child not using a binky that he/she is attached to, Madeleine can't understand why they would pass on the opportunity and tries repeatedly to stuff it into their mouth.

Beside all the other times we pass the Westwood football field, we also pass it every Sunday on the drive home from Tutu's. Our kids usually call out, "Go Westwood!" This soon evolved into the same script every Sunday evening:
Child 1: Go Westwood!
Child 2: They don't play on Sunday!
Child 1: It's not Sunday! (though sometimes it is)
Well, recently Madeleine and I drove by the field without any other children in the car. Madeleine carried out the whole "conversation" herself. "Go Westwood! They don't play on Sunday! It not Sunday!" She even varied the inflection in her voice.

She loves her gold, sparkly shoes and putting on her shoes by herself. Now that I am improving at doing the older 2 girls hair each morning, she comes in the bathroom right after, climbs on the step stood and says, "My turn, mommy." She often dresses herself in the morning before I am even out of bed; the only complication is the only drawers she can open are Abigail and Avery's, so the outfits she puts together are usually too big, as in the picture below. Last Saturday the girls decided to give up their own "special drawers" so Madeleine could have 2 drawers she could reach in the room they all share together. It was Avery's idea. Abigail, especially, got a kick out of teaching her which drawer was "tops" and which was "bottoms." I was so proud of them.