to shine each day

I got to sub in Christian's sunbeam class yesterday. All I can say is that anyone who is getting bored or falling asleep in church should go home and pray they get called to the primary--especially the sunbeams--it's always got a party going on.

Yes, Christian is in Sunbeams. Stephen feels reassured that we're a real family now because it's all just pretending until you've got a kid in the primary (just remember that all you parents who are reading this blog post in the middle of the night while feeding your hungry newborn--it's all just pretend).

On the subject of Stephen, I'm kind of in withdrawl having him go back to school. Christmas break is long for academics and I got spoiled with Stephen's constant working from home and the breaks he'd take talking to me and playing with the kids. Luckily my parents came out for a week just in time for the transition in which we had a blast going to Lancaster, the New Jersey beach, and the ever so exciting Lowes and Costco. Christian and Simeon adored having the extra attention and company and we were all sorry to see them go.

Updates on the kids anyone?

Simeon will point to the door when Stephen's gone and we're waiting for him to come home and say "Da!" It's heartbreaking. He's overcoming his shyness more than I expected and is actually turning out to be quite cheerful. He loves carrying around socks and bringing us books (though he doesn't usually sit long enough to read them). He's taking his sweet time learning to talk since he's pretty effective in communicating what he wants with brief screams if I wait to long between spoonfuls anything yummy or if Christian's stealing his toys again. His favorite book is a Look at Me baby book and he never seems to tire from it.

Christian is a chronically sleep deprived snuggle bug. Yes, the child who as a newborn would cover his eyes with his arm when he nursed so I couldn't study is adorable little face, now tenderly asks me to snuggle with him as he falls asleep. He's able to get out of his own room now (and has been for a while) and I'll frequently wake up in the wee hours with him beside the bed staring at me. Such a funny little goose. He has started to ask, "is today a beautiful day?" The other day he was singing "I'm a Child of God" but changed the words to say "I'm the child of God." He loves it when I make up stories about two brothers named Christiano and Simeano. I really need to read more fireman/cowboy stories because I'm all out of ideas. Luckily for me, he doesn't mind hearing how Christiano and Simeano save the day each time.

From the mouth of Christian

Christian: "I have a present for you"
Me: "What's that?"
Christian: "Diaper rash"
...

Christian (while praying): "And please bless mommy and daddy and Christian and Simeon
and Jesus and God and Judas and all the bad guys."
...
Christian (while going to bed): "Daddy, can you kiss me good night like Judas?"
...

Christian (after watching the Gethsamene scene in the new LDS.org Bible video) and getting angry at Rachel. "Mommy, I'm going to cut off your ears!"




Who says the Bible isn't a good influence on children?

human flesh

I just finished a conversation with Stephen about under what conditions we would eat human flesh. I'm not sure if this means we will never run out of things to discuss together or if we're getting really desperate for conversation.

It's a . . . boy!

No, I'm not pregnant. I'm referring to Christian--he suddenly turned from a toddler to a boy. (According to him, he's not an 'old man' as I teasingly called him on his birthday-- he's a 'old old old old boy.' He turned three earlier this week, but it didn't hit me that he as entered a new stage-- that of a boy-- till I saw him walking tall, sure footed, and almost trendy going sock-less in shorts and shoes running around with his stick playing in his fantasy world on the way home from our Indian Thanksgiving. On the bright side of this aging is that I have my baby Simeon who is just as cute in his own way at a younger stage, Christian finally lets me read to him (and the books are finally fun), and he is saying (and signing) the funniest and sweetest things. I never have felt like I got that mother instict thing down, so having Christian be able to communicate with words to me and in the process I get to see how his mind (and tender heart) work, is priceless. He was my little stranger the day he was born, but he has been a gift of surprises every day since then to find out and more more this who this endearing child is.

We had left some ribbons from a present around and he found them and wrapped them around his neck. He said "I'm a present, hide me in the closet!"

the results:

Stephen woke me up at 5:30 this morning and said he couldn't stand it anymore, he had to know. In his defense I could have stayed isolated for days while he had to face a grad lab this morning.