A smattering

Here are a few pics of life over the past couple of months.

 Robbie played his first official season of soccer this spring. He learned a lot and really got better. His assistant coach called him "happy feet" because he really hustled and had a strong kick. He made some goals, too!

Henry also participated in "Mini Kickers," although it was with reluctance.

 I had fun going to Henry's special day at preschool and seeing him interact with his classmates and teachers. He did a good job of listening to the teachers.

 Robbie lost his first tooth! (Nice face.)

Bryan drove nearly three hours to come visit for a few hours and then leave again. It was so fun to see him, and of course Robbie and Henry think he's awesome.

 Chatting with Robbie on the couch (lucky kid got to stay up late to chat a little).

 Benjy is such a fun Costco shopping buddy--this particular day I got at least four or five different comments about what a happy, cute baby he is. I agree!

 Clara sang in her eighth grade chorus concert and received the award for "Best Smile."

 Clara made this vanilla pudding nearly all by herself (and left the mess to prove it).

 Feeding Benjy, or stealing his food, or preventing him from eating non-food items are three activities that keep the kids busy.

 One of Robbie's Duplo creations.

 These three boys are so fun.

 Candid taken by one of the kids of me multi-tasking, ahem.

 Benjy got a yucky adenovirus that caused him to feel very lousy and left his face and body covered in spots. Fortunately he was better after a few days. So glad it wasn't the measles, which has broken out all over the U.S. due to dumb people not vaccinating their children.

 We had fun going on a hike to Fridley Gap with our neighbors, the Zopps.

 It was super cold but Michael jumped in.

 Benjy was unimpressed.

 First hike of the season!

This picture makes me smile.

Clara the dancer

Back in January, Clara requested ballet clothing and gear for her fourteenth birthday. I reminded her that it wasn't likely that we could find a beginning class at her age, but she wanted them anyway and was happy with the leotard, etc. we got her. However, to find ballet slippers I felt we should go to a dance studio to make sure we got the right size. At the studio, I felt embarrassed by Clara's behavior as we tried on several pairs of slippers to find the right size and couldn't find one that felt comfortable. In an attempt to explain, I mentioned we were looking for an adaptive dance class, and the employee mentioned that they had one there. Surprised, we looked into it and it was a wonderful fit for Clara. She absolutely loved going each week. After her first dance class, she exclaimed happily, "I LOVED it! I felt like I could just dance away all my problems." It brought Michael and I so much joy to see her feel so happy.


I got to go into one of the dress rehearsals in class with Miss Elayna, who was the sweetest teacher and is now a special ed teacher in Northern Virginia.

That smile!

Clara with Taylor and Alissa.

 I was proud of Clara for getting up on that stage all by herself with these two girls! They danced to Taylor Swift's "Welcome to New York." (This pic was taken during dress rehearsal, hence the empty seats.)

 Clara did a wonderful job and I can't wait to see what she does next year.

Henry turns four!

Henry turned four on Sunday. Four! He seems to have shot up in the past few months, which his well-check today confirmed--75th percentile for weight, 80th percentile for height. On the way to his appointment, I told him about what they'd do at the check-up. "And they'll see how tall you are. . . " I continued. "Am I 8:30, or 9:30, or 10:30?" he asked. His pediatrician, Dr. Hutton, noticed a wheeze when she checked his lungs, and at this point she said she would officially diagnose him as having asthma. He doesn't have to do breathing treatments too often, so we'll see how things go in the future.

 For breakfast, he requested Lucky Charms, which he was really excited about. He had asked for at least six months for different cereals as we would go grocery shopping, pointing to one and asking, "Can I have this on my birthday?"

 As you can tell, Robbie was excited about having some, too. Henry has a generous nature and was happy to share them.

 Playing "heavy heavy hang over" for presents.

 Nerf guns--woohoo!!! Henry was most excited about this gift.

 He also got a big blue ball and a hover soccer ball set.

 Henry requested a Superman cake--Mom made it and Daddy decorated it. Yum!

 Blowing out the candles.

 Such a big boy.

Happy birthday, buddy! We love you so much. (Clara was sick in bed with a stomach bug.)

{The next morning, Henry asked me at breakfast, "Mama, am I still four?" "Yep!" I replied. "Okay," he said happily.}

As a side note, Henry was diagnosed with Complex Motor Stereotypy disorder in April. We have noticed his excitement movements from when he was little, occurring infrequently. However, over the past few months, they really escalated in frequency and scale, causing his whole body to pulsate, writhe, wriggle, etc. and he occasionally emits sounds as well. We were referred to the UVA pediatric neurologist, Dr. Abu Abdeh, who was very knowledgeable. We also received the same diagnosis from Erik Heiss' neurologist friend, who saw a short video we had sent Erik. They are not harmful, but they definitely make for some interesting movements from Henry. They come and go in frequency and severity and apparently are not outgrown. We had a family fast for him and have received comfort and peace, and he generally seems unphased by them at this point. We've also pulled back on speech therapy for his stuttering (which we began last fall and continued weekly for about six months), trying to work on "easy talking" at home and not interrupting. He's not self-aware enough to be able to correct himself, and I don't want him to feel too much pressure to change his talking. We sure love this kid no matter what adventures come!

Mother's Day

The kids and Michael made me feel very loved this Mother's Day.

 I got to go to a Mother's Day tea (had to decline the sweet tea) with Henry's preschool class.

 Awesome.

 Love this sweet boy.

 I've started collecting the kids' Mother's Day notes through the years to make a display.

 Robbie made me awesome cards and gifts in Kindergarten and brought them to me with breakfast in bed from Daddy.

 And Henry, too!

Michael's breakfast hit the spot. I am grateful to be a mother, truly grateful, despite my ineptitudes. I am deeply indebted to my mom and my mother-in-law for their examples of faithful endurance and kindness and forgiveness.

A visit from Nana and Papa

In the middle of April, Nana and Bapa came to visit! They were a huge help with projects around the house.

Dad helped paint drywall patches and installed door handles in the basement among other things, and Nana helped me a ton by wiping off all of the surfaces in the basement storage areas that had gotten covered in drywall dust, among other things. Such a pain. (Nana also discovered lots of mouse droppings and things that were eaten by mice . . . they have yet to return, so I'm hoping they left after they decided there was nothing else interesting to eat.)

We did manage to fit some fun things in the middle of all the chores.

 There was some puzzling (we finally found that missing piece!).

some reading,

 some more reading,

 some cooking and Costco errand-running (here was Nana making Easter pear bunnies),

 and even some family bell-ringing on Easter Sunday (we practiced "Jesus Has Risen").

 Nana brought up her special tea set, and the boys enjoyed using the little cups and plates for chocolate milk, carrots, and cookies.

On Saturday, my parents watched Robbie and Henry so that we could go up with the youth to the Philadelphia temple. Clara performed the baptism for one of her ancestors whose name she had found with Nana's help the day before. Even though Clara was very nervous, she did it! It was wonderful being in the temple with her and Daddy. A kind sister in the ward watched Benjy while I was inside.

Since we were gone on "bunny Saturday," the Easter Bunny paid us a visit on Monday evening!

 Look who found an Easter egg. (Looks like he has a couple stored inside those chunky cheeks, too.)

 So grateful for grandparents!