Lachoneus is 13 now. He still favors his alien baby blanky...the one I made for him when he lost his soft blue blanky in the maze that is Venice.
It is tattered and torn now. It is so loved and used.
These days you can still see Luke walk around the house with it. Often on him like an accessory or article of clothing. Most often like a huge scarf wrapped around his kneck. At all hours of the day. haha
It's so cute and so funny.
Athena is mischievous. But then again, at her age, I was too.
Sterling was TDY and I took the kids to church. At the beginning of sacrament meeting Athena asked to go to the restroom. After the sacrament was passed around Athena had not returned. So I had to go search for her.
She wasn't in any of the three restrooms she could have used. She wasn't in the elevator or the hallways. She wasn't in the primary room or the nursery.
I found her. She was in her classroom. She was coloring on the teacher's sticky notes and sticking them onto the white board. She had also used a crayon to color on her black church shoe.
I scolded her and we went back to sacrament meeting.
Then it was primary. I have a class, Ty's class, I sit with and teach now. I glanced over during singing time and saw her holding the sticky note pad and same crayon! Apparently she had stopped in her classroom to pick them up on her way to primary! Little stinker!
The teachers had assumed she had brought those items from home and not stolen them from the their own teacher box. I handed the items to the teacher and told him where they had come from. He made a face that a bit annoyed. And I know they deal with her antics every Sunday. Whether it's disappearing or not listening or something else.
Every Sunday I notice her scars on her legs and arms from scratching bug bites. She also bleeds each Sunday because she scratched wounds. I have to keep bandaids in my purse.
She gets dirty and messes up her hair constantly. I got her all cute and as soon as we arrived at vacation bible school (we got in line to sign in) and she leaned against as wall (outside) that was somehow covered in a white chalklike substance. She immediately got it all over her clothes front and back, her arms, legs and hands! I used water to wash her skin but it wouldn't brush off of her clothing!
A couple days ago(watching from the kitchen window) I saw Athena run out of our house and speed across the parkinglot and the street. She had something in her hand and I thought it looked like a Switch remote. Those things are not allowed outside! She quickly came back and I asked her about it. She responded "No, it was just scissors!" :O
I had to remind her that we don't run with scissors and why.
Luke is 13 years old. A week or so ago he was running from the house to the car. I watched his run: his legs were lazy running and his arms were swinging all over the place. Left and right and up and down. His hands were dead, flapping around like he had no control. Watching him run... it's sillier than a Goofy cartoon.
I guess it's time to teach him how to run. To control himself.
Tiberias likes musicals. So last week I showed the kids a movie called Into The Woods.
About 40 minutes into the movie Tiberias burst out; "I feel like I'm going to die from hearing music!"
I was surprised. So I laughed.
Maybe he doesn't like the music to this movie? Or perhaps he just wasn't in the mood for a musical that day. Either way...his reaction was a bit dramatic!
We stopped the film and finished watching it another day.
Just before biking home from Sakura Shell Athena rescued a wounded cicada she noticed on the ground. She picked it up lovingly and excitedly and held it safe in her hand to bike home.
As she rode, the wind hit the cicada from the front even though it's missing wings prevented it from flying on it's own. Athena said to Mom "He's flying!"
Mom imagined a happy smile on the cicada's face as it once again felt flight.
Then she saw in her mind's eye the reality was more likely to be...
The cicada squirming to escape the captivity of the giant hand. Haha
At home Athena placed it insider her bug home.
Wearing a leather jacket and a pair of jean pants Tiberias said with confidence "Jeans make you look coo-ool."
My boys wouldn't wear the jeans I had stocked their drawers with so I removed them and hid them in the top of their closet in case they end up wanting them later on.
Recently Tiberias saw the movie "The Matrix" with Luke and Sterling. So when Tiberias found a leather jacket at the thrift store he bought it. Then the next day he asked "Where are my jeans? I need jean pants."
I brought some out for him and he put on his leather jacket with the jeans. Then he was happy. He looked cool.
Even though he hasn't seen "Grease"(movie) or "Happy Days" (tv show) he looks like he has copied them . :)
Luke's 13th birthday bash was a great time. Near the end of the event Luke opened his presents from his friends. When Luke picked up a gift from Ethan Strickland ...Ethan said "It's a cigar!"
It was shaped like a cigar almost. So Mom said "You're a man now, Luke. Have a cigar!"
We all laughed. Then Luke opened the wrapping and found it was candy.
This morning the kids were all hanging out on the couch. Athena was pretending to be a cat, as usual. And she decided she was a cat who gives a free massage at her parlor every day.
She massaged Tiberias' back , as a cat. Then walked away saying softly "Now just relax..."
Just like a real masseuse.
Athena’s friend Arianna has convinced her that those two girls are related.
Athena will tell her family “Arianna and I both have blonde hair, blue eyes, light skin and we both love dogs! We’re related!” haha
“We do have a difference...” she said “We don’t both own dogs. Only she owns a dog. But we are still related!”
"Look at the car. The car has a flame" I didn't figure this one out..Ster had to figure out what "flam" was.
A cute one of pets in tutus:
I realized she was making up her weekend news journal stories when I saw that she wrote about going to Disneyland with her family. She drew a picture of us there.
Soon after that she wrote about visiting Mars over the weekend. lol
Her teacher reminds her that it needs to be the truth, what she actually experienced over the weekend. As simple as playing with friends or having video game day.
Today after school I looked at Athena's weekend news and it showed her playing outside with a dog. The news reads "I have a dog. His name is Chochoe. Every weekend I play with him. We play fetch. We love each other."
She doesn't have a dog! She does have a toy dog and that's what she was talking about. But she adjusted to seem like her dog is real. haha
Her brothers cracked up as I read them the article to them.
Last night I allowed the boys to watch The Mummy for the first time. It's a really creepy and scary film.
Sterling has wanted to share that with the boys for a while now and I finally gave in.
Today at church Athena wanted to cuddle sitting next to me and have her arm tickled lightly. As she wants every Sunday. She doesn't care if it's Mom and Dad giving her affection but it's a good time where the parents are not busy doing anything else. So, she uses that situation to get the extra love she desires.
She is so affectionate by nature.
She kept telling me things like "Mom, you are so lovely! And dainty!" and "You're so kind and wonderful!"
And I returned the compliments with some back at her..."You are so sweet and so loving. You are so cute!"
She enjoyed watching the babies during sacrament meeting . You know the ones...those that walk around munching on snacks and saying "hello" with their eyes as they go from family to family. All of my children enjoyed watching babies like that now.
Lachoneus passed the sacrament as we does each time we attend church. She is starting to look like a teenager a little bit. My friend Laura Elliott said it a few days ago and now it really is starting to show.
Athena will be in activity day girls in less than a year! At activity day boys some of the new members to the group are so little. They may be 8 years old but they don't quite look it. And it just reminds me how close Athena is to that. She looks as old as those boys.
And Tiberias? He is just making us proud, as all our children are. He is doing well in school and he is so fun. Just a great person! He only has Brandon near our house. Luckily, Brandon's family isn't planing to move away anytime soon. A lot of people are moving this summer ...away from here.
He also is close friends with Escher who lives a few streets over but will come over here to play. And Luke's friend Ethan comes over often now. Ever since we got the trampoline last Christmas Eve. It's a great safe place for the kids to hang out.
Athena has plenty of friends around here. It's just perfect right now. No bullies or problem children living close to us or in our lives.
Lachoneus went on a young men's campout a couple weeks ago. He loved it.
The kids get to go swimming once a month with a babysitting...so dad and mom don't have to attend.
Spring break is on right now. Unfortunately it's the Japanese schools spring breaks at the same time.
So far Ster and I have built the kids a little cardboard building, Athena had a tea party with her friends, Luke and Mom went on an outing where we ate pizza at a Japanese restaurant next to a busy train track and ordered an expensive plushie online (White Cappie), Tiberias and Mom went on an outing to the BX where Ty had a shopping spree to spend up to $20 on anything he wanted. He chose a nerf gun style set of two guns and a bunch of junk food. We also ate at BK and shared a chocolate milkshake. Tiberias was surprised at how delicious a milk shake is! He is use to ice cream only.
Sterling took the week off of work for this week and we have many fun family plans approaching.
Life is amazing!
This morning Athena was feeling grouchy. Then she wanted to not wear her coat even though it is freezing outside. Like Tiberias at her age...she cares that people see her cool outfits and not hide them under coats.
Then when she grabbed her bike she struggled with the kickstand. Usually I give in and just do it for her but she does know how to do it. So I told her I wasn't going to help. In her grouchy mood she made a few pathetic attempts to kick back the stand then pouted hoping I would come help.
She was so mad by the time she actually got on her way. I said "I love you ! Have a great day!"
Then she flipped her mood to happy and loving because she loves her routines. She always says "I love you! See you after school!" And today was no different. It made me laugh! She flipped from super angry to happy and loving.
She's a sweet girl.
On New Year's Eve we watched a movie as a family Tom and Huck by Disney.
Tiberias didn't understand the time frame of the story. Early in the movie Tom says to his aunt Pauley "I will go fetch the switch." I paused the film and asked my children if they knew what Tom was talking about. Now a days children know "the Switch" as being a gaming system. A reward...not a punishment.
Tiberias knew that this story was taking place in the past so he thought "What would be the old fashioned version of The Switch?" He responded to my question with "An NES?"
HAHA. I had to tell my children that "A switch" use to be a twig for getting whipped in the butt with.
