Kids lately

These are things I want to remember about the stage everyone is in.

Enzo is SO particular.  He it always reaching for lids to put them back on.  (OJ container, toothbrush, laundry soap, everything!) He likes to haul things around.  Last week he saw the leaf blower and had a blast with it, until the battery ran out.  So I plugged in the battery, and hid the leaf blower on a high shelf.  Two days later he found it, and about lost his mind. He was furious it didn't work.  When I put the battery in, the whole cycle repeated itself.  He also attached himself to an empty bottle of clorox2, and a blue shovel.  He is obsessed with brushing his teeth, mostly the toothpaste.  He goes in and brushes on his own anytime the other kids are in the bathroom.  

Before naptime I give him a bottle, then rock him for a few minutes and give him a kiss.  Then I ask, "Ready to take a nap?"  Initially he said "yes" but for the last few weeks he's just smiled really big and said, 'no!'--like he's ready to keep playing. Speaking of naps, he's obsessed with drinking his bottle.  He calls it "tete" (short for tetero).  If you ask him, "Tete?" he knows it's time and he runs to the fridge as fast as he can to grab a bottle of milk.  

In the morning he likes to go into Tiago's room and lay on his head while he tries to wake up.  Doesn't seem like a great way to be woken up.  But Tiago wouldn't like to wake up, regardless of the method. 

Hyrum has developed an elaborate bedtime routine, not unlike what he did with the other kids at this age.  Enzo gets a bottle, then brushes his teeth, then reads a book, then turns off the kitchen light, closes the door, points to the picture of Jesus, and then turns off the other lights before going into the crib.  (After brushing his teeth he makes the rounds through the kids bedrooms to blow them a kiss and say goodnight.)

The funniest thing right now about Mila and Siena is they've decided they love sleeping in the same bed.  We told them if they get ready in the morning without any crying, they can sleep together.  So maybe half of the time they do.  It looks incredibly crowded and hot, but they mostly love it. It makes it convenient when guests come over, because Tiago easily takes the top bunk.

There is SO much outdoor play with the bigger kids.  On our street they play with James and Jasper, although they're not always home. It's not unusual for them to knock on our door to show a new toy, and they continue to talk about it until I gently close the door.  Ainsley is a little older but is always outside, and plays well with the girls.  Giselle and Zoey are usually at their grandma's house after school and play outside.  My girls love when they see Zoey at school.  (I think she's in 3rd grade.)  Ethan lives across the street and is always bringing things out of his house to play with -- scooters, bike, table, bucket, etc.  Sophie, Joe, and Thomas live 2 houses away.  The kids love playing in their backyard because they have a big play set and swing.  Sometimes they all sit outside and read together.  Nora and Sloan live in the neighborhood, although not super close.  Sometimes they walk over to play.  And Graham, from Tiago's class, lives a street over and sometimes comes over, too. Having friends around has been the best part of living in Texas.

Yesterday Nora looked around and said, "Where's Tiago?"  I said he was probably at home reading, because Graham had gone home.  Nora, who is in his class at school, said, "Yeah, he really likes sharks and dinosaurs."  It made me laugh that he had such a reputation at school.  She's not wrong.  To that list I would add geology, space, animals, history, and exploration.

We use the library here to the fullest.  My system is to just max out the two library cards we have (I had Tiago get his own, so we could check out 100 books on each.)  When books are due, I grab those plus whatever else fits in my bag and return them, and check out an equal number.  Books get renewed many times. And I usually request a bunch of books so they're waiting on the shelf for me when I get there.  Good news for Enzo, who usually makes as much  noise as he can from the stroller while I gather up books and check out.  I found on the library's website where I can see how many books I've checked out-- 2241 on my older card, and almost 500 on the card I got for Tiago at the beginning of the pandemic.  I would have gotten cards for my girls but we don't have any more space on our bookshelves.  After I get books from the library, the kids spend about an hour after school pouring through them all. 

Each of the big kids now has their own Book of Mormon.  We read with them at night, Tiago separately and the girls together (because they share a room.)  Tiago is almost done with 2nd Nephi and the girls just recently started.  I've been impressed at how quickly the girls picked up reading and are eager to read each night.  Tiago goes through phases of only wanting to read a verse to flying through an entire chapter before I even get into his room.

Tiago loves eating fried eggs lately.  Although he's picky and doesn't always eat a lot, when he decides he's hungry he has an endless stomach.  He drinks so many glasses of milk and loves it. He can make himself oatmeal, and learned how to make fried eggs. (Although he needs practice breaking the egg into the pan without breaking the yoke. He's worried about burning his hand, with good reason; he burned his hand the first time I tried to teach him pancakes.)  I still get frustrated that some nights he will declare my dinner to be the best thing he's ever eaten, and the next time I make it, he won't touch it.

The most reliable dinner I make is "Dennys".  Basically, pancakes, and whatever else -- eggs, bacon, sausage, OJ, toast...  They're always happy to eat.

Hyrum is almost done teaching the girls to read in Spanish.  They probably don't get quite as much one-on-one time doing it as Tiago did, but they're doing great.

Mila and Siena randomly started talking about "Nanny."  I was so confused for about a week and then they explained it was a made-up person.  They talk about it constantly.  I'm still so confused.  

At school Mila has a bit of a boyfriend.  There are twins in their class -- River and Able.  Mila and River used to sit at the same table.  They 'were are in love' and talked about getting engaged.  Apparently River went home and told his parents, and they convinced him to wait until he was in college. (It's hilarious to talk to their mom about it, and hear that side of things.)  But they (the 5-yr-olds) decided they just wanted to be in love, not kiss or anything.  But they were sure they wanted to get married.  Now River and Siena are at the same table, and Mila sits with Able.  What a funny pairing.