Ameila Bedila

Samantha had the funniest Amelia Bedila moment the other day. I know that when I was twelve I could work the microwave really well, but Samantha has gone above and beyond most expectations for any twelve year old. As part of her personal progress she planned our family meals for two weeks and then made them, mostly without my intervention. I loved it! Anytime we need brownies or cookies she is pretty independent following directions and producing the perfect deserts.

Anyway we had the missionaries over for dinner this week. Samantha was concerned that my menu lacked dessert. Luckily I had a boxed dessert hidden in the pantry. Something new and different. I didn’t think twice about giving Samantha the responsibility, and kept going with my plans. I heard Samantha say something about boiling water- we have instant hot water so that was easy. A few minutes later Scott looked over and a few red flags went up when she didn’t measure the water. So he asked her how much and she said it didn’t matter, more red flags as she is empting her first packed of chocolate into the water. Water and chocolate don’t seem to go together very well. Apparently the directions read, “Place the package of chocolate in a bowl of boiling water,” not empty the package into the water. Good thing we had a bag of chocolate chips that we melted and drizzled over our yummy dessert. The drama was over even before the missionaries knocked on the door, it was a good save.

Since the biking season is over,  and apparently 175 miles wasn’t a big enough challenge, Samantha convinced me she needed to join the swim team. I am sure that the fact that two of her really good friends on the team have nothing to do with it. I opened the door but starting a hypothetical question of how we could make it work two days ago, and today I at the pool signing everyone up but Nathan. The boys were more in favor of trying something like football or soccer, but since that wasn’t a choice and I offered to put a pause on piano practicing for a month they all eagerly agreed to join the team. Don’t worry they will have to swim and practice the piano once school gets out. It just didn’t seem to make sense to stay up late swimming and then expect them to get up earlyfor piano practice before school. We had our first sleep-in morning today and they were almost all late for school.

Jacob is continuing to grow and is taller than Samantha, I have a feeling she is never going to catch back up. He is only ten and he is already fighting acne, plus his PE coach told him it was time to wear deodorant. I hope the coach was talking to the class in general and didn’t really just single Jacob out.  :)  We don’t own any pets but he has a turtle down by the retention pond that he visits almost every day. I keep telling him to watch out for snakes, but that hasn’t stopped him from venturing into the big drain pipes and wading through the water.

He is getting ready for the science fair coming up in a couple of weeks. Samantha has taken 1st place for the last 2 years at the school so he has a lot to live up too. He is testing the best baking temperature for the highest quality cookie (aka the perfect cookie but that isn’t a scientific term). I really don’t like cookies that much but it will be hard to stay away from all the cookie dough once the project starts. We have already had a test run so I know it is going to smell good around here.

Joshua has had a few bad months with the camera but I think he is pulling out of it. When we went on our cruise in February he actually made one of the photographers crack up laughing because his smile was so comical. He was just trying a little to hard to the point that it looked painful. He hasn’t completely recovered but I have a few good pictures that show there is hope.

Every day when Josh gets home from school or early in the morning he wants to be the first to get Nathan up. He is such a good brother and talks to Nathan like they are having real conversations. I love how he always offers to take Nathan outside and play with him. Although we have had to talk about responsibility since Nathan has been found twice in the front yard by himself. Thankfully Nathan was more attracted to stuff in the garage then by those cool big cars that drive down the street.

Matthew is loving reading. I went to the library yesterday and picked up all the books he had requested from the library. A half hour after the boys had gotten home from school I actually found all three of them reading. It was hard to get mad but I had thought they were all working on homework.

I would also like to report to all our concerned neighbors and school bullies that he is no longer riding a girls bike. He has been saving his money for a new bike for quite awhile, and a few weeks ago I found a great deal on a nice bike at a garage sale. (Now that we have it, I know there are some problems) but at the time I was so excited. It was a name brand bike that looked well taken care of and looked brand new. I had the family hold it for me and took the boys back to see it and test it out, only to find out that the bike fit Jacob and Matthew was still too short for it. So Jacob now owes me a lot of money, Matthew is riding Jacob’s old bike, and Matthew is still rich.

Alex only has 5 days of preschool left. Technically I could still change my mind and keep him home one more year, but he is ready for kindergarten. When Nathan is sleeping, he gets so board when I try to get my stuff done. I used to make him do “quiet time” in his own room but he has learned if he is quiet he can go anywhere. So he is quiet! I am amazed at how long he will play by himself. Right now he is in a phase where he doesn’t want to watch a movie or play video games but he would rather sit on the couch next to me curled up with his blanket. Alex is ready for school, I just don’t think Nathan is ready to be alone. Nathan won’t go to school for 4 more years.

Alex has one week to learn to swim or they are going to kick him off the team. Originally that was my plan, let him try, but I really don’t want to be committed for that extra hour of practice. He wants to do it and is so excited that for his sake I hope he can swim across the pool next week. We tried swim lessons last year, and we worked really hard in January teaching him how to snorkel, so hopefully with some of the bases covered it will kick in. Post-update: I took Alex swimming Saturday night.  Once he had his fins, mask and his snorkle on, he had all the confidence in the world and just started swimming.  I was amazed.  I don't think fins and snorkles will be allowed at the meets, but the fact that he can do it might be enough to help him build his skills this week.  My schedule doesn't want him to make it across the pool this weekend, but he sure has the motivation. 

Nathan is now 18 months old. Last week at church we dropped him off in the Nursery class and he cried for a long time. When the leaders came to get me, I gave them his favorite blanket instead and that seemed to help him calm down enough to stay. Later I peeked in and he was playing and eating snacks. I actually got to sit in class until they had to bring him to me for a dirty diaper. When Nathan saw me in he let out the cutest giggle of relief- after that I just stayed in the room with him, we will try again next week. I knew he was going to have a hard time, but he is fine with babysitters so I knew it was more of a battle of the strongest. He knows I am close by. Post-up date: He hardly cried at all yesterday in Nursery.  It might have helped that he was too busy eating a sucker to cry, but he lasted the full two hours with out me and his blanket.  It is so silly that I have made it such a big deal, he is going to be just fine. 

His personality is really starting to come out. He loves to be outside, if we are ever having a rough day all I have to do take him for a walk and he immediately calms down. Overall he has been a tough baby, but now that he is becoming a toddler, I can see he is frustrated a lot. He is little, people knock him over, and he just wants to see what is going on. He wants me to hold him all the time, but carrying 28 pound around isn’t fun or practical.

Nathan is developing some new skills he can now climb up the bunk beds, unscrew lids, and ride a scooter. I love that he is in a very obedient phase, if I tell him stop he stops. I told the boys to turn off the TV and they all just sat there, but Nathan walked up and pushed the power button. We all started laughing. He has also become a very good parrot. You can’t really understand what he says but you can tell he is trying to copy what you said. Yesterday he said, “I love you” to me for the first time. Of course I had just said it to him, but it still counts. I love listening to his baby babble, I really need to get it on video just so I can sit and watch it over and over. My baby is growing up…

All the kids are growing up too fast.  I have been trying hard to keep pictures posted this year, so just in case you missed them check out Samantha in the MS150, Nathan in our Easter pictures, the boys school talent show in Kid Stuff, and Alex in our Camping Adventures.