Michael's 9 years old!

Michael, what's been the best part about being 8?

"Uuuuuuummmmm...I have no idea."

What do you think the best part of being 9 will be?

 

(Thinks for a minute, laughs, smiles...) Next school year?

Are you looking forward to being in the 4th grade?

"Yeah."

 

What do you think 4th grade will be like?

"Um, not sure."

Favorite number?

8. No ...28.

 

28? I was 28 years old when you were born :-)

Favorite Color?

"Blue."

Favorite Food?

"Chicken, Chinese food, and Tacos."

 

Favorite thing to do outside?

"Shoot my water machine gun."

 

Favorite Breakfast food?

"Chick fil-a, Burger King, Bob Evans"

 

Favorite Restaurant?

"Bob Evans"

 

Favorite Shape?

"Circle Triangle Square. A combination of those."

Favorite TV Show?

"Lego shows, Super Hero shows."

 Favorite Dessert?

"Strawberries."

 

Favorite Game?

"Lego Batman II."

 

Favorite thing to do at home?

"Play games, Legos, etc."

 

Favorite Book?

"Instruction guides to games."

Favorite Movie?

"Any kind of family movie, especially Super Hero movies."

Best Friend?

"Jacob & Dante"

What makes you happiest?

"Legos"

What makes you sad?

"Nothing makes me sad (at least right now)."

What makes you excited?

"Legos make me excited."

(Then we started to laugh because so many of his answers have been "Legos." What if all the answers were "Legos?" Let's see...Favorite number? "Legos." Favorite color? "Legos." Favorite food? "Legos." Favorite animal? "Legos." hahahaha)

Favorite place?

"Six Flags."

 

Favorite Animal?

"Monkeys & Cats."

 

Tell me the 5 best things about you.

"Creative, Big imagination, really good gamer, great friend, really good with computers especially when I was in pre-K."

 

Favorite classes in school?

"Science, Gym"

If a genie would give you just one wish what would you pick and why?  

 

"Every Lego set in the world so I would be occupied my entire life with lots of things."

 

 

 

If you could be only one of the following things, which would you want to be: attractive, a genius or famous?

"Genius. I really want to get better grades in school. I want to be smart."

 

You're doing fine in school though, right?

"Yeah, I think."

 

 If you could leave a message for the Michael you will be in 20 years, what would it be?

"Are you good at self-defense yet?"

 

Then we talked about enrolling him in some maritial arts classes, if that's what he'd like. He was in tae kwon do when he was 4...

 

 

Happy Birthday, Michael!!!

 

 

Thank you to the most amazing Dana for these fun, inspiring interview questions. (We hope she doesn't mind!) Our whole really had fun during this interview with Michael.

Michael & Peter

Paraphrase of conversation with Michael this morning:
Mom will you help me zip up my coat?

Yes, just a moment while I finish cleaning April's glasses.

(As I finished cleaning her glasses Michael had succeeded zipping his coat.)

(In my busy mode, focused on Michael while I had April's glasses in my hand, I laughed as I caught myself about to put April's glasses onto Michael. Heehee!)

So I laughed and told Michael that I almost put April's glasses on his face!

Then I said something like, "See how confusing it gets when a mom has lots of children?"

Michael replied, "You don't have lots of children, you only have two."

"Yes, and can you imagine how much more confused I would be if I had more children to take care of? Heehee!"

(Walking with Michael over to the hair combing area so I could comb his hair.)

As I began to comb his hair he said, "Hypothetically you have three children."

"Yes, technically I have three children because I have given birth to three children."

Now, this conversation took place about 5 hours ago, and I can't quite put all of the exact words here because they are eluding me. But it turned into a very nurturing, appropriate, wonderful, healing, simple conversation. Michael needed to hear these things from me, and I'm so happy that this natural opportunity to discuss this topic came up.

In 2008 I gave birth to a baby boy. Michael had just turned 5 years old at the time. He had been expecting a baby brother, in part because he was very aware that I was about to have a baby, and also because a sweet sister in our ward had talked him up about it and had gotten him all excited about it...not knowing that we were planning to give the baby up for adoption. She didn't know. I wasn't even sure until a few weeks before I gave birth.

This was all done in love, I assure you, reader. I assure Michael. I assure anyone who wonders at the peculiarity of it all. I do not need to explain myself because whenever I try to do so it harrows up sadness and past hurts in me. Therefore I reserve the right not to explain my decision to every person who wonders how on earth I could give my third baby up for adoption while I'm already raising my first two little ones. Let it suffice to say that the people who were closest to us at the time had no doubts that we made the right decision, and they were impressed and overwhelmingly proud of me that I had the strength and clarity of mind to place that baby in a more loving home than we could give him. It was simply the right thing to do.

So I'm having trouble recalling exactly how the conversation with Michael, now 8 years old, went this morning, but it was healing and sweet.

Michael & I have had ongoing, loving dialogue over this delicate matter over the years. The moment/mood isn't always right, and sometimes it is, and our conversation this morning was just so nurturing.

I told Michael that we can probably meet Peter sometime soon if he would like to. I explained to him that the reason we haven't visited his family yet...is because it is a sensitive matter...on our end as well as theirs. I want to respect their family cohesiveness, etc.

Of course I feel that Michael is absolutely entitled to meet his biological brother. That is, if it's all right with P's parents, which I'm sure it would be. I think it would be appropriate to introduce them to each other while they're young, so that if they wish, they can maintain a lifelong friendship / brother relationship.

P is going to be 4 years old in July. I do nowadays feel prepared, whenever the time may come in his life, to have similar dialoges with P as well, at any appropriate time as life unfolds.

Everyone on earth deserves the very best love and care that can possibly be given to them.

February 2012

A couple of weeks ago I snapped the following photo of just-another-moment-of-a-day-in-the-life: Walking home from school. I love walking the kids to and from school. The walk isn't too far, but it's far enough that we always get quality time, fresh air, exercise, and we build precious, simple memories together. This is our stroll through our sweet, safe suburban neighborhood that I am so overwhelmingly grateful every day to have our children grow up in.

The morning of Valentine's Day we put together the kids' class valentines. Love was in the air! It really was. That morning was magical for everyone in the family... even we adults had our own abstract reasons for having an exceptional Valentine's Day, heehee.

Hello Dimes

aww, aprilms hello kitty pez dispenser has no candy left, but april kept the fun going by jamming three dimes in there. this struck me as cute because aprilms just cute anyway and hello kitty is cute and the little surprises that kids leave behind when you havent seen them for a few days are extra cute. john and michael and april are in virginia beach right now for thanksgiving with grandpaa bill nana vanese uncle billy and aunt melissa and cousin aidan and aunt megan and cousin trinity. i may join them tomorrow or thanksgiving morning. happy thanksgiving. wwe are thankful for prosperity, humility, we are thankful to be genuinely thankful, we are thankful for grandpa bill and vanese for bringing the family together, and we are thankful for goodness, and continual opportunities fto improve ourselves and our relationships and our lives.

note. for some reason as i type directly into this ttext box from my phone, i am unable to capitalize letters or use any punctuation other than commas and periods. and i am also unable to select text to correct typos. so here is this post, i apologize that it is not as english majorey as i prefer writing to be . for that reason, the last blurb on this entry will be nay.n i do not want it to be there, but i am unable to erase it right now. love you all.

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Walk Tall, You're a Spirit of God

Mom memorized this song real quick yesterday on the way to the house to get Michael & April ready for General Conference. She sang the song for them during one of those moments when they're all getting ready and are prone to be babbling about mundane things. As Mom sang this song that Michael (8) and April (4) had never heard before, they were quiet, and they listened: 

"Right now I have a prayer deep within my heart,
A prayer for each of you there is a special part.
That you remember who you are and him who lives above.
Please seek for him and live his way; You'll feel his love.

(chorus)
Walk tall, you're a daughter*, a child of God,
Be strong and remember who you are,
Try to understand, you're part of his great plan.
He's closer than you know, Reach up; he'll take your hand.

Long before the time you can remember,
Our Father held you in his arms so tender.
Those loving arms released you as he sent you down to earth.
He said, "My child, I love you. Don't forget your great worth."

Walk tall, you're a daughter, a child of God,
Be strong and remember who you are,
Try to understand, you're part of his great plan.
He's closer than you know, Reach up; he'll take your hand.

This life on earth we knew would not be easy.
At times we lose our way his path we may not see.
But remember always that you are not alone.
He'll take your hand, He loves you! He will guide you home."

Mom substituted the word "daughter" with "Spirit" so that it would be easy for both children to identify with.

The day after General Conference (today), April asked Mom, "What does it mean, 'Reach up, he'll take your hand?"

Mom explained, "When we pray to Heavenly Father, read the scriptures, and live God's will, we're reaching up to Him. When we reach up to Him, he will take our hand and lead us through life."

Michael's in 3rd Grade!

Over the summer Michael had his tonsils and adenoids removed. It was a fairly urgent procedure because over the past year (and even in preceding years), he'd seemed to develop colds, congestion, and breathing problems that would not go away. Throughout 2nd grade Michael went through several packages of tissue each week at school, then toward the end of 2nd grade, Michael's mom decided to send a mini waste bin to school with Michael because his teacher mentioned that Michael's tissue disposal had become a bit of a waste management problem. Apparently there were used tissues piled on, in, and under his desk. Not very sanitary. So with his new little waste bin under his desk, other students sitting near him started using it too :) I guess it saved them a walk to the classroom waste bin.

Michael had a fun summer. We enjoyed laid-back mornings mixed in with some fun mornings at LA Fitness where Mom could get her wiggles out and Michael & April got to play with other kids too.

Michael enjoyed playing with friends, and he had a few playdates with his 2nd grade buddy Dillon. Dillon is a very nice boy and he has a very nice mom, and Dillon has good manners and a fun, vivid imagination to match Michael's!

Michael took a few summer school classes at the college too. He took Robotics & Lego Stop-Animation classes (he LOVED it!!) and he also took a class called "Save the Planet" where they learned about being ecologically-minded (Michael loves stuff like that too), and they made a worm habitat out of rich soil, baby food, and shredded paper, and I think there was a little bit of green foliage mixed in too, I don't exactly remember. But at home it started to smell funny, so I buried it in the backyard. No more smell :) The worms were happy too, I hope. They were three of the biggest, healthiest earthworms I've ever seen! Michael also came home with other crafts inspired by nature too, like crafts including dried rice, beans, glued onto paper into a collage or a picture...Happy Michael!

Now he's in 3rd grade, and thanks to his surgery he can breathe better now. After we'd taken him to the doctor several times over the course of a couple of years, they finally referred him to an ear/nose/throat specialist who diagnosed Michael's problem right away. The doctor let Mom & April look into the Michael's throat with the doctor's instrument, and YES those tonsils were extremely swollen! No wonder that sweet, dear boy had trouble breathing! John was with Michael during the surgery and the doctor showed him the removed tonsils. They were as big as ping-pong balls, John said. Dear, tiny Michael's little throat had been nearly completely obstructed!

Michael has been much more chipper since his recovery. He can now run, do chores, do homework, walk up the stairs, and many other things without having a meltdown or a tantrum! Now we understand that life had been so difficult for him before because he simply hadn't been receiving enough oxygen!

Ahh, good times ahead.

Now in the 3rd grade Michael is beginning viola lessons. He had a choice of instruments, and that's the one he chose! Good choice, Michael! Thankfully this school district takes music education very seriously and does not cut back on that area at all. They fortify our kids with music lessons twice a week! As soon as we moved to Maryland in 2007, when Michael was 3 years old, we enrolled him in Kindermusik because I know that music education is a vitally rich aspect of mental, spiritual, creative, and intellectual growth. Those classes were a bit pricey, however, and now I'm so glad to see the school district teaching the children just as well (if not better!) than Kindermusik.

At recess Michael enjoys the "bug detective" club that he and a lot of friends formed in 2nd grade, now continuing in 3rd grade. Michael is very well-liked by his peers, and life is good :)

If there is any sadness or frustration in Michael's life it is probably due to tension at home between his mother & father. Over the summer his mom & dad began a divorce, and that is a very sad thing for children to go through. But life at home has been more peaceful, and everyone feels a little less tense these days :)