Heptadecagon

Shadow is a good buddy and part of the family. The kids love him, I love him when he isn't barking or jumping, and Tim just thinks his first pet is cool. The poor dog had an adenoma removed from his leg last week. Let us hope that our 2nd redhead has many happy years ahead of him. Just so you know, an adenoma is benign. The biopsy was sent off to be read, and if it is cancer, it will be termed adenocarcinoma. What then? We'll cross that bridge if we have to. Enough of the biology lesson. *** Melina is pulling up anywhere she can: bookcases, ottomans, couches, tables, steps. [I don' t get much done these days, inbetween checking to see where Melina is and that she is not trying to pull over the various pieces of furniture.] Each time she pulls herself up, she smiles and waits for applause. She actually knows how to put herself back down, pretty gracefully, too. My favorite thing she does right now, though, is spin around in a 360 degree circle on her belly. Over a...

I just realized that we have not posted photos of the kids for a while. I have plenty I could write about (writing being very cathartic for me) but I never put in any Easter photos of the kids. We have some other pictures, too, that I am sure at least the aunts, uncles, and grandparents would like to see. So, here we go! Tim set up an Easter egg hunt for Talia, Zoe, and Aaron. Clearly this picture was taken before the eggs were collected. The kids had a great time, and I think Tim did, too. Melina is shown here, chewing on the tag of the toy that the Easter Bunny brought her. She is wearing hand-me-downs from Aaron, and obviously, isn't even buttoned up all the way. The woes of being the fourth child! I do dress Melina in pink when we take her out (here she was ready to go to church), so that we don't confuse anyone. Sometimes wearing pink or purple doesn't help, though. Melina was wearing a purple sleeper with hearts and flowers yesterday. At the grocery store, a ...

As a mom of four, my standard uniform consists of stretchy pants, nursing tank, and cardigan sweatshirt. If shoes are on, they are an old pair of running shoes. The sweatshirt usually has some form of food on the left shoulder, and the pants, even if they are right out of the dryer, have an old stain on them. Comfortable, but fashionista, I am not. I might dress up just a bit for teaching in the evening, but even then, if the lab calls for dissecting a sheep brain, I often leave for school wearing jeans or stretchy pants. I came home the other night and peeked in the girls' room. I hadn't seen them before I left for school, so they didn't know what I was wearing to teach in that night. It had been a warm afternoon, so I chose a 10-year old pair of summer khaki's, an old white tank top, and a breezy, navy, V-neck tunic that didn't actually belong to me (yes, I still have that, Tara...sorry!). A step up from the standard uniform. Imagine my surprise when Zoe s...

1. I walked into the house after going for a run this past Monday. All four children were under the dining room table. The three older ones were on their backs, tools extended. Tim said they were doing home improvement projects to the table. I am guessing Melina was the foreperson. 2. Talia lost two teeth this past weekend -- one from the top, one from the bottom. In total, I think she has lost five or six teeth. Because she no longer has her top 2 teeth, she likes to smile really big and pretend she is a vampire. 3. Zoe and Talia have learned how to jump off the swing, mid-air. They are getting pretty good at doing so, but last night, while I was at school, Zoe fell. [Sounds like she fell onto her hands, and may have strained a muscle. She is right now at the doctor, as the pain has gotten worse overnight and is radiating up her arm. Tim and I don't think it is broken, as there is very little swelling and she is able to move her arm and fingers in every direction.] The gi...

The kids all love Melina. They love her so much, in fact, that they like to dress her up with different things they have received/found/made. Above, she has a crown on, and is doing her best imitation of a princess, I guess. If you can't tell what those things in the second picture are, they are bunny ears...as in Easter Bunny ears. And yes, they are taped on! She didn't seem to mind too much (although her face seems to say 'Wha?'), so we went ahead and took the picture. Melina will get back at them someday, I am sure. P.S. We have yet to get a picture of Melina wearing a curly brown wig. Stay tuned.

I should be sitting here doing school work, but instead, I am thinking of Aaron. Imagine that. I probably have thoughts of the other kids going through my head, too, but lately, I’ve been observing Aaron and his behavior when Zoe and Talia are at school, and Melina is asleep. Aaron is a very imaginative child, and one that loves to play by himself. Don’t get me wrong, he does like to play with other kids (especially his sisters). However, he can amuse himself, literally, for hours. He will build towers out of blocks, draw pictures, erect marble runs, and dig holes. He talks to himself, describing everything that happens, or what should happen, and sometimes, calls out to me. But I think his best bud right now, aside from Melina, is Shadow. The two of them head outside to frolic in the sun, and what goes on out there, I’ll never know. The other day, I was looking out the back door at the two of them, the sun shining off of the twin redheads, and I actually got tears in my eyes. I ...

We had a lot of "firsts" this week. Melina had her first taste of sausage (she liked it). She ate potatoes and a french fry, in different sittings, for the first time (she liked those, too). Melina also tried her first O-shaped, low sugar cereal; by golly the kid liked those as well. Most importantly, Melina's first tooth is peeking out! Once I felt it, the kids and Tim stopped everything in order to try and see it. We, of course, all clapped, too. I can't quite understand how the tooth can be absent from the mouth in the morning, but cutting through the gum by the evening. Growth is amazing!