I'M IN LOVE

Finally, now that he's 15 months old, Little Sammy has learned to walk and say "Mama." Who would ever have thought that hearing this little man pant down the hall calling me would completely melt my heart? You'd think that kind of thing would wear off after four kids, but sometimes I just walk in circles around the house answering him so he'll keep calling. I wish I could freeze him just as he is - perfect.

JACKISM

Jack's fascination with all things Egyptian led to an interesting discussion about their religious practices, particularly one pharaoh's decision to go monotheistic and exclusively worship the sun god Aten (it's a long story). Jack was quiet for a while after I explained how it all worked, and then decided quite conclusively, "Well, if I were going to chose only one god to worship, I would definitely chose the God of Rain. You know - drought, famine, starvation... it doesn't seem like they needed any help with the sun living in a desert."

Good point, Jack. I bet old Amenhotep didn't think of that.

THE KING STILL REIGNS

Yesterday as Jack and I were working in the kitchen, I said, "Do you know what we're missing? Christmas music! We can't make lunch without Christmas music!" To which he replied, with a very teenager-like groan, "Oh Moooooooooom, PLEASE! Not Elvis again."

Excuse me? That boy got a quick lesson in showing the proper respect for The King, and was forced to listen to "Blue Christmas" multiple times as pennance. I don't think anyone can say they've achieved adulthood without being able to do a fairly decent rendition of this song, Elvis style. I think I proved my point... at least there will be no more complaining THIS Christmas season!

THOU SHALT NOT!

Just when we thought they weren't listening to morning Bible study...


...discovered in somebody's journal.


...and the midget David, with the ill-fated Goliath - the morning after a dramatic reenactment for Family Night.

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Okay, I'm the first to admit that I'm biased. But isn't this the cutest face you've ever seen? Sam turned one - with a mixture of excitement from his siblings, and a little sadness from me. How did my baby get so big this fast? I so clearly remember having him just 12 short months ago - he has been the BEST thing for our family. The other kids are in love with him, and he returnes their affection (mostly). With a big gap in his front teeth, a gymp one foot/one knee crawl, and a huge head relative to his skinny little arms, this kid is one darling package. And Sam is a total ham - he makes goofy expressions all the time, and just waits for you to notice and laugh. When he hears the other kids laugh at something, he joins in just to be a part of the gang. We know his brothers and sister will teach him lots of tricks in the years to come, and we can't wait to see what becomes of The Sam.

We sure love you, Babe Sammy. Happy 1st Birthday!

KATHRYN SPEAKS

I've been reading James Herriot with the kids lately, which is a little over their heads, but we all love it. Last night's story included this passage, "...[I] then gave her an antitetanus injection to eliminate any risk of later infection," and asked the kids what that meant. Kathryn confidently explained, "It means he gave the horse a shot so the sore wouldn't get infected." I asked her how she knew that. She cocked her head to the side, rolled her eyes, and in a "duh" tone, said, "Context!" That is so Kathryn!

ANNOUNCING...

...the commitment of Nick and Miriam to the P90X way of life. In consideration for our gentle readers, we'll spare you the "before" pics, and just reveal that the above appetizing picture is all too true. We're actually enjoying our mornings together, sweating with Tony (the host) and wondering if we can, in fact, look anything like these folks on the videos. See you around Thanksgiving, hopefully new and improved!

JACKISM

Jack, assigning family members to play roles in 'The Lion King,' "We'll need the fatest person in our family to be Pumba." Then he walked over to me, squeezed the back of my arm, and declared, "Yep - you'll do." Thanks, Jack. It's an honor.

INTRODUCING SAM

Okay, so this kid has been around for a while now... seven months, to be exact. But since this is the first post in a whole year, he will now be officially introduced. Samuel Finn joined us on October 5th, weighing in at 9.5# and 22". He was a funny looking little guy in the beginning, as they all (especially my kids) are.Someone had a little too much fun with a decapitated doll... We were all in love with him from the beginning. Since day one he has been sweet and calm. What more could you ask for in a fourth? He wasted no time chunking up - by two months he was already this round. Best of all, Sam's siblings are CRAZY about him. And the novelty hasn't worn off yet. Every morning Kathryn comes into my room, doesn't even make eye contact with me or Nick, and asks, "Where's Sam?" He is affectionately known as "The Sam" to Jack, and "Babe Sammy" to Max. This baby gets a lot of lovin'. After having Jack, I couldn't imagine loving another baby as much. Then Kathryn came, and I was through - nothing could top my girl and boy. Then Max came and took us all by suprise, and now Sam... I am obsessed with him. I drive Nick crazy by making him look at how cute Sam is, many times a day. I just cannot get enough of this baby.And now you've met him!

DAVIS DIVAS

Over Christmas break, several of the guys in our family went to Panama for a two week guys-only vacation. We were excited for them embark on their adventure, and of course took pleasure in the IOU potential from such an exotic trip. Bethany finally took the initiative to coordinate the girls for our pay-back time. Europe? No. South America? No. If we could chose one place to spend a weekend, it was universally agreed upon that we head south to Davis, CA to spend our vacation with Grandma.

My dad grew up in the house my grandparents have lived in for over 50 years. As kids we'd visit every Christmas and summer, providing plenty of wonderful memories for all of us . Grandma was gracious enough to consent to our company - all eight of us descending upon her in one minivan!We're on our way! Bethany decorated the car with a magnetic bumper sticker which read "Diva Driver" - which set the tone for the rest of the weekend as "Diva Time." Before doing anything, we'd ask, "What would a Diva do?"Ten hours in the car later, we arrived in Davis - in varying degrees of disarray, and very full of Cheetos. Let the party begin! We spent the rest of the weekend:...coordinating outfits. Actually, we all got a healthy dose of Grandma's taste when it comes to choosing clothes (unfortunately, without all her class). The stripes were totally unplanned, and two others had stripes of different colors. It can be so creepy when family gets together!...congregating in the bathroom. Isn't that what Divas do?...playing at the bead shop. We were actually here for three hours, much to the dismay of the shop keepers, considering none of us spent more than $15. It was a blast....posing as Divas....playing with Esme (Bethany's daughter). She was the only child allowed because she is so perfect and sweet - we loved having her along. Here she is posing with Liz....celebrating Easter Sunday with Grandma....partying it up on Anna's 30th birthday! Weeks from delivering baby #6, and still looking this good = cause for celebration.
Way to go, Anna - it was an awesome party.We all had a wonderful time. Thank you, Grandma, for making it special. (And yes, two people in this picture are pregnant.)