Kids

Joshua:
Joshua is on a camp out right now, with Jon Mark and the scouts. He goes once or twice with the Deacons quorum every month. I miss him. He likes to talk to me. He tells me about how he thinks things work. His latest fascination is flight. He likes trying to figure out how to make objects fly, like a toy tank taped to paper in different configurations. The kid has a mind for engineering. He gives me daily physics lessons, and a lot of times, he really is teaching me something I didn't know or hadn't thought much about. He's also helpful. He's tuned into my feelings, always has been. Today I have a sinus infection and I'm generally grumpy about it. When I picked all of the kids up from school, all six of them (Jazmine is included) talk my ear off and fight over whose turn it is to talk. A lot of times, this frustrates one or more of the kids and usually the drive home from school ends with at least one or two of them in tears. That's how it was today. I finally said, "I'm not feeling well, and my patience is not super great today. No more crying, please, or it's an early bedtime." The kids did not really clue in until Joshua said, "Guys, stop talking to mom right now. She doesn't feel good and when you're sick, it hurts to talk. Let's give her a break." Luke got mad at Joshua and said that he was butting into his business. Poor Joshua. I was thankful for the effort though.

Mercedes:
Mercedes is also on a camp out right now. I miss her too! She is always so bubbly and talkative these days. She really enjoys one on one time with me, and shopping. She likes it when it's just the two of us shopping. She's got a big heart and loves little children. She's at that age where she really wants to start babysitting but isn't quite old enough. She loves mothering her younger cousins, Lance, Jax and Daisy. Yesterday she had a surprise tooth extraction when we went to the dentist for a cleaning. Sometimes I worry when things get springed on her because she's one who needs her expectations managed. She was really really brave. She cried and little and squeezed my hand up next to her face for a moment, but when it came time for me to leave the room, she did great! I was so proud of her so we went to Walmart and I bought her some gel pens and a coloring book.

Luke:
At this very moment, Luke is playing so well with Hannah and Cub. They've been playing all evening together since the older siblings are away. I think he really likes being the oldest for a change. Hannah sure loves him and looks up to him. He does a good job looking after her as well. Luke has such a kind disposition. He rarely picks something out of the classroom treasure box for himself. He's always giving what he gets to Hannah. I remember the days when he'd take his own money to Costco and give it away to little kids younger then him. Well, it was Joshua's birthday last week. Luke picked a really cool Lego set out of the treasure box (a real Lego set, quite the treasure) and he wrapped it up and gave it to Joshua for his birthday. He recorded Joshua opening it, and Joshua was genuinely surprised by the niceness of the gift. The other day, Luke asked me if there was a class that taught you how to get the girls you like to like you back. Apparently, he went up to one of his crushes and told her that he had a crush on her. She wagged a finger at him and said, "Well, you'd better get that crush out of your body!" Ha Ha! Luke is a Casanova. He always has been. It scares me sometimes, but he's also a good kid. He is always turning on Sunday music. He tells me often how the spirit touches him.

Hannah:
Hannah wore high heels with her leotard the other day to speed camp. The sun cast a long legged shadow and I caught her strutting around watching her shadow. She's a vain little girl with big personality. She's so cute. She wants to marry her daddy and wants her husband to look and act exactly like him. She has her own style and makes up dances and songs in her head and is always dancing around the house. She says, "I'm stylin' ooh ooh ch ooh ooh ch!" She's doing well at school and I can hear her teachers voice whenever she says things that I know her teacher must be saying at school. She has Luke wrapped around her finger and sometimes she acts entitled to his niceness to her and she can take advantage of him. She does add a little sunshine wherever she goes, but like her older sister, sometimes the sunshine can turn to storm. If I had a few words to describe Hannah, it would be glitter, sparkle dancing girl.

Caleb:
Cubby is a funny child and I adore the time I have with him. He will suddenly and unexpectedly exclaim, "I love you, Mommy!" Or daddy sometimes. He has a new best friend named Cade (now that his older cousins are always at school). The other day he was having a hard time controlling his emotions. I kept getting on him about crying. He felt really bad. He doesn't like being spoken to sternly. He sincerely asked me if Santa was going to give him presents this year because he kept making mistakes. Oh, that made my heart melt and smile. He's so cute! He also went through a phase where he had to be called Cuddle Cub not Cuddle Bug. Sometimes he makes up new names for people and says, "Hey, hey! I've got a good name for you." Then, he gives a sneaky smile and says something like, "Stinky winky diaper pants!" Then he will laugh. I like calling him a trickster when he does sneaky things. He is so cute, but he can be a stinker. At night time, if I spend too much time tucking in a brother or a sister, he will dramatically fall out of bed so that he has to be tucked in again. There is a rule for only one tuck in, but sometimes I make an exception. His favorite thing to do is still fighting, "Let's fight, Dad!" as he clears a space to wrestle. I don't want him to grow up and go to kindergarten next year!