Addie's knees

Addie's knees are her kryptonite. If she falls on her knees, you will not see them for a good hour. I picked her up from her class at church once and she had her knees tucked under her dress and they said they weren't sure how bad she had hurt them because she had refused to show anyone. So they handed her to me in a little Addie ball and that was the way she stayed until I buckled her up in her car seat and saw a couple of tiny scrapes on her knees. Luckily she had her blanket in the car so she was able to cover them up again right away. 

This has been going on for over a year now. It's such a weird thing but also pretty amusing. Here's a pic of her after she hurt her right knee. I think there was blood involved so she was on the couch all afternoon. 

black and white september

I just realized I skipped black and white August. Wups. I'm actually impressed I didn't miss more months. Mom life is actually getting almost doable. I think I'm out of survival mode and into get stuff done mode. Almost. I think we're all still recovering from vacation and then a quick trip to Las Vegas to see my grandma get baptized. More on that to come. But for the most part, we're doing pretty okay.

Sooooo, here are some pics. Winter took this selfie. And I love it.

She continues to be such a good big sis and plays with the little ones most of the time. They play family a lot. She's the mom and they are her babies. Angus has mastered the fake baby cry unfortunately.  

I love Sundays when everyone has clothes on. I usually try to get a pic... if Dan and I aren't fighting about getting to church on time. It took me nine years to figure out that when Dan says he wants to be on time, that means 10 minutes early and the very first car in the parking lot. 

They were all huddled around a tablet. I took it away and held it up in the air and told them to smile and I'd give it back. You never know what's behind these pictures. Well, you do sometimes because I tell you. 

I love watching my husband be a dad. I knew he was going to be a great one. But it's fun to see him in action. My parents split up when I was 4 so I didn't get to see what a married couple raising kids together looks like. It is a bit tricky at times. But I'm so incredibly thankful that I get to do it with this guy.

This guy still insists on being carried around after he wakes up. Not sure how much longer I can do that. He's 35 pounds. It doesn't sound like a lot. But trust me. 

This is one of my favorite pictures of my kids. I pray that they always love each other well. 

8

Mya is at my favorite age. I say that about all of the ages but 8 is actually the perfect age. It's old enough to have a conversation with, play a board game with (and possibly beat me), help around the house (and do a good job), go to any restaurant and sit still, and she's not embarrassed of me yet, which is coming soon I'm sure.

Something I love about her is that she will talk to anyone about anything. I get nervous, however, when she starts to talk to a grownup, especially someone we don't know. I never know what she's going to say. I try to encourage it though because talking to people with confidence is a life skill that some people my age have yet to learn. It still makes me nervous though.

One time at Target, she asked the light skinned African American Target employee if she was related to the other light skinned African American Target employee. My eyes popped open and I just laughed nervously. The Target employee was super cool about it and laughed too. We had a conversation about how we probably shouldn't assume people with the same color skin are related.

We ran into Winter's kindergarten teacher and her husband outside an ice cream shop. They were walking their dog. Addie asked her if the man next to her was her dad. She laughed and told her it was her husband. Then Mya asked, "So... is your dad dead?" She laughed again and told Mya that he was very much alive and well. It's good that she's a kindergarten teacher because I'm sure she's used to inappropriate questions on the daily. We had a conversation about how we don't ask people if their parents are dead.

We went to visit some old friends who Mya had never met before. We spent all afternoon at the beach and then back to their house for dinner. As we were leaving Mya said, "Bye! Oh and if you have birthday presents for me you should give them to me now because you're probably not going to see me before my birthday." Her birthday was two weeks away. We had a conversation about how we don't ask people for presents. It's optional.

One time when we were walking back to our car from Target, (yeah we pretty much live there) Winter and Mya spotted a lady walking to her car parked nearby, carrying a new unopened Barbie and accessories. Mya asked, "Do you have a daughter?" The lady was alone but I guess she had to go shopping for a birthday gift without her daughter. They had a whole conversation about how she picked the perfect present. Both Mya and Winter told her she did a good job. The lady drove away happy with her choice. We had a conversation about how they made her day.

And lastly, we were at Target AGAIN. It's a half a mile from my house okay? And there are no grocery stores in Azusa. As the Target employee was ringing up my groceries, she asked how my day was going. I sighed and said, "Okay, how about you?" Before she could answer, Mya chimed in, "She has four kids." Mya always asks me why I had so many. Easy for her to say. She's the first.