Janning & Febbing

 Addie isn't a fan of the opposite sex. She finds them irritating and beneath her. This is mostly boys her age or close to it. I'm not sure where this came from. My guess is that she's smarter than the average 9-year-old and older than most of her class since she has a November birthday. And she is an old soul, mature for her age. She understands grownup logic. She's never felt intimidated by people decades older than her or several feet taller. She will strike up a conversation with anyone from 3 to 90 years old.

So, as a result, her patience for young boys is extremely limited. She did say there are two or three nice boys in the 3rd grade like the Chinese exchange student who is "very quiet and polite." But mostly, she tries to avoid pretty much all boys at school.  

When she arrived back at school after Christmas break, her teacher had switched the seats around and Addie found herself in a desk group with 3 rowdy boys. The teacher has the kids arranged in groups of four, two students facing two students. I can just picture her, hands over her ears, eyes on the ceiling, stewing at her desk =)

She told me after she got in the car the first day back from vacation that her teacher put her with not two but three pesky boys. My response was something like, "Uh oh, what did you do??" To which she responded, "I went up to the teacher's desk and told her I can't live like this." The teacher gave her a questioning look. Addie pointed to her desk group where the boys were goofing off and being extra crazy." Her teacher gave her a nod and replied. "Ah, okay, I'll see what I can do." The next day Addie was in a new group with one girl, her favorite Chinese exchange student, and one other tolerable boy. She was satisfied with that.

The other day, as I was dropping Addie off at school, I said, "Have a good day sweetie! Be nice to the boys!" Addie responded, "Ugh, can't I just ignore them??!" Not sure what to say to that, I laughed and said, "Sure." 

What can I do? Hopefully one day boys will grow on her. I have a feeling it's not going to be before college.

Above. One of the many selfies Winter took with my phone when I wasn't aware =) I secretly love them. I always act annoyed because I don't want to encourage selfies because they often turn into sexy selfies and I hope that whole fad ends soon although I doubt it. 

Our fave SB fam came to visit the station last Sunday. It was super fun hanging out with them as usual. Dan got to show Jason all of his firefighter toys including axes and chainsaws so that was nice for him.

If I don't comment, it's another stolen phone Winter selfie...

Addie's just hanging out, balancing on Winter while she waits for her to finish her homework so they can play barbies.

Dan taught the girls how to make burgers from scratch. You know, from ground beef with all the seasonings and egg and bread crumbs etc. I have no idea what goes into them but Mya made little sliders for dinner the other day. The kids loved them so I guess she knows what she's doing =)

A playdate... although I don't think you call it a play date in Jr. High even though all they do is play.

Getting ready to pray around the flagpole before they head out to Jr. High Winter Camp at Camp Ponderosa. Mya said it was very impactful and important. So I'm glad she and Winter both got to go.

Addie started gymnastics again for the first time since Covid. She's in the beginner class with the 6 and 7-year-olds but at least she's the same size. She'll move up soon I'm sure. She's very serious about it.

Dan and I got away for a day and night to our favorite spot, Newport Beach.

For Valentine's Day, we had our fancy dinner again. We started doing this a few years ago. I got the idea from someone else. I can't remember who, so if you're reading this and you do this too, it was probably you. That was a lot of rhyming =) And thanks!

I told the kids to go dress up if they wanted to for our Valentine's dinner. Angus misunderstood...

A fancy table...

And a fancy family =) Dan cooked since my cooking isn't really fancy. It's more like Elementary cafeteria food.

"Mom, this is what a sassy sweet girl poses like."

Doing homework on the floor with Otter.

This is exactly what Dan envisioned when he thought about having a bunch of kids. Look how happy he is. =)

Sleepovers at Mya's bestie's house are the best. And her mom cooks and makes things fun.

We had our Christmas party in January since I got Covid in December. It was really nice. I was more laid back than I've ever been since we weren't in the midst of December craziness.

Have you tried these? I know they've been out for a while, but wow. They really taste like chicken nuggets. And I've had like 20 different brands of fake nuggets so I consider myself an expert. If you're trying to cut down on meat for whatever reason, give them a whirl. I got these at Costco.

Warning: Mom bragging

When I started this blog, I really just wanted a spot to keep the funny things my kids said and did. I'm impressively forgetful so I knew if I didn't write them down they'd forever be lost. And although the blog has gained popularity (went from 3 subscribers to 12 😆) my goal is still to just post about reality; good things as well as real things. Instagram photos tend to show what others are most proud of and I don't want people (including myself) to feel like that's normal because it's not. And with four kids, bad days and good days are all rolled into one. So I tend to lean toward real frustrating and real funny.

 BUT, I also don't want my kids to grow up not knowing how proud I am of them. Sooooo, kids, if you're reading this down the road, here's a post dedicated to the good stuff.

Dan and I are loving this chaotic life with our kiddos. They are wonderful little people and although they make us crazy daily we're so proud of them. They are all four so very different and fun. I know that we have a little bit to do with how they are turning out, but honestly, I'm not sure how. I think it's a lot of prayer, a good church community and two very imperfect parents doing their best.

Mya

I like to tell Mya she is 13 going on 55. She tells me when I'm being inappropriate, reminds me when I forget things and keeps the kids (and her mom) in line. 

She has already planned out who she's going to marry, how many kids she's going to have and has researched the top places to live in the US. She plans on attending the local community college to save a ton of money and then she'll transfer to a 4-year college. 

She is so sweet and helpful and was born competent and up for any challenge. Any time I'm having a hard time finding something or doing something, she comes over and says, "I can do it. Want me to?" And then I let her and she succeeds... like every time. I've never met anyone so capable as Mya. She's literally capable of anything. She has the confidence and handles it.

She also has a lovely silly side. She's a delight.

She does great in school and hangs out with all the responsible kids with good grades. She's going to do very well in life. 

I've had several people come up to me and compliment me on Mya's sweet helpful character. I always tell them that I wish I could take credit for her but she was born that way.

I received an email reply from one of her teachers when she was sick and I wanted to let her know that Mya was working on her classwork. She wrote, "I know that Mya is a sweet, very responsible young person. I am so happy to have her in my class. Please tell her that I hope that she is feeling better." 💗

Mya and I joke that God knew I'd need help in life so He gave me her.

Winter

Winter has a rare magnetic personality. She's confident, never serious, a boundary pusher, very social, and always thinks of fun things to do. She's very smart and creative. Whatever she has in her mind to do, she does. She will always be in charge and will never let anyone make her do anything she doesn't want to. Winter will run something when she grows up whether it's a preschool, a zoo or a major company. She is the most playful person I've ever met. I love that about her. She can dress up like a lady, wear fake nails and put make-up on and look amazing OR she can play barbies with Addie, or play cops and robbers barefoot in the street with Angus. She's a free spirit with a big heart and wears it on her sleeve. I love her vulnerability. She tells me what she's afraid of and insecure about without even thinking twice. I admire that.

She's smart and gets straight As without trying very hard. I also received an email from one of Winter's teachers. If you knew Winter when she was four, you would understand how much this meant to me. He wrote, "Hello! I just wanted to send a quick note to tell you how much I enjoy having Winter in my science class! She follows directions quickly, stays on task, and is very respectful in class to myself and her peers. You are raising a great child and she deserves an extra pat on the back for being a wonderful learner!"  I nearly cried when I read that. 

Addie

Addie has a huge heart in that tiny body. She feels big feelings and lives life in a big way. She has an old soul. She can sit down and have a serious conversation with someone in their 70s. She is real to the core and doesn't know how to be anything other than what she is. She's super bright and remembers everything and she's an incredible artist to boot. Her kindergarten teacher told me that she had more artistic talent than any other kid she had taught in her 10 years. 

She's adorable and is loved by all. She has many friends, tons of confidence, and doesn't care that everyone else is bigger than she is. I've never seen a kid make friends as easily as Addie can. Little girls of all ages fall in love with her. She is fun, silly and loves being crazy. And she is already so independent. I know she's going to do well in life and can't wait to see what she does. 

Addie's teacher gave her an award at school and gushed about her in front of the awards assembly. She said, "This award is for a very special little lady. She is so cute. She always has a smile on her face, she's always making me laugh. She's amazing at writing, at reading, everything she does." 

Angus

Angus is a born charmer. His personality is hard to put into words. He's just so happy and funny. I wish I could put a recorder on him all day. His enthusiasm is contagious. He sings and dances to everything. He happy cries and also not-so-happy cries. He has shed the most tears in our house for sure. He loves big and doesn't care who knows it.

He is so mechanically gifted. He amazes me with his ability to describe any construction vehicle in detail and knows the inner workings of things I've never thought about. He is a friend to everyone and is loved by all who know him. Angus's personality alone will make him succeed in life. He's going to be that guy that knows someone everywhere he goes. And I'll bet he'll be invited to all the parties because he's just fun.

Angus got an award for his effort in reading. He's not the best reader but his teacher saw that he has really been working hard and acknowledged that. At his teacher/parent conference, she pretty much said he was her favorite kid without saying those words exactly. =)

That's my kids in a large nutshell.

They really are just the greatest and I'm so privileged and blessed to be their mom. I know that not everyone gets 4 smart, amazing kids. Dan and I remind each other daily and thank God for how blessed we are. They aren't perfect and they are filled with faults like everyone else but they're pretty awesome.

Happy Friday!