I feel like I haven't been recording the special day-to-day things that are happening in my life--those moments when you sigh with pleasure and keep a smile on your face as you reflect on the blessings you have. So here are some late-night thoughts since I can't sleep.
Mierae is rocking 1st grade! She loves school. She had her open house last week and was SO excited to show Jolie and me everything in her classroom (Eric was home with the sleeping babe). She showed us her desk, her art work in and out of the classroom, where the rules are posted, where she hangs up her backpack and jacket, where the reading books are, etc. The first thing her teacher Mrs. Hatem said to me about Mierae is that she is a good reader. And she is! Mierae has been good about doing her homework. She did dissolve into a puddle of tears the other night when I was trying to get her to read the directions or something else she deemed unimportant on her first homework page. She stomped away, took a break, but then came back and was ready to work again. She even got excited enough to finish all her pages for the week. The math problems are probably the hardest thing for her, but she's improving in her writing, and doing great at her spelling each week. My favorite thing is when Mierae comes home from school and will gush about what she did that day. I usually start by asking her if she had a good day, to which she always responds, "Yes." And then she'll say, "Mom, do you know...?" and then proceed to tell me things about her day. I LOVE it! And I love being home when she gets home from school. I don't get to do it Mondays and Wednesdays like always, but I love being home the other days of the week, and getting a grand welcome when I come home from teaching students. Mierae still has her moments with Jolie--the fighting and hitting. But overall, her behavior is so much better. She does good things of her own accord. She is great at cleaning up, even though it's hard for her to move the toys she has just set up and arranged. She loves storytime at night, and I love the quiet, cuddle time with the girls.
Jolie is so mild and self-entertaining (for the most part) at home with me. She really enjoys school, but it's fun to have her home in the afternoons too. It's nicer when Henrik is napping--so she won't constantly be picking him up or dragging him around! She still hates to have her hair combed or fixed, but she isn't fussy about her clothes; she'll let me choose for her. She loves playing on the computer and has played games several afternoons when she gets home from school. Lately when I ask her about something she wants to choose, she always asks what Mierae wants or what Mierae is doing, then she'll tell me that's what she wants too. Oh, to be the younger sister! I wonder if she really has her own opinions sometimes. She is good to go with the flow, and since Mierae has strong opinions and likes things her way, it's definitely more harmonious with Jolie just going along with what Mierae wants! Two weeks ago Mierae and Leah went to their friend Cameron's birthday party at Magic Mountain at Polaris. We had just gone to Alum Creek beach together, and decided to have a special afternoon for Jolie while we waited for the girls to finish their party. We took Jolie to Sonic during happy hour to get her own slushy, and then went to the mall playland. Jolie got there and then just looked around. She wasn't used to being there without her big sister to run after. She was too shy to make friends, unlike Mierae, and so she only played for a few minutes with Dad. Her favorite part of the trip was probably going to "the lipstick store" (Bath and Body Works) and trying on lip gloss.
Henrik is such a happy guy. Oh, we love him! He's been staying healthy on his antibiotic. The only trouble we have is with sleeping. He's had such a rough last few months, that we weren't able to really get him on a schedule. I thought we were headed in the right direction, but there are still nights when he'll go to bed, only to wake up crying a half-hour later and then stay up until after 11:00, plus wake up multiple times in the night. I hope we can get him headed in the right direction. He has had some great days with naps, though. Sunday schedules always seem to ruin things, and then as soon as we get back on track, it's Sunday again. :) Henri has learned to pull to stand (he hadn't been able to at his 9-month well-child visit) and he's babbling a little more. It's so fun to hear! He's into everything, and just so curious. He loves to look at books. I read to him at night, and he can turn the pages. He loves looking at animals and hearing animal sounds. Too bad our zoo pass expired. I hope we can find a chance to take him soon. It's so fun having a baby again and watching all these stages. I love it, love it!
Eric is busy and tired, as always. He never gets enough sleep, and always lets me sleep in. I am up in the night with Henri, but usually one or two of the girls will climb into bed with us, and Eric ends up getting up with them. He's working hard at his calling, saying he needs to be spending a weeknight at the Church getting things done he just can't do on Sundays. He's still volunteering to help out wherever he can, and doing things for his home teaching families. He just turned in the application for the post-doc in Germany and is now working on tweaking the application to submit to the German research foundation. He is going to TA for a higher level class this quarter, and will be the substitute lecturer when the professor is out of town. He's still working on getting a paper submitted and going over research for the other paper he's supposed to be writing. There will never be an end to work! I'm so happy whenever he's home. I love the chances our family can just be together. I wish Eric and I had more couple time in the evenings. It's usually almost 10:00 once the girls are asleep and the dishes are done. Eric and I did watch several Harry Potter movies last week, and we've had fun going through our Everyday Food magazines together. I love him. Oh, how I love him. Tonight he was lying on the girls' beds when I came in with Henrik. He looked at me and said, "You really are beautiful." Oh, this guy's a keeper!
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