2019.
Pedal to the metal again for us.
We started the year with the kids in Illinois with family, and Rich and I in London finishing up moving logistics. We spent a couple kid-free weeks in London.
During that time, we also spent the weekend in Paris. Ah, le sigh.
And then, we travelled to Thailand for a week!
I wrote about these things separately here:
Then is was time to move into our new place in Hinsdale, just outside Chicago. We had originally lined up a temporary house in the city, but then this rental house came up in Hinsdale. The plan was to stay in the city for a few months and make decisions about a more permanent house from there. But, we had always heard good things about Hinsdale, so we decided to give it a try. With the original plan, the kids were going to have to be out of school for an undetermined amount of time. Taking the rental meant we could get them started and back in a routine sooner rather than later.
We shipped 15 boxes of random items and clothes from London to our family in the US. We packed several suitcases full of clothes on our plane trips. I sent bags of toys back with family who visited London before the move. Then Rich and I flew in from London, after our Thailand trip (during the polar vortex, I might add). When we landed, we rented a car and went straight to the Honda dealership to pick up our van at 9:00pm. From there, we went downstate. We rented a moving truck and collected the boxes and bags we shipped/sent. Plus, we collected all of the boxes of items that we had been storing at our parent’s homes (my entire kitchen basics, games, toys). We took all of that and moved it into this house.
Then…. we just needed to furnish the entire thing from scratch. We sold everything when we moved to London. We re-furnished in London. Then, we sold everything again. So… we were back at the start with furniture…. again.
The house didn’t come with laundry machines, which meant that I got to pick my own. After years of dealing with our Teeny Tiny combo unit in London, this was VERY EXCITING for me.
Hello lovelies!
We were able to rush physicals at a near-by Walgreens, and the boys were permitted to start school just a few days after we moved in. Sooner than I expected!
Getting the boys into school meant that it was just the babies and me during the day. We worked everyday on getting the house in working order – aka lots of trips to Target.
It took us a few weeks to get Internet and cable, because the cable company kept making mistakes. Our device reliant children naturally complained. Harry even made a poster of his lament, and posted it on the fridge. I went to Starbucks to use their Wifi to download shows for the kids on their ipads. And, we survived.
We made family trips to Costco and Ikea…. lots of trips.
We sat at the car dealership so daddy could buy a truck.
I spent night after night out shopping for things for the house. One room at a time. Measuring. Comparing. Trying to find the best price.
Then Rich and I would work late into the night putting things together. Family came and helped. It was exhausting. And sometimes I felt overwhelmed or resigned. One day, I just decided that we could get by with a card-table as a dining room table and there is nothing wrong with sleeping on a mattress on the floor.
But slowly… things came together. And the house became comfortable and functional.
Harry would come home from school and tell me about his day. He also needed a few more shots.
Rich found a Life Time fitness nearby, and we joined. We started swim lessons for everyone. Harry had to get a private instructor because he was too big and old for the regular lessons. I got into a nice routine, working out and taking the kids to the Kids Club. It was the perfect way to break up our days, and I started to regain my sanity.
In March, we celebrate Rich and Theo.
Viv started a little ballet class at the Kids Club in Lifetime.
We ordered two giant Love Sacs for the living room. They are a big hit.
Viv followed me around with her jewelry box while I sorted.
Often on Saturdays, I needed the house to myself for a while, so Rich took the kids back to all of our old favorite spots. And now we have memberships again at Brookfield Zoo, Shedd Aquarium, and the Field Museum. All of these are close to us, from our location in Hinsdale.
Viv didn’t have a closet in our London house, and now she has this cute little one where she likes to hang out.
All the kids went to the dentist.
And then, suddenly – it was Easter.
And we went downstate to be with family.
Back home… big score for Viv at a garage sale!
Harry had a project at school, and had to be Charles Darwin for the day.
Then, it was time to celebrate Harry’s birthday. He wanted to take Henry and spend the day at the trampoline park.
Then everyone went into skating lessons. We got a private instructor (again) for Harry. Because he was too big and old for the “Learn to Skate” and “Learn to Play” sessions. But the little boys went right in, and did very well.
Viv, winking at me, during her last class of ballet.
Then, ALREADY, the last day of school! We did it!
Rich found a place to fish.
We ventured to Centennial Beach in Naperville, where we had a great day and managed to ruin two swimsuits and a pair of goggles.
Then Finn, who is more socially inclined, decided he would like to have a birthday party with friends. I looked around for something he might like. I found a couple nature preserves nearby that provide kid’s birthday parties. How perfect for him! We spent an entire day shopping three different nature preserves. It was a fun day. And Theo lost his cute little hat.
The longer we stayed in our house, a few issues came up. The house itself is quite old, but was recently completely remodeled and updated. Because of this, the house had been vacant for over a year. When we moved in, a few little things were off… like we had an electrical switch that controlled the garbage disposal. But it was wired wrong. And the switch also controlled the dishwasher. So, if I wanted to run the dishwasher I would need to run the garbage disposal the entire time. The house couldn’t keep up with the extreme cold. Which was understandable. But, it really couldn’t keep up. So they sent a HVAC guy over – turns out the heater is undersized for the house, and all the vents are on the interior of the house, and the house is on a slab. And oh ya – the fireplace that we were excited to use is incorrectly installed. We spent a few nights trying to use it and just smoked ourselves out. So, they sent a fireplace guy over – turns out using the fireplace SOMEHOW actually makes the house colder.
We made it through the cold though.
But then, water backed up in the drain in the laundry area downstairs. They sent a man over to snake the drain, and we had no problems for several weeks. Then one night, Finn oddly requested a bubble bath and I obliged. His bubble bath was in the tub upstairs. And after his bath, I drained the tub, and bubbles came up out of a toilet DOWNSTAIRS.
This wasn’t a good sign and we knew it.
Sure enough, a few days later, we were flooded again in the laundry area. All over the rugs I put down, everything wet. But we cleaned it up again and they sent another plumber to snake again.
And then a few days later, it backed up for a third time. But this time it wasn’t just water. It was a nasty sewage mess. On this day Rich was out of town and I was packing up our bags to go home for the weekend.
And – I just left it. I couldn’t clean that mess up again.
I just took the bags and got the kids from school and just left that nasty mess in there.
I was BEYOND over it.
Rich called the property management company, and while I was gone they sent a clean up crew for the sewage, and plumbers to evaluate the line again.
So, here we are, downstate enjoying the Martinsville County Fair.
Forget about that mess back at home – time to have some fun.
When we returned home, the laundry room was perfectly clean and smelling of disinfectant. And I approved. But it took several weeks to fix the problem. Because if you hadn’t guessed by now – the problem was pretty major. Tree roots blocking the entire line. They had to dig out a trench and replace the entire pipe to the street. During this time we were on MAJOR water limit. We showered at the gym. No laundry what-so-ever. No dishwasher. Every time the kids flushed at home – I hoped and prayed that it wouldn’t show up in the laundry room.
It was so frustrating.
While the plumbers were at the house – we celebrated Finn’s birthday with friends at his nature preserve of choice, the Hidden Oaks Conservation Center.
Finn’s party went great!
And in the days following, the plumbing was finally fixed. Water was free flowing, flushing, and draining.
We were good to go.
We went out for dinner for my birthday and when we got home the house felt a little hot.
A week after our plumbing was fixed, our air conditioner quit.
Again, the problem was fixed. And again – since we are renting – thank goodness all of these fixes weren’t on our dime. But it’s still frustrating to have to deal with it.
Our landlord shopped around for services, which is fair enough, but we had to go without air-conditioning in the middle of summer for two and a half weeks. Sometimes, when we would wake up at 8:00am, the house was already at 85 degrees. So, the kids and I spent every day at LifeTime. I would take them and max out their allotted 2.5 hours at the air-conditioned Kids Club. Then we’d come home for a no-heat lunch, pack up snacks, and head back to LifeTime to spend the afternoon at the pool. And if the weather was decent, sometimes we’d go to the park for dinnertime. They didn’t seem to mind.
Next up, Independence Day.
On July 7th, our air conditioning was fixed and the house hasn’t had any issues since!
In the summer we also celebrated my brother and his fiance with a fun full-family pool party with her whole family.
We finished up the summer sessions of hockey and swim.
Then, we were off on our epic all-American road trip.
IT WAS EVERYTHING.
And it has it’s own dedicated post.
Upon our return from our road trip we celebrated Vivian’s birthday downstate with family.
Then it was back to life as usual for two weeks until school started.
It was during this time that we decided our kids were no longer going to have access to YouTube. All of our kids have iPads and those iPads have saved us for years during travel and doctor appointments and everything else. Rich is in the tech industry, he’s a self-confessed computer nerd. Our kids are always going to have access to several devices and lots of technology. That’s just the way it is. And they need that knowledge for the world that we live in. But, specifically YouTube was (we believed) ruining them. There is lots of AMAZING content on YouTube for children. They had the YouTube Kids apps on their iPads. It started out as an app they would watch sometimes mixed in with other games they were playing. But then it got to a point where they were only watching YouTube instead of doing anything else. It was just too much. Even with the parent controls on YouTube kids, I would catch them watching weird stuff and there was no way for me to know what they watched or what they were going to have access to. If they spend the entire day watching TV, they may have watched a screen all day – but at least I know what they watched. And since we have basic cable and Netflix, I know exactly what they have access to.
Any chance they got, they’d grab their ipad and turned on YouTube. They were watching too many weird junk videos. They were grumpy and short with each other. Their attitudes as a general baseline were going downhill. So, one day we just told them we were taking it completely away.
AND THERE WERE TEARS.
Lots of tears.
And we knew it was going to be harder on us than it was on them. Because I’m not going to lie and say that all that time they spent being QUIET watching YouTube wasn’t nice for us. Because it was. But our children were turning into something ugly.
We just couldn’t allow it anymore. We took it away and it was the best thing we have ever done. If they have a video they want to watch, for whatever reason, they can watch it in the kitchen, with adult supervision. And that’s just what we do now. We’re not perfect and they still have screen time, but it’s so much better.
THEY are so much better.
Viv is weirdly obsessed with the mannequins at the store. She insisted that I put her on this shelf and take her picture with this one.
Then it was time for school.
With the start of school we did our best to institute Friday Family Fun night. We are busy throughout the week with activities, but on Friday we try to plan something fun to do as a family. Sometimes it’s just a game at home, or making shadow puppets, but sometimes it’s dinner out or bowling. Either way, if we haven’t eaten dinner as a family all week – we at least get this in.
Then there was CME night at Six Flags. The Chicago Mercantile Exchange rents out Six Flags for the evening and invites all the employees of all the companies who trade on it to come. Basically lines are short and you can ride as many times as you can stomach. It’s so fun.
Finn kept at it with hockey.
Harry kept at it with swim.
And the babies played Tball.
This my Wednesday night bag line up…. after school hockey, then dinner in the car, and straight to tball.
The big boys go to school for a full day. And Theo goes to Kindergarten for half days in the afternoon. It worked out with drops and picks to send Vivian to the nearby Adventist Preschool – which is full day. She goes three full days and it works great. But this means, that of all the children Theo is home with me the most during the week.
He’s never been more my child than in this moment.
On Viv’s off days, they get quite a bit of quality little-kid time in.
Viv and Theo fall asleep in the car all the time. I don’t know why, but I think it’s funny almost every time.
The kids have been campaigning HARD for a pet. Since we are in a rental, our options are limited. But even if we weren’t in a rental our options would be limited because I’m super cautious. I know the game. SURE, the kids get a hamster. But after a month, that hamster is now my hamster because they’ve lost interest. I know them. And, I’m not looking to take on any extra bodies. Rich said to me, “I wish there was an in-between step before getting a pet.” And I was like “How about we get them plants? We’ll tell them if they can take care of a plant for six months, then we will get them a small pet.”
So, here are some of their plants. We got them quite a few.
They have – all on their own – named these plants, and measured them, and continued to consistently take care of them. So… all signs point to small pet for us in the spring.
In the fall came Halloween, with the costume parade at school and surprise snow just in time for Trick-or-Treat.
It was so cold and snowy. It made me really grumpy and I didn’t feel like going out. I normally have them trade in most of their trick-or-treat candy for a small gift from the “Switch Witch” (me). She accepts their candy as payment for their gift. So, they don’t get to keep a lot of candy regardless of how much they trick-or-treat. And they know this. And the switch witch brings pretty good stuff, so they are happy with the arrangement. I told the kids – if they didn’t want to go out – they could just have their switch witch gifts for free and we can have the bag of candy we were planning on handing out. They were disappointed, but happy enough with this trade. Rich made a pot of chili and we watched a movie. Halloween done.
Shortly after Halloween, the Christmas stuff came out and we started slowly decorating the house. Since we were traveling downstate for Christmas this year, that meant that our “Christmas” at home was going to actually happen on the 14th, which meant that everything was kind of moved-up for us. Cue the decorations on November 1st.
On Fridays, in addition to Friday Family Fun, while we wait for Rich to get home – they have a standing playdate with their friends and a special Friday treat. It’s become a fun little thing. We really load up the Friday. But it gives me lots of leverage during the week. I need good attitudes and happy children for all of the activities that we are attempting plus all of the shuffling that goes with it. Not to mention the completion of reading logs, Spanish log, baritone log, regular homework, and everything else the week entails.
So, Friday is our celebration. None of it – treat, friends, family fun – is a given. We work for it. They work for it. And there has been weeks when I’ve taken parts of it away, for whatever reason. But for the most part it’s a very happy day.
Thanksgiving – downstate with family.
Harry’s gingerbread of daddy….
A few good drawing examples. They have literally hundreds of theses… we go through a lot of paper. But, I’m not going to stop them.
These are Harry and Finn’s desks, where they do all of their work.
One is always more orderly than the other….
Then is was time for our Christmas at home. They got lots of great things and a few good games. But we started with a fresh new “Game of Life”
Then it was time to go downstate for time with family for two rounds of church and lots of good happy meals.
Look at Grandma’s fabulous grandchild-themed gingerbread shops!
btw… photo cred on most of these good Christmas pics – my mom.
I decided we’d go plaid this year for Christmas Eve.
Why not?
How cute is Viv?
And that pretty much wraps up the year.
Pictures, words.
It doesn’t escape me that we have somehow scraped through another year without major catastrophe or trauma. With all of us miraculously in good health. Rich and I both feel stressed and stretched really thin most days, and we’re not perfect. But we know exactly how much we have to be thankful for and we count it everyday.
It’s the best, pretty much.
Onward and upward!
THE BABES
HARRY
Harry started out the year happy and confident. He had been doing really well socially and academically in London. Things were hard for him, understandably when we moved. I worried about him struggling socially. But I thought he’d be fine academically. The opposite turned out to be the case. Everyone was friendly and nice to him and he made a couple quick friends. But in school he really struggled to keep up and adjust to the different pacing of this school and the constant assessment. We went in early a few times, had talks with the teacher, and by the end of the year he was finally making strides.
Then the new school year started and he found himself a little lost again. So, again, we worked with him and supported him a little bit. Talked with his teacher. And by the second trimester, after Thanksgiving, he was finally feeling confident again saying things like “I’m crushing school this trimester” and “I’m one of the most active participants in math class.” and “I was the only one to get 100% on my show-what-you-know.” He was disappointed at the beginning of the year when he found out that he wasn’t in advanced math. But he’s been working hard and doing well. He will be tested again in the spring of 2020, and he hopes to be in advanced math next year.
For extra activities he’s been amazingly active. We threw everyone in swim lessons, because we made it a family priority. In March at his first lesson, the instructor recommended that Harry take a few private lessons instead of the group lessons. Harry was just so PAINFULLY awkward and behind for his age. And he kept getting really frustrated and upset, because he was in class with 6 and 7 year olds. I mean, we were asking so much of him already…. with a new home, new school, and now a new skill. So.. we followed their recommendation and shelled out even more cash for a private instructor. Just enough lessons to get him caught up… is what we said. He worked with Jake – whom I call the Harry whisperer – and within a few weeks Harry was swimming the length of the pool in a smooth freestyle. The transformation from March to May was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen Harry do. From there we signed him up for a ‘summer swim league’ which was essentially a baby step into competitive swim. Harry and Finn both signed up for the summer league and they both cried their eyes out after their first practice. They were both just so overwhelmed. But eventually they got used to it. After a couple of weeks, a few other LifeTime clubs brought over their summer league swimmers and we had a couple meets at our club. It was very informal and it was the perfect introduction to swim team for Harry.
At the end of summer league, the coach asked if Harry would like to join the LifeTime swim team. I didn’t even know there was one. But, I said yes. And, when we got back from our roadtrip, Harry went to his first practice, and – again – cried for a long time afterwards. “I can’t do this. I hate swimming. It’s too much.” The whole thing. But I pressed on. I don’t know anything about swimming, but I know that he looks good and smooth in the water. And the coaches say he takes direction very well.
We went to his first official meet, and Harry looked like he was going to throw up. I thought he might. But, he didn’t. In fact, he got in the pool – made a clean start – and won his heat.
And since then he has participated, relatively, without complaint. He got ‘promoted’ from the Developmental Team, to the Bronze Team – which meant a longer practice and having to learn starts and turns. And he cried about that. It’s been a rollercoaster of winning, losing, pride, and tears (his). But overall it’s been an amazing experience for him so far. The confidence it’s giving him overflows into other areas of his life. And it has helped massively with his coordination.
This year, he also tried a few weeks of basketball, a baseball camp, and started learning how to ice skate alongside Finn. But swimming has been a constant for him, and I expect that to continue.
So, along with swimming, I’ve endeavored to make ‘learning an instrument’ a priority for the children at age 8 or 9. Harry had been learning the piano in London, and here he was able to sign up for 5th grade band. He was evaluated by the band instructors and was recommended for a brass instrument. He chose the baritone. And it comes amazingly natural to him. I can NOT make a nice sound on that thing no matter how hard I try. But he can. And he can play different notes. And hold a note for a long time (thanks swim breathing). And by December, he was able to play several songs! We’re looking forward to some band concerts in the spring.
Other than all of that, Harry remains the leader of the pack here at home. He’s creative and smart. He likes to draw and code on his laptop. He likes to make YouTube videos (even though he’s not allowed to watch YouTube). He likes to build and construct… anything. Forts, laser tag arenas, pretend zoos, legos, plus plus blocks, offbits… anything. He also loves to game. Any type. Board games, card games, video and computer games. He also loves to design and create his own games. He’s a homebody and creature of habit. He likes to have an evening snack in his room and watch tv – as a reward for completing all of the tasks in his busy day (which sometimes for him is school, homework, swim practice, and baritone practice).
He loves his siblings, he loves his room, and he loves his comfy clothes. He’s growing more confident and social everyday.
He’s kind and thoughtful, and respectful. He makes mistakes and pushes his siblings, and me, but most of the time we’re very proud of him.
Harry’s Birthday Interview:
How tall are you? I am about 5’1″
Now that you’re TEN, what’s different? I want to be more kind and I feel more active and stronger.
What’s your favorite food? AHhhhhhh… hmmmmm… hot dogs! NO! Hamburgers!
Who is your favorite friend? Henry.. and Michael..
What do you want to be when you grow up? Reptile Breeder and a TV manager
What do you like best about Daddy and Mommy? Um, that he’s really funny and that he likes to play video games with us and also that he takes care of us. That she makes great food and that she buys good things and that she takes care of every thing really good and she takes us a lot of places after school and stuff like that.
How strong is daddy? really strong, but he’s been gaining a little weight
What’s mom’s favorite thing to do? cook, and relax and watch TV
What’s your favorite thing about Theo, Finn, and Viv? Theo – ah, he’s funny. really funny and he likes playing games. Finn – that we always play together and he’s very creative. Viv – that’s she’s cute and funny.
What do you think of girls? Ah… well it depends if they’re my family or not. IF they’re my family – loving. If they’re in my class or something – very mean. In America they don’t really talk to boys that much.
If you could have a super power, what would it be? To see the future.
What’s the best thing that happened to you this year? Joining the Lane School. Or getting a Nintendo Switch, and getting a phone.
Where do you want to go on vacation? London! I want to go see Jerome.
Are you going to get married someday? I have no idea.
How do you make cookies? Mix the chocolate chips and the dough and the sugar. And then you put in the oven and then you’re like “wahoo!”
Can you tell me a joke? “Do you want to hear a construction joke?” (Ya.) “Ah, I’m still working on it.”
What do you know about God and Jesus? They created this world and Jesus died on the cross and came back to life.
FINN
At the beginning of the year Finn was happily enjoying his time off of school and looking forward to the adventure of a new school. He easily impressed the principal during our tour of the school asking smart questions and being generally funny and charming. He took second grade in stride and we never heard a whisper of trouble from him or the teacher.
He started third grade and things got alittle bit more serious, but he again didn’t seem to have any trouble He completely bombed one project – which we (teacher too) were all surprised by. We don’t really know what happened with that, but otherwise he’s been cruising right along.
He loves math and science, and it shows in his schoolwork. He continues to be freakishly smart with biology and everything of that sort. I give him shows to watch and books to read and he just eats it all up. He likes to stay up past his bed time and read in his bed. This has been a source of contention for us because while I ALWAYS advocate reading, when he’s up way too late doing it – I don’t know where to draw the line. He’s eight, after all. Several times, after his lights have been turned off – I’ve gone up to check on them, and he’s turned his bed light back on and he’s reading again. He reads everything. Fiction like the Whimpy Kid and Captain Underpants books, to Non-Fiction like “Seeing Science” “The Wondrous Workings of Planet Earth” etc. I found a thousand page textbook at the used book store, and bought it for him. It’s called Modern Biology, and I think it’s high school level. It’s got everything he needs to know. All the answers to all of his questions in complete detail. And as I type this – there are several bookmarks in that book, where he’s been in it.
Finn has also taken an interest in playing hockey. All three boys started skating lessons because we thought it would be a good experience for them. Harry was okay with dropping off with lessons after a while, and Theo is very take-it-or-leave-it, but not Finn. He really loves it and he wants to play on a team. After taking the summer sessions of “Learn to Play” and private lessons with an instructor we thought he might be ready to be on a house league team. So, we took him to the evaluation days. But, he was too intimated to go on the ice. SO – we signed him back up for the “Learn to Play” except this time we signed him up for three sessions a week. And in December, he’s been back with a private instructor. Come January 2020, he’s planning on going to the evaluation days for the Spring League house team. He really wants to be on a team. I think hockey suits him, and hopefully he feels confident enough to get on the ice for the spring evaluations.
Other than that, Finn is very fun and has a great sense of humor. As in, he understands humor and sarcasm and can crack an actual joke. He loves his siblings and he loves adventure. He loves to draw. He loves to ride his bike and wrestle in the yard. He’s very hard-headed when he wants to do something. He frequently gets in trouble for lying to us and defying us. And he accepts his punishment right on the chin without much complaint.
He’s our most adventurous eater. He likes sushi and coffee and spicy chips. He likes to make his own sauce for chicken nuggets – combining his special mix of ketchup, mustard, and mayo: and calling it Finn’s Den Sauce.
Finn’s Birthday Interview:
How tall are you? I’m 4 foot 8.
Now that you’re EIGHT, what’s different? That I have harder math studies. I have harder studies.
What’s your favorite food? ah, Ribs
Who is your favorite friend? um.. all my friends. Jeet, Raahi, Michael and Anthony and Jake and Phillip
What do you want to be when you grow up? I want to be a biologist
What do you like best about Daddy and Mommy? That they always make food for me and take care of me.
How strong is daddy? In a chart of 1 to 10, I say 7.
What’s mom’s favorite thing to do? Um.. cooking and sunbathing.
What’s your favorite thing about Harry, Finn, and Viv? Harry, that he plays with me. Theo – he makes me laugh. Vivi – she makes me laugh.
What do you think of girls? Devils.
If you could have a super power, what would it be? Be as fast as flash. And flying.
What’s the best thing that happened to you this year? Moving to America
Where do you want to go on vacation? Um.. nonono… let me think… Bahamas
Are you going to get married someday? Don’t know.
How do you make cookies? With flour, sugar, chocolate chips, milk, eggs. You crack the eggs and you put the flour in the bowl with the eggs, then you put the sugar in the bowl, then you stir it up. And then you add the milk. Then you put them in cookie shaped things and then you put it in the oven. Then you stick the chocolate chips in. Then you put it back in the oven. Then you eat them.
Can you tell me a joke? Why did the dinosaur cross the road? (Why?) Because chicken weren’t invented yet.
What do you know about God and Jesus? That God way back in the BC’s he was kind of strict. And then Jesus came down to try and tell people how to pray and how to do churches. They killed Jesus because the priests lied to them. Then two days later he came back alive and went back to heaven and peace came around the world.
THEO
Theo started the year happy to go along with whatever we were doing. He took the move and all of the changes pretty much in stride and we never really saw him go through any signs of stress. He missed his friends from Reception, but he wasn’t overly devastated.
Instead of putting him in preschool for three months, I decided to keep him home. Mostly, honestly, to play with Viv. He had lots of schooling in London prior to the move – including full day Reception for the entire fall. So I felt like he could safely sit this one out and join everyone in Kindergarten in the fall. And he went in and has been breezing right on through. The first thing his teacher said to me at our conference was “He is all boy.” And ah, I don’t think that’s necessarily a compliment. But regardless, a good report overall from school.
He is our most social boy. For Harry and Finn, they usually tell me about the things they are doing in school, but not Theo. He usually tells me about the people at school, and I know there’s a few times where his social habits have distracted him from learning. So, it’s something that we work on with him. And since he’s my little daytime buddy, he also has a core group of little buddies that he plays with at the Kids Club at LifeTime. In fact, on mornings when I don’t plan a gym visit he often begs, BEGS, me and cries to go to Kids Club to play with his friends. And sometimes… I oblige. It’s like he’s got FOMO at 5.
Of the three boys he is also the only one to take notice of music. He has natural perfect rhythm and he notices songs. As in, if he hears a song he likes he immediately wants to know the title and who sings it. Then, that song goes into the memory bank. And sometimes he’ll request it weeks later. He’s amazing. I make him little playlists that we listen to in the car – since he and I spend a lot of time in the car. I have him listen to everything under the sun. Everything. He’s already diverse in his knowledge, but his current favorites are Luke Bryan, Imagine Dragons, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Lizzo. WIth the top spot probably being The Killers.
He liked skating well enough, he’ll be keeping that up in the new year to see if he wants to continue. He is also in regular swimming lessons still, and he’s moved up a couple levels – he knows free style and backstroke and can confidently swim the length of the pool. He is also our most interested in baseball. We put him in the baseball camp in the summer, and the fall tball. He loved both and asked for more. We are happy to oblige. We love baseball too.
He loves to eat meat, of any type. In fact, out of his actual mouth “For dessert, can I just have more chicken?” He’s almost as adventurous as Finn. He eats sushi and spicy things, like Finn does. He doesn’t love fruit, but we can always count on him to eat his meat and veggies.
He loves to play with his siblings. He loves to do puzzles. He loves to put things together and take things apart. He doesn’t like to sing, but he like to keep the rhythm of a song. He’s a natural with math – like his brothers. Also like his brothers, he likes to game. LOVES it in fact. And he loves learning to read. He’s kind and sweet with Vivian, and he can hang with the boys during their wrestling matches.
Theo’s Birthday Interview:
How tall are you? 5 feet high, I fink.
Now that you’re FIVE, what’s different? That I feel like I’m six.
What’s your favorite food? Ahh, MEAT.
Who is your favorite friend? Fred! But too bad Fred is in London.
What do you want to be when you grow up? A Police Man.
What does daddy do at work? Get money. It’s easy to tell.
What do you like best about Daddy and Mommy? That mommy makes food. And that daddy makes money.
How strong is daddy? SUPERstrong.
What’s mom’s favorite thing to do? Drive the car and listen to the song. It’s easy to tell.
What’s your favorite thing about Harry, Finn, and Viv? Harry, playing with him. Finn, that he shares his ipad with me. Vivian, she likes drawing with me.
What do you think of girls? Pretty nice.
If you could have a super power, what would it be? Saving the world. Super strength! I mean, invisible!
What’s the best thing that happened to you this year? Getting presents at London from Santa.
Where do you want to go on vacation? The beach! And finding shells and crabs and starfishes.
Are you going to get married someday? NO. Probably yes.
How do you make cookies? Get chocolate chips. Get some dough and flour. Mix it. And then you put the flour in and the chocolate chips. And then you put it in the fridge and then you wait.
Can you tell me a joke? ohhh. K. I know like 10 joke. “Why does the chicken cross the road?” (Why?) “Because it’s gets squished.” “I mean – it gets all globby and bobby.”
What do you know about God and Jesus? He lives in space.
Vivian
Vivian has changed a lot this year. She had been going to half day nursery in London and was slowing coming out of her shell there. When we moved here, she went back to being home full time with me (and Theo). Then in the fall she started full day preschool, three days a week. I pack a lunch for her, and she gets a nap time in the afternoon. It’s been a wonderful experience for her and she’s loving it. It was during the conference with her teacher, however, that I realized I completely forgot to teach Vivian her alphabet at home. Whoops! I don’t know what happened. I taught all the boys their alphabet at home when they were 2, and when I got to Viv’s conference the teacher showed me a paper and was like, “So, this is how her letter recognition is going.” And it was not good. She started going to Nursery in London when she was two, because that was the UK standard, and I guess it just slipped my mind… I don’t know. I know she did some letter work in school in London. Did she forget it all? Anyway – I was a little blindsided.
She loves to play with her brothers. She’s a princess and a tiger. And even though she’s shy, she’s fairly social and has a couple good little friends at school and at Kids Club. She naturally balances being super-princess-girl with shooting-her-bow-and-arrow and doing somersaults to hang with the boys. She loves to ride her bike and play baseball. She loves to play dolls and push her stroller around. She likes to color with me and do yoga. She likes to go to the store. She like flowers and jewelry and anything pink. She likes to play outside and run in the grass. She likes to sing along to Disney princess songs, but prefers to watch shows like Paw Patrol, Sonic, Captain Underpants, and Shark Boy and Lava Girl.
She likes to help, with everything. She wears a dress most days. She declares her love for me several times a day. She asks for cuddles and hugs. She’s intuitive. She’s observant. She’s funny. She’s smart. She hides things around the house. I find her bracelets in the laundry basket, the silverware drawer and my toothbrush holder. If someone brings something home that she thinks is special, she’ll find a way to sneak it into her room and hide it. Finn brought home a little crystal one day. A few days later, I found it tucked in Vivi’s nightstand. She did the same thing with rocks, a jelly starfish, coins, chapstick, bouncy balls, Christmas ornaments, and several other items.
She started a very casual ballet class at LifeTime and she liked it well enough, but hasn’t asked to go back. She takes swim lessons. She loves the water and swims confidently all around the pool. She has now asked to skate with the boys, however. So, in the new year we plan to let her try ice skating. And she’ll probably pick another activity to try.
Vivian Birthday Interview:
How tall are you? 3!
Now that you’re FOUR, what’s different? Preschool. Or practice school!
What’s your favorite food? Fig Bars and Cheerios
Who is your favorite friend? I have another Vivian who’s like me. Strawberry, Streacher, and Y…c…q…o.
What do you want to be when you grow up? Um… a princess. Remember I’m gonna be the queen.
What do you like best about Daddy and Mommy? Daddy is so strong and he always tickle me. I like best about mommy that you are so fluffy.
How strong is daddy? SUPER STRONG! Like a million strong.
What’s mom’s favorite thing to do? um.. work and you always do the dishes. Clean your glasses and clean the clock and me and Theo dust everything and we eat and daddy tickles on Sunday and Wednesday and Monday.
What’s your favorite thing about Harry, Finn, and Viv? Harry, cus I love him and he always cuddles with me and I like his bed and he’s so skinny. Finn, cus he loves me and Theo. Theo, cus he has so many closets.
What do you think of boys? They have short hair.
If you could have a super power, what would it be? Um, pink.
What’s the best thing that happened to you this year? When I sleep, my hair changed colors.
Where do you want to go on vacation? To grandma’s house!
Are you going to get married someday? Ya. I’m going to marry Theo. I mean, Harry.
How do you make cookies? you use sugar and butter and you mix it up. And mom, you put it to a ball. And roll it. And make sure it’s flat. And put it on the plate and eat it. See? I’m good at it.
Can you tell me a joke? A dinosaur went on the road and crushed a dinosaur on the belly and on the tail.
What do you know about God and Jesus? Easter Eggs. And Jesus died and went back to his house.
KID WORDS
Me to Viv “Are you going to help us clean up?”
Viv “No. I’m being a princess.”
Theo “Mom I like it better when you paint that color on your lips.”
Theo “Vivi got scratched at the gym. So, I went and found all the people that scratched her and tried to scratch them and get them away.”
Me, to Theo and Vivian: “Good cleaning up guys.” Theo “I did it all.”
Viv “Ya, I just did nothing.”
Viv “My penis is about to grow in.”
“When I grow up I want to be a princess. With a pink dress and a pink hat. No…. Not hat.” Vivian
Vivian “Mom you’re a good driver. And very nice. I love you. And daddy. And me and you are both girls. You can share your earrings with me. I want a bunch of snacks.”
Theo, to Vivian “I love you more than the sun. I love you more than the moon.”
Theo, to me “You look like a princess in your apron mom.”
Theo “Mom. You are the best baker, but the guy who made this (lunchable) is the best guy I ever had.”
Vivian, to me “I love to lick you.”
Vivian, to me “You’re the best, babe.”
“This music is really nice mom… (Me, “Thanks”) I’m just saying that because I love you.” Theo
“Mom. I’m so lucky to have you.” Harry
“Mom. I’m good at dolls.” Vivian
“I want to talk about married now.” Vivian
“I love when you give me kisses. Everytime you give me a kiss, I keep it. I’ve got them all stacked up inside.” Theo, to me
“Frozen is in the real snow and we live in London.” Vivian “We don’t live in London anymore, remember?” Me “Oh, ya, we live in Costco.” Vivian
“I fell down at running club. I don’t like running in curves.” Finn
I approach the boys, Vivian is crying, holding her face. Finn says “Ok. So. We were playing ball. And Vivi’s face got in the way. And it. Well….. It went bonk.”
“WOW. NEIL DIAMOND. What a cool name!” Harry
“I’ve caught a rolly polly. I named him Bro. I’m going to keep him as a pet. I like Bro. He’s like a dog. Just really really tiny.” Theo
Theo points to PetSmart “That’s where I get my hair cut.”
“Mom. What is the fat content of human breast milk? Did you know that an average human baby weighs six more pounds than an average grey wolf pup.” Finn
“We all have toes.” Theo
Finn: Mom. Name an animal that lives in the temperate forest. Me: ah…. I’m not sure what a temperate forest is. Finn: WHAT!?!?!?
Harry to Rich “Dad. You haven’t gone to the gym in a while.”
“Mom, when we get home, can I hug you?” Vivian
While I’m pulling Vivian in the bike trailer “Mom. You look so beautiful riding your bike.” Vivian
“For my birthday, I want special powers.” Vivian
“Mom. I love you, but I don’t want to eat the rest of my food.” Vivian
Riding in the bed of the truck from our neighbor’s house to ours, “Mom, I’m going to draw this so I never forget it.” Finn
“I have a science test on Friday. I’m totally gonna wiz on it!” Finn
“I know how the Flash runs so fast. He eats all his peas.” Theo
Watching Rich play basketball “Look at dad, doing such a good job keeping up with all of the other guys. He’s so much older than everyone.” Harry
“I hurt my feelings” Vivian
Getting ready to paint toe nails “Yes, mom, I want pink on my toenails. But please don’t put it on my eye brows.” VIvian
“Mom. When I grow up I’m going to join The Killers.” Theo (The Killers are a rock band)
“Mom. Where does Luke Bryan live? I want to see him. And Lizzo.” Theo
“When I go looking for things I can’t find them. Mostly because I don’t really use my eyes. Also, because I’m lazy.” Finn
Watching Rich play basketball “He’s just hanging loose sipping juice!” Finn
Helping with laundry “This is a nice system you got here mom.” Harry
“Is that smell your body?” Vivian, to me
“I love your head.” Vivian, to me
“It’s hard to find a cat or dog as cute as Viv.” Finn
“I want to marry this guacamole.” Theo
Finn, listening to song “Rich” by Maren Morris “I just love it when she says shit. It’s just so satisfying.”
“When we hug you it feels like a metal table, when we hug grandma it feels like a big glob of jelly and I love it!” Finn
Harry, listening to song “YMCA”: “Why did they write a song about a gym?”
“When The Killers die, I want to take over for them. And I’ll get some friends to be in the band too.” Theo
“Can I drink this smoothie in the bathtub?” Vivian
“Can we go back to Paris and I wear these earrings? When can we go back to Paris?” Vivian
Seeing cornfields covered in snow “This is a field. For chasing bunnies.” Finn
“I know all the numbers. One through a million.” Harry
“I want to cuddle with these bananas.” Vivian
Mom Fails
left sunroof open overnight
throat punched myself with automatic umbrella
sent empty water bottles in lunch boxes
forgot swim bag for practice
forgot wallet at store
forgot wallet at post office (I blame Amazon for both of these)
forgot to teach Viv the alphabet
Tickets for Six 
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