A Pattern of Words

“You want to see what I’m drawing? It’s ME and YOU and Teta v’T!”

Pressing their bodies close while the tackling the same job, carefully balancing on one step ladder, giggles and whispered instructions and passing the Windex bottle back and forth… I’m so glad my girls get to experience that close sister bond. ❤

Welcome to April!

His aunt sent a snapchat showing off her “Brown E’s” April Fools’ Day joke and P thought it was absolutely hilarious. So hilarious, in fact, that he and A made their own Brown E’s and took them around the neighborhood.

Unlike her sister, my little Boružėlė can play for hours by herself quite happily. You’ll look outside and see her talking to herself, making up a little dance, or perfecting her spin-flips on the climbing dome. It isn’t completely unusual for her to also find a quiet corner to fall asleep; taking short, late afternoon cat naps now that her days of regular napping are over. She turns four today and that pang of “goodbye baby days” is hitting hard. She loves to collapse on the floor at bedtime, insisting that I “carry her” up to the top bunk. Her favorite jammies are either the cozy unicorn onesie passed down from cousins or the fancy Elsa ones paired with any ridiculous pair of bottoms. I anticipate constant PJ attire to be swapped out for constant bathing suit attire any day now. (our pool doesn’t open for two more months, but she’s already asking about it daily) Out of nowhere, she has decided she is ready to bike again and now practices diligently with her (previously despised) balance bike so that she could conquer N’s pedal bike. She’s stubborn, has a quick temper I’m forever trying to teach her to control, an expansive range of ridiculous facial expressions she deploys effortlessly, and a strong sense of self that makes me envious at times.

E had a longer-than-usual birthday this year because we celebrated her birthday on Sunday when everyone was home, but her actual birthday was on a Monday. It caused more than a little confusion.

A certain about-to-turn, four-year-old was too cranky for photos, so her cousin helpfully hopped in front of the beautiful Japanese Cherry tree blooms instead.

I definitely forgot to take my photo-a-day a few (okay, more than a few) times this month. So here’s another cute photo of Nija twirling in front of that fabulous Japanese Cherry tree. You can just see her allergies starting to get worse…for two weeks after this photo she looked like she was punched in the face, her poor eyes were so swollen from the Pollination.

The only kid in our boy pod who continues to genuinely love all things sports. P tolerates sports to be included, A2 loves it in the moment, L often begs to quit…but A1? He’s the one who always seems to be picking up a ball, begging the others to play, or simply shooting hoops on his own.

Nine has brought depth and maturity and so much growth. His Atrium classes have expanded into extra First Communion classes and I’m surprised that he never complains about them, or resents doing the (writing intensive) homework. It’s neat seeing the depth of his understanding as he prepares for his First Reconciliation. He often locks himself into his room to build massive Lego creations, using a wide variety of resource materials to make it as realistic as possible. I’m surprised sometimes how little he cares about the creations afterwards: the joy comes from the building. We still struggle through school sometimes – especially when his anxiety gets the better of him. The difference this year, however, is that I can tell he’s trying more and we’re both attempting to get through work with a whole lot more patience and less frustration. He picks up on when I need extra help or am really tired and tries his best to herd his siblings into doing what needs to be done. He insists he despises math, but then sometimes bursts out with a delighted “this is so fun!” when something clicks and he realizes the ways that long division or Roman numerals are like puzzles or a game. He’s entering that stage of trying to get away with wearing the exact same outfit day after day – usually the baggiest shirt in his drawer combined with the most ridiculous pants. The newest fascination is all things Greek as we finish up the first Percy Jackson book and he has taken it upon himself to relisten to last year’s history curriculum that includes details about Greek and Roman life. Cephalopods still rein supreme, but slowly a wider variety of interests have accumulated.

She eats endlessly. All day long. Breakfast, post breakfast, snack, pre lunch, lunch…I can’t keep up.