Small Baby Big World

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Easter Updates

We had a good Easter. On Sunday we went to church a little early and Emily set up some activities for Easter. Four families did bag decorating and then Emily hid Easter eggs with another mom in a classroom. It was a lot of fun and the kids all enjoyed it. Sam had also gone to the local Sunday School and since he wasn't there for his birthday last month, he was able to go when they sang happy Birthday. In the afternoon, the kids and Em took a nap and I quick prepped for the wedding I'm going to be in. I'm mostly happy to do it, but still nervous about messing things up. Luckily, most of the talking has been turned over to someone else, but I still have several big chunks to read. Reading is still one of my hardest areas. The truth is that most people never get to the point where they can read well in local language. I'm getting there, but it's challenging to do this, especially in a liturgical setting. I think it will be a good experience for everyone. We were really encouraged to come to dinner last night, and I think that part of this is because it can often relax things having others around. I really like the couple, and we're glad to do what we can to help.

Otherwise, the kids are coming along. Eli's very giggly lately. Getting him to laugh usually just requires laughing yourself. Yesterday Emily heard him laughing in the back seat and said he sounded like a goat. He has a bit more of a raspy voice that is very entertaining. When he "snaps" his fingers and dances, he really reminds me of a jazz singer.

Eva is exploring more. She's discovered the toilet, which she likes to put things in. She's pretty strong--not quite where Eli is, but she can hold her own. Emily says she and Sam are pickier eaters. Her favorites are bread, pasta, and rice. She's continuing to sing "doh" a lot. Sometimes if we are singing, she tries to go to the piano. Pretty entertaining. Eva is also a pretty good napper now. If you ask her is she's sleepy and hold her hand, she'll walk to the crib. She rolls over on her tummy, sticks her bottom in the air, sucks her thumb a little and goes to sleep.

Sam is really a pretty nice little boy. He has his moments, but he's interested in the world and plays pretty well with others. We have a good bed routine, he takes long naps, and the rest of the time he has a lot of energy. He likes his church class. I really enjoy being able to watch him interact with others there. He's a very low "breakdown" kid. Usually he can be encouraged or persuaded to go along with things, especially if there is some fun to be had.

That's our kid updates!

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Updates and Misc

Things are going along well here. The weather is transitioning from spring towards (soon) summer. We've had some really nice days, and Emily and I are both vowing to try to walk more. This has been a slightly lighter week for me than in the past. I have a guest teacher for one class and was able to recycle materials for another class. So things are a little better. However, I never seem to get as much work done as I wish to.

Eva and Eli and Sam have all been outside a lot more lately. In the afternoon they often go in front of the library here and play with other kids. Eva and Eli, of course, idolize Sam, and laugh with him a lot. Today they had a great time chasing a ball kicked around by an older kid. It was fun to watch all three playing together. Eva kept saying "ball, ball, ball." It sounded like "bahhl, bahhl, bahhl." There's a cherry tree outside that is dropping cherries now (they're about dime sized, and people do eat them), but part of our job was also to stop the kids from eating the gnarly cherries on the ground. Eva is crawling up on our table a lot, which always freaks us out a little.

Coming up in the next week are: taxes, sometime medical reimbursements (we have a few more months), some other academic-ish projects, and so on.

I'll try to add pictures soon. I hope everyone is well and we'll try to keep in good touch.