The New Bloggers!

Hi everybody! This is the first post in 8 years on this blog. Our mom used to do it, but now we do it because she's too busy with all of us. We are Zeke, Olive and Silas! You knew us 8 years ago, but do you know us now? Here's some info about our family.

We are a family of 6. Dad, Mom, Zeke (13), Olive (Almost 11), Silas (8), and Maitea (Almost 2).

Dad is still a nurse and more fun than ever!

Mom is equally as fun and takes care of us all day, while juggling her work as a pastor.

Zeke is a creative artist with a sense of humor. He loves hanging out with friends, reading, and school (JK). He is in 7th grade.

Olive is a reader! She spends most of her days reading. But when she's not doing that, she's writing creative stories on Google Docs. She loves hanging out with friends, siblings, and Mom. She is in 5th grade and ready to enter Middle School soon!

Silas has a strong spirit that sometimes gets him into trouble and many "passionate conversations" with siblings. He is currently into karate and jumping around the house. He also likes to read, but is mostly in the backyard doing crazy stuff (which he would like to add that his siblings can't do). He is in 2nd grade.

Maitea is a wonderful little sister who has a mind of her own and some very sharp nails. She makes us laugh, but is very stubborn and picky. She loves Dada, Mama, Dee (Zeke), O (Olive), and Sa (Silas). She is 1 (and if she could talk, she would probably want to add) 3/4.

That is our crowded family of 6, and everything you need to know about us. Stay tuned for more crazy adventures while we transition out of this pandemic!

We heart Halloween

I really love Halloween. And not because I am into spooky stuff (my sister - who insists I had a brief Goth phase - would beg to differ), but because I love dressing up and I love to play pretend. (But I don't love to play pretend when it comes to Baby Pet Store. Please no more Baby Pet Store.) I also really enjoy making costumes for our kids. This year our two oldest went a little out of the box with their costumes. And it was so fun!

 

Flamingo Fairy & Headless Boy. What a pair.



  

Unfortunately, our little elephant was not into his costume. 

He refused to leave the ears on, so he went as a cute baby in a grey velvet sweat suit.

 

 

Jeff and I went as two of our favorite people. Any guesses?

 



 We did not anticipate the amount of attention Headless Boy would attract. It was a little much. Next year he's planning on something a bit more low key.

 

Despite the crowds, we were still able to spend time with some of our favorite Monrovians.

And our favorite Ne Ne.

When we got home, Smilas decided to make the night even more memorable by taking his first steps. At nine months!

 

Silas - you are supposed to be our easy child. Put your ears back on and sit down. We are not ready for this.



Super STAR

Today our little guy was named one of Monroe Elementary School's STAR students. Over the past month he has been very determined to get this award and this morning he woke up feeling confident - "Mom, I know I'm going to get star student."

 

Oh, buddy, I love how you work so hard to get what you want.

 

 

  Students! Thinking! (and) Acting! Responsibly!

 

 

He was so very proud of his accomplishment. And we were, too.

 

 

Considering the chaos that has become a part of our daily routine, it is incredible that this child can remain so focused for 6 hours of every day. It gives me hope because maybe it means we have done something right with this kid.

 

Not feeling as confident about the other two.

 

She will only call us by our first names and, at 3 1/2, refuses to sleep through the night.

He went for a joy ride in the grocery cart at Sprouts last week. If it weren't for the elderly man who was repeatedly honking his horn to get my attention, I wouldn't have noticed my nine month old speeding swiftly away from me and through the parking lot at a steady pace.

 



 

Oh buddy, I am so sorry. It's not your fault that with every child I birth a little part of my brain dies.

 

 

 

 



Tuesdays

Life slows down for us on Tuesdays. It's the one day in our week that is usually unscheduled, giving me a chance to reconnect with this 3 1/2 year old, middle child.

 

 Last Tuesday we made pumpkin scones,

 



 while Trotro made a mess.

 

 

 

This week she helped me prep the potatoes for dinner.



 

 

She loves to help. :)

 

I love this sweet, imaginative girl who makes me laugh and constantly surprises me. For whatever reason, we sometimes exhaust each other. I'm feeling grateful for these mornings with no rushing, no distractions, and little agenda. I love it when we allow ourselves to have all the time we need.



LA County Fair

Ok, now that we're all caught up on summer, we can start on my favorite season of the year - fall! One of my fall favorites is visiting the LA County Fair. Jeff is not such a big fan and was happy to miss out on the fun this year. I have a feeling that sometime soon, my kids will not be super into this either. (I won't even go into the trauma that was the petting zoo, except to say I don't understand how these are my children. And I really don't understand how it is that Courtney's child could spend all day feeding goats.) Anyway, despite some tough moments, we had a really fun time and ended the day with some wonderful fair treats - the stuff we look forward to all year! I guess turkey legs and caramel apples are all the proof I need that these are truly my children.

 

 

 

Summer Shower

We finally got a little break from the heat with an afternoon (well, half an hour) of rain. Took us awhile to get outside, though. Even though it was still 85 degrees out, my kids were convinced they needed coats and boots. I was happy in my Rainbows.