Slices of Life . January

January 3, 2013

The one thing I will not miss about living overseas is the delay in the mail.  We got a huge pile of Christmas cards after the beginning of the year.  It wasn't just a couple of cards but a huge stack.  I can't imagine that many people sent them that late.  I still put up the pictures on our wall and kept them there for the next two months!

January 6, 2013

As the Sunday School teacher for all the youth in our ward I was so excited to teach out of the new youth program, Come Follow Me.  I put together journal books with the themes for each month so that they could take notes during class.  They were a huge hit.

January 22, 2013

I am so lucky to live next to the coolest Japanese family.  Kay and I have become such good friends and between her ability to speak a little English and my ability to use a little Japanese we have been able to communicate pretty well.  Kay was really excited to teach me how to cook some good Japanese dishes so we scheduled our first cooking lesson.  Cooking with Kay was so much fun and the meal we prepared today was so delicious.  Abby and Koto had so much fun playing while Kay and I talked and cooked together.

Little Moments

Everyone always said it would happen but for some reason I choose not to believe it. Life has gotten a little bit busier with every passing year. I don't know how it happened because we didn't really add that more to our schedule this past year. Alas, I am like most mothers who wish time would slow down for just a little bit so I could take a deep breath and soak in all of those little moments that seem to be fleeting away. I will admit that I find myself enjoying all of those little moments with Abby because she is at home with me when I seem to have more downtime. With the older children who are in school I really have to make more of an effort to notice all that is happening in their lives. I love my life but it is a busy one and I haven't been the greatest at documenting all those little things that I don't want to forget about with each one of my children. I used to be so good about writing things down when the kids were younger and changing at a faster pace. So, at the beginnig of this New Year I am slowing down just enough to document a little bit about each one of them.

A B B Y

I am absolutely enamored by Abby.  She is such a joy to have around and I am actually dreading this fall when I have to send her off to school.  Everything she says is either completely hilarious or just the cutest thing you have ever heard.  Her observation of the world around her is amazing and she is curious about many things.  Abby LOVES to talk.  She will talk to most adults and has no problems striking up a conversation with anyone.  With Abby you have to be prepared to talk for quite some time because she usually has a lot to say.  I love it when Abby comes and snuggles up next to me in bed either before going to sleep at night or in the morning when everyone has already left for school.  I call her my snuggle bug and she loves that nick name.  Abby loves to play with friends but she really loves to have mommy and me time.  At home Abby has been working on preparing for Kindergarten.  Everyday she works a little more on perfecting her letters and she reads a small Bob book with me.  So far she can write all of her letters pretty well and has been able to recognize all of the letters and their sounds for quite some time.  She just finished reading Set 1 of the Bob Books with me.  I am surprised at how well she has picked up reading.  Outside of home Abby is enjoying swimming lessons and ballet and has become confident with both.  I can always count on Abby to give me a hug or to put a smile on my face.  She is pure joy. 

Age: 4 1/2 years old
Height: 41 1/2 inches
Weight: 38 lbs
Favorite Color: Pink
Favorite Dinner: Meatballs
Favorite Snack: Peanut Butter Crackers
Favorite Dessert: Brownies
Favorite vacation in 2012: The Cruise
Favorite activity at home: Playing Sylvania Family and Dancing
Friends: Melissa, Chloe, Callista, Ellie
Favorite Song: I am a Child of God
Favorite Book: The Cat in the Hat

E M M A

Emma has grown up so much lately.  I love her toothy smile and freckled face.  She is growing up to be such a beautiful young lady.  Emma has started to want to do more grown up things such as learning how to sew and listening to appropriate big kid songs.  Emma loves to go to school and is doing really well this year.  She has far surpased the First Grade reading level which is huge for her since she didn't really "get it" until midway through Kindergarten.  She loves to read the Magic Tree House series and has enjoyed having quiet reading time before bed.  Emma loves to draw and comes up with some pretty clever drawings.  She is very creative and talented at home and at school.  Emma is such a joy to her teachers which comes as no surprise to me because she is that way at home.  Emma is starting to shoot up in height and has started collecting more freckles on her face at a rapid pace.  I love it.  Emma loves to play outside and doesn't care if she gets dirty.  In fact she probably prefers to do something where she can get down and dirty.  Then in girly fashion she will come home and want to take a shower.  I love that she can be both girly and down to earth all at the same time.  I can always count on Emma to do her chores without complaining and to practice her piano.  She shows the most promise for piano as it seems to come easy for her and she enjoys it.  In only her second year of piano she is learning how to play an easy version of Fur Elise.  I am always amazed when I see her practice multiple times a day after her scheduled practice is over.  Emma has also been taking private swim lessons and has shown so much improvement.  I know that by this summer she is going to be passing that swim test.  Sometimes Emma can be a bit bossy with her siblings and I can see that her "mothering" side is starting to make an entrance.  We just need to nourish it is all.  I am so grateful for Emma and for her loving nature and helpful attitude.  Emma wants to be loved and to be able to lead.             

Age: 7 years old
Height: 46 1/4 inches
Weight: 42.6 lbs
Favorite Color: Light Blue
Favorite Dinner: Chicken Rolls
Favorite Snack: Banana
Favorite Dessert: Brownies
Favorite vacation in 2012: The New Zealand Cruise
Favorite subject in school: Art
Friends at school: Catherine, Josh, Bella, Matthew, Nia
Favorite sport: Tennis
Favorite Song: Walking on Sunshine
Favorite Book: The Magic Treehouse Series

P E T E R

I can always count on Peter to give me that million dollar smile.  His smile is infectious as well as his laughter.  Peter is so good natured and I know that there is a specific reason why he is in our family.  He is here for many reasons but one is to calm me down when I feel troubled.  He radiates peace and love and that is always good to have in any family.  Peter is a straight A student in school and has really picked up a love for reading this year.  He may not be super tall but he is a giant in love and spirit.  This is the second year in a row that Peter has earned the Citizen of the Month award.  Peter is always kind and super honest.  Peter came home one day and said that his teacher told him that he had never met a kid more honest than Peter.  It's true, you can count on Peter to always do the right thing.  He is always encouraging his friends at school to make good choices with him.  Peter is enjoying private swim lessons and cub scouts.  He just earned his Webelos Badge in scouts and has really improved on all of his strokes in swimming.  Peter still loves running the best and had a blast in running club last fall.  It makes me happy that he loves to run with me.  I just love this kid.

Age: 9 3/4 years old
Height: 50 1/4 inches
Weight: 53.4 lbs
Favorite Color: Light Green
Favorite Dinner: Garlic Chicken Farfalle or Crepes
Favorite Snack: Nachoes
Favorite Dessert: Hot Fudge Sundae
Favorite vacation in 2012: The New Zealand Cruise and Indonesia
Favorite subject in school: Social Studies
Friends at school: Sean, Shawn, Connor, Brandon, Sachi
Favorite sport: Running
Favorite Song: Land Downunder (Men at Work)
Favorite Book: Inkheart

A N D R E W

Andrew has definitely hit his preteen years.  He is almost as tall as I am and he is exerting a little bit more independence as of late.  Andrew likes to do things his own way.  He is learning how to be more organized in school and has really done well this year even though his schedule is so much harder than last year.  Last quarter Andrew made the Honor Roll and I think he was proud of himself for the effort he put forth in school.  Andrew started playing the trombone this year and not only does he like it but he is really good at it too.  Andrew still loves to read but I think the one thing he likes the most is playing Minecraft on the computer.  Andrew is super creative and picks things up really quickly.  Minecraft does get him to think and that is good but he doesn't seem to have an off button with that game.  That is something we are working on.  Still, Andrew is a super great kid and I am so glad that he is in our family.  We can always count on him to tell us funny jokes or to cheer us up.  I can always count on him when I need him to watch the kids.  He is super reliable when it comes to taking care of his siblings.  In fact, he has such a tender heart when it comes to taking care of them that usually Abby will want Andrew to put her to bed.  He just has a special place in Abby's heart.  Andrew's spirit is tender and I love that about him.  He is such a great young man.

Age: 11
Height: 59 3/4 inches
Weight: 83.6 lbs
Favorite Color: Purple
Favorite Dinner: Garlic Chicken Farfalle
Favorite Snack: Nutella filled marshmallows and Graham Crackers and milk
Favorite Dessert: Ice-cream sundae
Favorite vacation in 2012: The New Zealand Cruise
Favorite subject in school: Science and Math
Friends at school: Bryce, Matthew, Alex, John, Keoni, Connor, Cameron, Sean
Favorite sport: Running
Favorite Song: We are The Free (Matt Redman)
Favorite Book: Fablehaven Series

Emma's 7th Birthday

On Emma's birthday this year Mike was able to leave work a little early and come with me and Abby to Emma's classroom to hand out cupcakes.  Emma loved having us all there and she loved having her friends sing to her in class.  Little did she know what her real surprise was going to be the following day.  Grandma Ann and Grandpa Franz decided to come and visit us in Japan but we kept it a surprise from all the kids.  They got there the day after Emma's birthday.   I think Emma was more excited for them to be there then she was for any of her presents.   We had a fun little family birthday filled with presents, cupcakes and lots of fun together.   This year Emma got some legos, a sewing machine, and some sewing books.  Emma has been begging me to teach her how to sew so it seemed fitting to finally surprise her with her very own machine.  What a lucky girl she is!

First Snow of the Year

We had an interesting start to our snow season this year.  It started to snow really hard mid morning while the older kids were in school.  The school waited too long to release the kids early from school and by the time they did the traffic on the base was horrible.  As hard as I tried to get the most up to date information from the bus office about where the kids bus was and what time I could expect it to arrive at our bus stop, I found myself getting frustrated at the lack of information that was being given to me.  After an hour or so of phone tag with the bus office I learned that the bus was still on base waiting in a long line of traffic just waiting to get off of the base and they weren't sure exactly where the bus was in relation to the gate.  Mike had already left the base by the time I found this out and so I called him and he turned around to take the train back to base.   Since the traffic was as equally bad off base Mike thought it might be a good idea to stop at some of the stations along the way to the base to see if the buses were stopped in traffic on Rt. 16.  We had no idea when the buses would leave the base so it was worth a shot just in case he got to base and the buses weren't there.  After searching for the buses on Rt. 16 and stepping in a frozen puddle of water Mike decided to head back home before his toes fell off from frost bite.  After warming up he headed out once again but this time headed all the way to the base.  The buses were STILL waiting in traffic on the base.   I was so livid that the bus office hadn't contacted all the parents to let us know that they were still waiting on the bus on the base.  For over 2 hours the kids sat on that bus.  They did let them off the bus to use a local bathroom but their  feet got wet in the process and so they sat quite cold on the bus.  To make matters worse, the heat on the bus wasn't running because the bus wasn't moving and they wouldn't let them eat or drink on the bus even though it wasn't moving.  Mike walked right up to the bus and got the kids and they all walked to the train station to head home.  No one except for Mike was wearing winter shoes and by the time they all made it to our station, they were frozen, tired, and completely upset.  Peter and Emma had a hard transition getting warm again and there were lots of tears shed in the shower.  It made me so sad to hear them cry but I was super grateful that everyone was safe and together again.  It was dark by this time so there was no time to play in the snow BUT we totally took advantage of the next day of no school to play ALL DAY in the snow at our park.  It was a sweet reward for all the trauma experienced the day before.  Our second day snow wasn't the softest snow but we still managed to go sledding and build a snowman.