The kids and stuff

I thought since I haven't blogged for a while, I should do it. It seems hard for me to blog unless there is like an event or something to blog about, but I thought I would give everyone some updates on some things.

First, the kids. Things have seemed a little better since the last time I blogged, or else I am dealing with it better or something. Here is a rundown on each little Finchling.
ADAM-- He continues to ride his bike often and loves playing with our neighbors. He recently was excited to pass his level 2 swimming class and absolutely LOVES to swim. He has also inherited his father's desire for adrenaline rushes and loves the fast waterslide at our local swimming pool. He is growing up so much and always asks such intelligent questions. Just today, Greg had to look up the answer to one of them.
ANNA-- Is as sweet as ever. She is always willing to help. She is the first one to comfort and console. She is most aware of others' needs of all the kids. She is great at making friends, and has a variety of them. She even gets along well with hard-to-get-along with kids. She is feeling pretty nervous about Kindergarten and will occasionally have a break down along those lines.
LIZZY-- She is our silly goose. She knows what she wants and does not hesitate to tell you, over and over and over, even before you can respond. She loves playing with Anna and Ben. She is very bright and is starting to draw stick figures. She makes us laugh everyday (and cry some days too!), and she is so interesting to talk to. She loves to spend time with me.
BEN-- Is at an incredibly fun age right now. He is talking so much more, and will try to copy just about anything you say. I love that he says thank you and love you. Earlier this week he was calling Greg, honey (I guess I must do that a lot). He would say, Papa, honey, and then laugh. He loves to sing and does amazingly well. I think he has some of our Scripture Scouts tapes down pat (at least when he is singing along with them). He also loves "Scripture Power". On the other side of the age, he is great at dumping things out. He finds a cup and dumps it. I must say though, that he is getting good at getting a towel and cleaning it up (sort of). He can also stand on the toilet and turn on the water, which is great fun (for him, not me). He loves to "wash up" and would do it all day long if I let him. He loves to snuggle and rock with me. Oh yeah, he is also TERRIFIED of loud noises. He absolutely freaks if I try to vacuum. He cries, he shakes, he screams. I have gotten to where I won't vacuum unless Greg is home. Even if I am holding him while I vacuum, it is no good. Same reaction to the fireworks. He screamed and shook with terror the whole time. Tonight we had these balloons someone gave us that screech really loud when you let them go, same thing. It's bad. He is such a smiley, happy boy most of the time, just terrified of loud noises. We love it right now, though.

Greg is as busy as ever. There has been a lot going on at church, and he will get to conduct his first funeral this week. Then shortly after vacation he will be doing his first wedding. Work is also crazy busy right now, and promises to be so until the end of the year. He is also still trying to adjust to his new cpap machine for his sleep apnea. It hasn't been the instant fix for his tiredness that we hoped it would be, but it is in improving gradually as he gets used to it. He also tries to help at home as much as he can. He is supportive of me and tries hard to spend time with the kids, even though he is so tired. I am so proud of him for all he does to help people and the good man that he is.

I keep busy with chasing after kids, feeding kids, keeping the kids clothed ( I have come to loathe laundry), arranging activities for the kids, driving the kids around, setting up play dates for the kids, doing swimming lessons with the kids, putting the kids to bed, and starting all over again in the morning. Occasionally we have time to have friends over.

I feel thankful for my good family. I feel thankful for my membership in the Lord's church. It gives my life direction and strength and joy. I am thankful for good friends who are loving and supportive. I am thankful for my temporal blessings. How nice it is to feel comfortable. I admit my life can be challenging at times, but the joy far outweighs the trouble.

So there you go, us in a nutshell. Now you won't have to read our blog for another month or so (just kidding, we should have some fun things to post about soon... you'll see (no I am not pregnant, I was talking about vacation!)).