Monday, January 31, 2011

Adam's Kitchen



I think I mentioned that Adam (16!), cleaned my kitchen for me the other morning... This is him in the middle of his hard work. Saturday morning he had emptied the dishwasher, scrubbed the kitchen floor, set the breakfast table, and started breakfast, all before any of the rest of us woke up. If there's one thing I don't regret in raising my crew, it's that kids CAN be taught that hard work is fun, and serving others is a joy, and that they can learn early and well how to cook and clean. I am sooooo reaping the benefits of that right now... especially since I've been in the thick of morning sickness with two busy littles running/crawling around. The older crew has been a lifesaver for me in many ways, and they are all great helpers.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Brynn's First Birthday!



Well, as far as birthdays go, this was about as low-key as you can get.... but Brynn didn't seem to mind. :o) We had church this morning with a potluck afterward, and then she had a nap, and then we partied by eating cupcakes and Brynn opened a few pressies. I didn't even cook supper 'cause I've been sick most afternoons, and since it's Sunday, I sorta called myself a day of rest. ;o) I doubt she'll be scarred for life.

One whole year old. Can't believe how fast time flies. Brynn is taking two steps at a time. The kids say they saw three, but I didn't, so it didn't happen. ;o) She is also repeating a lot of what we say. Her new word as of yesterday is "Peek-a-boo," but otherwise her vocabulary is "Mama," "Papa," "night-night," "all done," "day doe" (there you go; as in when she hands you something) "na-noo" (thank you), "diaper," "hi," and "bye-bye." I'm sure I'm missing one or two, but that's what we've been hearing so far, along with some odds and ends repeating what we think "could" be what we just said, but we're not sure. In other words, we're at a really fun stage with her. :o)

Even as I'm writing this, Liana is walking with her, and letting go here and there so she takes steps alone. I guess I finally saw "three." I'd better sign off before she heads to college on me...

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Updated At Last







Wow, what a great way of completely losing your readership, Shelly. Just completely quit writing for over a year. Oy.

Actually, a year ago, I sat down to say that I had just had a new baby girl, and even included pictures, when ZAP, just as I was finishing up, the whole post poofed and I'm sorry to say, it just took the wind out of my sails to want to write any time soon.

Anyway, a year ago tomorrow, John and I welcomed another baby girl into our family. Brynn Michelle joined our crew, and has been a sheer delight to have around. She's a relaxed and snuggly baby, who smiles easily, and is as layed back as they come. Can't believe she'll be a whole year old tomorrow! Sweet Bryncess, Mommy loves you! She doesn't fuss when we lay her down for naps and bedtime, and just happily goes with the flow. Oh how I needed a baby like that around here! Lets just say that her bigger sister, Miss Abrielle (just turned 3), is a weeeeeeeeeeee bit of a handful! ;o) In fact, She has earned the nickname Tornado Tot. It truly is a term of endearment, but oh, how appropriate the name fits. We've had flour incidents, food coloring experiments, plumbing disasters, (we've had to buy two or three different toilet augers because of her, plus dismantle the toilet altogether, and my super-snazzy cellphone was recently flushed...) She's also taken a scissors to a string of Christmas tree lights and blew the lights on the whole tree. She scares us. But we love her dearly.

As for our older crew, oh, what a crew I have! Just this morning Adam woke up early, emptied the dishwasher, scrubbed the kitchen floor, set the table, and started breakfast, all before anyone else woke up. Let's just say, I'm in the "Terribly Lucky" category of moms with that one. He just turned 16 this January, and while he isn't emotionally ready to handle a car, he can and does help out enormously. This summer he started his own lawn-care business, and passed out fliers all over the neighborhood. He stayed rather busy all summer long. Very proud of him!

Liana turned 12 this summer, and is still a little mama. She loves little kids, and is wonderful with the babies. She took a babysitting class through the Red Cross this summer, and came home much smarter than me. ;o) She and her sister have enjoyed taking voice lessons this school year, and hopefully they'll both stick with them, as they've really made a lot of progress so far.

Aleksa is now 10... Can't believe that! She is a true "middle" - Not a big kid, and not a little kid. Some days she wants to be big, and the next, she's offering her back to her little sisters to ride her around like a horsie. She's a perfect "pal" to the little girls in that regard, since she still thinks the little kid games are great. (Every other day, that is!) ;o) She's my sunny girl, and I'll be very sad the day The Hormones Hit and she starts getting moody on me. Her big sister uh, well, lets just say, the Hormones Have Hit. ;o) (Not always though. Don't get me wrong, Liana is a sweetheart of a girl, and I wouldn't trade her for the world.) Anyway, Aleksa is my little opera girl, and her voice is really, truly beautiful and I can't wait to see how it develops with those lessons she's taking.

And so, that brings everyone up to speed with our family. Except. Lightning has indeed struck again, and we have just in the last few weeks been announcing that we are expecting yet another little Fisher blessing in August! S'prise! Everyone is super excited!

I'm hoping that now that I've broken the sound barrier and actually remembered my password here, that I'll update more often. But, well, we'll just see about that, won't we? ;o)