Trying to get a blog update in before it becomes May!


We had Easter at our Aunt Rosalie and Uncle Brian's house. Rather unexpected as they're reformed Jews. They also had an Easter egg hunt with 64 plastic eggs. That's a lot of hiding! But our girls and Rosalie's great-niece and nephew (Lily and Colin) and Cousin Judy helped. Lily, Colin and Judy left a little earlier than we did--they had more Easter parties to get to!

Emily's English is becoming more recognizable. She's also doing full sentences. No, we cannot translate everything she is saying. She still has her own bizarre fashion sense and shoe fettish, even if the shoes don't match or fit.

Megan finally got all four molars in completely. That was a trial for weeks. She still isn't walking on her own despite her 15 1/2 month status. Her hair is also getting in her eyes, but she pulls barrettes (and chunks of hair) out if we try to pull her hair back, although she left pony tails in her hair at Easter. She is ticklish and has a good laugh.

Annika is becoming more grown-up. She is starting to understand plays-on-words if you explain them slowly like the joke "April showers bring May flowers. What do May flowers bring? Pilgrims!" She, too, has her own fashion sense. Plaids go with plaids. 'Nuf said.

Lauren is getting better at picking up although none of the kids is all that fast at it. And, she has no sense of organization--it all just gets dumped in the toy corner. Why would she think puzzle pieces should go back in the box? She's also great at making up stories, definitions, words and songs on the spot. She is fascinated with sharks, too. I'm not sure how all these fill fit into her future careers. We're trying to see more of the sights here before we leave Chicago, so we have a few pics of me, Annika and Lauren at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in Lincoln Park.

Dan has been contacted by a few churches. The process is a slow one, but we still have months left before we can move, so we are sort of patient. He's getting one of his sermons transferred now from VHS to DVD. We're not sure where we stored his copies of sermons from First Cov. One of the downsides of storage.

I just finished editing two books and laying out a newsletter and am tired after a gruelling two weeks. Looking forward to a slower-paced week, Lord willing.

Enjoy the pics!

Kid quotes (keep in mind, you can't tease the girls about these--they get self-conscious fast and will stop talking--then no more kid quotes!):

March 24 2009
Much is done dramatically by Lauren. We don’t walk somewhere—we saunter. Tonight, she was getting ready to sign her name in Annika’s journal. She did it as though she was putting on a show (so think announcer’s voice) as Lauren said about herself: “And now she pulls out the chair…And watch as she sits down. See her as she reads the book…”

Annika made up a song and put on a show for me. Here are some of the lyrics:
It doesn’t matter if you’re lovely as long as you care about people

Know that’s not true. Please bring hope to all the people for their words you can fly away. if you faint, don’t faint when you’re not supposed to faint. for the world I would take care of it for the rest of the city and I wouldn’t miss anything for the whole piece of advice. you never do anything when somebody loves you, you shall love them back even if you don’t like them but they like you…for you can see little things. You are seeing this when I was I will always love you too.

You must care for the people for you can see your family and you must love them the most. And you can see the world, you can see different places if you go on a plane. If you go to Disney, you do need a plane. So little lord jesus, he brings you there safely. And if it’s your birthday he will not make it rain. For the world to see your weirdness, but don’t do weirdness around people who are naked and you don’t know them and you can’t see naked people if your shades are open and their shades are open and the lights are on and you have windows there and you have shades there. So you must care for the world.

We will love to see your songs for your carols. You are beautiful.

March sometime:
Lauren was looking at a picture of her and Annika in their Easter dresses: “There’s us in our church costumes.”

Annika praying: “Even though I’m the beautifullest, I need to care about other people.”

4/1/09
Lauren to Dan: “I know why you have a headache. You watch too much TV, and you’re a vegetable!” (Hm. I wonder where she heard that…)

4/2/09
Annika: "I’m so smart. I always know everything now."