Pics and updates

 I'm not going to title all the pics.  And there's no way I can really catch up on this blog without spending massive amounts of time that should be spent doing other things.  So I'll sum up.

Felix is no 5 1/2.  We're still thinking about homeschooling vs. public schools vs. charter schools and still have not made a decision.

Felix is hilarious.  He loves church because he learns things there.  He participates barely - he seems extremely timid, but at home he talks almost nonstop.  He makes up stories and songs and has a running commentary on just about everything.  He's considerate most of the time, polite (especially to strangers), and very helpful.

We still struggle to keep his breathing and skin issues under control.  He gets breathing treatments once or twice a week, and special lotions maybe once a week (although that should really be more often).  He likes to stay up late and sleep in, and he still wears a pull-up at night.

 For a rare treat, we went through the Wendy's drive-through for dinner last week.  When Felix looked in his Kid Meal bag, he was surprised.  "Why did they even give me a toy?"

I told him they were just being nice.

His response?  "I should have said 'ganchu'!"  (that means 'thank you', by the way)

He's a sweet boy and we adore him.

Amelia is our little stinker.  She is now 3 1/2.  She's really smart and really funny and really independent. She's usually covered with dirt and old food and gets it in her beautiful hair, which makes brushing her hair problematic.  She sometimes lets her grandma or me put tails in her hair and she usually asks for 3 tails if any.

Amelia has spectacular tantrums, sometimes over the simplest things.  On Sunday I had to calm her down because another little girl took her chair in sharing time.

She's also super willing to help.  She loves being first (which makes things complicated when her big brother is faster) at everything and her favorite thing in the entire world is light tickles on her belly.

Amelia also loves making up songs.  She'll sing about anything and everything, but in church she just watches.  She knows the songs, but only sings them at home.

She's a very emotional little girl and she feels strongly for other kids and people (especially in movies - she knows when she's supposed to be sad).

I kind of dread puberty with this one.  I do love her snuggling even though I often feel a bit smothered.  She is an absolute joy and a real challenge.

 

 Oscar is almost 2.  He's obsessed with birds and cars.  He has a very strong mischievous side and he loves tormenting Amelia (don't feel sorry for her though, he probably learned it from her!).

His version of helping is to throw everything he finds on the floor, usually with an impish grin.  He loves chasing daddy down the hallway or wrestling on the bed.

Oscar almost always goes down for a nap willingly, although he doesn't always sleep willingly.  Night times are a bit different.  Brent and I both struggle with kids at night but Oscar is the worst.  Brent thankfully can still get sleep most of the time, but I often get interrupted - sometimes by all 3 kids.

Oscar is drawn to mud like most kids.  He's pretty good in nursery, which is nice for his parents to attend classes most of the time.  He loves shoes - he has 2 pairs that he loves.  The cute little monkey sandals in these pics, and a pair of high-tops with comic on the sides.

Oscar doesn't really have any words yet, although he does enjoy some baby signs.  He can generally communicate, even though what he can actually say is severely limited.  We're not worried about any kind of delay, partially because Felix was pretty slow in talking.  He does try to talk at least.

He also struggles with skin issues so we put special lotion on him here and there.  His intensity and sense of fun are some of the things we love best about him.  He's such a sweetheart, even when he's being a little imp.

Brent's work got severely cut last September so we've been trying since then to find more work.  He does a lot of freelance stuff, but it only helps a little bit.  We need a full-time job.

I keep myself busy with lots of hobbies.  I love to craft and have begun to sew quite a bit.  In fact, these pictures are the result of an exchange with a friend.  Brekke Felt has an amazing talent with photography and she needed some sewing assistance.  I'm still working on part of the outfit I'm sewing for her.  It's been a satisfying project.

My little sister Sarah and her family has been in town for a couple weeks in preparation for our family reunion this week, and my little brother Nephi and his family got here this weekend.  It's so nice to be surrounded by people that love you.