OK, so it's been a while. Here's what has happened since the last blog entry:
Justin - finished the school year and found out that after 9 years of teaching @ Manzanita Elementary School he's being moved to another school in the same district. Thing is, it's possible that a teacher released from that school could be placed @ Manzanita if enrollment increases. Lame. Justin, however, has moved on to his summer project of renovating 2 of the 3 bathrooms and the kitchen in our house with the help of a contractor friend. Good thing Justin wasn't already tired from the past school year or the renovations would be REALLY exhausting.
Josephine - turned 37 in April and doesn't feel much different.
Jonah - promoted from 2nd to 3rd grade. He and his baseball team the Buccaneers reached the championship finals only to lose to an undefeated team. Jonah has lost two front teeth on the bottom and two front teeth on the top and is looking like a big boy now. However, he has yet to master riding a two wheeler - call that his "summer project".
James - turned 5 in June and celebrated with a Star Wars party, complete with pool-noodle light sabers. He is glad the school year is over, but he said his fave subject was math. He screamed like a banshee when he got his tuberculosis test at his 5-year physical and was thankful he didn't have to get any "real shots". Mommy and the entire clinic were glad, too.
Jedidiah - started walking, then running in April. Talks like there's no tomorrow and one of his favorite things is to count to 10 and say "Go!" when his daddy says "Ready? Set?" Jed has also developed a fondness for pool-noodle light sabers, if only to use them to activate the ice maker and water dispenser on the fridge.
Jack - coming along slowly, though more talkative than before. He's almost walking but is still perfectly happy crawling. He loves to play with cars and trucks (reminiscent of baby Jonah), but his fave thing of all is a few minutes of rocking chair time before bed.
Rolfe - still big, still playful. He's now taking two medications for thyroid and immune system issues. He's still quite handsome for an over-the-hill 9 year old German Shepherd.
Only 4 days into summer and this season has already shown to be quite a busy one. The twins will be receiving speech therapy and Jed will start physical therapy in July as their occupational therapy, infant playtime and Jack's physical therapy continue. Jonah and James start swim lessons next week and will hopefully be pool-safe by the end of summer. Rolfe looks forward to his walks with alpha male and spends the rest of the day napping. Justin and Josephine are still surviving. By the Lord's grace they are finding joy in their life with 4 (5) rambunctious, fun, loving and unique sons.
Ah, finally! After Justin telling me that Jonah and James needed more chores, I decided to teach them how to do their own laundry. Up to this point, they knew how to sort, fold and put away (a.k.a. smash into their dresser). Today they learned how to sort their dirty clothes, take them to the laundry room, put in the detergent and turn on the washing machine. Then they learned how to transfer the clothes to the dryer and turn the dryer on. Jonah's excitement over this new responsibility led him in an attempt to wash just two socks by themselves, but that load (set on "super large capacity") was thwarted when I explained to him that we only wash full loads because we have to pay for the water. His response? "Awwwwww!!!!"
