Charlton finally crawls

We had a wonderful time this week-end. Elijah and I slept in every day, while the kids took care of themselves and Charlton. We did a lot of work, inside and outside the house, we gave talks at church, we had a cook out, we played games, we read books, and we enjoyed each other's company tremendously. The highlight of the week-end was seeing Charlton crawl. He seems so sure of himself and so curious and determined to check things out on his own. Charlton is so fun to have around. The adventures are about to start...

Elijah was off today, being a holiday. We all were excited to have him home. In the morning, Elijah and the kids did some yard work, while I read. In the afternoon, we went and spent the holiday with some friends who had invited us for a cook out. The food was delicious and the company very kind. While Elijah and I talked with our friends, the children had a fabulous time swimming and playing in the pool.

Charlton enjoyed his time eating, spending time with dad, and making new friends.

Charlton's favorite position, standing up

Just chillin'

Making new and interesting friends

"What is this thing? Can I eat it?"

"My dad is the best, hands down"

Elijah took care of Charlton most of the time, partly because he wanted to be with Charlton, and partly because he wanted to allow his wife time to eat her gigantic steak. He kept shaking his head in amazement at how such a tiny thing like me could eat a steak bigger than myself. Well, in my defense, I can just say that we, Albanians, are fed meat since we are babies, and we truly know what a good steak tastes like. Between the pool, our friends, and the marvelous food, we all had a great time.

Being the last day of the month, here is the list of books I read this month. I had a good combination of young adult books, classics, contemporary, sad and true stories, romance and adventures. So, I can truly say I enjoyed all of the books, some more than the others, and this month went faster than I wanted it to go. I can't express how much I really love good books!

May 2010

28. The voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S.Lewis (I really liked this book from the Chronicles of Narnia. It had an interesting plot and creativity.)

29. Snowflower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See (The book had a very interesting story, strong characters, and it made you think what would you have done if you lived at that time. It made you think about the differences and similarities between cultures and human beings. The characters were not clearly all good or bad; they were just human, with strengths and weaknesses. I wish the husband and wife relationship was more developed. The foot binding scene made my feet ache all day. Great read.)

30. Katherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman (I absolutely loved this little novel written for ages 12 and up. Katherine, the daughter of a knight, writes her thoughts on life in general and on marriage in specific. The author has a wonderful sense of humor, and I kept laughing at her little jokes. I also liked it that it was a real presentation of the medieval times, and not some romanticized version that we all have in mind. Funny, short, and a diversion from some heavy reading that I was doing. Read below.)

31. Beloved by Toni Morrison (Wow! Does this woman know how to write or what! Does this woman know how to make me sad and shatter my soul into pieces or what! I don't know if I really loved this book or really hated it, or both. I was amazed at Toni Morrison's writing. It is the work of a genius. When I read writing like this, I just read in awe. The plot, based on a true story, was so sad and heart wrenching, that I had to stop and read something else in between. I couldn't take it all in one day. If you can handle slavery issues and stories from that era, I highly recommend this book. If you love books that are written for English students to be dissected and use as examples for their own writings, this book is for you. This is a heavy read, with a plot and style that will keep you thinking for days.)

32. Holes by Louis Sachar (I really liked the intricate connections in this book, as well as the folk tales. I enjoyed its message, and writing. A good read for ages 8 and up.)

33. The Silver Chair by C.S.Lewis (C.S.Lewis amazes me with his imagination of all sorts of creatures as well as places. A very interesting read for ages 4 and up)

34. Two-Part Invention -The story of a marriage by Madeleine L'Engle (The author of A wrinkle in time writes an autobiography and recalls her life and what made her marriage a strong one. I was inspired by her strength and zeal for life, love and passion for her husband, her work ethic, her consistency in choosing the right, and her candid thoughts on many issues of life. An excellent read.)

35. Bud, not Buddy by Christoffer Paul Curtis (A good and interesting story aimed for ages 6-12)

36. Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn (You can't help but think, as you read this book, that the author is obsessed with words. I actually felt he was a bit pretentious and snobbish. However, I liked the book. The plot and the character development wasn't the intention of the author. He wanted to write a book to show the importance of words in the English language. He accomplished it gracefully. I actually kept notes of the words I had never encountered before or as often. I filled two pages. It's a fun read and very quick, unless you keep opening the dictionary to find out if the word was a real one or just invented by the author. I found most of them in the dictionary.)

37. Enchantment by Orson Scott Card (The Sleeping Beauty with a very fun and interesting twist. I loved this book. I was so in the mood for some fun and adventure and romance mixed together. This book offers it all, and Card never disappoints you with his creativity as well as research. I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a story with adventure and romance.)

I can't wait to read some more awesome books! If you have read any good and can-not-put -down romance or adventure, summer is coming, so pass the titles to the rest of us.

Happy June reading!

Not your typical housewife

I woke up today with a lot of energy. It must have been the rest I got those days I was sick and did nothing. What was more interesting was the fact that I woke up with a desire to get my whole house cleaned. Now, I'm not your typical housewife (and then, again, who is!). I don't like cleaning. I do it, because I'm an order freak. It helps that my husband is the same. I will not sit or read or relax if my house is messy. What a waist of energy and time! I tell that to myself every time, but it doesn't help. The fact remains that I like a clean house and everything in it in order. If I could afford it, I would hire a maid, hands down. And a cook, but that's a topic for another post. Anyways, when I woke up today with this weird desire to clean, I had to take advantage of the situation. And fast. Why? Well, for starters, the day before, I had taken the kids to the library, and I was in heaven. I had put on hold seven books, and six of them were there already! I was dying to get my teeth into my precious treasures. Secondly, the weather was rainy and chilly, perfect for book reading by the fire with a mug of hot chocolate in your hands as you absentmindedly drink it while you thirstily devour every thing in sight that has letters in it. So, you see, I had to get going before I started to resent my choice.

It was a long day. Beside the every day chores like vacuuming and dishes, I cleaned toilets, bathtubs, floors, and washed mirrors. I changed sheets. And I did laundry. I couldn't escape it. My laundry room was overwhelmingly full. The table was full with clean clothes,and the floor was occupied by several laundry baskets full with dirty clothes. Add to that all the sheets and towels, and you have one screaming-for-help room. Today keeping the door closed didn't help. The screaming kept coming through the cracks, and it was loud. Oh, well, I had to break down and just do it. It took me forever, but this is the end result (I wish I had taken a picture "before" and"after" for a more dramatic reaction) :
I was very proud of myself. I was grateful that my kids weren't complaining, either. Here is what they were doing, while I was slaving away (I love being dramatic, don't you?) :

After drawing and coloring, a guy has got to rest

Since mom didn't seem to understand that he needed to be read to, Jefferson had to use his back up plan, books-on-tape while "keeping notes"

Gillian was working on her short stories, and didn't mind a bit that I wasn't around (better than doing the toilets herself)

When Charlton woke up, they all took turns taking care of him, but since James had helped me with Charlton in the morning, and Gillian is the master of convincing her brothers to do what she wants them to do, Jefferson was the one who spent the most time with him. And he was happy to do it. Besides, we are talking about Charlton here. The miracle baby! He can keep us all entertained for that matter.

When all was done and finished, the kids watched Star Trek with their dad, and I finally got a chance to get my tired hands and longing eyes into my books while sitting in my special spot. This is the view that haunted me all day and provided some comfort to my weary bones tonight. (You have to read the above sentence with a lot of pathos to really feel its meaning. Why do I feel sometimes that my talent is being wasted? I should turn to writing plays to fully express my dramatic flair. Just as soon as I 'm done cleaning toilets.)


I got to page 10, and my eyes betrayed me. I was surprised I went that far, actually. Tomorrow I'm gluing myself to this chair. I'm going to call it "chair hugging" for protecting my gray cells from going extinct.

Feeling beter...

Here is a question for you:

You know that Melita is feeling better, when she

a. dances while driving?
b. eats a pound of cherries on one sitting?
c. is excited to be out of the house?
d. gets her laundry room spotless?
e. all of the above
f. all of the above, except d

If you guessed "e," you are asking too much from your friend. If you guessed "f," thank you for you compassion and understanding. Laundry is not in my to-do list when I'm well, let alone when I'm just recovering. I've missed writing in my blog these past two days, but I just didn't feel like doing anything. I had to force myself out of bed to fulfill my responsibilities as a mom. Whatever I had, cold or flu, left my body weak, so I've tried to take it easy.

Today, after I fed Charlton, I got him out of his chair, and put him down on the floor. I was about to get his bath ready, when I see his face turning sour. Now, Charlton has beautiful smiles and I've taken many pictures of his smiley face, but I've always wanted to have a picture of him while crying. I'm not talking about cries that come because of hunger or tiredness or a dirty diaper. I'm talking about those adorable cries that start little by little and by which your child is trying to say "you've hurt my feelings" or "I can't believe you did that to me." It's a cry that starts with shock, sadness and then continues with anger. I call them tantrum cries. Anyways, I've been wanting to get a picture of Charlton's tantrum cry for a long time, but I'm never near the camera. So, today, when he started his cry that promised to be a tantrum cry, I immediately went to get my camera hoping I was going to click my masterpiece. The minute he sees my camera, he does this


I promise he had a totally sour face before this. The only thing I can think of is that I've totally programed my son to smile when he sees a camera! I'm glad he is a happy fellow, but I'm not giving up on the sour face picture. I'll post it as soon as I get it.

This afternoon, I had a great time reading to my boys. Toward the end of our reading time, I was reading to them this book about mischievous royalty. The boys payed attention for the first few stories,but this was a long book, so they left me and went to play. I was enjoying this book myself, so I kept reading till I finished it. I thought it was a fun and entertaining book with lots of interesting facts. I loved the illustrations and its humor. The purpose of the book was to help young audiences to not always believe any story they read, instead they should keep the Scottish essayist, Carlyle, motto "History is a Distillation of Rumors" in mind and do their own research. The title of the book is " The Raucous Royals - Test your royal wits: crack codes, solve mysteries, and deduce which royal rumors are true." Here are some interesting facts I learned from it:

• Richard III is known to be the meanest uncle in the history, being accused for killing his nephews. Did you know that the accusations were made stronger when Thomas More wrote a biography of Richard III years later after the king died? Shakespeare also labeled him as an evil villain in his play and totally destroy any good info left of the dead king. Neither men had ever met the king. Thomas More was too young when Richard died, and Shakespeare just use More's biography as a resource. Their rumors influenced generations to come that saw Richard III as evil, without any actual proof. In 1998, "a mock trial was chaired by the chief justice of the United States, the Honorable William H. Rehnquist. The chief justice found that there was not enough evidence to convict Richard and stated that the accounts of More and Shakespeare were merely "rumor on rumor." Isn't that funny and sad at the same time?!
  
• Queen Elizabeth knew eight languages (Greek, French, Italian, Latin, Spanish, Flemish, Welsh, and English), and she liked to flirt using each one of them, at different times of course.
  
• "Louis XIV towered over his subjects at an amazing six feet, ten inches. Unfortunately, he was only five feet, four inches when naked. To compensate for his short stature, he wore a twelve-inch-high wig and six inch red heels. But this was one look that no one could copy. Louis decreed that only the king could wear red heels." As if any man would want to wear RED heels. The vanities of royalty, especially the short ones!
• Napoleon was a short man as we all know by the paintings that portray him. Did you know, though, that he actually measured five feet six inches, which in our times may not be tall, but not short either? The most interesting fact was also that the average height in Northern Europe in the late 18th century was five feet, four and half inches! Napoleon was taller than the average guy! (The short rumor actually started by the Brits who portrayed him as a midget in their cartoons, because of their spite. I'm sure that if Napoleon had been a Brit, he would have looked colossal in their paintings.)
• We all know that Maire Antoinette's uttering of the famous line "Let them eat cake" brought her to the guillotine. Well, the funny thing is that Marie never said those words. In 1766, the French philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau claimed a "great princess" had heartlessly suggested the poor eat cake if they had no bread. This "great princess' couldn't have been Marie, because she was just eleven at the time and living in Austria. The rumor must have been spread by someone who wanted the royals dead for their own ambitions, and they knew how ready to be convinced the masses were, being all hungry and tired of taxes.
• Shakespeare may have liked history a lot, as shown by his many historical plays, but he didn't bother to do much research. He loved to be dramatic, and what better tools than made up facts, or gossip, as he later made up the word himself, to use in his plays. Shakespeare was the ultimate rumor spreader.

Don't you love this stuff? At least I did; it might have been the staying all day at home, that made me see everything else as entertaining.

Speaking of cartoons, here is one that Gillian drew yesterday. I really like it. I better be on her good side when she draws me in her cartoons. I wouldn't want to have Napoleon's luck and be drawn as a midget. Oh, I forgot. I'm already a midget. A midget with a big personality, though. (I'm sure that's how every short person presents him/herself to the world.) Okay, enough with midget talk. Here is Gillian's pretty cartoon:

My Savior's Love

Today I really enjoyed church. We had ward conference and our Bishop and Stake President both spoke to us. The spirit was very strong, and you felt it in your heart that these men were truly called of God. I loved feeling the humility and the love of God that these men demonstrated through their words and actions. I hope one day I can emulate that kind of humility in my own self. I had a special experience today as we were singing the hymns during sacrament meeting. I felt the Spirit very strongly and kept crying. I'm grateful to admit that just like most of you I feel the Spirit often in various ways. Sometimes, the Holy Ghost demonstrated itself to me as the Comforter, sometimes it whispers in my heart or mind with a specific warning or guidance or inspiration, and sometimes, like today, it just swells my heart with joy and gratitude for my Savior and His love for me. I don't know what it was that prompted it. It might have been the powerful words of my leaders, or the power of the Book of Mormon's words that I read today before church, or the truthful words of the song since I payed more attention to them having no voice to sing the melody because of my cold, or a combination of them all. Whatever it was, I'm grateful I had that experience. I felt humbled and loved to be a daughter of God. I felt happy and blessed to have the gospel in my life. I felt overwhelmed with love for my Savior. The song that touched my heart today was called "I Know That My Redeemer Lives." Here are the words as well as the song sang by the Mormon Tabernacle:

I Know That My Redeemer Lives

Peacefully

31243, Hymns, I Know That My Redeemer Lives, no. 136

1. I know that my Redeemer lives.
What comfort this sweet sentence gives!
He lives, he lives, who once was dead.
He lives, my ever-living Head.
He lives to bless me with his love.
He lives to plead for me above.
He lives my hungry soul to feed.
He lives to bless in time of need.

2. He lives to grant me rich supply.
He lives to guide me with his eye.
He lives to comfort me when faint.
He lives to hear my soul’s complaint.
He lives to silence all my fears.
He lives to wipe away my tears.
He lives to calm my troubled heart.
He lives all blessings to impart.

3. He lives, my kind, wise heav’nly Friend.
He lives and loves me to the end.
He lives, and while he lives, I’ll sing.
He lives, my Prophet, Priest, and King.
He lives and grants me daily breath.
He lives, and I shall conquer death.
He lives my mansion to prepare.
He lives to bring me safely there.

4. He lives! All glory to his name!
He lives, my Savior, still the same.
Oh, sweet the joy this sentence gives:
“I know that my Redeemer lives!”
He lives! All glory to his name!
He lives, my Savior, still the same.
Oh, sweet the joy this sentence gives:
“I know that my Redeemer lives!”

Text: Samuel Medley, 1738–1799. Included in the first LDS hymnbook, 1835.

Music: Lewis D. Edwards, 1858–1921

Job 19:25

Psalm 104:33–34

I know that my Redeemer lives. No one can take that knowledge away from me. No one can prove it otherwise even with all the scientific explanations. I know it deep in my heart and mind, and that surpasses this earthly realm's understandings. I'm grateful for my Savior and the comfort He gives me.

Each to his own

Since Charlton and I were not feeling very well, we decided that this Saturday instead of going for a family outing, we would stay home and rest. Elijah was happy of this decision since he actually had a lot to do. Charlton spent his day by taking multiple naps, and I found my comfortable spot and read.
While Elijah was doing yard work, the children were weeding our garden. Then, Elijah tilled it, and now the garden looks very pretty. The corn is growing rapidly, and the squash and tomatoes have flowers blooming without shame. Even our tiny strawberry plants are giving produce already. We are all so excited, and I did abandoned my comfy chair for a few minutes just so I could take some pictures (the children actually insisted that I go out and see our pretty garden, so I didn't have a choice.)
After the children finished their garden chores, they settled to watch a movie. Saturday is their movie day, and they decided to watch "Singing in the rain." Isn't that movie so fun to watch! Every time my children watch this movie, my boys beg me for some tap shoes. Today I told them to improvise with their church shoes. They weren't pleased with my answer, but they did it anyways, and had a great time imitating certain parts of the movie. When this was over, Gillian went to her own room, doing arts and crafts and listening to books-on-tape,



James found his "reading" spot, and settled for some good reading on his own (he doesn't know how to read, but he loves to look at the pictures; every child does that, and I think it's a good thing because it sharpens their understanding and helps them pay attention to details.)

Jefferson, the hands-on-guy, went to help his father with his projects. Elijah had to do something with his motorcycle, and then set our new grill up, and Jefferson was in heaven while helping his dad.
All in all, we had a good day. Elijah finished his projects using every minute of the day, and the children and I enjoyed our rest.

"To thine own self be true" - Shakespeare

This morning James and I were getting ready to visit the zoo. We made our sandwiches and snacks ready, and then went to Charlton's room to wake him up and get him ready. I was shocked to notice that Charlton had wax all over his ears, and to tell the truth I was a bit scared. I had never seen wax come out of the ear on its own. I went to the computer and checked medical websites, called Elijah, as well as my mother. The agreement was that Charlton had a simple cold. Nevertheless, I made up my mind to stay home and keep Charlton warm and cozy. There was a slight wind outside, and the weather was a bit chilly. It was actually beautiful, but I worried the wind would hurt Charlton's ears. So, we stayed home. I spent some time with Charlton, playing on the floor with him, while James did some puzzles next to us. After Charlton went to take a nap, James and I read several picture books as well as one chapter book. After that, we played few games of Book of Mormon Go Fish, as well as Star Trek Uno. Then it was time to pick up Jefferson. Since it's Friday, the children don't have homework. When they come back from school, I always do an activity of their choice with them. Jefferson wanted to read few books, and then play Go Fish, Uno, and Old Maid. By the time I was done playing cards, I was ready for my own relaxation. I sent the boys upstairs to listen to books-on-tape, and then finished my book. Between yesterday and today, the boys were delighted to listen to five of Roald Dahl's novels. Usually they will sit on the floor and draw, while listening to the books. However, when I went to get them so we could pick up Gillian from school, both brothers were laying in James' bed and listening very attentively. Now, I don't think books-on-tape should substitute the parents reading to the children, but as a quiet time activity is one of the best. All of my children love to listen to them, and at the same I'm provided with some quiet time as well, during which I either read or nap. After we picked up Gillian, we went to get my car washed. This time, however, I brought some chapter books with me. Last time, I noticed my boys were drawn to the magazine rack located inside the waiting area. And we all know what those magazines show on the cover or inside! We finished one chapter book and started another while we waited. 1 for the classics and 0 for the trashy magazines!
When we got home, I was greeted by a nice surprise. I received this very special card by my friend, Katherine. On their way to Mongolia, where they are stationed for two more years as a state department family, they had a stop in Korea. While stretching her legs by checking a few stores out, she happened to see something that reminded her of me, a pretty book mark. I love the book mark, but most of all I love my friend for thinking of me and for knowing that I would truly appreciate such a sweet act. Thank you, Katherine.

Tonight, a few of my friends and I went to the movies. We watched "Letters to Juliet." We arrived at the theater a bit early, so it was empty initially, and we also acted as if that theater belonged to us. You can't help it acting as a teenager when you have no kids around, or husbands for that matter. Don't take me wrong, we'll always be mothers and wives, but it's important sometimes to throw those hats out for few hours, and be yourself, a young girl at heart. The movie was funny and romantic, although the romance was very cheesy. But we all liked it and it was a good diversion from the realities of life, pleasant or sad they may be.

Nine months of deliciousness

I cannot believe Charlton has been with us for just nine months. It seems as if he has been with us for always. We truly can't seem to remember life without Charlton and without his laughter booming in our home. He is such a great addition to our family and we love him tremendously.
During this past month, Charlton has pushed another tooth through, making six altogether, three on the top and three on the bottom. He eats very well, and this month his favorite food is pineapple. I was afraid to give it to him, since pineapple is kind of stringy and I didn't want him to choke, but this little butterball had no problems eating and enjoying the fruit. He is finally sleeping through the night, from seven at night to seven in the morning, and is still taking one four-hour nap and one two-hour nap. Each day, we are learning new things about Charlton, just like he is learning new things about the world that sorrounds him. He absolutely adores his siblings, especially James. They laugh for minutes at a time. He recognizes us well now, and whenever he sees me he wants me to pick him up. When he sees Elijah coming home from work, he smiles at him immediately. Charlton jumps up and down when he hears music, so we think he might have inherited his mom's love for dancing, or dad's good music ear. For some reason we have yet to understand, Charlton loves to look at pictures, and they don't have to be pictures of his family. Every time he sees pictures on the wall or in a magazine he gets excited. Because he has a mother who takes pictures very often, he loves to be in front of the camera as well. I don't have to make him laugh; the minute I take my camera out and direct it toward him, he starts smiling. He has been saying ba-ba, and ma-ma, and this week's sound is "g." He just likes to say that sound. He has been trying to imitate what his brothers do, and then, when he gets frustrated he stuffs whatever he's playing with in his mouth. He hasn't crawled yet, but scoots everywhere he needs to go. His scooting is very funny; it's circular, not straight line. He has attempted to crawl, but so far we've seen him move his bottom up and down, and not his knees or arms. We've also discovered that Charlton likes being independent; when I try to unbuckle him or feed him, he pushes my hands and tries to do it himself. We are so enjoying Charlton. He is so happy and as such radiates just joy and sunshine into our lives.


Here is a short video of Charlton doing what he loves best, laughing.

My pride and joy

Tuesday evening Gillian and Jefferson had Open House at their school. The children wanted their dad to come too, so we waited for Elijah to get back from work, and then headed to the school. We started with Jefferson, since he was way too excited and impatient to show us his work and projects. I was impressed with Jefferson's work and the knowledge he has gathered in such a short time. My favorite thing about Jefferson's work was his art and the individuality he showed in each of them. Most art projects were very similar, but Jefferson's always had something unique added to it. I've mentioned the cherry tree with its squirrel added to it. We also saw a drawing of a chameleon. Each student had drawn their own version of the chameleon with their own choice of colors and dimensions. However, each student had drawn just that, a chameleon. Not Jefferson. He had made his chameleon in action, with its tongue out catching a fly. He sure has an amazing imagination. I hope it never leaves him.

When we arrived at Gillian's classroom, she took her father's hand and showed him all of her work. She was very proud and thrilled to have us there, especially to have her father. Gillian's work was full of imagination as well. I guess all those books that they read enrich their minds in many ways, and that is manifested in all of their everyday activities, including their school work. Gillian also had a lot to say when it came to science projects. She had filled pages after pages with her observations about different kinds of projects. One of the projects had to do with the butterfly cycle and their teacher had brought butterflies in their classroom since they were caterpillars. The students had observed the cycle and kept notes on each of the stages. When the butterflies had come out of their chrysalises, Gillian told me she had named the butterflies so she could observe more accurately without mistaking them. I also got to talk to her teacher, whom I absolutely love. She is so perfect for Gillian and they get along very well. Her teacher is demanding, but kind, and has helped Gillian work hard to achieve her potential. She told me that she was very proud of Gillian. She said that Gillian was not only a star student when it came to academics, but she was a star student in behaviour as well. The teacher pointed out that to be bright and polite is a rare combination, and that she was very proud of her. My heart was bursting with joy. I love my Gillian; she is my example of a Christlike behavior. Speaking of Gillian, when I picked her up today, I was doing my singing stunt, again. She was waiting with the other students on the curb, and she could see me in my car on the other side of the road. When I saw her, I started to dance and do funny moves in the car just so she could laugh while waiting for my car to reach her. To my astonishment, she started to dance as well. I loved it. She wasn't embarrassed that her mom was being silly in the car, but further more she joined me as well. I don't know how long this phase of "I don't care what others think, I love my mom" will last, but while I have it I'm enjoying it. When she got in the car, we kept performing to our hearts' desire, although there was a moment when she said that I'd better leave the singing to her, and that I should just focus on my dancing. And that's what I did.

Tonight, when Elijah got home, I was honestly feeling run down. I hadn't been feeling well these couple of days, but when you're a mother, you can't let things like sickness prevent you from fulfilling your duties as a mother. That is not to say that I wasn't loosing my patient with Gillian's math, or Jefferson's reading, or Charlton's demands, or even James' desire to have my attention. To top that, I was trying to figure out what to cook for dinner so I could please everyone, and have it ready before Elijah went to the temple. Wednesday is his temple attendance day, and I try to have dinner ready right away, so he can have some time with the kids before he goes to the temple. Tonight wasn't working well. I had a headache, a sore throat, and I just wanted to curl up in a warm bed with a good book. Ah, the luxuries of a mother! Well, needless to say I couldn't do that for reasons mentioned above. Well, when Elijah got home and greeted each and everyone of us, he kind of sensed that I wasn't doing well. Right there and then he decided he would go to the temple tomorrow. This isn't usual for Elijah. He rarely changes his plans. First, because he is very busy and needs to plan ahead, and secondly, because of his personality. He is a planner by nature, and not a spontaneous guy. Thirdly, when it comes to the gospel, he never compromises, even in just changing a date. The way he sees it is that he has given his word to the Lord, and would never change it. I told him he shouldn't change his plans and that he should go. I honestly wanted him to stay and take care of things for me, but as mothers and wives we try sometimes to be heroines just because. I was grateful to hear Elijah say that he would take care of the dinner, play with the boys some card games, and then do some math exercises with Gillian, while I read to the boys. And that's what we did. Later on, we watched a couple of episodes of "Burn Notice" on the computer for relaxation. After that, while I was reading a book in my warm bed, he did the dishes that I hadn't done all day. I know Elijah had a lot of other things that he needed to do, but I'm grateful that he followed the spirit to stay home tonight and take care of me instead. I really needed it, and there is absolutely no shame in admitting that you need help once in a while.

Perfectly precious

Today, as the older boys were playing Whack-a-mole with Elijah, Charlton was sitting by them and looking very curiously at what they were doing. Later, when the boys were done with the game, and had left their game pieces on the floor, I see Charlton taking the pretend hammer and trying to hit the game just like the boys had done earlier. He tried a few times, and then gave up by putting it in his mouth, and then putting the whole game in his mouth, at least he tried. It was really funny. I was amazed that he had observed them so attentively and then reproduce what he had seen.

James had broken a glass earlier today, and we all know that it doesn't matter how much you vacuum or mop, there will always be small pieces left somewhere in the floor. So, it was no surprise that later tonight Gillian screamed at having felt a piece of glass in her foot. Elijah took care of it, and she stopped crying. Meanwhile, James comes to me and asks if he could share his candy with Gillian since she isn't feeling well. Upon hearing that, Jefferson also offered his candy to her. As James gives the candy to Gillian, he says to her that from now on he'll call her 'sweetheart', because she is sweet. I love it when my boys are kind to their sister; it will help them learn how to be kind and gentle with their girlfriends and wives.
Tonight, as Elijah was teaching about the Articles of Faith during our Family Home Evening and Gillian was reciting them effortlessly, James, who was sitting next to me at the time, whispers in my ear, saying: "Isn't Gillian perfect!" I kissed him and told him that he was my precious little boy, and that he was perfect to me as well. For family prayer, James didn't forget to thank Heavenly Father for helping Gillian's foot. How I love James and how much he teaches me!

My neighbor told me the other day that I could have a go at her roses if I wanted any. I like having flowers in my house at all times, so I buy them. But to have roses from a garden, that is a special treat. Today, Gillian and I went out and cut a few. They are so beautiful and my house smells like a garden.

Yosemite National Park (Part 3)

Gillian didn't do very well last night. She kept throwing up and had a light fever. Elijah kept getting up and helping her. I was no help, because I would feel sick just hearing her throw up. I'm not very good at taking care of sick people. I was reading this book set in ancient China about foot binding, and my feet were hurting the whole day. When I go to visit anyone in the hospital, I get so sick inside and have often fainted. Anyways, she did better after she threw up couple of times. She must have caught a stomach bug, because this whole ordeal lasted around 24 hours. Today, she was still weak, but didn't throw up much. I'm glad we were at a different campsite. The tent-room we got was very nice. The beds had clean sheets and blankets, and the room had a nice heating system, a door, plenty of towels, a trash can, and the bathrooms next to our tent had nice showers. Just like a hotel room, out in the nature. I like this kind of camping!

After packing the car and checking out, we went out for a little picnic. The kids just played along the river, and we, the adults, relaxed. We had planned that before we left for home today, we would look at the Bridal Fall close up. When we got there, we tried to go all the way up to the closest viewing point, and on our attempt we all got soaked. Alice, who stayed behind with her daughter, wanted to go and see it too, and when she got back she had no drops of water on her and she had been able to catch an amazing picture of the close-up waterfall. The only thing we could think of was that the wind changed direction when she got there. I did get some pretty pictures of the stream where the waterfall fell, although I wish now I had gone back and taken that close-up picture of the waterfall. So, I've got some unfinished business to take care of when I come back next time.


My favorite waterfall, however, was the Yosemite Falls. Actually, there were two different waterfalls in a row, and that made it so impressive. The Yosemite Falls is one of the highest waterfall in the world. The upper fall drops 1430 feet, the lower fall 320 feet and the combined total from rim to valley is 2445 feet. That is an overwhelming sight.

We really enjoyed this week-end. Yosemite National Park didn't disappoint us. We were really overwhelmed by its magnificent beauty and diverse attractions. As Gillian put it, God's creations are majestic.

Yosemity National Park (Part 2)

Today we got to see and touch the giant sequoias of the Yosemite National Park. After we had a really big and yummy breakfast, we headed toward the South entrance of Yosemite taking the Wawona Road. Upon our arrival there, we were notified they the 2 mile road to the entrance of the Mariposa grove was blocked and wouldn't be opened till next week. There was still snow on some areas, and the Park officials were being careful, so that the vehicles wouldn't have any accidents. As a result, we were left with one choice: walking. Gillian had thrown up in the car while driving through the windy roads toward the sequoias, and so I was worried about her. However, Gillian was the one to actually be several minutes ahead of me while walking and hiking the steep and tiring path toward our destination. Even Elijah was following behind her, having to hold each boy's hand to help them during the hard climbs. I followed behind pushing Charlton in his stroller. There were moments I would have loved to have switched places with him, but all in all the walk was refreshing and much needed after the big breakfast we had had.

Starting our walk

Enjoying the view while taking a break

Upon our arrival, minutes after Elijah and the children had arrived, I was greeted by them with applause calling out that team "Charlita" had finally arrived.

The Mariposa Grove contains about 500 giant sequoia trees spread over 250 acres. These are the largest living things on earth, some of them weighing at least two million pounds, and ranging in age from 2000 years to over 4000 years old.

We meet our first favorite

Gillian improvises to cool herself off

Children are way excited to see snow again

We were determined this was truly an elf house

Jefferson was amazed at the size of this pine cone

What a sight to behold! This tree had fallen two hundred years ago, and had stayed at the same place this whole time.

The very weird looking sequoia tree behind Elijah is called the Grizzly Giant, because of its strange looking branches. It is over 4000 years old. Amazing!
This was the highlight of my hike, the California tunnel tree. In the upper level of the grove, another 3 mile hike, there were bigger tunnel trees with opening for a car to go through. I was satisfied with these trees; maybe next time we'll take the shuttle and visit the other groves.

As we were going through this amazing sight of fantastic trees, Elijah was telling me how he was so proud of Gillian for being a great athlete and arriving first at our destination, even though she wasn't feeling well. Jefferson overheard us talking, and on the way back he decided he was going to be the first and win a prize just like Gillian. He did. Here is the children crew as we reach our point of return. Good job, everybody! You were real troopers!