November in California is the best. It brings a mixture of warm, sunny days when kids can go outside, jump in the trampoline, and enjoy the beautiful colors of fall and the crisp, fresh air. It also lets the rain visit on occasion, thus allowing us to stay inside, relax, and enjoy each other reading, playing board games, or creating art. And in my case, catch up on some sleep!
Illyria is growing strong and beautiful with each day. It is so sweet to see my children love and care for her so very much. My older children are truly a great help with her. As soon as they get home, they all want to hold, feed, or wash her. But their favorite is playing and talking to her. My favorite is seeing either of them sit on the recliner with a book on my hand and Illyria on the other. Heaven! Illyria loves to smile, but I think this child is going to be a thinker. She takes life in with such seriousness and thoughtfulness that at times it makes me slow down and try to notice what she is observing. Such a darling, sweet child!
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| I spy Illyria somewhere in this picture! |
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| Very typical Illyria look! |
Charlton has really enjoyed the attention I've been giving him lately. We've set time out of each day to do something just the two of us. We work on art projects on Monday (although we do all sorts of art creations throughout the week; he is such an art enthusiast!). We read classics, and at the moment I'm reading to him Charlotte's Webb and Mr. Popper's Penguins. I also have him read to Illyria on his own, which of course makes him feel like an awesome big brother. I signed him up for ice skating on Saturdays; he didn't like it in the beginning because it was hard, but now he's really enjoying it. And on occasion, we go on dates together. This past week I asked him what he wanted to do for our date, and he chose to go to the library, to Michaels to buy art supplies, and to Yogurtland to enjoy a treat with his mom. Illyria came with us, but she was mostly asleep. I think spending special time with him has helped Charlton know that I still love him although most of my time is spent with Illyria. It's a hard concept to understand for a little boy who spent the past year all day and everyday doing things with just mom. But he is learning. And boy, is he sharp!
James and Jefferson are both doing great with school. They got awards today for being the best readers in their grade with Jefferson achieving a 10th grader's level, and James a 6th grader's level. James just finished the Harry Potter series, which he started in the beginning of September. His older sibling kept testing him to see if he really understood what he had read, and of course he showed them how smart he is. I think the older ones were a bit jealous that I allowed James to read this specific series before he turned 9, like I had done with them. But it wasn't that I thought James was smarter than them; they just kept talking about Harry Potter with each other and not being considerate about their brother. Now they talk about Harry Potter all the time! Even Charlton knows who the characters are!
James also received an award for exemplary leadership in his class. His teacher sent us a note the other day telling us how much she appreciated James's calming and thoughtful personality. That's James for you - the peacemaker, the loving boy, the considerate friend.
Jefferson is loving his scout meetings, playing the piano, enjoying his own room again and reading till very late, and helping with Illyria. This past week he attended three birthday parties, two of them took place in an indoor race track, where in both times he was the winner of all the races. Anything Jefferson does, he will do it to the best of his abilities. I love his drive to win!
Gillian is blossoming this semester. She loves her homeschooling classes, and has made wonderful friends. She has fun with them either cooking, or doing school projects, or just being together and sharing their individual talents. I love my Gillian; she is a great help with Illyria during the day, and a great sister to her siblings. She loves to compose on the piano, she enjoys drawing, is having fun playing basketball and singing in the children's choir, and recently she has been into creating rap songs. But my favorite talent of Gillian of course is her writing. She is truly very prolific, writing several poems and prosaic inspirations a day. Here are but a few of her inspirations:
Listen.
Fast world,
busy streets, people who never miss a beat.
Train
tracks, news stand, what has happened to this land?
People all
rushing by, on their phones, telling lies.
And I wonder..........
What would
it be like if we listened more? What would happen if we listened more?
Spray paint,
dirty walls. Wobbly stairs, ancient dolls. And I wonder.......
What would
happen if we listened more? What would it be like if we listened more?
Would things
be better? Would there be more letters, if you thought about more than you?
Just
listen........ Just listen....... And I wonder....... What would happen if we
listened more?
The seasons.
Winter
Cold.
Cold beyond description. The kind of chill that makes you gasp for air, it
penetrates into your very soul, carving you into a human icicle. The very air
is clogged with the painful freezing feeling. But do not despair! Even in the
cold arms of winter beauty finds its place in the still, frozen ponds,
glimmering and sparkling as the sun hits it just right. The trees to give their
tribute, their bare and glistening arms shine and blind the eyes; their hands
hold the fluffy, frigid snow that falls from the skies, coming to rest on the
frozen limbs of the lonely and desolate trees. So silent, so deadly, the
unsuspecting autumn stands no chance as the winter creeps in. The wind howls, blowing away the leaves who
foolishly believed that the cruel winter would spare them. The skies are rent
and twain, land and sky clash in a deadly battle of the elements! The wind
blows across a frozen landscape, now unrecognizable from the day before, as the
dread master himself, king of all the elements, emperor of the sky and the raging winds, lord of the
seasons......... Winter.
Spring
The sky is still
dark, not even the birds are awake now. We are at the point where winter, like
the wicked witch of the west, is slowly melted away.......... and spring
emerges from the puddle. Spring. That joyous word brings to mind flowers
blooming with bright, almost brilliant colors. The sun comes out from behind a
fluffy cloud, bringing warmth and hope to the cold and desolate world at long
last. As the day progresses, young children come out to play, followed by their
loving mothers who chat in the shade as there little ones bond and live life to
its full potential. However, these innocents are not the only souls at peace
now that the great winter is over and done.
The ants and the butterflies for example, are very eager to crawl out of
their nests and to look upon this new world of warmth and sunshine. Satisfied
they to frolic in their own way, buzzing around, sniffing anything that moves,
and all in all having a very good time. If Winter is the master of the seasons,
then Spring is the mother. She takes anything and everything to her bosom,
loving it and caring for it, until she is satisfied and her visit is done.
Summer
Ah, summer. You
are the happiest season of all. Playful and daring, loud and
rambunctious........ Yes, you are the rascal of the seasons. Heat. That is the
first thing our human minds register. Blistering, cowering, mindboggling heat!
Time to find a pool, and fast! A family on Whitman lane has just that idea. Ice
cream as well suddenly becomes ragingly popular! The family, (wanting to stay
cool at the pool) grabs half a dozen of these frozen candies. A scuffle in the
backseat starts due to the lack of a certain favorite ice cream. The
good-hearted sister tries to be a peacemaker, but unconsciously hurts the
youngest boy, bringing down the house. She joins the brawl with her soul at
rest at last. The angry mother raises a scolding finger and forbids their
“Villager fighting!” The oldest protests, raising her voice as she condemns the
youngest brother to his fate, the mother listens, sighs, and looks at the
father for help. He turns and gives the children an evil stare, ending the
fighting for that day. When the long-suffering parents and their happy children
finally make it to the pool, the children let loose with a joyful cry, (all
except the oldest, such things are below her) and run along the path tearing
off their garments and basically doing all things that make life precious and
annoy parents. Ah, summer. You are the happiest season of all!
Autumn
A tree stands
alone in the middle of a windy meadow. The smallest flowers bend and swirl at
the merest trace of breeze. This certain meadow is one of very few, it is
untouched by humans. Not a single person has set foot in this quiet place; the
grass grows tall and lush, swaying ever so slightly in the sleepy wind. So
quiet, so peaceful. This meadow is a sanctuary, a place of rest. The wind
caresses you softly, the flowers welcome you to their home, the sun gives you
some privacy and slides behind a cloud. The world is soft and tinted, its cold, but
it’s the kind of cold that reminds of an dream, a dream in which you can’t
really think straight and your sure everything is moving, you just can’t see
it. Swish............. Sway......... swish...............sway...............swish.......................Yes this is what I call autumn.
Elijah has worked very hard looking for a job, and hopefully soon we'll know something about a few of the interviews he has had recently. He has helped with the kids a lot, and especially with Illyria. He takes care of her when I do photo shoots or art gallery business. I appreciate his help.
Okay, time for me to end this, so before I say good-night here are a couple of jokes I heard on NPR'S show Wait, wait... Don't tell me of November 15. Enjoy!
SAGAL: He wanted to go to Mars but, of course, that's a red planet.
SAGAL: Putin apparently at some public event with all the leaders and all their wives reached over and put his shawl around the shoulders...
ROBERTS: He put his - it was an outdoor dinner and he was having a conversation with China's first lady. And she must have said she was chilly because - he's so smooth - he, I mean, just like - this was like James Bond smooth - he stands up and gently, very quickly, puts his coat over her shoulders so she's not cold.
SAGAL: Of course, being Putin, he was bare-chested under the coat.
SAGAL: But he did this and then, of course, it was very gallant, as they say. He then followed that act by declaring that she had always been a part of Russia and stationing tanks on her arms.
