Erin's horses

While Mario and I were in San Diego recently we were looking for a small gift to bring back to Erin. We came across a horse drawing book but decided not to buy it since I didn't think Erin liked to draw horses. When we returned from our trip, she was excited to show us what she had drawn while we were gone. Goes to show, we have a lot to learn about Erin and her varied interests.

Interviews

We try to hold weekly interviews with each of the kids. Unfortunately they usually end up being monthly interviews because we get busy and forget. The saying "A way to a man's heart is through his stomach" must apply to boys as well. I always ask the kids how we, as parents, can improve. Nathan's answer was to make more macaroni and cheese. Zachary's was to let him eat Trix cereal. Eric's answer was to not make him any more ham sandwiches for lunch.

I am not kidding, this is what all the boys said individually without hearing the other's responses. I guess they only area I need improving with my boys is in the meals. (I wish that were true.)

For those wondering what Erin said...Erin is a typical girl and always thinking she is being shortchanged. Her complaint was that Mario and I take the good cruises (Alaska) and only took her on one cheap cruise. I told her I guess since she didn't appreciate the one cruise, we won't take her on anymore.

New Guitar

Eric has been asking to take guitar lessons. We found a teacher who only charges $7 a lesson. The problem is that between piano lessons, scouts, and karate, he has no time to take guitar lessons. I talked to the teacher and she said she would just give lessons whenever he could fit it in. So here's Eric's new (used) electric guitar. Erin is planning to buy an acoustic guitar as soon as the "guitar guy" gets it all fixed up. Here's some pictures of my new rocker.

Our Week

Mario has been gone all week to Dominican Republic for work. He was fortunate enough to go to the temple while there. He even ran into and talked to Elder Anderson of the 70's. Mario said that the only other time he has met such friendly people in the temple was in Argentina. I guess he is trying to tell me Latinos are much friendlier. I am glad that he had a great week in Dominican and the kids and I survived without him.

I stayed busy all week trying to catch up on 15 years of scrapbooks. Years ago, I made Eric one for birth up until his 2nd birthday. I made Erin's from birth until about 18 months. I made the twins from birth to 3 months. I am only 5 1/2 years behind on theirs!

I made 3 albums this week using the Shutterfly website. I made one that included the last 15 years since Mario and I married. Then I made the twins each one from the time they were born until their 5th birthday. It was so much easier doing the albums digitally. But, it was still very time consuming and I feel bad for ignoring my kids for the past week. I think I will try to make Eric and Erin each one too, but it will have to wait a while. I am burnt out on scrapbooks for now.

Love Notes

These are a few of the love notes around my house today. Believe me, there are a few hundred more laying around.

And here are the busy elfs making even more. Sometimes they can be so sweet. It is probably an effort to butter me up for when they aren't so sweet later.

Laugh or be angry?

Today, Zach punched Nathan. I heard the punch, but surprisingly I didn't hear any crying that usually follows the punch. Since I heard the punch, I told Zach he needed to go to his room for a time out. Of course he didn't want to go. Nathan immediately forgave him for the punch and they continued playing nicely. Then a few minutes ago, I called to Nathan (for the 4th or 5th) time to come put his cereal bowl in the sink. I was distracted so it had been an hour or so since the last time I asked. Zachary must have known from the tone of my voice that Nathan was in trouble (and surprisingly knew why before I told him) so he quickly ran over and grabbed Nathan's bowl and put it in the sink for him.

I don't know if I should be angry with these two or just laugh. Maybe I will live longer if I just laugh and be glad that Eric and Erin aren't twins too.

Sometimes I like to wait outside their bedroom and listen to their conversations. They are very amusing (especially when they aren't about gross bodily functions that usually dominates their conversations). I often hear them asking each other who is their favorite person in the family. If they say someone else besides them, they say "So you don't like me?" It is really funny listening to them have these conversations over and over again. I have to say, I usually rank first in their list of favorites. I guess it is because I am way too easy on them (as illustrated by the above story.)

Where do I begin?

My sister is making me look really bad. She has been blogging almost daily lately. Like I always wrote in my journals, I will try to do better.

It has been a great month. First of all, grandma and papa flew out for Erin's 10th birthday and for Eric's 12th birthday. In our church, turning 12 is a big deal. He was finally able to receive the Priesthood and start passing the sacrament. He has been asking for a suit for a long time and Mario and I finally decided to get him one in time to pass the sacrament for the first time. Seeing him in a suit makes me incredibly sad because it will only be 7 short years before he leaves for his mission. Time goes way too fast.

The kids almost always want Mario to make his special ice cream cake for their birthdays. The problem with ice cream cake is that you can't decorate it the same way as you decorate regular cakes. Erin really wanted an ice cream cake but she wanted it to have a horse on it. So Mario came up with this way to decorate her cake. She loved it.

My dad stayed a week and was able to help Eric build a new "trick" bike. Eric really enjoyed that time with Papa.

My mom stayed an extra week and watched the kids so Mario and I could go to San Diego for a few days. It was so nice to get away and have a little vacation. We were able to go to the San Diego Temple for the first time. It was such a beautiful temple. Of course I am still partial to Washington D.C., but San Diego was amazing. We had a great time walking the beach too. On the last day, Mario decided to go swimming in the 69 degree water. He loved it and has already planned our next trip with the kids there in September.

We owe my mom a lot of thanks. She is so good with the kids. Mario and I wouldn't feel comfortable going away is she weren't here to watch them. We know they are in good hands with grandma. She did lots of cooking and sewing with Erin, playing legos and games with the twins, and hanging out taking pictures of Eric doing karate, piano, and bike riding. We are so thankful that she was able to visit. We are grateful for the good influence the grandparents are on our children. We are also grateful for all the pictures she took while here. I feel like I don't need to take any pictures for a while. Thank you mom and dad for coming.