This and that

Mainly because I'm so ridiculously behind on this blog, I realize that every remarkable thing my children have done in the past few months has been left undocumented *for shame!* The good news is that life hasn't stopped... apparently only my ability to sit down and recount has ceased.  At any rate, her is what we've been up to:
Brian:

• Still Elder's quorum president and busy with his calling.
• Still working for the city.  He's been launching a new computer program and more or less in charge of it, though we never seem to see financial compensation for his efforts. Still, it shows his ability and gives him the opportunity to do things right.
• He's a gong building machine these days.  This is both fun and annoying :)
• He also built two guns.. who knows? maybe he will go into business.
• He's getting excited for the upcoming birth of our next little girl.
• We are a week away from celebrating our 4th anniversary... time is an interesting thing in how it can feel like a moment and an eternity at the same time.

Lenaya:

• I continue to try to do crafts and fun things with the kids, but at 36 weeks pregnant, I'm struggling to keep the energy and comfort.
• My blood pressure has spiked at multiple doctor's appointments so they finally put me on medication.  It seems to be working, though my numbers continue to be much higher at the doc's than at home.
• I'm proud that I've only gained 10 lbs this pregnancy, but I'm still incredibly uncomfortable both because it's the end of the road and I started out so overweight... blegh
• I went with Larissa to Susanville where we holed up in a hotel room and made great progress on our book. If we do that a few more times, we might actually finish it.
• I'm still teaching at UNR and TMCC.  I'm apprehensive about keeping this little girl in my belly until I can at least finish up UNR.
• I'm also excited about the upcoming birth, though I imagine more cautiously.  Those first few weeks are hard.  Worth it, but hard.
• I'm still serving in the Young Women which is hard to believe after all these years.  I do love my girls though!

Ekco:

• Ekco's mom and step dad got divorced so life has altered pretty significantly for her.  She moved back to Battle Mountain which was less than thrilling for her, but she has made the most of it.
• We still have her alternating weekends, but she also goes to her step dad's on some weekends where she gets to spend time with her Spring Creek friends.
• She's a young woman. She is not longer a girl at all. She is simply a young woman. She has abandoned all things child and even helps out with the kids at the museum rather than playing in or with any of the exhibits.
• She loves her tablet and has entered the I-text-1000-times-per-day-stage.
• She continues to love anime and art both of which she's talented at.
• She is in chorus at school which is an excellent fit for her!
• She's desperate to learn the piano and plays every chance she gets at grandma's house.

Xiana:

• She is suddenly reading! It's remarkable! 
• She finally hit a growth spurt... it only took 6 years, but she is no longer the shortest in her class or social groups.  She grew 4 inches this year... 2lbs.  We will work on the weight part.
• She came to me on Martin Luther King Junior's birthday weekend and tried to explain how what's on the inside is more important than the outside (in a somewhat convoluted way). I tried to get to the bottom of her question, "it doesn't matter what we do only who we are right?" without panicking too much before she explained that it was "king Arthur's birthday and he made it so brown people and white people could drink out of drinking fountains and that people could sit anywhere on the bus and that we could see people because of who they are, not what they look like." It was touching, so I showed her part of the "I have a Dream" speech on youtube.  It was rewarding to have this conversation with my sweet little brown girl.
• One day Kolton was watching a video on youtube that sounded strange so I asked what he was watching.  Xiana piped in, "he's learning about nonstandard measurements." Made me laugh so hard!
• I went into her school to talk to the class about my job for career week. I started by asking how many of them knew English. They all raised their hands. Then I explained that I taught English to grown ups and asked why that would be.  Xiana raised her hand and said, "because the people with special voices have to learn English." Another little friend of hers said, "because when you go on a mission, you have to learn a new language."  It was stinking cute! 
• She's obsessed with her new bunk bed where she sleeps on the top.
• She's a very efficient house cleaner despite her sometimes psycho yelling mom. She fights with Kolton a lot... sometimes provoked and sometimes unprovoked.  We are working on it.  She's also very sweet with him at times playing games and keeping him entertained.
• She's through the moon at the arrival of a baby sister and wants her to arrive daily.

Kolton:

• He has also grown a ton this year.  He is tall and skinny with a spectacular vocabulary.
• One day he came inside after playing outside for only 20 minutes or so (he lives for the outdoors). He asked me to take his coat off. I said sure but why are you coming inside? He said, "because I don't wanna pway that stupid game where I always have to be the baby!" Apparently mommy and sweetie is not his favorite.  My mom and I were rolling.
• One day he told me, "mom, tending I am batman and you are hot girl!"  Again, dying laughing I later learned there is a hawk girl on his super hero show.
• He's obsessed with all things super hero.
• He is officially day and night potty trained! And it was only one really bad week... the rest was pretty easy.  Just in time!
• While driving past the bank one day he asked, "mommy, can we go to the sucker place?"
• He says, "I wuv you" approximately 1000 times per day.
• He is very rough and tumble.  He loves to wrestle, fight, climb, kick, jump, etc.  He was wresting with Kevin one night when he said, "watch out, here comes the muscle!"
• On new years Eve he got really into toasting the sparkling cider.  At a later breakfast we were served apple juice.  He told me, "I don't wike dis kinda apple juice, I wike that kind what has bubbles and I say, 'happy new year!'"
• He is still drawn to "buddies"  He told me one day, "I wuv my buddies. I wuv Chase. I wuv JR. I wuv my motorcycle buddy. I wuv that blue boy." Speaking about one of the young men in a blue sweatshirt.
• He's sassy and doesn't listen very well, but he's also incredibly sweet. I scolded Xiana and told her I should give her a spanking and he said, "but her is sitting on her bum in her carseat so you can't give her a panking."
• He's obsessed with Brian's whiskers and told me the other day, "Mom, look, I have whiskers on my arms!"
• He got his immunizations in time for baby sister and later in the week I had to spend the night at the hospital.  When he and Brian came to visit me and the nurse came in Kolton said, "scuse me doctor, I already had my shots." It was hilarious. The following morning, when I came home, he came running out and hugged my legs exclaiming, "mommm! I thought that I never see you again!" I told him that was silly since we'd explained all along that I would be out the next day. Later, it was chilling to realize that his last experience with a hospital was my dad's accident. His only understanding of the hospital, as a result, was death. It broke my heart.  It was probably a good preview for him, though, so that when Brian and I are both at the hospital he can understand that we will be home.
• He's excited about his baby sister though he'd still like it to be a "big baby boy." 

Mr. potato head!