Not The Most Ideal Keepsake

November ended on a high note: Jude learned to ride a two-wheel bike. A little embarrassed to admit I was shocked he got it on his first attempt. He's five years old and although I don't really know if that's late or early or smack dab in the middle, his disinterest made us think for a while that he might end up being the only person ever to pick his first date up on a bike with training wheels.

But I don't want to think about first dates. The only woman in Jude's life right now is me.  He even wrote me a beautiful letter the other day:

"I LUV MOM"

He sounded it out by himself and wrote it down one evening and I was so touched. But then he penned his thoughts again the next day and this is what happened:

"I DON'T LIKe MOM WiN MOM DUZIN LeT Jude PLAe Mie DS"

Not one to beat around the bush, my Jude. So cute how he wrote out his name and used the silent "e" to make the long vowel sounds. We generally limit the DS-playing for various reasons like, oh, turning your brain into mush. It's as simple as that for me. For Jude, however, it is a little more complicated, a bit like removing his will to live. This case was particularly difficult because Eli got to play his DS but Jude couldn't because he wasn't behaving. I know, I'm awful. It's so not fun being the bad guy. My heart sank when I started reading what he wrote. The only comfort I took when he showed me this note was that he made sure to preface it with, "I still love you mommy. I'm just learning how to write."

Still a lot of cuteness going on despite wiping out in a parking lot:

Also quite scrumptious but deceptive, because one would not be able to tell by this picture that my little winter bunny has the ability to poop diapers that would redefine one's entire definition of offensive:

 

If Only Every Weekend Could Be Four Days

About a month ago, I was introduced to a gal visiting our church who "had to meet Eli's mother". I had never met her before, but it turns out she's seen all of Eli's video clips on my facebook. How funny that Eli has a fan. I'm his mother, so of course I find almost everything he does to be adorable, no matter how strange. The other night as I was getting him ready for bed, he said very matter of factly, "Mommy, when I go to bed, my butt always itches." I chuckled and wasn't sure if he wanted me to take some sort of action, like it was a symptom of something. But isn't that just a symptom of being a guy?    

I don't know if it's because she's our "baby" or because we're so out-of-our-mind busy that she's pretty much raising herself, but Audrey surprises us daily with what she can comprehend, say, or do. These days when we walk down the stairs and she sees her brothers, she'll nonchalantly greet them with, "Hi guys!" (sounds like "Hi, duys!") Probably not very interesting to the average person, but this is my baby.... my littlest peanut... the one I just weaned earlier this year and who could only say "mommy" and "daddy" a few months ago. So it shocks me that she understands and "gets" things. She's already singing the alphabet and counting to ten. Before I know it, she'll be reading the Twilight series and screaming uncontrollably at the sight of Robert Pattinson. The nightmare of it all.   

One weekend while Kwang was away on business I decided to have a "movie night" with the kids. A co-worker passed along a coupon for the movie "Up" so we went out and bought it. It was such a touching and heartwarming movie. But ten minutes into the film right after the journey of the old man's life and the scene where his wife passes, Jude turned to me and said, "Mommy, I thought you said this was a fun movie...?" Nevertheless, the evening was a hit and the boys asked for another movie night the following night. And the next. And the one after that.   

 

This is probably the longest I've gone without posting anything and even as I sit here writing this, there is a list of a pachillion things to do running through my head. I want to say this is one of the most difficult phases of our little family's history. Between Kwang's current work schedule, my work schedule, the boys' school schedules, and our family's general schedule, I feel like I'm barely hanging on each day. But on this Thanksgiving weekend, I would be foolish not to be thankful for so many things-- my husband, my children, my family back in Chicago, our health, our home, our jobs. Happy Thanksgiving!