Why I haven’t blogged in a month

To all my blog fans…you may have wondered where I’ve gone. (Most likely no one has noticed).  I have not written for the last month because my computer got a virus on it and when we ran our antivirus program, the computer shut down before it could complete the entire scan. So, David was afraid of letting me connect to the internet, thus my absence. Thankfully, he's a brilliant problem solver and fixed it for me. :)

So, let me update you on one of the latest happenings. 

Bath time:

The kids were squealing with delight as they took a bath.  As every mommy knows, that could mean two things. Either they are just having innocent, acceptable fun doing something creative and silly that only they could come up with or they are doing something creative, silly but messy and it will take a lot of cleaning up and lecturing about not getting water everywhere. Thankfully, in this case, it was the first. I walk in to find them filling up a cup with cold water and splashing it onto each other as they fall down and laugh hysterically. They explained that first they took a hot bath and then they turned it cold. They thought it felt “fresh” to pour cold water onto each other and told me that it actually made them warmer.  For those of you who don’t know, this is actually called hydrotherapy. When you are sick, it will boost your immune system to take a “hot and cold” shower. First you get super hot, and then turn it cold for 2 minutes, then back to hot, then back to cold. This stimulates the circulatory and lymphatic systems. I found it ironic that my kids discovered this while playing in the bath and that they actually like it! (A long time ago when Omega was 1 year old she got sick and I tried giving her a hydrotherapy treatment. She was afraid of the bathtub for a solid two months after that.  I haven’t tried it on them since.) It’s good to know they like it now!

This picture wasn't taken during this incident, but nonetheless they always have a fun time in the bath together and I love to capture it.

Being a child among them

After visiting with Faith, we had a enjoyable afternoon with my Dad in San Jose. We met at the park to play and chat. I remember being at the park a lot with my Dad when I was a little girl. I was always saying, "Daddy, watch what I can do!" and my Dad would give the most enthusiastic praise for my proud accomplishments. One thing that endeared me to my Dad was how he always wanted to do what we wanted to do. When we were little, it was going to the park and getting frozen yogurt. As we got older, we'd go to the movies and shopping. I always considered him to be fun. Consequently, I've always enjoyed being with him! I see the same thing with my kids.

My kids LOVE silliness. I'll admit, I'm still learning to be silly but David is a pro. I think half of my video clips are of him throwing them around, twirling them around, riding them on his back, tickling them and doing all sorts of things I would have never thought of, while they are hysterically laughing and saying, "can you do that again?".  One time Omega actually said, "I want to sit next to Daddy since he plays with us." The obvious implication was that I was boring, Dad was fun.

Janice let us borrow some DVD's called Character First. They are excellent resources for teaching character qualities. I knew that animal stories illustrated each character quality but I didn't know it would just be a guy talking. At first Omega and Orion were a bit disappointed that there were no pictures. However, as they guy was telling a story he said something that Omega found HILARIOUS and she just cracked up and from that point on, she begged to watch the DVD's. I've discovered that if kids see you be silly, you've won their heart.

While Connie and I talked, Grandpa endeared their hearts to him by playing with them.

Notice Connie joining in the fun. She is a ball of energy and life. Her vitality and vigor definitely serve as credentials for her unique health advice.

After the park we went to a tree job with my Dad. I used to work with him every so often as a groundsman (drag the cut tree branches to a pile so they are ready for the chipper).

Orion watched intensely, appreciating every moment of this loud machinery.

One of the fringe benefits of that tree job were these little swing chairs they had on their porch. We were able to have a fun moment together.

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"If they would gather the children close to them, and show that they love them, and would manifest an interest in all their efforts, and even in their sports, sometimes even being a child among them, they would make the children very happy and would gain their love and win their confidence. And the children would more quickly learn to respect and love the authority of their parents and teachers."  {Child Guidance 265}