Not only are my kids learning about Abe Lincoln (see below), they’re also beginning the Trionfo family’s A- and B-days experiment!
How else are my kids going to figure out who gets to get out of the van first? Before we had A and B days, I’d make them sit in the back seat to Work It Out. Fifteen minutes of fighting later, Cora would say, “Fine, you can get out first, Lina or Mia.” Then Cora would sulk out of the van, darting glares at everyone and plotting revenge. Only she’d never get to dish out her plans, because within seconds her temper would fire, causing her to spit water on someone’s face and then her Automatic Ten Minute Time-Out—Don’t You Come Out Until the Timer Rings would begin. These days, though, when it’s time to get out of the van, everyone asks whose day it is and the winner gloats and the loser wails and all the misery happens so much quicker than before. Every day is either Cora’s day or Lina’s and Mia’s day. Lina and Mia somehow manage to exit the van peacefully even though technically they can both go first. This is because each of them gets to “win” Cora, which is the main point of their existence. They would say that Cora started it.
Now our happy news:
Lina was Leader of the Week at school. Yay!
Cora is dabbling in chapter-book reading and lost a tooth, which we really should have passed a law to prevent because she’s only in kindergarten.
Graham crawls, has five teeth, holds his own bottle, and says “baba” when he’s bored, “mama” when he’s sad, and “dada” when he’s excited. His eczema seems to be getting better. His face is clear now, which is a huge relief for me.
Carter’s bone has healed. No more casts, no more hobbling around on a shaky leg while he learned to walk again. That stage was adorable, though, I must say. He couldn’t run fast and hated that other kids could beat him (since traveling from Point A to Point B is always a race). He’d shove his siblings and cousins to slow them down. He’d scream when they got ahead of him, then collapse on the pavement, refusing to budge. If you can’t be first, don’t play, right? You should see how angry he was. I dare you not to laugh. Just don’t let him see you. His memory is like Cora’s.
The basement is nearly done! We’ve got carpet and outlets for a radio and endless dance parties. So, so awesome. After the bathroom is finished, we’ll get a final inspection and be able to move in. Whoo-whoo!
Mike and I bought a Mickey Mouse puzzle and put it together with the kids. It was way hard, actually and we had to help them and they were totally bored and frustrated by the time we announced that we were going to Disneyland. We are so excited, though!
I’ve started taking the girls on dates, which involves lots of unhealthy food and crawling. (I climb inside fast-food play-areas to prove I’m still “hip.”)
We celebrated Charlotte’s birthday at our house and got to hang out with Eric G’s family. Carter and his cousin Charlotte are little best friends. He calls her Sharly. They play the piano together, hide in boxes, attack the silverware drawer, hide in cupboards, disassemble the couth, hide in baskets, break out the tampons—you know, the usual.
I actually took video of myself nursing Graham before I lost all of my milk and I view the footage with surprising frequency. Disturbing? Touching?
Mike’s sister Gia got engaged. Yay, Gia! We’re so excited for her. Her mom and Mike’s aunt came to Utah to plan wedding stuff and we ended having a Gangnam Style dance in our front room. It was eye-opening for everyone, but especially Mike’s sisters. (The girls and I don’t hold back.)
I don’t put pictures of our kids on a public website, but don’t think you’re missing much these days. All Carter does is scream to see the camera while Mia and Lina swat at Cora for holding bunny ears behind them. Each picture is disappointingly like the last.
We played fox and chickens in about a foot and a half of snow with Eric and Karen and then had snowball fights and accuracy contests. My kids are turning into die-hard Utahns. It’s so awesome.
A Monster Truck Show. Need I say more? I do, actually. Carter’s favorite part was days later, watching the film of him “being scared.” He is featured hiding behind his fists and making me cover his ears while the “too loud” trucks perform with revved engines. Mike and I like the motorcycles that jumped like 60 feet in the air. The girl’s favorite part was the kettle corn.
Cora loves to write and illustrate her own stories. She reads them to us in a high-pitched, proud voice full of mispronounced r’s, all while sporting her cute bangs and pink flower head band. It is a joy for me to watch her!
The super bowl was so awesome. Mike’s a native of Baltimore and I’m a Niner’s fan. So we invited our families and went East-Coast-on-West-Coast. We Californians lost, but consoled ourselves with the fact that at least we brought the best food: peanut butter pie, pizza dip, shish kabobs, chili, seven layer bean dip, and gluten-free pizza-quiche, which is basically cheese and bacon heaven.
Our family had a winter vacation in Heber, where we stopped by the Olympic park museum, went ice skating and sledding, got a horse-drawn-sleigh ride, and swam in the hotel pool. A little before that, we took the kids and their friends to a Lego train show at Thanksgiving point.
I’m experimenting with various hair gels to control Graham’s cowlicks. No hope in sight yet, but I’ll keep you posted. Carter sports a deep hair sweep and two inch side burns. We see Disney Channel fame in his future.
Christmas was so awesome! Grandma Carter karaokeing to Yellow Polka Dot bikini, Eli’s constant nudity, and the many near-disasters created by toddlers—like when Eli and Charlotte smeared Cetaphil lotion all over Karen’s laptop, but never actually opened it. Warm-enough-weather-walks to the park. A day hike in the spooky-forest and rugged-beach area of Point Reyes. Presents and more presents. Gingerbread cookies. Violin/guitar duets. Minute-to-Win-It games. Light-stick dance parties in the dark. A girls’-night-out of massages and secrets (I’ll never tell, Karen, don’t worry). A guys’-night-out which was so fun that Mike had to wake me up at two in the morning when he got in from the sports bar. “Nikki, the UFC Fight was good. There was blood, Nikki! Lots of blood!”
And as usual: here are some quotes.
Mia (running around the house): Abe Lincoln! Abe Lincoln!
Me: Oh, do you know who he is?
Mia: Yeah, he used to clean our house.
Lina (pulling Mia aside to explain): No, Abe Lincoln didn’t clean our house. He just made it so that black people didn’t clean our house.
Grandpa: What do you want for Christmas, Mia?
Mia: Um, a restaurant.
Mike (while putting Carter to bed): Can I help you with your blanket?
Carter (Clutching his blanket, red-in-the-face-furious at having to go to bed): Never ever!
Mike: You don’t want help?
Cater: Never, ever! Again!
Once, Carter was going to bed and wanted his blanket, but he didn’t want Mike to give it to him. He wanted Mommy to give it to him. So Mike said, sure, went out the bedroom door, and threw the blanket in from the hallway. “Thank you Mommy!” Carter answered.
Me (during church): You cannot sit next to Daddy when he has Carter.
Mia (glaring): This is not the life I wanted.
Me (after a silence): Did you just say life?
Mia: Yes, this is not the life I wanted.
Me: What life did you want?
Mia: The one where I get to sit with Dad.
Mia is still working on the subtleties of English. I don’t even notice her mistakes most of the time.
Me: You can’t jump on my couch or dad’s couch or anyone’s couch.
Mia: But except if it’s not their rule.
Nikki: Well, that’s true. Then you can jump.
Mia: I need to give you something that is very heavy for me, cute, fluffy, and poopy. (It was Graham. Maybe his hair is fluffy?)
And finally:
Mia: Hold on. I need to get my karate out of my bag.
