Time to Capture Some Sweet Memories...

To refresh your memory...here are the Latin names/ages of the kids...

Stella (age 10)
Leo (age 9)
Rus (age 5)
Tert (age 2)
Filia (one month)

Rus - "Mom, can we read Adam's Green Gables?" (He meant Aesop's Fables.)

Tert - "Maybe I'll drink wine when I'm Rus' age."

Tert has the cutest way of mixing up his words. He calls apple cider "spider juice," and has started using the word "hiccup" to mean all manner of things. He frequently plays "hiccup truck" (pickup truck) and told me with admiration in his voice that he loves my new hiccup (haircut).

Another sweet compliment came from Rus who was checking out my teeth after this week's trip to the dentist. He said, "Mom! Your teeth look like they have WINDOWS in them!"

We rarely shop at the mall. In fact, when we made a quick stop a few weeks ago, Rus and Tert had almost no recollection of the place. We noticed that Rus was gaping at a scandalous picture outside of the lingerie store. We whisked him away, explaining that the picture was not appropriate to look at. Tert, from the baby backpack, caught a glimpse and piped in, "Wow! That's a CUTE picture!"

Later, we passed the underwear display at Sam's Club, and Rus grabbed his 2 year old brother, yelling, MMMOOOOOM! Tert is looking at those CRUDE pictures!"

Since Filia arrived, I've had more than a few moments where the noise and constant activity level of my five dear children becomes a bit overwhelming. A couple of nights after I came home from the hospital, I was cooking dinner in tears, exhausted and discouraged by the housework I couldn't seem to get to. Stella disappeared for over an hour and came up from the basement, telling me that she had a surprise for me. She had folded and neatly stacked seven huge loads of laundry.

Even Rus has been sensitive toward my need for an occasional break. During an especially hectic time, he suggested, "Mom, we'll go for a bike ride so you can have some peace."

Stephen has been working around the clock to catch up on some projects for his new assignment at BAE. In his "spare" time, he works very hard to keep up with yard work and projects around the house. Recently there hasn't been enough daylight to accomplish all of these jobs. A couple of weeks ago the kids headed out to play and, with absolutely no prompting, decided that they would work on a surprise for their daddy. I looked at the window and saw all of them, down to the 2 year old, stacking our firewood. Nearly 2 hours later, the older ones came inside with rosy cheeks and big grins and pointed out the window to a full cord of firewood they had stacked by themselves!

Stella and Leo have instituted an energy savings plan with report cards for us. Their goal is to save enough on our electric bill so we can replace our finicky refrigerator. Even little Tert has "gone green." The other day he came to me with a bottle, saying, "Mama, we need to 'cycle' (recycle) this!"

The little boys absolutely adore their baby sister. We were worried about Tert feeling displaced when she arrived. When he first met her in the hospital and saw his mom lounging on the hospital bed, he said to me with a little scowl, "She's cute. Can you come home and make dinner?" Since we brought her home, he has been ever attentive to where she is and what she might be needing at any given time. The only time he shows jealousy is when one of his siblings claims her as their little sister. Then he exclaims, "No, baby Filia is MY sisser!!!" He calls her his "chunky little monkey." Every now and then, when it is his turn for a cuddle, he will look me in the eye and say, "You are my mother, and I am your little son..."

Rus is such a doting brother as well. He admires every inch of Filia's soft, newborn body. When he discovered her little feet for the first time, he called all of us over, saying, "Dad! Mom! Come look!! Her toes are just like little pebbles!"

One day when he was kissing her, he said, "Mom, I like how Filia smells. It would hurt my feelings if people said that she smells like tires."

When Filia's due date came and went (without her arrival), we were concerned that she might end up sharing Rus' birthday. She cooperated and came a few days before this; however, Rus still viewed this pink little bundle as his most special birthday gift. After his presents, he said, "Mom, where's Filia? I want to thank her for SUCH a birthday!" He also said, "I dreamed of a baby sister, and my dream came true."

I told the kids that Uncle Adam was coming for dinner. Rus asked, "Is Eve coming too?" Confused, I asked him who he meant. He answered, "You know...Uncle Adam's WIFE!" It occurred to me, during one of our Bible stories, that he might be holding his Uncle Adam personally responsible for original sin, so we cleared up that little detail before moving on to the story of the flood.