February 2020

February, the shortest-longest month of the year for me.  Little did I know what March would bring this year!  But, I will stick to February in this blogpost.  This past month we continued to have car troubles.  It has gotten to the point where I believe we have PTSD if any of us hear the beep beep beep of a tow truck lowing it's lift.  We know the tow truck drivers by name, and even have a favorite rescuer.  After months of dealing with Will's car and various age-related and accident-related issues, it continues to randomly not start.  Multiple dealerships have "fixed" the problem and we paid the hefty bills, but his car continued to be unreliable.  And then, as an answer to prayer, the auto shop teacher at Will's school fixed the problem for free.  I feel as though we could never repay him.  I hope that we never take for granted a car that starts when you want (and need!) it to start.  

Ironically, due to sickness and car problems, we have spent so much time at home in the few months that have started off 2020.  More foreshadowing of how 2020 will continue to unfold for us!  In the meantime, here are all four of my earthly children below, in two photos that were taken exactly one year apart to the date.

Charlie enjoyed our time with him outdoors this past month.  Opal loves Charlie so much and whenever she sees him says, "Hold Him!  Hold Him!" as she squeezes her own arms to her chest.  She is not allowed to hold him yet as they are practically the same size, but one day soon she will be big enough.  In the meantime, Charlie is not only tolerant, but I think actually enjoys her attention and petting.

 The kids got a scare when they went to take a photo of their snow fort and didn't realize that Charlie was hiding out in there.  I love the two photos above - one of him hunkered down in the fort, and the next with him fleeing.  He probably got a scare too, thinking he had found the perfect hideaway.

If it's going to be cold out, I much prefer there to be snow.  That way, there is something pretty to look at out of my window, and even more importantly, something for the kids to do outside.  When there is snow, I do not need to force them to go play outside, but where there isn't any snow and it is just plain cold, it is almost impossible to get them outside!

By the end of February, the snow started melting and you could feel the coming of spring in the air.  Here my kids are below, with a homemade "river" that they made with melting snow.  In the righthand photo below, is my earthly family joined together even in our shadows.

I had a booth at the annual Birds and Bees Festival this past month at a nearby nature center.  I think this is my fourth year as a vendor/teacher, and each year gets better and better.  It is such a great group of people and visitors there that I always spend the entire time with a giant smile on my face.  The other great thing about it, is that they embrace my kids tagging along and it really is a highlight for our entire family.  Here Lucy is below, making more lavender rice eye masks to sell at the event.  Lucy is allergic to lavender, but doesn't let that stop her from making something she knows will sell.  When I saw her with a makeshift mask on, made out of a handkerchief, I asked her if she was doing okay with the lavender scent.  She replied, "Of course!  It's the smell of money!"  

School went on as usual this past month, with some additional interest added in when we took a break one morning from our planned schedule to watch a tree get cut down across the street from us.  Imagine all five of us clapping when the tree fell exactly where the workers had planned.  Timber!!!

Violet still loves playing with PlayDoh, and also eating my homemade chicken noodle soup.  Lucy loves being creative with flowers and cameras - sometimes even together.  Emma loves playing wherever the action is.

Friends of ours had a day off this past month, and took my older three with them to the park to give me a little down time.  It was so lovely, on many fronts because I felt very loved, and my kids had a great time too.  I have been taking an online class on Homeopathy, and the semester is sixteen weeks long.  It has been a challenge to get the assignments completed without extra help or something else dropping out of my schedule.  As I type this I am more than halfway through the class, so it looks like I will be able to pull it off.  In order to take the next class though, something else is going to have to give.  The top photo below is my kids and their friends at the park, and the bottom photo below is me finding an hour pocket of time in the parking lot after I dropped my older three off at catechism.

We had a simple Valentine's Day, which of course is my favorite way to celebrate.  Homemade cards and chocolate to and from the ones we love.

 We headed north for a long weekend with friends this past month, and rented a house together.

 The weather was super cold, but the company was warm and the kids all got along so very well.  We had a great time and lots of memories were made.

 I'm so glad that our families have found ways to make moments like this happen.  I was a stress ball trying to pack for the trip while Will was at work, and my friend was in a similar boat.  Fortunately we had the drive north to decompress and by the time we all arrived, we were ready for a weekend of fun.

 We arrived back home the day before Luke's 12th birthday.  For the last few years I have been feeling a pull to pare down and transform how we celebrate our child in heaven.  This year I feel like we may have gotten it just about right.  So many of the traditions that we have built up over the years have started to feel heavy and binding.  To pull off most of these traditions, involves work on my end.  I just want to have a simple and relaxing day.  I don't mind working to pull off magical birthdays for my children on earth, but since I don't get to see the payoffs of Luke's happy face, the work seems empty and exhausting.  This year we simplified - Will still took the day off of work, we bought yellow tulips, made a trip to the cemetery and ate a few tootsie rolls, and then did some flying wish paper instead of a balloon release (to save the environment) that evening after we had a simple dessert (store bought pizzelles, ice cream and hot fudge) and sang Happy Birthday to Luke in heaven.

The sun shone so brightly most of the day, so despite the chilly temperatures, it was good to be outside.  A dear friend sent a beautiful angel figurine in memory of Luke's birthday, and my sister sent a pink tulip card written in German all the way from Austria where she is living this year.  Both of these items arrived smelling of tulips, which is my sign that Luke is with us still.  

After the cemetery and our regular bi-weekly chiropractor appointment, we came home and enjoyed streaming the new Frozen 2 movie which we hadn't had a chance to see in the theaters due to sickness over the holidays.  It was a great movie, and a great day, and maybe, just maybe next year I won't dread Luke's birthday or the month of February nearly as much.  It is hard to believe he is 12 now, and hard to believe that it's been 12 years since we held him last.  We still miss him every day, and thanks to his sisters, his name is mentioned multiple times a day still.  He will always be a part of us, and never forgotten.

Opal at 23 Months

As much as the last two years have flown by, in my mind Opal is already a two year old.  She has matured so much in the last few months, and I am breathing a sigh of relief in many ways.  She is talking so much more, which is helping her frustration and patience levels as we can understand more fully what she wants or needs.  She is becoming less of an endangerment to herself, which helps us be able to relax more on our constant diligence to keep her alive.  We are not out of the woods yet, but she is starting to have her curiosity balanced with a healthy sense of caution.  She has a great sense of humor, and loves playing with each of her sisters in different ways.   Here Opal is below in clockwise order from top left:  Lucy, bouncing Opal on the ball which is something Opal persistently demands from us, Emma feeding Opal "bites", Lucy putting homemade lip gloss on Opal that we had just made, and Violet getting a great big hug from Opal.

 In this past month, Opal has started doing "make believe" play.  It is so cute to watch.  I think this is part of the big change we are noticing in Opal - instead of her usual destroy and conquer play, she has moved into actual playing which is helpful to all of us on many levels.  Here she is below in clockwise order from top left: driving three daddies and one little girl Barbie around (Opal loves Daddies), Opal drinking pretend tea, Opal taking her "guys" for a walk, and Opal giving her favorite two "guys" a donkey ride.

When my dad comes over he likes to play the game Othello with the older girls.  Opal now refers to this game as "Gandpa's Game".  One of my favorite things that she has been saying this past month though is after she gets hurt and we ask if she is okay, she says "Fine, fine" and moves on with her day.  She either has a high pain tolerance, or just can't be slowed down by bumps or bruises as she continues to live her best life.

Emma still has taken it upon herself to teach Opal all there is to know about the world, and now has Opal counting to 10, and naming most of the colors correctly.  At this point, I'm anticipating that I will not have to teach Opal to read - Emma's got it under control.  Speaking of read, I am so happy to report that Opal now has the attention span and desire to sit for stories.  I absolutely love reading stories to my kids, and the older they get, the less they want me to read to them.  I still do, but there is something to be said for a child snuggled in my lap with a story of their choosing.  Especially with my fourth child now, I have so many favorite books and memories from her three older sisters, it is such a bonus to be able to enjoy them a fourth time.  Here Opal is below with her favorite Daddy, playing Barbie and dress up with him, and in the next photo, taking a nap on his shoulder.  If she has a choice, she chooses Will over me when she doesn't feel good and wants to be held upright while sleeping.  I can't blame her.  I love them both, and am so glad that all four of my girls have such a special bond with my favorite guy.

Opal, you are a full-fledged two year old in our eyes already, but we can't wait to see your joy and excitement on your birthday this coming month!  We are so very glad that you joined our family two years ago, and we couldn't imagine life without you in it!  Our family just wouldn't be the same.

January Shenanigans

January, where it's back to a regular routine after the holidays.  In some ways it is nice to be back on a schedule as much as we miss having Will home with us.  Here the girls are below, back to school.  My favorite was finding Emma playing the piano in a Wonder Woman costume.

We had some snow this past month, which I think is always the best way to pass one of the coldest months of the year.  Playing in snow is a great reason to get outside.

Charlie has enjoyed playing in the snow with us.  In clockwise order from top left below: Charlie hiding in a snow fort, Charlie drinking "glacial" waters from the melting ice in our yard, Charlie doing his own Ninja Warrior and climbing to the top of our swing set, Charlie whining for wet cat food, and Charlie trying to get away from Opal's advances.  Charlie eats more food than any animal I know.  He eats the cat food we give him, he eats the chickens' food, he eats the neighbor's food, and he eats the local wildlife as well.  We came home from out of town a week or two ago, and we found woodpecker feathers in the garage where Charlie had been locked up while we were gone.  That was the only time I didn't feel badly about the wildlife he eats.  That woodpecker has been destroying our garage over the last few years.  It must have finally made a hole big enough to get inside, and Charlie took it from there.

We had a cold this past month, and friends stopped by to pick something up and positioned their car in our driveway so that we could chat through the window without passing germs.  Drive through friends sure brought a smile to all of our faces!

My brother came over for dinner and games this past month, and the girls had fun teaching him their favorite card game.

 We had lots of play time indoors this past month and let's just say I cannot wait until warmer weather is here to stay.  In the above photos in clockwise order from top left: the girls doing watercolor, the three older girls being brave together while watching a scary-to-them movie, all four girls playing dolls, and Emma and Violet playing dress up.  In the below photos from top left in clockwise order: Lucy finding a creative way to get some "alone time" away from her sisters - she made a fort next to the refrigerator in the kitchen which is the last place I'd go looking to find a sister, Violet displaying some artwork, dolls relaxing on Violet's bed - with four girls in the house, we have a lot of dolls, Will playing a riveting game of dominoes with the girls, and finally, Will giving three of his daughters a piggy back ride.

Will loves to horse around with the kids, and after dinner is prime wrestling time.  In a small house, it gets a little intense, and to be honest, drives me crazy because it always ends with someone crying.  I can't wait until the weather warms up again and the kids can blow off the last steam from the day OUTSIDE.  I try to stay out of their shenanigans for the most part, and it seems to be a good compromise.  The photos below in clockwise order from top left: Emma helping Will hardwire the TV to the internet, Will being greeted by Violet and Opal when he came home from work, Will utilizing a plastic kid chair to make fixing his snowblower more comfortable, and finally, Will and all four of his daughters watching something fascinating on his phone.

Will and I got out for a couple of kid-free hikes this past month, and the girls and I took a couple of walks from our library to the park and back to see the ducks.  Violet also had impressions made for her upcoming dental appliances.

 We cooked and baked away the winter blues, despite that I don't think there was a single day the entire month of January where the sun shone for more than an hour at a time, and there were many days were there was no sunshine at all.  I'm so glad the days are getting longer and the sun is coming back, slowly but surely.  Below in clockwise order from top left: Will made meatballs in bulk to fancy up our spaghetti sauce from a jar the next couple of months, I made several batches of herb infused soap this past month and this photo shows straining the oil out of the herbs, a screenshot of the text I sent my friend after I had to hang up on our conversation when a loud crash came from our kitchen, and finally, bulk banana bread to be put in the freezer and taken out on mornings where we need an efficient and easy breakfast.

 The plate smashed to a million pieces all over the floor was nothing compared to the poop I cleaned up the night before which fortunately Will was home for because it was an all hands on deck kind of poo-mergency.  In the interest of privacy, I will leave the story at that, but know that it has already become family legend.  Life with four girls is work.  Exhausting, and mostly thankless.  However, the smiles, love and laughter that we share more than makes up for the work, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Opal at 22 Months

Opal has grown so much this past month, and she really is more like a two year old now than a one year old.  I can't believe how big she is, and how far we've come from the newborn days.  Although I miss the newborn snuggles, I do love this current age, as watching her zest for life, and all of the connections she is making as she discovers the world keeps joy tangible in my life.  Here she is below, riding Donkita, a relative of Donkers, who deflated just days after Christmas.  Donkers is one of our kids favorite toys, and despite all of the new presents on Christmas, when Donkers bounced his last bounce, we knew we needed a replacement as soon as possible.  So, meet Donkita.  Opal loves to bounce, loves to swing, and loves to dance.  I think it's safe to say that Opal loves movement of any kind, and a bonus if it is repetitive.

 With all of that movement though, it is inevitable that boo boos will happen.  Opal fell and hurt her mouth the other night, and the next thing we know, she is walking around the house with a band aid on her mouth.  We asked her what she was doing with the band aid, and she said, "boo boo".  Life is never boring with a toddler, and this is one of the many reasons I love this age so very much.

 Lately, when something breaks or there is a spill or accident of some sort, Opal will say, "Oh, gosh!" in the most despairing little voice.  It is adorable.  Here we found her below, after she had carried the bathroom stool into the kitchen all by herself, to help her reach the chocolates left over from Christmas that I so carelessly left out on the counter.  She is a problem solver for sure!

 Emma loves teaching Opal her letters and numbers, and cute little phrases.  The power that Emma has with this is kind of scary, and we've had several discussions on using her power for good and not evil.  The below photos in clockwise order from top left: Emma drawing with Opal, Opal drawing with Will and I, Opal at the top of the slide in our backyard, Emma feeding Opal bites, Opal discovered with play scissors (they don't work, but belong to the kid's beauty parlor set we have in our basement), and Opal dancing with a friend's Elmo while at their house.  They knew just what to get out to keep Opal happy at their house.

Opal loves to demand that various members of her family feed her bites.  Sometimes this concerns me and I worry that she is going to be spoiled.  Other times, it is a blessed relief, because at least she is eating her food and I'm able to get something done.  I usually read to the kids over breakfast, and as long as Opal is fed bites by the sister of her choice, I can read aloud without too many interruptions.

The play scissor incident was hilarious to Will who discovered her, because she knew to get a piece of paper, and she also knew to hide in the corner because she knows she isn't allowed to have scissors by herself.

Will is still Opal's favorite person.  She loved him home with us for two weeks over the holidays, and on Will's first day back to work, the only thing that would soothe her broken heart when she woke up in the morning and found out he was gone, was Elmo.  That's right, not me, not her sisters, but Elmo.

 She loves Will so much that any man that she sees that is a stranger to her she calls Daddy.  Picture me pushing Opal in a cart through the grocery store while she points and squeals in delight "Daddy!!!" at each man that we pass.  Sometimes this is super awkward for me.  Will thinks I should capitalize on this, and make it fun by loudly telling Opal, "Mommy's trying her best to pick out a good one!"  At one point in a store, Opal saw two different men near us and yelled, "One Two Daddies!!!"

This little lady now refers to herself as Opal, and if she is feeling left out from something, she will yell, "Opal too!  Opal too!".

She is talking so much.  When I am giving a spelling test to Lucy or Emma, Opal will start saying random letters.  When I am doing Violet's mouth exercises, Opal will count "One, two, three, one, two, three" really fast, which is hilarious to us.  She knows the names of colors, and knows when to point out that something has a color, but she rarely gets the color right.  She'll squeal "Orange!" while looking at a blue ball, but always the color red she refers to as "Elmo."  Perhaps our favorite phrase that Opal says this past month though is an exuberant, "GOT IT!" when she finds something she was looking for, from a lost toy to a tricky booger in her nose.  

Opal was sick for quite a while this past month, and it broke our heart to see her feeling so miserable. Besides the sleepless nights and our feverish baby with a scary cough, we did enjoy soaking up all of her snuggles, as when she is well, she doesn't sit still for very long at all.

We were so very relieved when she started feeling better though, and we gladly traded in the snuggles for our spirited toddler being back to her loud, persistent, funny, mischievous, independent and adorable little person that she is.  Opal has been such a handful for us, and is different in many ways from her older sisters at this age.  My cousin sent me a book that has been so enlightening in how we handle the challenges that Opal brings.  After reading it, I am proud to call her my spirited child, and after seeing all of the challenging traits disappear for so long when she was sick, I am happy to say that I have reached a new appreciation for exactly who Opal is, and I wouldn't have her any other way.  She takes life on so boldly, so intensely, and so fully that I can't help but be proud of who she is, and I will gladly do my best to channel all of her gifts for good.  Opal, I end each day with you utterly exhausted, but also knowing that you ensured I experienced life to the fullest with you!

December

Our December started quite deliciously, with lots of cooking and baking in response to the short daylight hours and cold temperatures.  In the photos below from top left in clockwise order: ginger syrup in one pot and cranberry pear sauce in the other, homemade blueberry pie and apple pie, Lucy making homemade biscuits, and a standard Saturday morning on the stove top - oatmeal for me, sausage and pancakes for Will and the kids.  I love making the cranberry pear sauce in bulk, and then putting a little bit in my oatmeal each morning - divine!  Sadly, cranberries are already out of season as I write this, so unless I can find a frozen source, I will have to wait until next November to make my favorite cranberry pear sauce again.

Here are all four girls below, on a typical homeschooling morning.  Opal keeps things interesting with her demands and short attention span, but with three older sisters, there is always someone able to take a shift with Opal while I work one on one with someone else.  The best innovation I have stumbled upon this school year is recording the girls' spelling dictation on the voice app on my phone, so I do not have to read them the same thing every single day for the week.  I can't believe I didn't come up with this sooner.  To have three different grades going at one time definitely requires efficiency and planning, especially when you add in a toddler on top of it.  We are still able to finish our school by lunchtime most days though, and I love how the girls seem to be motivated to be efficient as well.

 

There has been lots of indoor play this past month, and I just love it when all the sisters find ways to play peacefully together.  The next best scenario is when all four girls are content and playing on their own.  I wish I could say that these scenarios are typical, but as I feel the need to take a picture when it occurs, it is more rare than I would like.  The photos below in clockwise order from top left: all four girls settling in with their new library books, Will painting Opal's nails for the first time with all three big sisters encouraging her, paint by number "Van Gogh" artwork that the older three created, all four girls watching something on TV, a mermaid Violet drew, the older three girls building a craft project that Uncle Joe and Aunt Beth sent them for Christmas, a pile of "snowflakes" on my desk that probably added up to an entire ream of paper, and finally, Will and I depicted in Lego figures made by the girls. 

Violet continued with her mouth therapy this past month, and is doing a great job with all of the homework.  She can now hold a water bottle filled with marbles (that equals over a pound) with her lips!  The photos below in clockwise order from top left: Violet at mouth therapy, sitting proudly by a giant LOL toy she won as a prize, Violet and Opal doing yoga at home (with Charlie looking on from the door) when our yoga class was canceled due to sickness, and finally, Violet in a fort she made at the chiropractor's office.

We celebrated St. Nicholas on December 6th.  The girls were excited to find that their lists to Santa that they had left in their shoes the night before were replaced by chocolate coins, oranges and a new Lego Advent Calendar.

The girls had their annual dance benefit concert this past month, and it was the first time that Violet got to dance on a real stage.  She did great, and it was so nice to have three of my girls backstage with me while I volunteered.  It was an added bonus that our next door neighbor is now in dance with Violet, and that her mom can do some amazing makeup, a skill that I struggle with.  My kids were more than happy to let Ms. Fauzeen apply their makeup instead of me!

 After the recital, it was so nice to have hugs and kisses from their cheer squad - aunts, an uncle, grandparents, and of course their dad and little sister!

Will's dad's birthday was this past month, and the girls and I made three different kinds of cookies for his birthday present.  Grandpa T. has a sweet tooth, and the kids and I do too, so it was a really fun birthday present to make.  We split it up over several days, but made peanut butter chocolate kiss cookies, snickerdoodles, and oatmeal M&M cookies.

We also had lunch with our friend who has ectodermal dysplasia like Violet and her mom this past month.  I had never met her mom before, and so it was a fun and happy meeting.  The simple fact of sharing a genetic mutation with someone instantly makes them feel like family, and it is such a wonderful feeling to know that you are not alone in something.  It doesn't hurt that they are sweet, funny, and fellow foodies.

My cousin, my friend who is like a cousin (honestly they are both more like sisters to me) and I had a holiday craft day this past month with our kids and some of our husbands in tow.  It was such a fun afternoon.  Each of us brought a craft and/or food to share and we enjoyed eating and drinking holiday treats, good conversation and laughter, and some gorgeous crafts to bring home to decorate our houses.  I hope that we make this our new holiday tradition.

Things took a turn before Christmas.  We all got a cold, and our holiday prep was seriously crippled.  I did pull off a Christmas card this year, which was an improvement over last year, however the rest of the holiday prep went down to bare bones.

High fevers, coughs, body aches, chills and low energy were the trademarks of this cold, and Will was the only one who didn't catch it.  But, we had to cancel babysitters who were scheduled so that Will and I could finish up our Christmas shopping, and we had to cancel or postpone family gatherings.  Christmas Eve was probably the worst day of the entire sickness, not helped by the fact that the previous night Will and I were on one hour shifts to get Opal through the night as her cold turned into croup.  To make matters worse, a pipe burst in our basement, and I was still not completely recovered from my own cold.  The older three girls really pitched in to help, and we did what we could.  I was bummed to miss one of my favorite church service of the year - Christmas Eve mass, but we were in no shape to go anywhere.

Fortunately, Opal's fever broke on Christmas Eve, and on Christmas morning, we were all at least healthy enough to open presents and enjoy a quiet day together.

We ended up having one of the best Christmas's I can remember, with no place to go and no timeline.  

The kids seemed to really love their gifts from Santa, Will and I, and their sisters.  It is so lovely to see the sisters buy each other such personal and perfectly suited gifts with their own money for each other.

Highlights of the gifts include Lego sets and favorite books for all of the girls, a 3D pen and "real" nail polish (I found a brand that is the least toxic) and real pearl earrings for Lucy; a pogo stick, a "real" Craftsman toolset for Emma, and a Frozen drawing set, a scooter and a Calico Critter house for Violet, and everything Elmo for Opal.  Will made me frames out of old barn wood for some art prints I had bought earlier this summer, and Will got a new wallet from me.

The below photos perfectly sum up the Christmas day that we had.  In clockwise order from top left below: Violet testing out her new scooter in the house, a marble run set that the entire family received as a gift from Will and I that uses our existing Duplo Legos, complete with baking soda sprinkled on a fresh puke stain on the carpet, a gorgeous sunset walk we took, and the kids all playing with their new presents at the table.

Next year I hope to keep the sunsets and laid back feel of Christmas day, but ditch the puke, the burst pipe, and the up-all-night croup.  The rest of our Christmas break was equally laid back, as we slowly got better.  We had movie nights complete with picnics in the living room, almost every morning the girls and Will played a game before breakfast, I got to make two zippered pouches for Opal that I initially was going to make for Christmas presents for her, but she was equally as happy to receive on a random Tuesday of our break.  One pouch is for her little Sesame Street characters, and another is for a chicken and egg balancing game that was missing it's box.

It snowed over Christmas break, which was awesome, as it gave the girls lots of fun outside.  You can see in the below picture of Opal that she was still not feeling well.  Poor baby!

This was the first Christmas in our 12 years of missing Luke that we didn't get his grave blanket decorated and on his grave before Christmas.  When we were finally feeling up to it, we did simple ornaments made out of buttons (it is always a challenge to come up with a new waterproof ornament for his grave blanket each year, but this year my nieces and nephews inspired us with their homemade button ornaments), and then decorated and brought his grave blanket to the cemetery.  I love that we have this tradition to include Luke in our holidays.

Luke is never forgotten, and there is not a day that goes by when we do not think of him.  The holidays always magnify the missing, but it is a comfort and a joy to have so many opportunities to include his name - from ornaments on our tree, to signing his name on our Christmas cards, to hanging a stocking for him along with the rest of ours.  

A few days after Christmas we were able to celebrate with our families.  Christmas is not a day, it is a feeling, and we definitely had that feeling when we were with our families.

 Although some siblings of mine were out of town, state and even country, we enjoyed seeing our parents, two of my siblings, and Will's brother and partner.  We also were fortunate that our extended Timmerman side postponed their holiday get together for us and we got together with some aunts and uncles for a fun game night.

Will's uncle snapped this photo of us at their house for the game night, and would you believe that it was the only family photo we got the entire holiday season?  We usually get a family photo at church, but since we didn't go this year, we had only selfies from the holidays.  What a bonus that Will's uncle got this great photo of us!

Here's to a healthy and happy New Year for all of our friends and family, and for the ability to create laid back days without sickness forcing it upon us!

Opal at 21 Months

Opal's love for Elmo remains strong.  In clockwise order from top left below: Opal trying on a tutu that friends dropped off for her when she wasn't feeling well, Opal reading Elmo books, Opal finding a stuffed Elmo and Cookie Monster on the store shelves while I try to figure out how we are going to leave the store without them, and Opal finding a way to bring Elmo outside with her in the snow.

She also loves playing with her sisters, and demands nothing less.  Sometimes her sisters play with her willingly, and sometimes Opal coerces them with screams and persistence.  In the photos below in clockwise order from top left: Emma rocking Opal while Opal says "gain", "gain", "gain" anytime Emma tries to stop, Violet posing for a photo with Opal on our back door steps, and all four girls playing with Opal.

If I had only one word to describe Opal, it would be "intense".  She doesn't compromise, and feels every emotion under the sun as intensely as possible.  She knows what she wants, and she doesn't settle for less.  Here she is below, feeding Elmo his breakfast along with hers, and in the right hand photo below, we found Opal half dressed and into the Halloween candy.

Opal still doesn't like baths, but Lucy has enticed her into a shower by blowing bubbles for her while Will or I wash a reluctant Opal.  Opal also prefers to only wear Elmo pajamas, day and night and so we have to get creative to put daytime clothes on her.  In the right hand picture below, I had just bought Opal pants with real pockets - a definite selling point in getting Opal dressed, and can you believe that she's never worn pants with pockets before?  The entire first day of wearing pockets, she utilized them to the fullest and casually walked around the house with her hands in her pockets.

 Opal seems to get sick at least once a month.  This past month she had a stomach bug.  It was short lived, fortunately, but at 21 months old, it finally clicked for Opal to puke in a bucket and not all over the bed, her mom, her dad or the carpet.  Now, anytime she has the smallest cough she yells, "BUCKET!"  That's not to say that she got her throw up in the bucket - she just knows that's where it's SUPPOSED to go.  Baby steps.

It's so hard to see my baby sick.  I feel like her memory is so short, that when she is sick, she doesn't remember what it feels like to not be sick.  Of course her sisters spoil her and take great care of her, despite the fact that Opal only wants Will (and if he's not available, me) when she is sick.  She will even push a sister away by her face if her "no" isn't listened to.  In the above picture, Opal's sisters made her a blanket and pillow nest in a basket for her to rest in when she wasn't feeling good.  Opal may feel a tad smothered by love in our house, but don't for a second feel sorry for her, as she takes full advantage!  Opal, we love to spoil you!