Oh goodness. Not only am I posting about birthdays after the fact, but I am combining the posts? Children, shake your heads at me in the future.
But seriously, considering someone has been throwing up in my house for the last six days, I think I'm right on the ball. (You guys, I am so tired. So incredibly tired. I am--literally--changing beds and giving baths and administering Tylenol/Popsicles in my sleep. Apparently 12-6 AM is the best time to throw up, if you live in this house.)
I've also been waiting to put up pictures until after Abigail's party, but we've already postponed it once (thanks to vomiting children) and I'm really hoping we don't have to do so again. So pictures of that when it happens WHICH IT WILL because I stayed up late 3 nights in a row making her pinata. And once you commit to a pinata, there will be a party.
But I digress.
Abigail is 11!
I forgot to write a Hogwarts letter.
I'm honestly not sure how I forgot to do that.
Abigail at 11 is absolutely delightful. She is responsible, caring, compassionate, funny, intelligent, and quick to help without being asked. She is considerate of others--case in point, when Neil asked her what she wanted for her birthday breakfast, she said, "Oh, I don't know. Whatever you'd like to make." And when Isaac said, "You love crepes! Say crepes!" she responded, "Well, I do love crepes, but I know they're time-consuming to make, and I don't want Dad to get up even earlier on a school morning." To which Neil responded that um, he most definitely would be fine with getting up earlier on a school morning to celebrate her birthday (I also got up earlier and we had crepes with fresh strawberries and whipped cream + yummy sausages).
And when I asked her what she'd like for her birthday dinner, she said, "Mom, what I'd really like is just a nice family meal where we can all talk together, so make something that the little kids will eat without complaining and that will be perfect."
I love this age. I love it so much. She is so sweet and funny and hard-working, quick to obey, and is perennially stopping what she's doing to help Nathan with a toy, break up a fight between Isaac & Luke, wander in to the kitchen and ask me if I need help with dinner or setting the table--even when I remind her it's not her assigned day! She is insightful and thinks deeply before offering her opinions (she's an avid NPR fan, which I love!). She is a stellar student and works so hard to do her best in school--the high ability classes have been such a blessing to her in elementary school and she has worked diligently to maximize that opportunity. I was proud but not at all surprised when she was offered a place in both of the advanced-track options in middle school next year. She is blossoming into a talented pianist and she never, ever, ever, ever misses a day of practice.
And my little imp turned 3 yesterday! How has it already been three years?! I'm so happy to see that life with Nathan is more smoother these days than it was when he was two; we don't even remember to call him the Honey Badger anymore. ;-) He is my most reliably well-mannered child, never forgetting to say thank you for anything, even if he's infuriated about it. ("Thank you for making this delicious dinner. I don't like it.")
If possible, he loves construction equipment even more than he did as a two-year-old. He knows every possible type of equipment by name, and he knows every construction site around town. On our morning runs together, he usually dictates the route based on what he wants to see that day (on Monday we turned a 5.2 mile route into a 6.6 mile route just detouring to see various bits of machinery). He is often generous, has decided opinions about what he will wear and eat, loves loves loves to snuggle (so much, in fact, that we had to create a star chart--with a tractor reward--to encourage him to stop sneaking into our bed in the middle of the night accompanied by his entourage of favorite toys). He still adores his blanket and elephant, and has a rotating cast of favorites among his huge collection of bulldozers, excavators, graders, scrapers, tractors, trains, etc. He is enchanting and delightful and I'm so glad he's ours.
And speaking of babies, I am so grateful that this pregnancy is going more easily than my last 3. I've entirely skipped the weeks of bedrest that accompanied Isaac, Luke, and Nathan. I'm running more miles and longer distances than I ever dreamed I could at this stage with any of them. At 18 weeks with the last two babies I was only able to run 12 miles a week and had to start wearing a support band when I ran because the pain was so bad, and I hit 18 weeks this week with nary a support band in sight (despite frantically texting my sister weeks ago that I NEEDED it and could she please mail it right away?! Oops).
Last week's runs were 6.3, 5, 6, 4.1, and 11 (32.4) plus another 10.16 hiking/walking with the kids. Hurray hurray! I'm feeling so good that I even signed up for another half-marathon next weekend at 20 weeks...one that I've been wanting to do the entire time we've lived here and the timing has just never seemed right. I'm so thrilled and excited!!
And REALLY EXCITED because I am using this race as a celebration for the end of the semester. Hurray hurray! It's been a looong one. And it marks the end of a decade teaching here at the university. Still trying to wrap my brain around that one.
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