It's time for an update. First off, since it is so confusing trying to remember who all the kids are by their initials, and since my husband and friends tell me that I'm just being super paranoid, I'm going to go ahead and use the kids' first names. I hope I won't be sorry about that, but most of the blogs I follow use real names, so I'm not totally crazy--at least not about this. :)

So, this month Felicity will turn twelve. Her best friend just had her birthday and has now moved up to Young Women's, so I'm having time to adjust to the idea that Felicity's turn is coming. I don't think I'm old enough to have a daughter in Young Women's. I guess I should have thought about that when we were deciding to have a baby twelve and a half years ago. Somehow, when I was 21, I just didn't think, "Hmmm...if I get pregnant now, that means I'll only be 34 when this baby goes to Young Women's or Young Men's, and 34 just isn't old enough for that." Oh well, I guess it's just another case of 20/20 hindsight. Really, it's fun to see Felicity growing up and finding her talents. She's been writing a lot. Today she was working on her book about what you should not name your children. Two of the names she had in there went together: Gluey and Papery. Some people in my family will know what that's a take off from. Anyway, I was surprised by how funny her writing was. Some of it didn't make a lot of sense, but most of it was really fun to read. I'll have to get her permission to post some of it. She also recently started violin lessons which she is really enjoying. I'll admit that I was worried that she wouldn't want to practice, but so far she's doing well with it, and she's hardly ever screechy.

Elisabeth is enjoying learning to play both piano and cello. She started cello last March and is making rapid progress. Her teacher is always very complimentary about how she's doing. Her piano is taking off as well, and she's almost ready to pass where Felicity left off, so she'll soon be the most advanced pianist in the house. She loves to talk to anyone on the phone, but most of all to her cousin Rachel. She also loves to get letters and cards and is always writing one to send to someone.

Avonlea has finally gotten to start piano. She's wanted to for a while, but I put her off until this year because I didn't feel like she was really ready. She's the only one of the girls doing dance/tumbling this year which feels odd. I'm used to taking kids to two or three classes a week at the dance studio. She just lost her first top tooth a couple of days ago, so now she has that cute little smile. Of course, we had to rehash a little Junie B. Jones when it happened. "Good news folks, there's still a little pink on the cup." Unfortunately for Avonlea, who loves Junie B., she couldn't take her spit cup to school for show and tell since she doesn't go to school. If you haven't read any Junie B. Jones, I have to recommend that you do so. We laugh and laugh at those books all the time.

Tabitha is so cute and funny. She has a few words she doesn't say right. She still callst toothpaste "pooptaste." She has a couple of cavities, so we have needed to teach her to spit out her toothpaste and start using a fluoride toothpaste. She's been using one without fluoride because she still swallows it. Anyway, the search has been on for a toothpaste flavor that she likes because if she likes it, brushing is easy, and if she doesn't like it, brushing turns into a WWF match. She loved her old strawberry Tom's of Maine pooptaste. It took a couple of tries to find something else good, but I think I've finally got it. Tabitha likes to sing her ABC's now and can do them all right except for that horrible LMNOP part. She sings it ending with the "next time won't you sing with me" part, but whatever we do, we can't sing with her the next time. She'll start back up and if anyone joins in, she stops singing and orders us not to sing with her. She has to show off her ABC skills every time, and no one else better upstage her. :)

Isaac also has his funny words. For instance, he loves peak-a-butter sandwiches. He'd eat them every meal. Also, when you get a drink he doesn't "want a pissy cup." Yeah...I woudn't want my orange juice in a pissy cup either. :)One day at dinner, he took a baby carrot from Felicity's friend who was here. He sunk his teeth into it without biting it all the way and then said, "I like it, I love it...I don't want it." And then gave it back. The girls thought it was so funny that they go around quoting him. I cut his hair a couple of weeks ago and got it too short. Luckily, that means that about now, it looks right and it will be a while before I'm desperate enough to give him another hair cut. I'm starting to think that little boys should have long hair just so no one has to cut it.

I am about to fall asleep as I type, so I'm done for tonight.