My husband encourages me to take naps and to be a better person. He brings me treats from the grocery store when I have had a rough day without being asked. He is a wonderful father to our daughters. They all adore him. He worries incessantly about our children when they are sick, but he will comfort them and cuddle them with unceasing patience. He buys me more expensive clothes than I would ever get for myself. He never protests if I want to go for girls night out. I love my husband because he’s handsome, because in lots of ways he is a better person than I am, because he is patient. Because if he loses his temper you really, really, probably deserved it.

I love you more than I did seven years ago. I really do.

My poor little laptop is being sent off to HP for repairs. So unfortunately we will be unable to share picture updates since I will not have my photo editing software, nor a place to put my photos, nor a way to update my photos reliably! We will try to keep some text updates going on so no one gets too bored.

All the girls are really well, Carolina is weaned now, making her my second longest nursling. She is going to be 15 months old on Sunday. Her vocabulary appears to be stalled out at “Mama,” “mmm,” “uh-UH,” “uh-oh,” “hola,” and “hi.” She does seem to say the same words which sound nothing like “thank you” for thank you….something simliar to Natalia’s “Dan dan” for thank you as a baby. She does babble incessantly and insistently, so no doubt when she really starts talking I will have to invest in some ear plugs.

Elena is thriving as the big girl during the day. She loves to help clean the house, ” I want everything CEAN and SHINY!” Also she will tell me that I am making her mad if I am making a mess of her counter. Eleni also enjoys helping me bake bread. She and Carolina love playing together downstairs in the playroom, and Elena is very good with her baby sister.

Natalia really enjoys school. She is learning a ton of letters. They recently learned telephone manners and she is very proud that she knows to call 911 in an emergency. Her teacher said that Natalia is really kind to other students. If I ever get my laptop back I will finally record and post her turtle poem that she memorized. She got an A for her poetry recital.

Kate Morton and I celebrating sixteen years of friendship.

We are still nerds.

Getting ready to pose for more pictures.

Kate’s parents got us this beautiful and delicious cake. Thanks, Mr. and Mrs. Morton!

Did someone say “cake” ?

Girls waiting to blow the candles out and EAT.

Here’s to us and sixteen more years.

Kate and I have been friends since we were in the sixth grade. My parents got call waiting because I was always tying up the line talking to Kate. I logged many driver’s ed hours going to her house. I was her allowed phone call on the way to work camp. During the early college years we lost touch a bit, but we reconnected. Kate was in my wedding, just like we always agreed she would be. She came and lived with us for a couple of months out of college. For a blissful while we lived in apartments just five minutes apart from each other. Kate has come to visit me in the hospital for every one of my babies, and she always brings lots of essential goodies like FOOD.

We threw ourselves a sweet sixteen anniversary party to celebrate being friends for close to two decades. Things change, but what has never changed in our friendship is the ability to forgive and forget, always be honest, and make time for each other. I can only pray that we continue to be friends for the next sixteen years!

Sweet Sixteen Anniversary

I love how excited the girls get over new toothbrushes. I must be doing something right.

Carolina recently got her very first big girl toothbrush, and she thinks she is pretty hot stuff. She loves brushing her teeth. I don’t love prying the toothbrush out of her chubby little fist when she is done.

Keeping an eye to make sure that I am not going to end tooth brushing time. Teeth brushing time?