2.8.24 These are my people

While talking to our missionary on Monday we snapped a quick hello picture. Alia and Aliza are good buddies and miss each other in a comforting way that is not to be overlooked. Aliza gave Lia a lot of the nurturing she needed. With Covid and life etc Aliza was home a lot more than most of our teenage kids. We miss interacting with her. 

So we posed for some pictures to make some special valentines. My heart needs some crafting to unwind from the stress of sick kids, speech kids, and taxes those combinations are not easy and take much of my mental and emotional energy. 

Thankfully these cuties were very open to sharing their sweet energy and love with others. 

These monkeys are sure fun. They are patient with my busyness and love all of us. We sure need their hugs and happy laughs. 

These two are as different as night and day but similar in stature. This day they even happened to be dressed alike. How thankful we are for the many unique personalities that live at our house. 

Magna tiles are the best toy invented. I bought more for Christmas and thus the imagination can be bigger and more complex. One day not shown here Alia announced they were making a going-to-the- butcher place.  They made an alleyway and two pens with gates between, so they could one by one take the animals to be killed for meat. Oh my well that's descriptive and unusual. They used their vast collection of animals to be butchered. 

Grandma Corn came and read one evening with the younger kids. 

Afton waited patiently for her gifts. 

Addie decorated a cake at her mutual activity. Sadly we are not good mutual attendees but the kids enjoy it when they go. 

 Life has been intense with lots and lots of mud and cows a month later than normal. The mud destroys equipment and takes a lot of extra time. The cows left today!! That is a huge celebration. But rock is being delivered and thus farm preparations begin with pivot track maintenance and repair. Always repairs. Responsibilities never stop. 

Livy and Millie are reading Harry Potter because I'm desperately working to get lots and lots of words through Livy's mind. She's on the cusp of Middle School and then high school and has to be a confident proficient reader. She read 5 books from Gregor the Overlander and 2 Harry Potter working on the 3rd. My master reader brother said if you don't like to read you just haven't found the right books, and my super sister said you just have to read words to read words. With that in mind, I gave in on my rules of no Harry Potter and had her listen to the first book of each series to get her hooked then she read and read the following books. We will still read classic great literature like Anne of Green Gables and the Secret Garden, but needed something she could and would read solo. I'm encouraged to see her nose in  a book so frequently right now. 

This is a season of home learning. Winter with the early dark and cold cause us to be inside with some time on our hands, reading and learning are perfect ways to fill them. Life is good and we are blessed. 

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