I can't even log into xanga on the laptop anymore.  I have no idea why.  On the desktop, I can log it, but I have to go through some crazy steps to even get to my subscriptions.  Anybody else having issues?

And Deb, your comments aren't appearing on each individual day, I just see the beginning of your comment on my homepage.....WEIRD!!!!!!!!!!!

 

In other news,  Malachi's been ready for awhile to ride his bike with no training wheels. Brian had bent them way up, but we just hadn't had the time to let him take off and go.  So on Monday, Brian took them off and before he even set the training wheels to the side, Malachi was gone......riding down the sidewalk, without Brian's help to balance.  Here it is, the big news in the Gornik house this week.

The girls and all the kids spent a few hours hanging out today.  It really is refreshing to hang out with friends.  Jil made some amazing pizza and an amazing salad!  And Deb made some fresh salsa....yummy!!  I like that my friends are really good cooks.  My tummy always leaves satisfied when I eat at their houses.  The kids had a blast playing together, too. 

 

 

 

A rare quiet moment.....seriously awesome how they were still all by each other but doing various things.

Some chalk fun:

 

 

 Those are Lucy's little footprints! 

And the wee ones actually let me stick a camera in their faces, the big kids don't like it so much anymore....or just ignore me. 

Greta's photo shoot, there would have been more, but they were all too blurry!  She was still waking up from a nap and not as expressive but still SO adorable!

 

And there's Lucy's photo shoot....she's so fun to photograph.  She's at such an expressive age and well, she stays a little bit more still than all the other kids(except for Greta) and she lets me take pictures of her.

 

 

 

 

Cereal boxes are all the rage in our household.....whenever one is emptied it is immediately snatched up and taken to the oh so sacred place......

Only the hands of Elijah can touch this collection.

 

And this one is only Chi's.

 

Zekey's collection, well, let's just call him the little destroyer.  His cereal boxes only lasted at the most, an hour.

 

Kinotos, these are a favorite too.  Elijah and Zekey devour them.  They are the size of a cherry tomato and taste like and orangey lemon.  They are refreshingly tasty.

 

Another favorite is gum.  I usually give it to my kids when I pick them up from school.  Some how this piece ended up on the table with the teeth.  I didn't even ask, I'm assuming Zekey, but really this could have been any of the boys.  I'm sure one of them wanted to know what it felt like to chew the gum with the fake teeth in their mouth. 

 

 

There are new spaceships built everyday....EVERYDAY.  There is much time spent on this activity, and trading, and arguing, and zooming and saving.

 

www.starfall.com  is also a favorite.  They all three sit there and listen to Malachi read. Or watch Elijah navigate through the alphabet. 

 

Another favorite is eating anything sweet....isn't that a favorite of most people.   

Malachi made these truffles in school yesterday.  They made them in their English classes....they've been doing special activities all week in English classes.   Look real close, the kid has dulce de leche ALL over his face and arms. 

This last weekend the boys and I walked to a park that is at the end of our street.  And what did the boys spend more time playing on than the playground equipment??

Their spaceships, of course.

 And apparently you can eat this fruit.  I'll figure out the name sometime.  We have one of these trees (that Chi's in) in our backyard, when some of the boys from the villa were over the other day to play the Wii with Brian, they said that is fruit to eat.  So they went out in the backyard and picked the little yellow fruits off and ate them.  Brian and all my boys liked it.  It's my turn next.....I'll let you know what I think. That one Zekey is holding isn't ripe yet.

 On our walk home we bought some popsicles......here's all three enjoying them and SHARING them with each other....unprompted by me.  I love it when that happens.

Elijah likes his so much he's a little cross-eyed. 

And the boy who can't stand to have tomato sauce from spaghetti or any sauce really on his face, doesn't ever seem to notice what happens to his face when he eats ice cream.  It is like this EVERY TIME!

And a little sugar-craze.

Then all three rode bikes for awhile....and they all three fell down at the EXACT same time.  But I missed it by less than a second!!!!!  And no one was hurt, those are the best kinds of falls.

 

This one is just for fun....

Which Gornik boy do you think it is??

 

I'm linking up to Adventures in Babywearing a call to action over baby slings.

My babywearing days have been over for about a year now. I didn't start using a sling until my third little guy was born.  And at first it was out of necessity, Malachi turned three a week after Zekey was born and Elijah was 22 months.  I'd walk pretty much everyday to go fetch our mail at the post office and then for a walk on the boardwalk.....yes, it was as delightful as it sounds.  The two older boys would ride in the double stroller and Zekey would ride in the sling.  The necessity of the sling breeded a LOVE for having my littlest guy so close to me.  I wished I would have used one with the other guys.  When Zekey was 5 months old we moved, and were homeless for awhile...traveling and preparing to move out of the country.  The sling kept him safe during many a shopping trip and church service.  He napped so well in it when we were away from his crib.  And then we moved to another country and used public transportation everywhere, slinging him was the SAFEST place to be.  And then we moved to yet another country and a friend passed down her Ergo baby carrier(with the instructional DVD).  And I LOVED it.  Zekey was about 20 months then and the Ergo was so comfortable for me and more comfortable for him since he was a big 20 month old.  He again was much safer in that than walking hand in hand next to me as we figured out how to live and shop in another country. 

These just so happen to be the ONLY shots I have of Zekey in the sling...ahem....Why didn't I take more pictures????  And I don't any shot of him in the Ergo....not one...sniff, sniff. 

 

His little face is covered here to protect him from the sun.....and the weight of his body is resting on my legs.  Yes, he was safe. 

 

My mom and stepdad renewed their wedding vows for their 25th wedding anniversary.  See Zekey's face peeking out?

 

Whenever we visited anyone's house, the safest place for him to be was in the sling, not crawling around on the floor!

 

I was catching up with a friend while visiting her church.  And look at my little guy all snuggled up and asleep! 

 

 

If I have more babies, there is no doubt I will wear them, too.

 

P.S.  And many thanks to my good friend Jil who loaned me that sling.  You can find her here.  

This morning while I showered, I put in the movie Beauty and the Beast for the boys to watch for a little bit.  Malachi didn't want to watch it.  WHAT???  The boy who will sit in front of a tv and watch ANYTHING that is on it.  He said he didn't like Beauty and the Beast.  Instead he sat on the couch in the playroom, all by himself and read a Spanish book out loud.  

 

Today he went with me to the Hora Feliz and chatted away with the older boys there.  He followed them around, one of them had a new, really cute puppy and a group of boys kept running with that new pup....Malachi included.  He makes himself belong wherever we go.  

 

Tonight he wanted me to read some of Deb's stories for bedtime, but it was late and they'd had a really long day(while the girls did a craft, some of the boys came over to play the Wii with Brian....and of course, Elijah and Malachi played with them too.)  I told him I would read some of the stories tomorrow.  He came up with the idea that he wanted me to read the stories to him while he eats breakfast.  Then told me I could plug the computer into one of the two plugs by the table so that he can eat his cereal and I can sit at the computer and read to him.  LOL!  This kids always has a plan!

Girl's night was fun.  I want to do it again.  It was even better that it was a ballet.  This is the first time I've seen a classic ballet.  Brian and I saw Romeo and Juliet down here last year.  It was great to see, but much more theatrical.   Of course, originally it isn't a ballet.....so it was wonderful to watch, but totally lacked technically.  And the very first time I ever went to see any professional ballet was the first year Brian and I were married.  He surprised me with tickets to a ballet in Indy, we even stayed overnight in a hotel.  It was so fun and so sweet of him.  It's great to have another memory stashed away and I do hope us girls get to do this again.  I mean the tickets cost $25 pesos....that is a little over $5 A TICKET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Yes, we WILL do this again!  And Swan Lake was magical.....those dancers really were amazing...AMAZING!

So, here are some crazy shots from that night.  I really didn't want to use the flash, but I finally broke down and used it...once.  :)

no really...I was trying to do some light painting.  :)

 

I missed the shot when they were doing a first position.  :(

 

so stunning......

beautiful....just beautiful!

 

so cute!

she was SO excited!

 

Thanks Deb for taking Ellie to the ballet!  And letting us come too!

 

Things I find myself saying over and over again these days......

 

No roaring at the table.

 

No getting up and running around while eating.

 

Sit on your bottom while eating and no playing with toys while you eat.

 

No calling each other stupid or bad or que malo que sos (the spanish equivalent of calling each other bad).

 

Ignore everyone else while you are doing your work, I know you hear them but try not to interact with them. (to Malachi while doing homework or English work....HOLY COW, it's not so much distractability as it is that he is an extrovert and wants to be involved with everything that is going on at anytime in the same room he's in!  Once the room is cleared, he's FINE!)

 

What do you find yourself repeating these days???????