Volleyball

Remember the beginning of my last post? It applies here as well. 

Anneke is very enthusiastic and confident. She told us she wanted to be in volleyball, soccer and cheerleading. We made her choose one. (Marcus is in soccer, but they haven't had any games yet.) For 2 months she has been playing volleyball. She loves it and according to her she is the best. Even better than her dad. (He loves volleyball. It is his preferred player sport.) Let's just say she is a smidge over confident.

She rarely touches the ball and serves over the net about 2 out of every 5 tries. (Does this sound familiar? I played that way, too.) Today she did get 3 points for her team, but they always get creamed.

{Side note: Because her school is a charter school the league uses them. That means they "let" our girls play. It also means that the other teams have fancy uniforms (with their names on them) and actual coaches that show up to the games. Oh, Anneke has had a different coach at the games every week, including her own dad last week. Kinda drives me crazy.}

Bumping

 Trying to serve:

 She is number 10

Some of her team and actual coach.

Andy and I are patiently working with her and teaching her. She is improving every week. Someday the games may not be too painful to watch.

We Are Monsters

Let me start this post by telling you something you may not know about me as a mother. I do not encourage mediocrity. I will watch my child and support them, but I will not tell them that they are the best or even good at something that is clearly not a talent. In my mind I am too hard on them because I see so many parents do the opposite. HOWEVER, I never tell them they are awful or just okay. I just do not want to spend my time going to crumby plays, events and performances if I can help it. Callous? Maybe, but it's me.*

Back in October Anneke tried out for a play called We Are Monsters. (A few of you know what this journey has been like.) She did not get any of the parts she wanted. It broke her heart. She wanted to be a werewolf if she couldn't be a lead and was cast as a vampire. She considered quitting. But, we made it to her epic performance on Wednesday.

This is what happens when you sit for 1/2 an hour before the show starts. You take a series of goofy pictures:

 I love Mal's face.

The play suffered from technical difficulties. There were a few unintentional funny parts due to microphones, but it truly was not bad. Anneke was loud enough she probably didn't even need a mic. You could understand (most of) her lines and she didn't speak too fast. (We have been working on that.) I was impressed. She was one of the best and I am truly not being biased. She looked so adorable in her steam-punky costume, too. You will just have to take my word for it since they did not let us take their pictures in costume. Plus, we bought a DVD so I didn't film it. Here is the after shot.

 I don't remember getting flowers for a performance and always wanted them, so I made sure to get some for her. Her teacher gave her the pink rose and i think that meant more. 

Marcus worked backstage. He enjoyed it, but thinks that next time he wants to be on the stage instead.

Anneke wanted me to invite everyone, but since it was the middle of the week we didn't. I do regret that they sold line ads for the program and I forgot to ask if anyone in the family wanted to say anything. It was cute to see distant relatives congratulating their actors.

*I am not great at explaining things in writing. It (hopefully) sounded harsher than I am. I just don't suggest that they audtion or try out for things unless THEY want to. I always find good to say. I try to be positve and optimistic without saying, "You will someday be on Broadway and you were the best one out there. You should have gotten the part over the other person. I can't believe the director did that..." OR "I can see why you got the part you did. It wasn't necessary. You were okay, but the other kids were clearly better. Next time..." I am also quite competitive and I don't want that to come out towards other kids and parents. It is a fine line.

Bahlmann isms

I love when my children mispronounce things or make up their own words for things.

Luke says concluding instead of including.

Mallory kissed Andy's elbow. He asked, "Did you just kiss my elbow?" "No, I floofed it."

Actual conversation with Mallory:
"I pooped on the potty and peeped in my diaper"
"You did?"
"No. I peeped on the potty and pooped in my diaper."
"Really?"
"No. I peeped and pooped in my diaper."

Mal says, "I dust kidding" all the time. We are not sure exactly what she is referring to.

Mallory insists her name is "Mo not Ma-yeee."

Luke insists, "Luke is my first name and that other one is my second name." He is so adamant in fact that he is writing his name Luke C. now.

There are more, but these will do for now.

Patients is a virtue

Over the past 2 weeks we have all been sick. We have had our share of Gaterade, Sprite, Saltines, etc. I actually bought a Coke for my tummy and headache and it helped tremendously. (I don't like soda, especially Coke.) Marcus had several illnesses right on top of each other and is currently on 2 antibiotics after going to Urgent Care. (We tried to go to the doctor's office, but 5 days was the soonest!) Because of this experience if I did not know before I now know the children I prefer as my little patients. 

Poor Mo is still little enough that she can't communicate or understand what is wrong. She just cries and cries. This is especially fun at midnight when you are holding her and trying to calm her and she throws up on you.

Unless Luke is really sick he pretends he is not. He goes about his business and tries not to bother anyone. Occasionally he will casually say "My stomach hurts" or "No food sounds good right now." Yesterday he just lay on the bench during sacrament meeting. I asked if he was feeling okay and he said, "I don't know." Andy kept him on the stand during Sunday School because I had to teach. When we got him home his fever was over 102 degrees.

Anneke is much like Luke, except she prefers the dramatics. So, when she remembers she will lay down and sigh and cry. She doesn't seem to understand that pain reliever is just that. It does not magically cure you. After about 4 hours she can't understand why she is not feeling good anymore.

Marcus is the worst. He luckily has an immune system like his father so he rarely gets sick. But, when he does the world is OVER. The whole house has to cater to his every whim and be miserable. He is cranky and demanding. This is his first major illness since living here.

Andy is a bit of everything. But, since he can't get sick, he won't. In our whole time together I can count on 1 hand the amount of illnesses he has had and only once has he missed work because of it. He did get a blessing because of obligations he was concerned he would be unable to meet. I used to be like that...

None of my children will rest or nap when they are sick, either. It makes the illnesses last longer and exhausts me more. Summer can not come soon enough with no allergies or sickies.

Favorite sick story - Andy had been up most of the night being sick. He was in the playroom and Mallory scolded him and told him he needed to rest. She brought him into the livingroom. He laid down on the couch and she she said, "No. Here" pointing to the floor. It turns out that "rest" is "wrestle" and she was not being as caring as her daddy thought.

Current Stats

I find it fascinating to see how my children compare to others. Last month they all had check ups, so here are the current stats on all four.

Marcus (he had to get 3 shots, too)
Height - 63 1/4 inches (5 feet 3 1/4 inches)
Weight - 104.4 pounds

Anneke
Height - 56 1/4 inches (4 feet 8 1/4 inches)
Weight - 76.6 pounds

Luke  
Height - 45 1/4 inches (3 feet 9 1/4 inches)
Weight - 45.6 pounds

Mallory
Height - 35 inches (2 feet 11 inches)
Weight - 26 pounds
Head circumference - 47 cm

The doctor told us it was pointless to get flu shots now because flu season is over the end of March. Anneke came down with the flu April 1st and we all had it to some degree. Blech!

Spring Break

For the first part of Spring Break we hung out with Aunt Heather and cousins Bella and Evie. We didn't get any pictures, but we had an enjoyable time, I think. (Heather was supposed to take our family pictures but due to the black eye we have postponed it.)

The day they left we were supposed to go camping. In the state of Nevada very few camp grounds let you make reservations unless it is for a large group. We got to Red Rock and there was nothing. We regrouped at a Target and realized Andy had left his wallet at home with the cash for the campground and firewood. We headed home instead. I do not do well with the unexpected. It really flustered me.

That day and the next morning we tried Valley of Fire, nothing. So, my husband decided we would camp out at home. Mallory was very excited about every "pay gownd" we passed, so we went to Sunset Park in the morning. (Heather, this is the playground you should have spent your nearly 4 hours at, it had more things to do.)

 Oh, Luke needed new shoes and was quite insistent they needed to be boots. We found some and me has worn them every day since. He has a rash and blisters on his calves but he doesn't care.

 They loved the group swing.

 Mallory enjoyed hiding in all the tunnels

 Andy helped Anneke swing.

 That afternoon Andy dug a fire pit with the help of his middle children. We bought some firewood and we were set. Luke doesn't like hot dogs anymore, so we made meatball kabobs with peppers and squash.

 My dirty ragamuffin.

 Andy and I aren't huge marshmallow fans, so we made Woof-ums. You get a stick and spread a biscuit around it. When it's done you fill it with jam or pie filling.

 The best part about camping at home was that everyone was clean and smoke free before retiring to the tent for bed.

 It filled every available space. (See the couch standing on end behind it.)

 We watched Wreck-it Ralph through the door and called it a night. Mo did not last in the tent and ended up in her bed and so did Mom.

The rest of Spring Break was spent cleaning and then Easter (which we already posted). 

Now we are all caught up, I think. Anything I missed? Oh, I am sensitive to dairy now and it stinks. I can have about a cup measured out of dairy a day without getting sick. Sad.

Dissertation Defense

How do you celebrate the end of 14+ years of higher education? The day Andy passed his defense, that was the question. Well, in our case we went out to eat at Red Lobster. Then we went to the Pin Ball Hall of Fame of course. Armed with quarters and nostalgia we played Super Mario Bros., and other old school games. They also had mustaches for $.25. We each got one and wore them around for the rest of the evening.

Mallory actually lost hers right away, so this is mine.

 Notice the pretend monocle.

 It's Mario!

 I can't decide, Spaghetti Western?

Andy's doctor does not feel he has celebrated sufficiently, though. Thoughts?

Leprechaun Trap

We have a touch of whimsy in our house I guess. My preschoolers put out a leprechaun trap and were rewarded with a scavenger hunt and prizes (coins, and necklaces). My children had their daddy help them make a trap, too.

 Marcus designed the front:

On St. Patrick's day they also had a scavenger hunt and gold covered candies (rolos). It was very fun.

The Evolution of a Mild Concussion

While we were shopping at Joann's the beginning of March Mallory fell out of the shopping cart. She cried for hours. We took her to urgent care and since she had no other symptoms they didn't want to do a CAT scan on one so young. We woke her up a lot that night. She had no other side effects except her black eye. (Which you can still see slightly in the Easter pictures.) Here is the progression of her state.

Her head hurt so bad the next day she asked for a band-aid. Plus, she could barely open her eye.

 Day 1

 Day 2

 Day 4

 Day 6

 Day 8

 Day 9

 Day 10

She was given a clean bill of health by the doctor and we were told to be thankful it was not a concrete floor and the front of her head instead of the middle or back. So, thankful for little miracles.

Easter

(I will start with Easter since it was only a few days ago and then go back to the beginning of March.)

The Easter Bunny comes to our house on Saturday so we can focus on Christ for the Sabbath.

Luke loved his Star Wars Angry Birds stationary set.

 Marcus got Beyonders 3 (Now he needs 1 and 2)

 Mallory was asleep for the finding of the baskets. She got a Punzel Barbie and has been carrying her around ever since. She also got Punzel and Ana (Tiana) socks.

 Ready to hunt for eggs

Explanation - Andy's dad mentioned that when he was growing up his dad would put raisins around so you could tell the Easter Bunny had been there. (I thought it was kind of gross but funny and definitely Grandpa Bahlmann's sense of humor.) If you have seen Hop then you know what jelly beans are, so, there was a trail of jelly beans from the back door and several around the playroom where the eggs were hidden.

 Our Easter color this year was yellow. I was going to make Marcus's tie but couldn't find the right fabric. So, he has a lighter yellow than the rest of us.

 It was hard getting a real smile out of Anneke.

 Luke has a tie and bow tie I found at Target. So cute!

 We have a few shots of Mo posing. She was so proud of her dress.

 The girls with their yellow dresses.

 My girls

 My boys

I actually found the girls dresses back in February. Kohl's was having a President's Day sale and Anneke needed new church dresses anyway. I found the yellow one for her and then found the same yellow eyelet for Mallory. My dress was more elusive. I tried to find a yellow eyelet skirt or material, but no luck. It turned out okay, though.

I'm Back

Did you miss me? I honestly panicked on Saturday realizing I would need to blog again and my first thought was, "When will I have time?" I love it. But, I missed knowing what my family was doing and I hope they felt the same. Plus my parents are going on their mission (Copenhagen, Denmark) in a few months and they can keep track of us through the blog. It seems this month 2 of my sisters didn't post a thing on their blogs, anyway, so I didn't miss much.

I enjoyed my screen free month. I was happier, patient and more productive. I liked me better and figured out what my triggers are for just wasting time online. Now, I just need to figure out how to fix it. 

We bought our Disneyland photos from the Photopass. I wasn't going to because it was more $ than I wanted to spend, but there were a few shots I could not let go. Here are some highlights:

We love Sully!

 Mallory has been saying she is Minnie a lot lately and loves when she has a Minnie diaper, so I liked this shot. Right by Soarin'.

 A better version of Anneke with her favorite princess:

 Luke was being a stinker and hiding, but I liked this shot.

 This is why we got the disk:

 But this is the best with Luke in his costume.

 See Tinker Bell?

 Anneke loved it:

 Our last act in Disneyland/California adventure and we are all there. I love Luke's head peeking through.

Highlights of the month:
*ANDY PASSED HIS DISSERTATION DEFENSE! HE IS A DOCTOR.
*Mallory got a mild concussion
*I became a soccer (and volleyball) mom
*I was released as the Young Women secretary after nearly 2 years and put in as the 12 and 13 year old Sunday School teacher. I have been told I need to come up with a secret hand shake now.
*Luke is starting to read. He is in a library program to read 1,000 books before kindergarten. We are at 150 books and started 2 1/2 weeks ago.
*Spring Break was last week and full.
*No job offers.
*Sealings in the St. George temple for Andy's family names. Dutch names are so fun to say.
*I dusted off my picture book idea on animal groups. (Ahem, Pam.)

Hmmm...can't think of more, though I know it is there. Expect a few catch up posts and some pictures of the above. Any requests?