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Drinkwater
Digest 2007 |
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Welcome to the 2007 edition of the Drinkwater Digest. We hope this finds you happier than the 2006 edition and we're just sure that your 2008 will be great. As the poet said, "You can't always get what you what you want, but if you try sometimes, you'll find you get what you need." If you are receiving this newsletter it means that we love you and wish we had more time to spend with you, but since we can't, we hope this annual message provides the update you need. As you will probably be able to tell from the newsletter, this year has introduced some significant changes to our family, and reprised some old favorites. We have been greatly blessed by our Father in Heaven and by the kindness of family and friends. |
Where are They Now?
He runs, jumps, pushes, hits and hugs. He loves trucks (especially fire trucks), cars, trains, balls, stories, and building things. He growls, yells and makes faces, but he's just as likely to play nicely. His first answer for everything is "No" or "No it's not," but he's not too committed to it. Everywhere we go, strangers comment on his beautiful eyelashes, and he smiles and bats them in response. Adam's Favorites (sometimes seemingly random answers he gave when we asked)
She is in constant motion. Dancing, jumping, running, playing--she even taught herself to do a cartwheel. She loves to draw and has taken a real fancy to a set of Ed Emberley drawing books that the kids got for Christmas. She's very helpful and quite capable. She loves to help cook, to entertain Ellen and she's always ready with a screwdriver when the batteries on one of Adam's toys needs to be changed. Given the choice, Zuzu would wear a skirt all day, every day and then wear a skirt for pajamas at night. This wouldn't be a problem if she didn't spend about half of her waking hours hanging upside down from things and people, tumbling, or just pulling her skirt up over her head for some reason or other.
She loves 1st grade, adores her teacher, makes friends easily and saves her one school lunch per week for Fridays so she can enjoy the unparalleled pepperoni pizza provided by the school cafeteria. Jane loves to read and is full of plans. She is constantly making things out of paper, staples, glue and whatever else it takes. She's a real joker and a budding fashionista, spending her allowance on shoes and creating her own style with a variety of accessories.
Hmm . . . anything else? She does storytime for babies and toddlers at the Orem Public Library once a month. At church, she was in the Relief Society Presidency, then did the ward newsletter for 6 months, and has just started teaching a Sunday School scripture class to 16-18 year-olds. She made a few things. She thoroughly enjoyed the chance to do a Christmas concert with the Deseret Chamber Singers. Did we mention that her kids are funny and sweet and very cute? She thinks about her dear, old friends all the time and wishes she saw them more often. She is tired nearly all of the time. She composes blog entries in her head at night when she can't fall back to sleep after feeding the baby, but isn't going to start one for real because she's sure she would spend too much time on it. As often as not, she feels like she's failing, but she plans to keep getting up every morning and trying again.
He's still enjoying his job at Footnote though his dancing career is really starting to take off and occupy more of his time. When he's not at work, Peter enjoys playing with the family, sock puppetry, fruit fly breeding, competitive hot dog eating and sleeping (when he can get it).
Notable Quotes
Mary:
(rubbing her head and complaining of
a headache) March 17, 2007 Some of Adam's first sentences (March 2007) "Go outside!" and "I want clothes!" Jane: Mom, can I get out my makeup? Because Zuzu and I are playing a game, and we're at the beauty shop, only I don't care so much about my beauties, I mean, I don't spend a lot of time taking care of beauties, I mostly spend my time taking care of others. Jane (with a wry smile after being served peas): Mom, may I be excused to get a knife and some honey? Jane (excusing herself from the table): My bladder is full today, mother. I need to use the Little Girl's Room. Zuzu
(to Mary as she wrote to Peter on the instant messenger):
Mom, can you say to Dad, "Dick and Jane I read today."
Our good friends and cul-de-sac
neighbors the Realls moved to Chicago at the end of April. Zuzu was in the backyard
playing with her cousin Ben. He was happily following her around,
but not engaged in the different options for girlfriend/boyfriend/husband/wife
make believe play she kept offering. Zuzu
(explaining to Jane about the elastic hair doodad around her
wrist): Well, this tells you the time of
day, and it tells you if it's a hot time of day, or a cold time
of day. Oh -- it says that it's a sunny time right now. Adam went through a phase of saying, "Beh-ee, Go!" (Ready, Go!) and running across the living room at full speed, crashing into the armchair, banging his head down on the cushion, rubbing his head and saying "Owee, owee, owee" -- and then of course doing it over and over again. Zuzu (taunting Peter after he closed her bedroom door): You're a little no-sense-at-all guy! Zuzu: I like Ellen better than anyone except Jesus. And later: Did you know? I care about Ellen even more than I care about my TOYS. Zuzu (looking at the moon through a telescope): It looks full grown. Mary: Adam,
do you remember when Ellen was still inside of me? And my belly
was great big like this? And we used to pat my belly and say,
"Hello, Baby!"? That was Ellen inside of there! Overheard regarding one of
Jane's many paper creations. Jane (describing a Christmas performance she and her friends prepared for their first grade class): I'm going to sing 'Away in a Manger,' then Rachel's going to sing 'Hit Me with Your Best Shot," then Kaitlin is going to sing, 'Jingle Bells.' Adam (to Mary, with gentle reproof, as she got him out of the car on a cold day): Mommy, how 'bout, I don't have a hat? Zuzu (showing Mary an elaborately colored sign reading "OPiN"): Can I hang this on the door? Adam: Can I
play? Adam (walking into the room with his fingers in a Chinese finger trap): I can't get my fingers out of this! Zuzuisms "Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet, eating her curves and waves" (In a princess dress and wearing stick-on earrings, checking her reflection in a mirror): "I look beautiest." "My ramen is too hot. I want an iceberg in it." "Look what I found, Adam! It's your . . . cocoon!" (raccoon) "Jane has a skirt with, um . . . uh . . . sequels on it." (sequins) "Can we sing melonie?" (harmony) "Apple slider" (apple cider) When asked to list some things that start with Q Zuzu suggested "Quoperation" and "Quoir" "Look at that slap!" (tree sap) "I need a needle. I'm going to embroiderate."
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What's New The big news this year is that there are now 6 of us. In August, on the 11th to be precise, Ellen joined our family. You'll find some pictures and information about her arrival in this birth announcement. At 5 months old she's proving to be a very sweet and surprisingly ticklish young lady. She has long, slender fingers, pleasant facial expressions and a wonderful laugh. She's fascinated with her hands and alternates between sucking on them and holding one in the other in front of her face so she can watch them while she moves her fingers around. She has a cute raspy voice and loves to talk, though she responds best if you speak her language rather than try to get her to speak ours. Jane, Zuzu and Adam love her. Zuzu perhaps a little too much. We're thrilled to have Ellen in our family. |
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The Year in Pictures
If that's not enough pictures for you, check the Bonus Pictures page. |
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Later in the month, we had a wonderful surprise when Ben (Peter's dad) and 
