Baby Land

Alarie has the most loving and attentive siblings.  Each day while the bigger kids are busy with school, "Baby Land" is set up for Alarie.  "Baby Land" usually consists of a bed quilt covered with a large assortment of toys: baby toys, blankies, pacis, play food, hotwheels . . . plus Emmy, Addy, and Dukes, and many other sibling visitors :)

She keeps us all entertained and we try to keep her entertained.  

(And she doesn't stay put in "Baby Land" for very long!)

Cutie Pie :)

January Snow!

 

Snow is such a gift.

 

After 13+ years in Tennessee with rare snow (that would melt by noon), and two years in Minnesota with a gorgeous deep blanket of white half the year - - - we LOVE snow!!!  

It's magical to wake to flurries and watch as the snow gradually covers the ground.  The younger kids, especially, can hardly wait to get outside to play (and they'll sled on the packed down snow for days and days).  We've been so thankful to have many snowfalls this winter, and thankful for our sloped backyard!  The snow lasts for several days on our shaded property, and then we're looking ahead on the weather forecast for our next chance of snow.  We're just south of the "snow belt," but our northern Ohio snow has been pretty great. 

Our best snowfall so far this winter was our 8 inches on Christmas Eve/Christmas Day!

 

 

THIRTEEN

We have another teenager!!!  (our 6th teenager!)

Maegli is our fast-talking, creative, bookworm; planner, list-maker, organizer; high-stress, dramatic, artist and writer; easily exasperated, quick-thinking, hard-working , "do-er;" baker, doodler, runner; tough karate blue-belt, early-rising exercise partner; sensitive, compassionate, letter-writer; fun-leading, fast-paced school-worker; mile-a-minute thinker, easily distracted, dreamer . . . and she's 13!

Happy Birthday Maegli!

 

 Maegli at 13:

 

food: Lucias' steak, chickpea curry, and homemade "BAM!" bowls

drink: pineapple Fanta, cranapple juice

dessert: ice cream

fruit: honeycrisp apples

veggie: cucumber

restaurant: Lucias Steakhouse

candy: Crunch candy bar, Mike&Ike, butterscotches

sport: cross country right now, but I'm about to start track so it might change to track

game: Munchkin

color: coral pink, teal blue

music: 80's, 90's, and today

audio book: Harry Potter

movie: Leap Year (Amy Adams)

book: Lunar Chronicles, Heroes of Olympus, and Harry Potter, naturally

school subject: reading

animal: panda, dog (and I still like cats)

possession: my books

activity: karate

outing: shopping for books and clothes (stuff for me)

indoor activity: reading and coloring

outdoor activity: run, ride bikes

with mom: shopping

with dad: camping

with sisters: hide and seek, and reading with Maclaren

with brothers: Pokemon and Lego towns with Kolpin and I run with Davis and Tesfaye

vacation: OBX and camping, no question.  I wish we did camping more.  I love camping.

city: Paris

best things about this past year: Alarie, Hilton Head, Hocking Hills, camping, and running.  Cross Country was really fun. 

dream vacation: Paris and then go to Rome.  A week in Paris and then two weeks in Rome.  In Paris, ofcourse I want to see the Eiffel Tower and go shopping.  In Rome I want to walk around among the historic landmarks. 

career aspiration: being a librarian

my best quality: I read

 

most looking forward this coming year: OBX, track, and cross country, and Christmas :)

my life in 25 years: I'm going to be a librarian.  I'm going to live in a small house in Corolla, NC (OBX).  I'm going to have four kids and a loyal, handsome, funny, smart, Christian husband.  For vacations we'll go camping inland.  We'll visit you for all the major holidays and throughout the year and I can call you twice a week like you do with Grandma. 

 

 likes: books, library, shopping, coloring, family, God, cucumbers, camping, running, sleeping in a warm bed on a cold night when it's raining, riding a bike, walking in the rain, Alarie, dogs, cats, pandas, sea turtles, pink, vanilla bean frappucinos, chocolate chip pancakes, chickpea curry, Harry Potter, going to the gym in the morning, lots and lots of blankets and pillows

dislikes: tomatoes, raw tomatoes, dirty diapers, a messy bedroom, when I clean something up and someone else messes it up again, anything with more than four legs, bees, wasps, flies, spiders, whining kids throwing tantrums, crying babies, snotty noses, warm drinking water, squash, sweet potatoes, red peppers

 

Maegli's 13th birthday:

French toast casserole with strawberries and cranapple juice

BAM! bowls with pineapple fanta

Harry Potter book 7 

Minecraft

dinner out with Dad at Lucias Steakhouse (calamari and steak)

homemade strawberry ice cream cake 

Stranger Things episode 1

 

. puzzle . fuzzy sweater . sport hoodie . Harry Potter complete set . 

. Renegades trilogy . rosary . $ . key chain . Switch remote . 

. lots of hand drawn cards ;) . 

 

Our planner had planned out her birthday, which, thankfully, was on a Saturday (Maegli got to enjoy a day of lounging in bed, reading the last Harry Potter book!).  Thirteenth birthdays in our household are celebrated with a special steak dinner at a restaurant with Dad.  It was a such a treat for Mike to take his young lady to a fancy dinner out.  

 

Maegli always has plans - her bed is surrounded with lists and countdowns (and when she wants another blanket for her bed, she plans it, and make one herself).  She has big ideas and an amazing ability to get things done - she's such a hard worker and is very productive.  She has given a lot of thought to her future, and of course has detailed plans which include college classes while in high school, money saved, library science degree from Kent State (in incredible detail!).  I have not doubt, she can accomplish anything she puts her mind too. 

 

This "planning" trait is going to help our girl accomplish some wonderful things in her future - I can't wait to see what God has in store for this amazing young lady. 

8 months

 

Our beautiful baby girl is 8-months-old!

 

Alarie Adeola is growing so fast and seeming so so big.  She's an incredible baby.  

This little one has taken off, scooting and crawling allover.  Alarie moves from an upright sit straight forward to her belly, then up on her knees crawls forward.  From her knees she scoots to her belly, rolls onto her back, then does a full sit up back into an upright sit . . . repeat.

She's so cute!  

She loves to be held and is super snuggly (and holds on super tight), which is a good thing because we have a lot of arms eager to hold her.  She happily is passed around as he older siblings, and of course her parents, enjoy getting a baby fix regularly - Alarie is such a gift to us all!

 

At 8 months:

crawling!!!

sits up from a full recline position (so strong!)

takes 6 bottles (7-8 oz) bottles a day

sleeps 10 hours at night

starting to eat solids 

blows raspberries with a full mouth of sweet potatoes

snuggle baby

holds on tight

happy, happy, happy girl :)

loves her paci

climbs up to be held

grabs faces (and daddy's beard!)

folds her hands

"prayer hands" when she has her paci

sleeps best swaddled

kicks her legs when excited

her hair is filling in

"bababababa" 

holds her bottle

wears 6-9 mo. clothing

size 2 diapers

no teeth, yet 

rubs her hand over her lips "brub brub brub brub" 

puckers her lips and huffs  - her "mad" face

loves "talking" :)

the sweetest baby

We are doing our best to savor each moment with this precious girl in this precious stage.  

We're so fortunate to have Alarie in our lives.  

We love this little one!

FOURTEEN

 

Burke, is our great personality, Mr. Social, big dreamer; basement-dwelling-artist, superhero fan, movie buff; master memorizer, dramatic performer; sensitive, worrier, company-seeker, antsy-movie-watcher; joy-seeker, compliment-giver, sweet guy, charmer; runner, swimmer, comic book collector . . . 

and he's 14!

Happy Birthday Burke!

Burke's a good one, and he's growing (too quickly!) into such an amazing young man.  We're love him and we're so proud of our Burke Zerihun :)

Favorites at 14:

 

food: Ethiopian, calamari, Orzo, pizza

drink: root beer, iced tea, lemonade

dessert: chocolate cake, popsicles, ice cream

                                     fruit: grapefruit, banana, strawberries                                  

veggie: cucumber

restaurant: Lucias Steakhouse, Red Robin, Zorbaz (Perham, MN)

candy: candy canes, peach rings, butterscotch

sport: swim

superhero: Spider-Man, Black Panther, Captain America, Iron Man

game: Monopoly, Clue

color: blue

music: anything on the radio

audio book: Percy Jackson and Harry Potter

movie: "News of the World," "Ford v Ferrari," and all of the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) - except for the first 2 "Thor" movies

book: "Charlie Hernandez," "Harry Potter" series, "Heroes of Olympus" series, "Hunger Games"

school subject: math and Latin

animal: cheetah
toy: my animation tablet (even though I don't officially have it yet)

activity: swim and karate

outing:  science museum

indoor activity: drawing - animation with flip notes and superheros

outdoor activity: explore the backyard, play sports with my brothers, and bike

with mom: symposium (read alouds), one-on-one school help, cooking, and just talking in general

with dad: work on repairing things like the car, going over future plans that I have

with sisters: making them laugh and playing "batman tag" ("I'm  Bruce Wayne")

with brothers: Smash on Switch, exchange comic books, sports outside

vacation: plane trip to Wisconsin to see family, OBX and Hilton Head and Hocking Hills

city: Perham, MN and downtown Bristol, VA/TN

best things about this past year: getting really into animation and looking forward to starting a YouTube channel of my own, getting a new sister, hearing we're going to get a dog really soon, cross country, and swim

dream vacation: New Orleans

career aspiration: either some kind of medical professional or an animator

my best quality: I like talking to people and connecting with people

 

most looking forward this coming year:  my first season of track and field, starting an animation YouTube channel, getting our dog, maybe getting a phone ;), joining the swim team

my life in 25 years: I'll be an animator.  I'd like to work with the people who created the Spider Verse movie to create a sequel.  If I'm not an animator, I'd like to be a medical professional and help people.  I'd like to live in New York - a nice big city with a lot of people.  

 

 likes:drawing, superheros, marvel, books, audio books, most movies, vegetables, stranger things, spider-man into the spider verse, cereal, a clean room

dislikes:Davis, dirty room, dirty laundry, cold weather, dirty diapers, whining toddlers, failed drawings

This 14th birthday:

french toast and strawberries

(school)

egg salad sliders 

"Spider-man Homecoming" movie

bbq wings from Hog Heaven

double layer chocolate "Black Panther" cake with white chocolate cream filling and chocolate ganache topping

(news all evening following the insurrection at the Capital)

tons of wrapped items from little siblings and hand drawn cards (!)

. new hoodie . pjs . $ (he's saving up for an animator tablet!) . 

. Pokemon . Animators Survival Guide .  

. Heroes of Olympus book 5 . swim lessons . pocket knife . 

. Switch controller .

It's been a joy to celebrate this young man for all 14 of his birthdays.  We're so thankful he's a part of our family and a part of our lives.  Happy  Birthday Burke!

On the Move

 

Our littlest lady is on the move!

Just shy of 8 months old, Alarie is scooting and rocking and propelling herself across the floor.  She's so strong and so determined, she'll be fully crawling in no time at all. 

 

She's especially attracted to paper, but the kids have had fun setting up toy targets for her and cheering her on.  Thankfully she waited until after Christmas (wrapped gifts!) to begin her cross-floor-exercises.

We're so proud of our girl!

Alarie's world just opened up to all sorts of amazing possibilities . . .  

Now we have good motivation to keep our floors extra clean!

December Snapshots

Advent

Christmas decorations

read alouds

Christmas cards

7-month-old baby

Christmas baking

poker 

family game nights

YMCA basketball (Tesfaye)

Christmas Tree farm

Christmas lights

snow!!!

gingerbread houses

Christmas Carols

Adoration

baby food

Christmas lights drive thru

15 Christmas stockings

 snowflake cutting

13 silhouettes :)

3-week work trip to Phoenix (Mike)

middle school basketball (Hiwot)

new puppy (!)

Covid testing (Mike) - thankfully negative!

Jesse Tree

Christmas movies

wrapping, wrapping, wrapping

baby snuggles

Christmas Eve Mass

Christmas!!!

family Facetime calls

mid-century-modern chair shopping 

Ikea

sewing curtains

Mike's birthday!

garage conversion planning (2 new bedrooms!)

Happy New Year!!!