A conversation with Abi

I put the camera in front of Abigail and turned the viewfinder so that she could see herself. Oh did she like that! She couldn't get enough of being able to see herself while she talked. This video captures her personality pretty well. When she is happy, she is just so stinkin' fun.

Christmas on the Island

Yesterday was a LONG day. It began when Mom and I decided to take Isaac and run out to the local "China Store" to do a little shopping. (These stores are actually called "The China Store" and are run by Chinese families.) They bear a resemblance to a dollar store except that the prices are not just $1. But they have a little bit of everything and relatively inexpensive. 

I wanted to give the boys an opportunity to pick out Christmas gifts for their family this year. I didn't want to spend a lot but wanted them to understand "giving." Originally we just planned to wait to institute this family idea when we returned to America since shopping on the island is so difficult due to lack of options. But ultimately, we went for it! (I plan to take Sidge out another day and will allow Abigail to wait until she gets a bit older.)

Isaac had a great time. When we got back to our van though, I discovered that I had been ticketed for not paying to park in a spot that I had no idea required payment! 

One of the things that is always frustrating to me about living overseas is the inability to understand traffic, parking, tickets, etc. What is intuitive to a local, is not to us, and what reads simply on a traffic ticket to someone who speaks Portuguese, looks quite Greek-to-me.

JB and I chalk these costs up to the fact that we are foreigners. You just sometimes get it wrong. I was pretty sure that I had parked in that same spot before without paying. But obviously, I was wrong.

The good thing was, I found a website on the ticket, and was able to ascertain that they were only charging me a few euro for not putting my coins in the machine. I used my VISA and paid online.

And while our pocketbook didn't take a huge hit, our van did. 

Another thing about living overseas that exhausts me? Parking lots! Spots are small, designed for little European vehicles. Our big van is ... well ... big. Navigating tiny parking lots with tiny spots is exhausting. After our China store stop (where Isaac found a little mermaid bath toy for Abigail and a ping-pong game for him and Sidge to play) we had gone over to the local Medellos (Portuguese grocery store) for a few things. I was already upset about my ticket when, on our way back into the van, I noticed that the spot in front of me was open! This meant that I could pull forward to exit the parking lot instead of trying to make a 417-point-turn to pull out. 

Only I didn't notice that the yellow-painted-handicapped-parking-spot had a yellow-painted-speed-hump in front of it. I hit it. And the front of our car dislodged and was hanging onto the road. I managed to prop it up until we got home wherein JB and his Dad were able to fix it. 

Quite a day of living-overseas-experiences.

After those two events, it was nice to get a little dose of America. The Base was putting on a Christmas Day Extravaganza. While the weather was far from cooperating, we had a nice time. It stated with a reading time with Santa.

This picture was taken right after Abigail's name was called to win a donated prize. We entered each of the children of course, but it was a random prize, and Abigail was called mere moments after we walked in. She went up to a table full of toys and chose the huge pink dog in the front and center of the table. Sidge coulda cared less. But Isaac was well aware that his sister won a prize, and he did not. We took this opportunity to teach him a life lesson. We don't always win. Sometimes other people win. Games are not meant to be won by everyone. And besides! Santa had a little present for every kid that came so he got to get something. And wouldn't you know that about ten people later, Isaac's name was called! He picked out a batman kite, and while happy, still pouted a bit that he didn't get a dog like Abigail. Ugh! How DO you teach gratefulness? So much for a life lesson being learned. What is even funnier is that Sidge, our happy-go-lucky-little-man, was a little bothered by the fact that his two siblings won a prize, but when we said he could have an extra cookie for compensation, he was completely at peace.

Hannah, when smiling, is such a cutie. But when she has on her serious face, you can't get her out of it, and with that head of hair, we think she bears a little resemblance to a "curmudgeon". 

I am well aware that this may be the last time we get a picture of Hannah with Santa for many years. Isaac was seven months old at his first Christmas and sat willingly with the big man at Destin Commons in Destin, Florida. (Click here to see Isaac.) Because Sidge was a January birthday, he was nearly a year when his first Christmas rolled around a year later, and he was having NOTHING of sitting on a strange man's lap. It wasn't until 2011, that we managed to even get a video of the boys anywhere near Santa again at a Christmas outing in Turkey. And with Abigail only being five months old that year, she willingly took a picture as well. 

After Hannah took her picture, we asked Abigail to take a picture. I am big on not forcing my kids to do things they are uncomfortable with. Abigail was having nothing of it. She did agree, however, to let her new "pink puppy" take a picture on the Big Man's lap. 

Once Pink Puppy got in on the action, I asked the kids if they would reconsider a photo. Abigail refused. However, the boys agreed. We keep Santa as sort of an "imaginary character" in our family. We don't really emphasize him, but we don't dissuade from believing in him either. We sort of think that you can understand Jesus while having a little fun with a few years of childhood magic before you outgrow it. The boys do, however, seem to understand that many of the Santa's they see are not the real Santa. They appeared to get that this was just a man in a costume and agreed to take a picture with him. (Okay so I bribed them with pennies for the piggy banks. While I don't force kids, I'm not above bribing.)

After that, Grama managed to talk the three older kiddos into a picture in front of the Christmas tree they had up on the stage. They were actually incredibly willing to participate.

Oh, so you may be wondering why the kiddos are in their pajamas. Well ... following the time with Santa, the Base was putting on a "Polar Express" activity for the kids. You could go to the movie theatre on Base, watch the movie for free, and then board a bus for a ride through the neighborhood to look at Christmas lights. The kids were encouraged to wear their pajamas like the kids in the movie did.

Sidenote: I'm just not a huge fan of this movie. I appreciate the creativity but it is just a little creepy to me in many parts. 

Anyways ... our friend "Ms. Mianna" joined us, but I don't have any photos from the second part of our afternoon because the weather was terrible. (It's been raining and windy on the island for about five straight days now -- with only a little break in the action on Friday.) JB rode the bus with the kids, and they couldn't really see a thing because the windows were so foggy. After the bus/train ride, we managed to stand outside in the rain long enough to see the Base Christmas tree lit too.

While the day didn't go much like planned, we did have a wonderful time as a family, and we were so blessed to share this Base experience with Grampa and Grama. While the Base is very limited in what they can provide, we so appreciate all the volunteers who help to make holidays away from home and family, feel a little less lonely. I will certainly miss the Base-family-feel next summer when we separate from the military. And I'll definitely miss the small town experiences that both Turkey and the Azores have afforded us. 

Scrubby and his biggest boy

Isaac actually asked me to do a video of Scrubs and him playing together. Here it is:

Why we aren't saving for our kids' college funds

As a mother of four young children (a child number that many people now-a-days think is a bit high when it comes to the pitter patter of little feet), I hear comments like this all the time:

"I would love to have more kids, but college is too expensive."

"We're not going on vacation because we're too busy saving for Junior's college education."

"Kids are so expensive. Have you seen the cost of a college education lately?"

So here's the truth in our family: We have four children. My husband is a doctor. And we will not be paying for them to attend college.

Let me be a little bit more specific. What I actually mean is that will not be paying their full tuition at a University of their choice without them contributing to the costs at all.

Why?

Firstly, and I know this is a little controversial, but my husband and I do not believe college is for everyone. We believe the importance of college is overrated. We think technical schools, on-the-job training, or military service can be just as beneficial to a person's long-term success as an adult ... depending on the aspirations of a particular child.

Secondly, we don't think that college costs are the responsibility of a parent. We both grew up in lower-middle class families. We never, at any point, thought that anyone was going to pay for us to go to college except ourselves.

John accepted a full college scholarship to the Fort Lauderdale Art Institute. Later, when he decided he wanted to go into medicine, he ran his own business while paying for himself to attend college. He then joined the Air Force to help pay for medical school.

I worked my tail off throughout high school to earn a college education through a full basketball scholarship.

But had we not received those scholarships, we would have taken out our own loans or attended community college while we worked hard, or sought out grants and scholarships of a different nature to fund our college education.

Our brothers and sisters were faced with the same obstacles and many did not receive full scholarships. They found partial scholarships, joined the military, or found other avenues to pay for their educations.

I recently read an article on MSN entitled "Why  Parents Shouldn't Pay For College."

The article summarized parental involvement with college education by saying that, "Students with skin in the game are likely to party less and achieve more, research finds."

"Even if you can afford to give your child a full ride," the author writes, "you probably shouldn't. Although working more than 20 hours a week boosts the chances a student will drop out, a less demanding part-time job can make your child more responsible and more aware of the costs involved in education."

She also suggests requiring your child to maintain a certain GPA. "It can't be a bluff," she said. "If your child's grades slip, you'll have to be ready to withdraw support or transfer them to another institution."

John and I have already decided that if we are financially able, we will help contribute to our child's college degree (or other schooling that they may choose). But the requirements from our child will be rigid and non-negotiable. For example, we might agree to pay the cost of a community college education,, but if they want to attend a state college, they can pay the difference. Or we may help them pay for school if they maintain a very high GPA that requires them to truly focus on their education.

However, attending college is not a given for them. And it isn't a given that we will be the ones to pay for it should they choose to attend.

P.S. We don't plan on buying our child a car either!

Friday Funnies

Sidge: "Abigail keeps errupting me."
*****

Sidge: "Do girls' hairs turn gray?"

Me: "Anyone's hair can turn gray."

Isaac: "Is that why we cut it? So it doesn't turn gray?"
*****
Me: "Mistakes are okay."
Sidge: "But what about at the doctor. Are mistakes okay there?"
*****
Summersaults 1
Summersaults 2

A moment in our morning

For anyone who might ever think that I have it all together, I offer you the REAL life that I live in video form. This is what my day is like, most every day. It is mixed with happiness, laughter, silliness, frustrations, punishments, pouting, and complications at every turn.

In this video, Isaac is being a sweetheart, Sidge is being emotional, and Abigail is being a diva. It can change from one moment to the next. The next moment it might be Isaac who is yelling and Sidge who is being sweet and Abigail ... well, she is probably still being a diva.

But you get the idea. I especially love hearing Isaac say in this video "Awight." I love the way he says this. It always makes me smile. I also love how much Isaac loves junk food. It cracks me up.



This is real life folks!

Hannah: Three months old!

Not the best pictures but the effort it took to take them is more than I am willing to put forth again. So this is all I have right now!

Hannah at one month

Hannah at two months

Our little Hannah Joy is no longer just a pomegranate! Now she's a bopping three month old and a certified member of our family! As of today, Hannah ...

• is sleeping through the night like a champ! Most every night she is in bed before 8pm and not awake until at least 6am (and sometimes even 7 or 8am!)
• is exclusively bottle-fed. I weaned her about two weeks ago. (She was nursing for an hour and then still taking a bottle of up to 6 ounces.) It has worked out fantastically, and I did it at my own speed with no regrets.
• is cooing and talking a ton!
• is smiling a ton and giggling quite frequently.
• is an easy-to-startle kid. Mannnn she gets mad when she gets scared. That's when she cries the hardest.
• doesn't really cry when going to sleep at night much at all. We just swaddle her and away she drifts.
• can sit upright propped by pillows.
• isn't a huge fun of her swing. Seems to prefer a bouncy chair.
• loves to stick out her tongue (which Abigail really liked to do too.)
• hates tummy time.
• still likes everyone! No preferences right now.
• seems to be very cool, calm, and collected. 
• eats around 5 bottles a day ranging from about 5-8 ounces each time.

Here is Isaac at three months old.

Here is Sidge at three months old.

Here is Abigail at three months old.

5,000th Post!

THIS IS POST NUMBER 5,000!!!

I started this blog in 2005 -- mainly to help family stay up-to-date on our infertility journey. It was called "Life in the Polar North" then because we were in Minnesota and I was freezing my tooshie off like a crazy woman so my husband could go to medical school at the Mayo Clinic.

Life has taken us far since then. We moved to the panhandle of Florida, then Turkey, and now the Azores.

We went from a childless couple -- to a couple with a dog and then a couple with one, two, three, and now FOUR children!

So in celebration of my 5,000th post, I wanted to ask YOU the people who READ my blog to do me a favor.

You've been reading the details of my life for a long time. I have over 200 followers and get about 400 hits a day which is about 12-15,000 a month. But I don't often know many of the people who read my blog. So, even if you are only an occasional reader: Would you leave me a comment? 

Yes, this means even YOU Mom. It means my best bud Kristi and to you, the person who only comes over once a month and scans and has never left a comment. If you EVER read, I am asking you to leave a comment!

Here's what I would like YOU to tell ME in your comment:

1. Your name (if you are okay with that)
2. Where you live
3. When you started reading
4. Why you have kept reading
5. Something interesting about yourself
6. And if you remember, tell me one of your favorite posts that I have written or maybe a subject matter or something else that you like about the blog

All righty folks ... ready ... set ... go!

P.S. I am attempting to respond to each commenter individually, so check back to see my response.

A theme

All the kids like to help take care of Hannah. But Abigail, especially, likes to bring her things. Dolls and blankets and bibs and pacifiers and bupcloths. Three different times today I left the room. And three different times I returned to find Hannah in various predicaments ... like this one.

I think this might be how she would look if she were a blonde.

Not sure she could fit another baby doll on her lap.

And a very special red elephant for her as well!

Baby & Buddy

Wediculous Wind!

It's nearly impossible to depict wind in words or video. You have to feel wind and hear wind and be in the wind to truly appreciate it.

Either way, it has been "winding" here for over twenty-four hours now. It's funny because if we were in the USA, this storm, these winds, would mean empty store shelves and constant watching of the Weather Channel.

But here, it is the norm. The locals don't even flinch at these winds. They don't tie up outside patio furniture or worry about flying debris. They just live in it and are used to it.

And you know, somehow, I think I am too.

There's no avoiding going out in weather like this because the weather is like this so frequently. You just "do the next thing." You take the boys to Awanas and go to the grocery store with two little girls by yourself.

Here is my attempt at a video of the weather on our little island over the last twenty-four hours. (And believe it or not, they are saying it is going to continue and even get worse over the next few days!)

Wee-wind Wednesday

Today, let's rewind to Thanksgivings past.

In 2012, I took a moment to flashback to the Thanksgivings that had occurred since I had started my blog.

To that blog I must add this year, 2013, to the list.