Reading to quints, Princesses, fun with Isaac, and strange "jewelry"

Will, Marcie, Gracie, Seth and David (the day their 2-year-old portraits were taken - three still have their outfits on!)

This book used to be Isaac's favorite (about airplanes) so I pretty much have it memorized. Every time the boys find it they ask for it, or they'll ask for it sight unseen because they love it so much!

Birthday gifts from Marmi and Papa!

Isaac with Will and Seth - who is reading a book the whole time he's being wheeled around. So cute!

Marcie thought this would be a beautiful "pretty" (i.e. jewelry). It's two long curtain-hanging springs!

The girls in darling strawberry outfits from Aunt Krista and Uncle Todd. They love to wear the bows on their heads now.

New nephews!!

I am so thrilled to report that the quints have one new boy cousin and yet another boy cousin on the way, due in December. Gavin's sister Jonelle gave birth to Eli two weeks ago, and my sister Katie found out she's having a boy! (She's also still very sick at 25 weeks pregnant, vomiting even into a trash can while on the witness stand in court - she has to testify in child protection cases as the one who works with the kids, so please pray for her!)

Here's our gorgeous little nephew Eli and his loving family on Gavin's side. We're sad we couldn't be there with our six kiddos for a picture of the entire Jones family! (Actually, we're really grateful to be here, but if we could be two places at once or beam ourselves back and forth, you know we would!)

You'll no doubt recognize Marmi and Papa, Gavin's parents, and that's Gavin's brother Jared and his wife Jody in the middle with their three kids, Ethan, Elise and Levi. Gavin's sister is on the far right, looking way too beautiful to have just had a baby! Happy big sister Mari is in her arms, and of course her hubby Thom is holding baby Eli. Thom and Jonelle used to live here at Ukarumpa before they even started dating. They got engaged here!

Fun separately and together

Seth on the see-saw at Weavers'

At the river

David sneaking coffee on the beach!

Breakfast boys! David, Seth, Will

Marcie and Gracie enjoying the car hood and their daddy's company

Tonight Isaac heard Marcie saying, "Bye-bye! Bye-bye!" When he looked at her he said, "Mom, you've got to see this!" She was all dressed up with her sparkly purse and her floppy hat and her bag of fancy clothes, ready to head out the door.

Will has his own fancy moment. He always needs a bow in his hair when the girls are getting their hair put in pigtails. He invariably pulls the bow out in seconds, but it makes him feel better. :)

Marcie building her tower at Weavers'

Quints playing with Isaac (video)

Poor Isaac hasn't featured in a while! He's a great big brother and playmate, but he also has quite the social life that keeps him out of the pictures and videos much of the time. He's usually outside with his friends. Have I mentioned we have a great community here?!

Gavin's trip

Just FYI, a big reason I've been so absent from the blog is that Gavin was gone from Tuesday to Saturday afternoon doing a really cool job in a really cool part of PNG, so watch for pictures! Meanwhile, things were really, really good here but also really, really busy. I was one tired mama by nighttime and finally getting Isaac to bed. No "chick flicks" or period drama movie nights for me anymore during Gavin's overnights! :) I had all the help I needed in our wonderful community and am very grateful for happy, healthy, well-adjusted kids - although David and Will kept talking about Daddy having gone bye-bye and "fwy" (fly) on the "ow-ka" (helicopter), and a couple of times Will cried for him. Sweet!

From Karen regarding Monday's playdate:

The kids decided the most fun thing to do with the plastic chairs was to push them around the house. They made a little train following each other, though my photos somehow only show one kid at a time.

 Marcie, however, had her own ideas. While the others were pushing chairs around the house, she found a hat, put it on, got a book off the shelf, took her chair to the table and sat down to read, all without any guidance from me or anyone else.

I was photographing the chair pushers when I heard a sweet voice say clearly, "Up and down!" I looked at Marcie and saw she had put Corduroy back on the shelf and taken off "The Wheels on the Bus." She was bouncing in her chair and singing the words the best she could.

Marcie looks like my mom as a baby in this photo, I think!

Second birthday portraits: The girls

Second birthday portraits: The boys

 

Undying gratitude to Susan Frey, awesome photographer, who did the birthday party photos too!

Percussion practice and wheelbarrow rides

Love the intense focus on both boys' faces as they pound out their rhythms.

Love the mutual enjoyment and grins, too! Will and David

Seth pounds on an empty rain water collection tank. Will answers the "phone" in response to Walter's "Hello!"

Gracie and Will

Marcie

Marcie "pushing" the wheelbarrow

David wearing Isaac's shirt after accidentally falling while wading in the river a few days ago. It was the only dry article of clothing we had on hand for a cold little boy!