tuesdays

let me tell you about yang zhou (pronounced yong joe)

she's a wonderful woman. we live in the same apartment complex. she was nice enough to say "hi" to me last year. i think it started then, when she opened her heart and home to our family. i wondered how we would ever know each other beyond:

hey. 

how are you. 

what did you do today.

[at this point yang zhou told noah that he doesn't really have to get that 

close to his face for him to understand something]

now she sends me a text letting me know she'll be here soon and brings baked goodness (today it was cinnamon rolls. but minus the cinnamon. and plus black beans instead?) from her mom. we talk about this and that. i nod my head pretty much the whole time she speaks [chinese] to me. i'm sure that's probably why she's still doing that. oh, if she only knew how little i understand.

[didi, a month younger than noah]

before she left my apartment today, she said "hey, tuesdays i don't work in the morning..." she said a few sentences after that but the only part i really cared about was the first.

because i knew what it meant.

i know i can expect a knock on our door these tuesday mornings with a didi ["little brother"] bursting through the door straight for noah's toys. there'll be cries and laughs and hits and total misunderstandings [neither knows what-in-the-world the other is saying].

best of all, there'll be company.

[noah and adelaide introducing didi to "ariel", noah's mermaid love.]

it'll be our tuesdays.

prissy

i want a little priss pot for a daughter. i already think she's so girly. 

but i also heard a wise friend once say

"don't try to box them in before they've grown into who He's making them"

so how would it be fair to her to already speak what she's going to be?

only He knows, really.

but. i, without a doubt, know what she'll think of noah's devious behavior last week.

we walked out to find diapers [everywhere] right down from our balcony.

i was actually scorned today. over and over. by the sweet woman who cleans around here. all she ever used to give me was smiles. but since she knows that we've got the only kids that wear diapers, she drew her conclusions quite quickly.

amen, sister. amen.

three months old

it's cliche, i i know, but i can't believe it.

she's just so pretty and sweet. just about anyone who is around her would say the same.

the other day, noah took one of his toys and smashed it down on her head a couple of times. it was awful. she didn't cry [super surprised]. i almost did. 

after a few spankings and a time out later, noah invited her to come and sit on his couch. i was impressed and i grabbed my camera.

these next blurry ones capture their relationship well.

 somehow that little addie joy is still fascinated with her big brother. he can run at her with his mouth and arms wide open and she still loves him.

i need a few lessons from our tiny little daughter.
glad she's here all day teaching me gentleness.

date night

our neighbors / friends (beth and michael) came over last night.

they did the dishes and rocked one baby:

while being very grateful (i'm sure) that the other one:

 was fast asleep.

scott and i hopped on our scooter and drove less than 10 minutes away to a new-ish mall thingy.

we ate ice cream and walked around in the new GAP. it was surreal. i can't believe we can now buy gelato and normal american clothes just down the road.

i am grateful for last night.