This Week at Our House # 26

1. On Wednesday John had an interview in Emerald Ilse (a beach city) so we took the whole family down to the beach. The interview went well and on Friday, the company hired him. It is a contract position, but different than other contracts where there is one project and a set time when the contract will end. This is more like a job without benefits and commitments. John starts work next week sometime after the holiday, and he is very happy. The job will be right here where we are living-- not on Emerald Isle, though we would have loved that. It is a miracle that there was even a job that suited John's skills and background so perfectly that is not in a big metropolitan area. 
2. The sunscreen we purchased must have been old because it did not work and our family came home sun burnt except Susan who just came home very tan. We really enjoyed that day on the beach. We went to a section of the island where very few people were, so it was mostly just our family. The waves were huge and crashing, but it was easy to swim out beyond the break and then they were just fun. We will be heading back to the beach on Monday for the 4th of July, where we will also go and see some fireworks. John and I went to the Temple friday night. It's an hour and a half drive, so we have a lot of time to talk. We mostly spend that time talking about scriptures, gospel doctrine, and what we have been reading along those lines. I really love that time. As parents of so many children, we don't often get that much time to really talk to each other, and I think it is nice that we tend to fall into doctrinal discussions. 
3. Ruth got so very burnt at the beach. She decided to take a nap in sun. She has been walking around like a zombie since then.
4. Kate is reading the Lord of the Rings and another Agatha Christie book. She swam most of the time at the beach, so her sunburn was not as bad, though she is so tan now, I hardly recognize her. 
5. Johnny did not like the beach we went to this time. The water smelt more like fish than it does in our usual spot, so he was more timid about swimming in it. But I had swam out a ways and found a sandbar and Johnny joined me twice.
6. Poor Adam's face is so very burnt. He has a blister mustache and beard and even days later, he is still bright red. The poor boy. But since he had a good pair of swim trunks and a neck high swim shirt, his face is the only part that got burned.
7. Rachel, Kate, and I play skipo together every day. Rachel really loves this and wins a lot. She just has the best darn luck. I am not so lucky.
8. Anya burnt pretty badly too. But she has been out in the sun everyday since April, so the burn mainly tanned.
9. Joseph loves swimming! But he is very insistent that John or I take him out above his head. I will be glad when we learns to swim, so he can do what he wants without help. He is certainly too daring as it is, though. A little more confidence is not what he needs.
10. Joshua is still very whiney about breakfast every morning. Basically, we've had to get him food and tell him that if he does not eat it, he does not get anything else. He is usually hungry enough to just eat after some whining. He does make his own peanut butter sandwiches now, which is big for Josh because he still doesn't put on his own shoes or buckles his own seat belt, or unbuckles his own seat belt. Rachel was the same way.
11. Arwen makes her own peanut butter sandwiches too. But Arwen is capable and coordinated and very independent. Arwen loves to hug, but she strangle hold hugs. I am trying to teach her to be more gentle.
12. Suzy screams and cries a lot right now. She has hit that toddler stage hard. She is a sassy little girl too. This morning she pointed her finger at me and said, "Don't!". Suzy can now take her diaper off from under her onsie. She also likes to just sit on the toilet, so I give. I will start potty training soon. I don't like having to assist toddlers in the bathroom for a year, but I have never had a child so determined to quit using diapers. Plus, I have lots and lots of helping hands that can take her to the bathrooms. Hopefully, this will go well. But with her diaper coming off all of the time, it certainly won't be more disgusting than it already has been.

This Week's Pictures