The Valencic Family Newsletter

April 14th 2007 edition,

not published til May?

Click here for Easter pictures.

Sorry for the long period between new pictures, news, and updates.

I was released from my 2 year calling in the Primary Presidency, so you'd think I would have MORE time to update the website.  Naaaaaaaaah.  I am now in the Enrichment committee, planning the 4 times yearly activites for the Relief Society.  We haven't even had a meeting yet, where in Primary we had weekly meetings and things to do almost every day to be ready!  Homeschooling is going well, although the year is finishing up and I need to get thinking about next year!  We will have a 5th/6th grader, a 3rd grader, a 2nd grader, a preK/Kindergartener, a preK and a toddler.  Maybe.  If Timothy walks as well as he grows.  Looking forward to summer, a garden, working on our house and yard, and just life in Texas with our precious family.

If you haven't noticed, it's still winter here in Texas after a short spring like time...

   Tom's job is still going well and his calling is as well.  He is still the ward mission leader and we are still unofficially in charge of keeping the missionaries fed (keeping the calendar filled!)  We are borrowing Amanda's car and so we are no longer farming out the kids to get rides on Sundays to church, and if I need to get somewhere during the day I can actually go, as long as I take all the kids.  At least they fit!  :)

Not much new other than a family obsession with GeoTrax when Nathanael received another set for his birthday (Cousin Zane gave him the first one for Christmas) and then both Nathanael and Samuel used birthday money to buy 2 more sets... I think Tom (as well as the older kids) wants some too now.  Our family room is a train station and everyone enjoys making new layouts and seeing if we can use every single piece.   Maybe I'll make a GeoTrax or train page.  If so I will put the link here!

Michael is 10 and in the 4th grade officially (though still working at well beyond grade level in some things).  He is almost done with his Webelos and has earned 4 of the activity badges, and well on his way to at least 4 more.  He has a goal to earn all of them but one.  He likes to write, read, build with Magnetix, Legos, or anything else, or draw, plan, imagine, write letters, and sometimes just think.  A huge interest right now is cars, how they work, historic cars, drawing cars, engines, steering mechanisms, tires (and why we don't see whitewalls much anymore) and books on cars.  We spent an hour one Saturday looking for metallic crayons (we never found them) in local or online stores.  We ended up buying metallic colored pencils at our local Hobby Lobby instead.  Michael's site is here. He did a lot in designing it.  He is enjoying reading the Chronicles of Narnia, though I think his favorite movies are still the Harry Potter movies as well as Star Wars.  He loves making Timothy laugh and probably is the quickest at it right now.  His mother is in denial that he will turn 12 next year.

Benjamin is 8 years old and in 2nd grade and a Wolf scout.  He hasn't earned his Wolf Badge yet but is working hard on it.  He only has 4 more items to do, one of which is starting a collection, he just hasn't started it yet.  He is a great big brother to all his younger siblings, at least the little ones.  I guess Emilie doesn't count, she's his size (they do get along most of the time).  He just recently passed up Michael in weight.  He loves Legos, Transformers, Star Wars, Harry Potter, and is trying to read Chronicles of Narnia as well.  He is proud that he could read almost all of "How to Eat Fried Worms" late this summer and he and Michael really enjoyed the movie when we checked it out.  Homeschooling is going well with Benjamin and some days he gets started before he even eats breakfast.  He is very talented at Math.  His website is here, updated just after his birthday in October.  Other interests are riding his bike (he just learned how and does very well!), playing outside, climbing our tree in the front yard, and playing basketball.  He would love to try gymnastics sometime.

Emilie is 7 years old and again, excited about being baptized next year.  One of her favorite things recently was, as a Primary class, helping teach the Easter lesson at church.  She can ready very well now and her math skills are growing as well.  She is looking forward to doing ballet and tap again in the spring.  She was very disappointed that Timothy was not a sister, but likes him anyways.  At least that is what she tells him.   She now has her own room and the crib is also in the boys' room, so she comes out and tells us she's lonely, frequently after bedtime.  She does enjoy being on the top bunk, even though noone is on the lower one.  She still loves dancing, singing, and talking.  Her challenge in life is being still or quiet.  She loves family and friends and wants everyone to know that she loves them.  She is our sweet princess and usually she acts like it :)  Her page is here, and it is now fully updated with new pictures, etc.

Nathanael is now 4 and is currently informing us that he is almost 5.  He is trying hard to act like a big 4 year old, but sometimes can't help whining, talking like Samuel (baby talk) or throwing tantrums.  He still speaks very clearly when he chooses to do so, and repeats himself quite a bit.  He loves numbers, counting, letters, reading, new books, being read to, and homeschooling.   Just this past week he wrote his whole name (yes, all 9 letters, in the right order!) from memory and even going the right direction!  Nathanael made us proud last week when he gave his first talk in Primary on Easter.  He's not too happy that his Primary class is all girls but he doesn't show it much anymore.  He is also a good big brother and loves playing with Samuel and holding Timothy (or just talking to him while Timothy is in his swing, car seat, bouncy seat or even just on the floor)  Nathanael's page is here, and is now newly updated.  Please check it out!

Samuel is now 2 years old.  Nathanael is telling him to say he's almost 3 now, but Samuel isn't sure what he thinks about that.  He is definitely a personality in our home.  His favorite word is no, but he is a big tease and his grin is super cute.  He loves animals, Pooh, Elmo (it comes out sounding more like "bobo"), and Bob the Builder lately.  He is thrilled with Trains and GeoTrax, including his purple train called the "Midnight Flier"  (it comes out more like "minnite fire")  He loves coloring at the table and "hoe-cooling" with everyone else.  He knows his colors and letters and numbers.  Oh, and shapes!  He loves his big boy bed but no longer naps... He is starting to sing Primary songs.  He loves Nursery, but other than that, hates seeing or talking to people outside our family.  Unless you are in our house, then he might LOOK at you.  Don't expect him to talk though.  His site is here, and is mostly up to date.  He LOVES anything to do with Cars the movie, or cars themselves.

Timothy is the newest addition to our family.  He still doesn't seem to have many preferences yet, other than to be clean, dry, fed, kind of entertained, and not too sleepy.  He loves being held by any sibling or Mom and Dad.   Though his favorite thing is to be playing near the GeoTrax and being able to reach the trains to knock them off.  He will watch the trains (and the siblings) for long periods of time.  He is very large for our family, but not as much for his age anymore.  As of today (April 14th) he is 17 lbs 10 oz.  He just had his 4 month appointment when Nathanael had his 4 year and he was officially 17 lbs and 27 inches.   He is wearing mostly 9-12 months clothes (I can't even find any winter 6-9 months clothes in our boy stuff I've saved!), size 3 diapers, no shoes but outgrowing his socks as well as pulling them off, grabbing his toes or anything else he can reach and putting it in his mouth.  We think he's teething, too, and for the first time gets fussy and actually cries, loudly.  He hasn't figured out cereal and spoon eating yet, but thinks it is a great game and laughs at Dad the whole time.  He is mostly sleeping through the night but sometimes starts his "night" a little later than we'd like.  He has very little hair but it looks very light colored, blue-ish eyes still (where Samuel's eyes were already turning brown at this age).  We are all in love with him and I think we'll keep him.  :)  His new page is here.  New pictures!  He's a keeper!

Please call, write, email, and/or visit anytime.

Love, Tabitha, Tom, Michael, Benjamin, Emilie, Nathanael, Samuel, and Timothy

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