Derek requested a picture of his baptism. Thinking I might find one here, I looked at this blog for the first time in several years. Now I'm trying to find the funny things I've shared on the family chat, now lost to time, since I should have put them here. It would be magical if I could get AI to find them for me.

"Who's Anne Frank? Is that the girl from Legally Blonde?" -Peter (2/23/26) 

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Sister McCord: What are some reasons for taking pictures.

Norah: establishing alibies

She didn't even hesitate. (3/27/26)

***

Eliza

: I need to be studying more science. I need to find something I'm interested in because then I learn about it. Me: Yeah, like how when you were really little and you read that entire middle school astronomy textbook or the time you created your own botany catalog.

Eliza

: Or how I learned all about how x-rays work when I wanted to know how to sneak things into airports. (7/28/25)

***

Eliza

: "Hey, Mom! I have a question that I've wondered about since I was little. When you're dating, when do you tell the person you're a spy? Because it would be wrong to tell them after you're married, but you can't really just tell someone before they're married to you.... ...the same thing also applies to serial killers, I guess...." (7/3/25)

***

Peter: 

Do you think I'll die sooner because I ate laundry detergent as a baby?

Me: I think your life expectancy has more to do with eating well, exercising, and getting enough sleep.

Peter

: That's not what I asked. (10/18/20)

***

Why Meg is still single:

9/19/19

Meg is in grad school at BYU. She seems to be doing really well and I'm so excited she is walking around the same school I did over twenty years ago.

Emma has finished recording and editing her Medievalcal. Soon she will be shooting for it. She is also volunteering at the Bishop's Storehouse, where Grandma and Grandpa Lewis are managers, and preparing for her mission by continuing her morning study. She has watched all of The District, studies from Preach My Gospel, and is over half way through the Book of Mormon in French.

Merian is taking K12 French and Literature from WAVA and driver's ed with Kenna. When she is driving and passes a car coming from the other direction she waves enthusiastically at them. She always gets a friendly wave back, even from two big guys in a huge truck. Merian also is in Treble Forte and auditioned and was selected to be in an ensemble.

I'd be willing to bet Derek is the only 13 year old on the planet that daily checks his favorite blog, The Happy Chicken Coup. I'm looking forward to watching him take care of chickens next year. He is also in zero hour Jazz Band, Band, and participating in X-Country. He is a responsible guy and a hard worker. One of my favorite parts of my day is doing algebra with him.

Eliza is loving orchestra and of course she is just as awesome as ever. Both her and Norah are in Bravo.

Peter is such a funny guy. He keeps us on our toes.

We are all getting excited about moving into our house soon and going to Disneyland in October. It will be so nice to have a family vacation after the stress of building a house the last few years.

This morning during history Peter got excited when he heard the word "Italian" since Mario is Italian. He even wrote an "M" over Italy on his map. Then he asked me if Mario was real. I want to be honest with my children but I hate crushing their enthusiasm so I said, "as real as Mickey Mouse." He took  as a "yes"....

I'm glad the kids love doing history. Eliza has been begging for us to begin.

Peter, while visiting Terracotta Warriors. "Is this creepy China?"

Norah last night, "Can we have the cousins over for for Fourth of July? That day is very special to me because it was the day I became psychic." I did not see that coming.

Yesterday we finally had a warm sunny day so Peter and I were outside. He wanted to show me how he had moved the little bench to be inside the play set house and sat me down on it. He sat down next to me and put his arm around my waist. Then he said, "Wait right here, I'll be right back." and went into the house periodically glancing backwards to make sure I wasn't going to leave. He came back with two water bottles and two goldfish cracker pouches so we sat on that bench and had a little picnic.

"So, how are you feeling?" he sweetly asked. I loved that he was starting a conversation and asking about me.

Later I asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up and he said, "umm....fourteen?"

****

We can't get peter to stop writing on walls. Mostly he draws Mario and Luigi and other things from that game but lately he has been drawing "wall DS's." He's also sounding out words so it's hard to be completely upset.

Peter: Derek, give me the remote! You are a man of duty!

I think he means, "relieved of duty."

Derek: I don't know why, but when I grow up I just want to own a country.

(First of all, who says that? Only children of Dominte.)

Me: Just a country?
Derek:
Yah, Megan gets to rule the world.

(That's some sibling respect for ya.)

Peter is singing "Piggyback Rider!" (Paperback Writer.)

Peter: Is it okay if I have three Mitroclorian Pills? (We've temporarily been giving him a Melitonian to help get him in a better sleep schedule.)

Me: Um, yeah, you're not supposed to, but you'll be okay.

Peter: I had three, four, five, six. (Goes and gets bottle.) Can you hide this where I can't find it?

FYI: His estimate of how many he had can't be deemed as accurate, and I knew he wasn't in danger because Becca had previously eaten almost a whole bottle and the poison control center didn't seem concerned when Carrie called them.

More Peter

Peter has recently been whistling for me when he wants my attention, or he will say, "ding dong" like a door bell.

The other day I was telling Nathan I wanted to cut my hair short because it looked so bad and Peter said, "you're kidding me."

He also says, "what you said?"

When he's mad at me he says, "you're fired!"

More Peter

Peter showed Marian the Mario mustache he drew on himself.

Merian: Did you do that with Mom's permission?
Peter: I did it with a marker.

Peter loves Mario. Probably because Emma plays it with him. They go hopping around the house bouncing on Gumbas.

Peter

"Sit's" for it's
"Look, sit's Craft!" You mean Minecraft? "It's YOUR'S craft?!"

Peter wants to read Green Eggs and Ham everyday. But he calls it "Ham and Sam."

He loves having preschool together, and I do to.

Catching Up

"Memories" of Nate's transplant three years ago keep popping up on my Facebook news feed. Today Peter asked me about it and I got to show him pictures on this blog and explained how, when he was a baby, he lived in the hospital while Dad's life was being saved. It's an important chapter in his life he will have no memory of.

I always enjoy looking through the blog and I need to make update on our family more often!

Right now:

Megan is at BYU-I. I need to write an entire post about that. (Peter looking for her around the house.)

Michael is a senior and mentally preparing for his mission.

Emma is busy with AP and honors classes and marching band. She just went to homecoming with Gavin Briggs.

Merian was excited to make it into jazz band.

Derek

Eliza

Norah is eating spaghetti for breakfast. (She had monster helpings for dinner last night. I guess she really likes spaghetti.)

Peter misses his brothers and sisters all day but I'm enjoying having preschool with him.

I was packing yesterday and Peter started helping me fill the box.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"We're going to live at Grandma's house," I replied.

"Can I come too?"

"Of course!"

"YAY!!!!" And he started to jump and dance around the room.


Moving this time has been a lot harder than when we only had a few kids, a much smaller home, and we moved every year or too. It's hard to leave the home we love and built and made our own. We dreamed of it for so long and have been so grateful to have a place of our own. It's hard to leave all the friends we have made especially when we don't have a place to go and we are just having faith and hope that it will all work out. I know it will be okay, because we will make sure it is, but it is going to take a lot of work and sacrifice.

It's especially hard to leave the backyard and play set. I hate taking that away from the kids but I know this move is what is right for them. I know is time for our family to leave Pasco.

Today

• After swim lessons a little girl told Megan, "I didn't pass but that's okay because then you can be my teacher again because you are beautiful."
• While I was tucking Derek in I asked him about the best part of his day and he answered when Megan and Michael came home. 
• Michael has been reading Alcatraz to Derek at night. This morning Derek was reading it himself! He's not a big reader and when he reads it's always nonfiction.
• Peter was happy to see Jed again. When it was time to leave he said, "bye, my friend" and when I was buckling him into his car seat he started to cry and said, "I want to see Jed at home."
• Derek, Eliza and Norah came the FIRST time I called when it was time to go home from swimming.
• Megan gives Norah an imaginary dragon egg every night and tells her to go keep it warm in her bed. It keeps Norah still and quiet so she can goes to sleep. Last night it even worked on Peter.
• Michael completed his second day as a lifeguard. He must do a good job because they asked him to do another shift tonight.
• I'm missing Emma and Merian who are at camp. When Meg and Mike are at work I only have four little kids at home and it's kind of strange, like when Meg, Mike, Emma and Merian were little.
• I painted the entryway and stairway.
• I became the ATP co-chair. What am I thinking?

Things Peter says a lot:

He uses "mine" instead of "my". ie: "It's mine hat." "Baby you can drive mine car." It sounds kind of German. 

"I uh go-ah too!"

"Two of them!"

"It good!"

"It's hot, hot stuff." (When putting him in his car seat.)

"Not nice, it hurts." (When he pinches me.)

"Great."

"Oh, good."

"BrahmBraaahh" With the "br"s being trilled. (It means water.)

Peter's favorite songs:

Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds
Bear in the Big Blue House
Real Gone (McQueen Song!)
I am a Child of God (Nursery Song)

When Norah heard we finished the last lesson of Eliza's history curriculum she cried and begged that we start over at the beginning and learn about Rome again. Gotta love k12 history!

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Yesterday morning:

Me: What do you want for breakfast?

Norah: Um... How 'bout lunch?

Me: Let's do that later. What do you want!

Norah: Something "editable". 

Apparently she doesn't have much faith in my breakfast making skills. 

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Norah misses Leah from Seattle and Sister Leavitt. She is so tender hearted and remembers them and her great grandmas in her prayers. 

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I love how Peter will say, "oh, good!" When we tell him a story or something. 

He also calls water "BbbbbbrrrrahmBbbbrrrrrah." With the last syllable going up in pitch. 

The price of a few minutes alone is having your four youngest children use a bottle of conditioner to turn the bathroom into a skating rink. 

Peter: It's mine.

Mom: You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it does.

Peter kept hitting me on the head with a bopper sword. After a few times I noticed before he did that he'd sing, "la,la,la,la,la,la,la,la..." and after he hit me he'd sink down. No more Awkward Avaidance Viking for that kid.