The above title should be said in the creepy little girl voice from the movie Poltergiest. That movie was my first horror flick, and truly creeped me out. But there I go, down the rabbit trail...
Ehhh, so I took six months off from blogging. I harbor no false impressions that more than a handful of people actually read this thing, so I figured my presence from the blogosphere went by largely unnoticed. However, my children are 6 months older, and the stories must be told, lest I forget. And that is the reason for the blog in the first place. So one day my family and I can look back and remember and be blessed!
Let's begin with the oldest, shall we? Judah is 5. We homeschool (preschool) 2-3 days a week, and he attends a bridge program in Cypress on Tuesdays and Thursdays. His school experience this time around has been more favorable, though not without it's hiccups. He loves his school, his teachers, and most of all, the other students. He is so social, and enjoys so much being with the 8 other kids in his class. He has had a difficult time acclimating to the disciplined nature of a formal school setting. Namely, waiting his turn to speak or, well, do anything... And letting the teacher teach the class.... And sitting still. He has a rather impressive and annoying habit of correcting the teacher's Bible stories. We don't do much editing, I am afraid, when we tell the stories. So, Judah indignantly insists that Adam and Eve realized that they were NAKED, and God killed and animal to make clothing for them from the fur. Or explains insistently that Moses's mother cared for Moses in the palace because a woman was needed to breastfeed him, and the princess could not do it. Now, I get that he should let the teacher teach, but you have to admit...it is pretty funny. He played pharaoh in their impromptu play regarding the Exodus, and the teacher said, "pharaoh, what do you want to do?". Judah, arms crossed over his chest in smug self-importance announced in deep 5 year old tones, "kill the babies!". He can read short books now, and is starting to really develop an interest in reading on his own. Though, he really enjoys math best. I cannot believe how big he is getting.
Canaan Andrew is 3 and 1/2. Don't for get that 1/2 either--he will most certainly correct you! Canaan participates in our homeschool days on Mondays and Wednesdays for much of the material. And he is crazy smart. He picks up things very quickly, and if I pushed him, I know he could be reading by the end of the year. As it is, he can read a handful of small words, because he didn't want to be left out of the sight word game I was playing with Judah. His biggest interests these days are still cars, and now Mario. We don't even have a Wii yet, though I think we have decided to get one for the kids for Christmas. He plays at my parents house on Wednesday evenings when we go to community group. He and Judah are neck and neck in video gaming ability, and Canaan would play all day if we allowed it. But we don't. My quote is "your brain will die if you watch too much TV or play too many video games.". It's true, too. We only allow them to play on Fridays and Sunday afternoons. This rule eliminates crazy excess, and also the begging to play all week long. They know their days of the week, and we do a calendar, so it works. Yesterday, he came into the kitchen and said, "Mom, guess who I am pretending to be?". I raised my eyebrows and said, "who?". Canaan replied, "I am Andrew Peterson.". I just love this kid. He is playing his first organized sport this fall--soccer. He is easily the most focused and competitive child on his team. Wherever the ball is, Canaan is there. He made a goal a couple of games ago, and he has saved several as the goalie. But more importantly, he really loves to play. Last week he let a goal go by while he was the goalie, and he was upset that he missed. He really gets what is going on. (Meanwhile, Judah still forgets he is chasing a ball for a purpose, and not merely romping about with a bunch of friends!) Most of the kids on his team have to be bribed into playing, but Canaan will happily play all 4 quarters just for the fun of it.
And now, sweet Annie Beth. She is 18 months old, and will not stop talking. I cannot get over how well she speaks. Or climbs. Today, we had some friends over to play, and the boys went outside. Annie would live outside if I would let her. I turned my back for a second, and she was up the ladder scooting on her bottom toward the slide, yelping, "I did it! Slide!! Slide!!". After I helped her slide, she said, "whoa....gen? (again)". I already found her on top of the coffee table this morning, and right now, as I type, she is busying herself by climbing onto and off of the couch. She still loves shoes, books, and babies, and now has favorite stories she requests 200 times a day--the Karen Katz book "Twinkle Toes" and "Llama Llama, Red Pajama.". She sings along with the music in the car, and absolutely loves "juju" and "caycay", her big brothers. She has started finding things that could pass for purses and slinging them over her elbow, saying, "Go! Bye-bye!" and pretending to walk off. And Miss Sassy Pants mimicks my "look.". If I want her to stop some behavior, I lower my chin and raise my eyebrows to give her a pointed mom-means-business look. She lowers her chin and raises her eyebrows right back at me with her best best mommy impression and a hint of a smile. Yesterday she started telling knock knock jokes in the car. "Knock knock!". It took me a second. It sounded just like "knock knock".... After she said it a couple more times, growing more and more frustrated with me, I asked experimentally "who's there?". She laughed with delight and said "Dada!". Uhhhh... "Dada who?". She clapped her hands and said, "that's punny!". I love this stage.
Alright, enough for now. More to come. The Bowles Tribe is back.
1 comment:
About time.
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