So much seems to get put aside when there are cuddles to be had and cars to play with and crafts to do. This poor blog has been one of the things that got put on the back burner. Even now, while the kids are all napping, I have clothes to sort, Christmas lights to test and a messy house to tidy before getting to this blog but I thought I should put my memories first for today.
Trying to do a blog posting for each monthiversary is a bit out of reach right now, so I'm going to see if I can try to post once a month--that's my goal. I can cover all of the exciting happenings of our lives including monthiversaries in one shot. Right? I'm hoping to, anyway.
Liam has been moved from the Mother's Day Out program at his school to the Prekindergarten program. That puts him on track for entering Kindergarten next fall (2012). It's a big issue here in Indiana, because August 1st is the cut-off, and with Liam's birthday on Aug 15, we're in a bit of a quandry: because of his academic skill-level, Liam might get pushed into the class as the youngest kid. To add to the mix, parents here have the option to hold their kids back a year in order to be the biggest all-star in the grade, since sports are organized by grade, not age (and apparently sports take precedent over anything else). As a teacher, this irks me to the core. Therefore, Kindergarten is filled with kids who are closer to 6 years old, while Liam will be just a fresh-faced new 5 year old. Combine that age-difference with an intellect of a third-grader and we are forced to make an important decision. Academically, Liam is more than fine. Social-emotionally, he's a little kid--easily influenced, trying to make good choices when there is so much going on in his head, wiggly and mischievous when he's bored or uninterested. Both areas are important to consider in this decision--do we "sacrifice" academics or maturity? Is there a way to meet the needs of both? We may end up putting Liam into a private Kindergarten (most likely at his current school) to try it out in a smaller setting so he can gain some maturity while cultivating his skills, without throwing him into a 30+ group of 'big kids' at the local public school. Then in first grade, throw him to the wolves. Sigh...I know in a few years this will be a non-issue, but right now, it's pretty important. Liam loves loves loves to learn and I want to make sure he doesn't lose that sparkle in his eye because a big, cool 6 year old influences him the wrong way.
Liam has been growing in so many areas lately. He is a voracious reader--often grabbing a book and laying down right where he is to get lost in its stories. He loves reading the Magic Treehouse series, laughs at his Chirp magazines and finds any type of non-fiction book fantastically interesting. His math skills have developed past basic math skills--he now can add two digit numbers together by grouping. His mental math skills are amazing, as are his abilities to hold multiple numbers in his head and manipulating them (ie 12 + 12 = ? Well, 10 + 10 is 20 and 2 + 2 is 4, so 12 + 12 is 24). He can count by 2s, 5s and 10s quite easily and could probably count well over 10000 if he had the patience. We've been looking at place value and how to read big numbers since he's always interested in saying numbers he comes across. His calculator skills have improved, and his calculator is one of his favourite toys. Liam has shown more eagerness for writing and has taken it upon himself to write notes (This is Liam and Jude's rocket. Please don't touch it.) and make himself a Christmas wish list. He can create his own birthday cards for his friends from start to finish (complete with artwork and stickers) and only needs help with spelling his friend's name. The letters are all there on the card, but he's working on actually grouping them in lines from left to right. Ha--sometimes you have to rotate the card a few times to find that missing y in "Happy". But it's there!
Liam has been pushing the limits of his language--he's so verbal and creative (ie rhyming, singing, etc) that he can get into trouble by hyper-focusing on a word. Like Poopyhead. Oh my...our nerves. We're working on it and it's getting better, but boy does that child have some perseverance.
Jude has been as sweet as ever. His language has exploded in the past few months and he now speaks in complete, grammatically-correct, vocabulary-filled sentences. It's amazing to hear his little, deep, two-year-old self express himself so proficiently. Jude is such a great balance of mischief (just a tad), sweetness (loads and loads), intelligence (so much!) and hilarity (tonnes!) that being around him just buoys you. I have to prevent myself from laughing at times, because he is so so funny while trying hard to be serious (...or while I'm trying to be serious!). I don't want him to think I'm laughing at him. Although, when a giggle does slip out, he's happy to laugh right along with me. He's just so very cute.
Noah, sweet-sweet, cuddly Noah is doing fabulously! He is like a teddy bear--one who grabs your face with his sweet hands and places kisses all over your cheeks. He cuddles into the space under my arm next to my body when he sleeps at night and it's just perfection. As the third child, he is magnificent. He is happy, smiley, and very very interested in the goings-on in our household and beyond these walls when we venture outdoors. His beautiful eyes and long, sweeping eyelashes just invoke smiles from everyone he meets. There is so so much to him that I can't express. I predict he will be quite a force--although a gentle force--as he grows and develops into a full-grown big boy.
Well, my eldest has been pacing the hall upstairs and not napping OR being quiet during nap/quiet time, so I think it's about time to put him to work. Testing Christmas lights will be a treat for him and it will give us some fun quiet time together.
Happy Saturday!
Love,
b
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