We went to the library on Tuesday. We'd already been the Friday before, but Isaiah had forgotten to get his stack of Encyclopedia Brown and Boxcar Children books (his 2 favorite series right now). Within 24 hours from our return from the library, he had read Alice in Wonderland, abridged (but still long) Call of the Wild, and was halfway through 2 Encyclopedia Brown books. He was brought to tears when Luke told him it was time to shower and get ready for bed - because he had to stop reading. Of course we did other things during our days - school, meals, chores, church, errands - but he read more in 24 hours than I typically read in a month or two. He seriously makes life easy for this homeschooling momma - "Isaiah, I'd like for you to read this book on mummies then report back to us what you learned during lunch." He loves both parts - the reading and the reporting back. A junior Luke! I think he'd usually prefer computer/wii/tablet games, but he's not bothered by limited screen time if he has a book.
He's got a mouth full of different sized teeth and about 4 that are getting loose. It's an ever-changing landscape in that smile of his.
He finished his basketball season pretty well, having grown in hussling and defense. He was sad to see the season come to an end - but the sadness didn't linger as we went straight to baseball try-outs. We'd been nervous about having missed the T-Ball stage with him. He is going to be jumping right into machine pitch. But, having bought him his first bat and mitt during Mimi and Pa's visit and practiced a bit in the yard, he did ok! A lot of the boys trying out didn't make contact w/ the ball. Isaiah at least made contact at one point, and he's excited to play. Two good signs. I didn't expect to be so excited myself - but I am! I'm so looking forward to cheering for my son's team - just a little nervous about dealing w/ crazy Texas sports parents. (There were some boys trying out with 4 bats! And when we were shopping for his bat, we discovered that some little league bats are over $200!). We've heard from other non-Texans that we are in for "a cultural experience". We should get a call in the next few weeks about which team he's on.
Little miss Noelle is growing up, too. Sometimes I miss the ways she's growing up since she's always a step behind Isaiah and a step ahead of Lucy, but she is growing and changing. She's been doing well in her reading lessons. She doesn't stop moving almost the whole time I'm working with her - bouncing around on the couch, acting out the words she's reading, etc. She's been really loving playing hide and seek and tries to rally a game whenever she can. She and Isaiah created "Stuffed Animal Hide and Seek" in which the person hiding holds old a stuffed animal which they throw at the seeker when he/she finds them. Pretty fun twist :) She is definitely thriving in her big sister role - giving Lucy equal parts tender love/instruction/pseudo discipline/pestering. She's been bothered by Lucy "copying" her and we're trying to teach her that Lucy isn't actually trying to drive Noelle crazy when she copies her - she's trying to be like her big sister!
I look at her sweet baby-tooth mouth and get a pit in my stomach that we're almost to the truly big girl stage. I want to treasure her at the end of her little girl years, and yet I do have at least a little daily conflict with her. She's emotional, and the emotions can quickly change. I guess she's just a little girl!
Her aesthetic eye has been obvious. She really is good making things look nice - decor, clothes, hair, etc. And her coloring and drawing is improving quickly. I'm looking forward to seeing how this develops in her. The only problem is that she colors and draws - a lot - and wants to keep everything she touches. There just isn't enough wall space in this house for all of it, though she's heart broken when I ask if we could "say goodbye" to some of her work.
She plays with her clip-dress princesses and castle almost every day when she spends time in our room for rest time. I hear her singing and guiding her crew of princesses through various dialogues and narratives. She's also been quite taken with her un-named baby doll (who is sometimes "Rose" or "Sara"). Over the last 2 or 3 weeks, she's been very intentional to take care of her baby all day - strolling her around the house in a stroller, tucking her in at night, taking her everywhere we go, putting her in the highchair next to her seat during meals. What she doesn't do is fix her hair or change her clothes. And she often carries her around by her hair. Funny.
And little Lucy is growing up, too! Her language development is so fun. She's often confused w/ prepositions these days. She'll say "I want to sit with your lap" or "I want to go on the car" or "I want to read a book with the couch." She's recently named the friends she sleeps with - Baby Stella is called "Cinderella", her new caterpillar toy is also "Cinderella", and her stuffed goose is "Sleeping Beauty". She's been talking about doing thing "by her own new self", which is appropriate because she's like a new girl every day as she changes so quickly. She still asks to "hold you" and she'll also say, "I want to see what you're doin'" to get me to hold her during whatever activity I'm working on. She's learning how to drive her siblings crazy - especially Noelle. She kind of draws words out into long, whiny words when she's needy - "I want to hooooold yooooooou." "I want a driiiiiiink." And now, she's sitting on my lap playing with a play dough toy. She just told me, "Mommy, this finger says to that finger, 'Can I have a turn with that when you're done?'" Pretty articulate for a newly turned 2 year old.
She's given up sitting in a booster seat at the table. She just sits on her knees and makes a mess of herself, the table, and the chair. She wants to eat things big. She doesn't want a piece of pita bread - she wants the whole round piece. She'll keep starting new pretzel sticks and then get a new one when she realizes it's getting smaller. She's still not a fan of meat. She'll eat cheese and fruit and bread all day, but it's hard to get meat into that little body. Not a big fan of eggs, either.
Her favorite song these days is "5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed", which we taught her the other day in a moment of "Oh my goodness - There are a lot of songs I haven't thought to teach my baby!"
She still walks on her toes a lot. I was noticing today when she was barefoot that she was not even on the balls of her feet - she was totally on her toes. She does walk flat footed a good bit - especially when she's trying to get somewhere, but she's on her toes if she's just cruising around.
The days are zooming by. These days are full and almost always exhausting and Luke and I never feel fully on top of life. Yet, I'm so thankful for this season of life with these precious kiddos. What a privilege to be their mom through these life stages.
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