Let’s Not Forget Luke

While Anna keeps us laughing and guessing, Luke keeps us on our toes, too!  Lately, his intellectual growth has really taken off.  On the reading front, he still hates to work on it, but thankfully, it has gotten easier for him, requiring less work and (slightly) more willingness.  He has been reading several books by Margaret Hillert, which I highly recommend to anyone trying to teach a child to read.  My mom used them with Mike and me, and both my kids love them.  Our library has tons of them.  Each story uses about fifty really simple words, with lots of repetition.  What’s funny is that Luke has sometimes started to mimic them.  The other day when we were building with Legos, he started enunciating slowly, “This block is blue.  Blue, blue, blue.”  He thought he was sooo funny:).

Even more than reading, he is interested in spelling.  He is always asking us how to spell something, or spelling something for us.  He has also started writing letters (albeit, ones that say, “Dear Gaga, Disney World,” with a picture of a train).  The cool thing is that he has addressed several envelopes himself, and they have made it to their destination!  (I will say that handwriting is fairly excruciating for us to work on together.  He does not form his letters correctly, and I have to really be careful not to nag him as I attempt to “instruct.”)  Regardless, I have been extremely impressed with his initiative.

Just today, Greg and I were writing notes back and forth to him, and he wrote this note to us:

So he started from the bottom and went up, which is not the traditional style:), but he spelt all his words correctly!  (Is it “spelled” or “spelt”?  That’s an ironic sentence in which to have a misspelling!)

Also, he has started to enjoy longer books.  We recently finished the first book in The Boxcar Children series.  They are short, simple chapter books that I loved growing up.  They have over one hundred pages, though, and Luke seriously, would have let me read the entire first book in one sitting.  As it was, I read it in two sittings!  (Anna took a few marathon naps.)

When he is not trying to conquer the linguistic world, he is drawing.  The door that leads to our garage to our garage (which is magnetic!) has gotten very full:

Here is a sampling of his latest offerings:

Apparently, this is the front of our house.

He started drawing one of his little stuffed animals, and then decided to put them in a zoo.  We quickly had a whole zoo full of all of Luke’s animals.  He wrote “zoo” completely on his own.  The “z” is backwards, but it is spelled correctly.

Luke drew this picture about a month ago when he met a girl at Anna’s gymnastics class who said she liked to draw princesses.  That inspired Luke to try his hand at drawing Snow White, the prince, and some dwarves.  You can note that he tried to spell “Dopey” (“DOB,” or “DO-B", as he pronounced it), and Grumpy. 

This is a family picture that he drew “to remind us all that we are a family.”  Greg is holding Luke upside down and mowing at the same time, which is pretty impressive.  I am the small brown priest in the middle (it’s my cross necklace, Luke explained).  Anna is digging in the dirt.

The latest Buzz Lightyear creation, complete with outlaws and a tree house.

An homage to our slip n slide day.  Luke has a bee symbolism thing going on.  In all the backyard pictures he draws, there is either a bee or a beehive.  I don’t know what that’s about.

Woody roping a cow.

Luke’s art output is so huge these days that I know there is no way I’m going to keep all of them (or, more likely, any of them).  But I think that taking pictures is the next best thing.  I saw on a blog recently where a mom did a digital book of her child’s art up to second grade (which was his current grade).  I think that would be really cool to do one day, and to get to see the evolution of his drawings.  Regardless, it is a huge part of his life right now, so I want to remember it.

Speaking of remembering his passions, I would be remiss if I did not admit that his main passion these days is playing his Toy Story video game.  Our rule is that he can play for no more than an hour a day, though that rule often gets stretched when we have guests.  He has gotten pretty good at it, and is seriously way better than I am!  Though a dubious use of time, it has been a great bonding tool between him and his Daddy, as Greg is the master of all video games and continually helps, instructs, and impresses Luke.

Well, that’s what our children have been up to these days!  We have been enjoying this spring weather together, and as always, I have loved watching them grow and develop!

The Wacky World (and Wardrobe) of Anna Grace

Our daughter is nothing if not unpredictable:

-- Last night, we checked on her before going to bed and found her sound asleep, on her back, on the floor, completely spread eagle.

--Last week, she announced to her entire Sunday school class that her Daddy was nicer than Jesus.

--When I pointed out a Bradford pear tree a few weeks ago when they were blooming, I thought she might think they were pretty.  She did.  She also became completely and desperately obsessed with Bradford pears and would shriek, “Bradford pear tree!  Bradford pear tree!” whenever she saw one, as if the pear tree would burst into flames if it was not immediately verbally acknowledged by everyone else in the car.

On a side note, I now know the location of every Bradford pear tree in Summerville.

--Her little figurines have complex and dramatic relationships with each other that make me shudder a bit for Anna’s social future.  Just a couple of days ago, I was folding laundry in her room while she played with her Strawberry dolls.  Blueberry was discussing with another doll how she really wanted Plum’s basket, but the other doll tried to dissuade her, explaining that the basket was Plum’s, not hers.  Blueberry was undeterred, however, which caused Strawberry (a new player in the drama) to go hunting for Plum a few minutes later to tell her that Blueberry took her fruit basket.  Thankfully, Plum was very gracious about the theft. 

--I regularly stumble upon scenes like these:

Campers warming their toes by the fire…

…Strawberry characters taking a nap…

…dollies and stuffed animals having a tea party…

…and friends getting together for coffee.

A couple of days ago, I came upon Anna’s stuffed animals all wearing underwear—some hers, and some Luke’s.  Unfortunately, I did not have my camera nearby.

--Lately, Anna has been wanting to go shirtless at night during story time, a practice that she got from Luke.  They both call it, “being a Daddy.”  Tonight, she spent about four minutes diligently trying to button the buttons on her shirt before declaring in cheerful resignation, “Welp!  I guess I’m gonna be a Daddy tonight!” and promptly shedding the unbuttoned shirt.

--She likes to babble nonsense language, but will then promptly interrupt her baby talk by telling me that she thought she just saw “a forsythia bush.”  She then explained to me that a forsythia bush is a bush with yellow flowers.  And then she informed me that Gaga taught her that.

--She looooves to sing, and cares not a whit if the song she is singing is real or not.  In fact, I think she prefers the made-up ones.  After all, they never have to end:)!  I love her made-up songs, but they drive Luke bonkers.

--Her eccentricity has been embodied well in her wardrobe of late.  She loves to dress herself, but her tastes are eclectic, to say the least:

When all was said and done, this ensemble actually kind of worked, especially when I added the brown bow.  Who knew that a brown shirt, yellow and orange polka-dotted capris, and “Jessie boots” went together so well?  (They are “Jessie boots,” not cowboy boots.  She is not a cowboy.  Make a note of it.  I know I had to!)

Anna adores this shirt.  It matches nothing.  And certainly not that skirt.

This picture didn’t turn out really well, but trust me:  a greenish-blue shirt with  fuchsia and brown writing; red and white polka-dotted pants; and bright, rainbow striped socks do not go together!

Too bad Luke is covering up the bright mermaids on this shirt, which hinders the full effect.  Also, the picture is a little washed out, which makes all the colors seem closer to each other, but please believe me when I say this outfit didn’t “work.”

Here is her latest ensemble.  As always, she is quite proud of herself.

On an equally wacky, but less amusing note, she has been having tons of potty accidents during the day, and seems completely unfazed by this.  Some days are better than others:  she had about five (!) yesterday, but none today.  And thankfully, she doesn’t wet the bed at night.  Still though, we are not amused.  It is a little entertaining, however, to see her wardrobe changes.  At one point yesterday, she came down with that same shirt on, with red corduroy pant with pink ruffles on the bottom, and black dress shoes with no socks.  I laughed.  And then told her to quit wetting her pants.

I don’t know if I’ll ever figure out this child.  But I will be very entertained while I try. 

Ragamuffin Saturday

Saturdays are generally ragamuffin days around here.  I don’t know how else to put it.  They are a lot of fun, but our routine goes out the window.  Greg and I each have certain weekend projects to get done, and so if we are home, we spend the day going in crazy directions.  All four of us will go in different directions at one point, then split up 3-1, or 2-2 at another, and then all come together at another.  The house is messier, life is more chaotic and spontaneous, and in general, it is a lot of fun. 

This Saturday was no exception.  At one point, Greg had the kids out in the backyard while he worked on some home repairs and while I was running.  It was a HOT day—high 70’s/low 80’s—and I was burning up when I got home.  I promptly went into the backyard, turned on the hose, and put my head under it, much to my family’s amusement.  Apparently, Luke and Anna had been begging Greg to get the slip n slide out, and my hose behavior tipped the scales in their favor.  So in the middle of March, we had a slip n slide Saturday!

Oh, and we didn’t bother to change clothes:).

In the picture above, Luke is saying, “It’s the perfect shower!”

At some point, a shovel got involved.

After we played for awhile and then dried off in the sun, it was time for dinner.  Greg had a few frozen beef patties left over from a recent youth event, so he grilled them on our tiny charcoal grill.  Then for dessert, we decided to roast s’mores in the fireplace. 

I especially love Anna’s outfit here:

See?  Ragamuffin Saturdays:).

St. Patrick’s Day

Last week, we had an adorable Mommy and Me gathering that I wanted to record just b/c it was so cute!  Our gathering was St. Patrick’s Day themed:

This is what greeted me when I arrived.  I share these images to show you the type of people I associate with.  They set the bar high when it comes to creative, themed play dates!

 

Here are the other people I associate with.  They set the bar high when it comes to messy eating!

After lunch, we made a St. Patrick’s Day craft:

It was this cute little leprechaun mirror.  Both kids loved making it, but the finished product was especially a hit with Anna.  That girl loves anything involving a mirror!

For the Award for Freak of the Week…

…I humbly nominate myself.

See, Luke has Legos.  Lots and lots of Legos.  Teeny tiny Legos.  Legos for kids ages 7-14.   Lots are from Uncle Mike’s childhood.  Many more are from Gaga.  Zero are from Greg and me.  Whatever.  He loves them.  He’s great with them.  But…they are just overwhelming. 

It has gotten to the point where we can hardly build anything b/c we can’t find any of the pieces we need.  We’ve given up on keeping the kits separate, and the huge conglomeration sits instead in a big, unfold-able box, a box after which Anna constantly lusts, a box which she continually dumps out, in brash defiance of any punishment, and fills with stuffed animals.

Whenever we start to build with Legos, I inevitably end up staring dismally over the blocky abyss, pondering the futility of life.  And then we give up about five minutes later.

Every time this happens, I have this thought.  It is a thought that keeps coming back to me, that nags at me, that haunts my dreams (okay, not really, but it is recurring).  The thought is this: 

I want to sort them.

Yes, I want to sort the thousands of teeny tiny Legos, and organize them into innumerable compartments.  I want to divide them, to categorize them, to order them, to CONQUER THEM!  And so…when I’m not pondering the futility of life at the Lego table, I am instead thinking, “Sort them.  Sort them sort them sort them.”  It’s a problem.

Because, let’s be honest, only an unstable person would sort a million teeny tiny Lego blocks, when she has SO many other things to do, right?  That is some serious OCD, right?  No one sorts a four year old’s Legos, right?

I am right.  I know I am.  But then…my mom was in town.  And we were all sitting around the Lego table.  And I got up the nerve to confess my little sorting desire to her.  Now, you must know this about my mom.  She is a lot of wonderful things…but a balancing influence, she is not.  When I told her how I wanted to sort the Legos, she rapturously unleashed her vision of drawers after tiny drawers of Legos lining Luke’s wall.

And then I was off to Wal-Mart.  I didn’t get drawers, b/c that just wouldn’t work (let’s be realistic here).  Instead, I got four fishing tackle organizers with lots of little adjustable compartments.  I came home just before my mom left for Macon, and told Luke about my plan.  He was all for it.  Mom left, and we began.  Luke was a GREAT help.  For thirty minutes.  And then he and Anna were content to play elsewhere in the room while I sorted and organized to my little heart’s delight.

Were there toilets to be scrubbed?  Yes, there were.  Was there laundry to be done?  Yes.  Did I have supper to be thinking about?  Yep.  A Sunday school lesson to prepare?  You betcha.  A handout to make for Sunday morning?  Mmm-hmm.  Monthly monitoring reports to write for my guardian ad litem cases? Sure did.

Did I do any of those things?  Nope.  Sorted Legos.

Did I do any of those things later, after the kids went to bed?  Nope.  Sorted Legos.

Japan is melting down, revolutions are happening all over the world, and our country is deeply and bitterly divided, but last night, my main concern was how to divide the 1 X’s and the 2X’s.  Separate containers, or together?  Hmmm….conundrum!  And should these four bizarre pieces go into the large “miscellaneous” category, or do they deserve their own tiny compartment?  Hmm, that’s a point to ponder…

Just before midnight, my work was done.  It’s not perfect, and I have several compartments left over, but I figure that’s good.  Room for expansion…

It. is. wonderful.  This morning, we had a Lego renaissance.  Seeing all of his Legos neatly sorted, Luke’s imagination was fired up for some new projects, and he immediately started in on a gas station and van.  I was more interested in following some directions in order to test the workability of our new arrangement, so I rebuilt a dump truck.  And it. was. amazing.  No more pondering the futility of life.  Instead, it was fun and empowering and invigorating. 

We have already started the discipline of picking up and sorting all stray Legos at the end of each session, and being sure to securely latch the cases.  Thankfully, the latches are Anna-proof (and for good measure, when they are not in use, I put them on a high shelf).  Also thankfully, once latched, these cases can be turned in any direction and not spill Legos into other compartments.  For less than $6 each at Walmart, they have more than proven their worth.

So yeah.  I sorted my four year old’s Legos.  Yes, I’m a freak.  But I’m a happy freak now.  And my toilets are scrubbed, and laundry is humming in the dryer, and I’ve done the handout for tomorrow.  I still have a few more things to do, but I can do them happily, now that my OCD self has been allowed to roam free for awhile.

So…do I win the award, or what?

Carpe Diem, Toddler Style

Late last week, Luke asked me if we could go to the zoo.  I opened my mouth to explain the reasons why we couldn’t…and I couldn’t think of any.  I mean, we couldn’t that day b/c the day was almost over, and the zoo was an hour and a half away.  But what about Monday, on Greg’s day off?  Later that night, I asked Greg, and he couldn’t think of any reasons not to, either.

Monday turned out to be absolutely gorgeous, and we piled into the van mid-morning to drive up to the zoo.  When we finally got there, hungry for an early lunch, Luke mentioned that his arm itched.  We checked it, and it had totally broken out into hives!  I about fainted!  We still have no idea what caused the hives, but he had them pretty bad on both arms, his back, and even on his bottom! (I’m sure future Luke appreciates me sharing that!)  After deliberating what to do over our picnic lunch, Greg ran and got some Benadryl from a nearby store while the kids and I went on into the zoo.  After all, we googled hives and found out they weren’t dangerous—unless there was wheezing involved, which there wasn’t.  Still, I kept a wary eye on Luke while Greg was gone, half expecting him to go into anaphylactic shock at any second.  It was a huge relief when Greg came back with the medicine, and Luke’s hives got better after about fifteen minutes.  Whew! 

While Greg was gone, the kids wanted to go into the bird house.  I have to admit, I was kind of like, “You know they have elephants here, right?”  But no, they were more interested in admiring the Victorian pigeon.  Seriously.  And the hornbill.  I admit, the hornbill was pretty cool.

There was this little “tree” right by the cage that kids could crawl in and look into the hornbill cage.  Well, whenever a kid started to crawl in, the hornbill would back up and charge the little window in the tree like a rhinoceros (it was called the rhinoceros hornbill, as it turned out).  That thing would plow into the glass so hard it would make a frighteningly loud noise and terrify the kid.  Luke about fell on top of Anna trying to get out of the tree:).  I was probably more amused by that incident than I should have been:).

After going through the birdhouse twice (twice), the kids wanted to go into the reptile house and aquarium.  Anna loves gross reptiles.  She likes to snuggle up as close to them as possible:

Case in point: this shinglebacked skink is about the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen, and I think Anna would have kissed it if she could have.  She also snuggled right up to a gigantic alligator, and I started to get lightheaded.  I’m not a big fan of reptiles, as it turns out.

I do however, love fish, as does Luke.

Clearly, he is trying to convey something very important here.  He later told me that the aquarium was his favorite part of the day.  He also loved the aquarium at Disney World.  Greg and I talked about that later, and we are thinking that a) we should take him back to the Georgia Aquarium sometime, and b) maybe we’ll get him an aquarium for his birthday. 

About that time, Greg showed up with the medicine, and then we moved on to the elephants.  I took a zillion pictures of all the animals—the elephants, the giraffes, the tiger, and zebras, and monkeys.  But mainly, I just enjoyed my time with my little monkeys…

As well as my wonderful husband…

…who can be a monkey himself!

We stayed at the zoo for over four hours.  In that time, we…

…go up close and personal with lots of different animals…

…stopped to smell the flowers…

…or not…

…got grumpy…

…recovered…

…goofed around…

…played on the statues…

…rode ponies…

…(talked this lady’s ear off!)…

…took a train ride…

…milked a pretend cow…

…fed goats…

…had an Icee (which Anna later cited as her favorite part of the day.  Great.  We should have just taken her to the 7-11:))…

…rode on Daddy…

…pondered the tigers…

…rode the carousel…

…played on the playground…

…played on more statues…

…played with “stinkpot Daddy” (they love calling their father names; he has a rule that he is the only one they can call names, and only if they are kidding.  Just the other day, Anna solemnly corrected Luke, “Luke, we don’t call our ‘stister’ names; we only call our Daddy names”)…

…rode on Daddy some more…

…and finally headed out of the park for an early dinner at Moe’s before heading home.

Can I just say that I am so glad that we jumped on Luke’s suggestion of going to the zoo?  It was seizing the day, albeit on a small, child-appropriate level, and our family reaped great dividends.  As always, I cherish the time we four get to spend together as a family, especially doing something that we all enjoy in weather that could not have been more perfect.  Thank you, God, for such a good day!