Big Kid Update

Kenna is getting lots of press these days, so here's a rundown of what the "big kids" are up to.


ARDEN
His current obsession is ages. He likes to figure out how old so-and-so (usually Kenna) will be when he's ___ (fill in any age you like here). He makes connections between numbers and people who are that many years old. Example:

I say: "Let's read the story about the three little pigs."
Arden shouts: "THREE! Like I'm three!"

So a typical conversation with Arden these days usually goes something like this. (Keep in mind his favorite conjunction is "but," whether or not he uses it appropriately, and he usually emphasizes any number words.)

Arden: Mama, I'm three and a half. But on my birthday I'll be FOUR. But Kenna will be ONE when I'm four.
Me: Mmm-hmm. You're right.
Arden: And when I'm five, Kenna will be TWO.
Me: Yes, she will.
Arden: But how old will Charis be when I'm five?
Me: Charis will be eight years old.
Arden: Eight? Hannah is seven, but on her birthday she'll be EIGHT! How old will Kenna be when I'm eight?
Me: Kenna will be five years old when you're eight.
Arden: FIVE?! Like Tobin's FIVE!!

This could go on forever...we usually cover every age up through 21.

For his birthday, Grandma J gave Arden a numbers game. Part of it is a puzzle number line. He has done this puzzle obsessively every day since I don't know, a month ago or so. I usually get suckered into playing the game with him, although I confess that lately I've been finding excuses not to play. I'm utterly sick of the numbers game!

Arden's other favorite activities currently include reading a toddler Bible story book on Mommy's lap first thing in the morning, playing "swimming" by taking off his shirt and jumping from a chair to a spread-out blanket on the floor, and being the "student" when his big sister wants to play school.


TOBIN
I must find something positive to say first, because the list of things that Tobin does to make me sigh is way too long! OK. I do have some things. First, Tobin chose to spend some free time helping me pick weeds in the front yard the other day. He literally cut my work time in half by happily yanking up anything green by the roots. (In our yard, aside from the Leaning Tree of Pisa, just about anything green is a weed.) Also, he enjoys vacuuming, and while he's not quite to the point of being able to do it without me following it up with my own effort, he's doing quite well and can at least be trusted to get his room looking nice.

Reading continues to be a joy for Tobin...so much so that he has already read ALL of the Sonlight readers that we haven't even begun yet! I've managed to keep his little paws off the read-alouds, but I just couldn't tell him no when he wanted to begin reading the Egermeier's Bible Story Book!

On the difficult side of things, another fun (for him) pastime is...cutting. As in cutting every piece of paper, every tag off every stuffed animal, cutting his shoe laces, cutting the corner off the ice pack, cutting fur off his lion hat...the vacuuming skills came in handy after this obsession was discovered.

Tobin has also discovered how fun cameras are, as you can see by his "self-portrait" shot above. Thank goodness nothing was ruined on our brand new digital camera. We do, however, have a nice collection of Tobin's photography that includes shots of his sink, laundry basket, bed, and toilet.

Guns and swords are also a favorite way to play, no matter how much I try to discourage it. I'm pretty much of the opinion that Dr. Dobson is right--no matter what you do or don't do, little boys are going to play "guns." Tobin bites his crackers into L shapes and uses them to "shoot."

Spiderman continues to be an obsession, and he is currently working his way through a Mega-Huge-Spidey-Book-Containing-Hundreds-Upon-Hundreds-of-Spiderman-Related-Stickers. So far the stickers on floor to stickers in book ratio remains in Tobin's favor...I guess a week without The Book was enough to convince Tobin to think carefully about where to place the stickers.


CHARIS
She is eager to begin a "new school year" with Sonlight. (We're going to start on Monday--I just got the Language Arts Instructor's Guide today!) She is nearly finished with the first grade math book, so she'll get a new math book before too long as well. She continues to do any kind of crafts or artwork she can think of, utilizing media ranging from construction paper to toilet paper. (I'm not kidding--I found cut-out dolls and accessories made of toilet paper yesterday when I was cleaning!)

Her favorite superhero is "Superlady." She loves dressing up and playing "mystery," but her favorite role to play is Bossy Older Sister as she directs everyone in the drama she wants to create. In fact, it is not unusual to find her in a heap on the floor, sobbing her heart out because someone isn't "playing right."

Though she seems to be completely tone deaf at this point in her young life, Charis loves to sing songs she has made up, and I for one love to hear them. This picture of her is from a "show" she and Arden put on for us recently. (The picture of Arden is also from the same show...Charis made the top hat for him to wear!)

At the moment Charis is the champ when it comes to eating. Usually Arden eats about as much as he weighs in any given day, but lately Charis has been the one polishing her plate and asking for more. This is a good thing, as she's still so tiny she could quite possibly blow away during one of Las Vegas's infamous windy days.

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Well, I'll quit for now. Next up on my posting agenda: The AWANA Grand Prix!