It was pouring rain as we neared home after traversing the state today. John (age 5) had been a trooper for the 3-hour round-trip, being cheerful, talkative, and (mostly) keeping his hands away from his little sister (who slept most of the trip).
His small voice came from the seat directly behind me, draped with a dreamy, reflective quality. Nothing to warn me of his killer instincts. "Mom, how many raindrops do you think are falling?"
"Umm, I really don't know, John. Do you mean ever, or right now?"
"Right now, and you have to make a guess."
"Oh, okay. Umm, one-billion."
"Wrong!" All traces of dreaminess were gone from his voice, replaced with a mischievious, grinning quality. "It's one-billion-nine. Hello?!"
I was startled to hear such obnoxious, older humor tone in the "Hello?! Are you an idiot?" of a five-year-old. But he was giggling so fiercely at his own joke that I couldn't help but give him instantly.
We spent the rest of the drive discussing numbers. "What is bigger, one-billion-one or one-billion-two? Is anything bigger than one-billion-nine? Well, then what is bigger than one-trillion? How do I count to one-trillion?" At least it kept me awake on a long drive. If only we could all maintain such enthusiasm to learn everything.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Helen at 2 years and 2 months old
Helen is turning out to have quite a distinctive personality of her own (in case we ever doubted that). I won't think of everything I want to record about her now, but I want to get a few things down before I forget them all.
Helen is now clearly a person in her own right, with ideas and opinions in every matter. She may get frustrated when we fail to recognize this, or to respect this, but she never wavers in this reality. She is still so little, physically, that it is easy to dismiss her, but she doesn't let that go for long.
Helen has learned that manners may serve her well in life, and so has put them to good use. She might just be the most polite person I know right now - she almost always says "please" and "thank you" (granted, the thank you is a bit sub-vocal so you have to know what to listen for). She has even started to say "excuse me" after burping or passing gas. That made me crack up the first time I heard it. "Sorry" is harder to come by, but she is thinking about it.
These manners really do work to her benefit. It is hard to say no to her when she asks so plaintively and yet so politely. And for some reason, it strikes me as particularly funny for her to be so precise in her polite words while her grammar overall is still so odd. Thus, a common construction heard around here is, "Mama, book me, please." (Translation: Read a book to me.)
Helen is determinedly independent. "My do it!" is the refrain of the house. (We are working on distinguishing the "I" and "My" sounds - she finds the process hilarious.) She is also a fierce copycat. Thus, anything that any of us do, we can safely expect to find Helen trying to do it as soon as she witnesses it. This means she dresses herself (not too badly, actually); she gets my facial moisturizer out and smears it all over her face; she brushes her teeth regularly (and insists on the full routine - paste on the brush and then put it in the water); she tried to put my contact lenses in tonight (oh no!).
Helen loves to be outside, preferably to take a walk. If anyone puts on a coat or shoes, she appears instantly at his or her side, hurriedly pulling on her own outerwear and acting for all the world as if you have invited her to come along.
She is starting to use the toilet on her own, though it is still a bit sporadic. Most often, she asks to go right after she has already peed in her pull-up, but sometimes she gets the timing right. She particularly likes to visit any and all public restrooms, which makes outings with her a bit more complicated, now. At home, she knows where we keep the "potty treats" (a chocolate chip for a successful visit to the toilet) and has learned to help herself if not watched. She is tidy, though. The other day, I discovered a chair pushed up against the counter where we keep the treats, so I went hunting for trouble. I found her in the playroom, sitting calmly on the futon next to the other kids who were playing on the Wii. She had in her lap a plate filled with chocolate chips and was calmly consuming them as she watched the video game. I wasn't sure what to say - at least she was using a plate, which is beyond what I have managed to train any of the older kids to do!
She has definite opinions on clothing. I am not sure what they are yet, but they are definite. Some days, it seems that she just wants to wear anything that I haven't picked out for her, to assert her independence. If that is the case, her teen years might be long and trying.
I am sure there is much more to say, but perhaps for another day;.
Helen is now clearly a person in her own right, with ideas and opinions in every matter. She may get frustrated when we fail to recognize this, or to respect this, but she never wavers in this reality. She is still so little, physically, that it is easy to dismiss her, but she doesn't let that go for long.
Helen has learned that manners may serve her well in life, and so has put them to good use. She might just be the most polite person I know right now - she almost always says "please" and "thank you" (granted, the thank you is a bit sub-vocal so you have to know what to listen for). She has even started to say "excuse me" after burping or passing gas. That made me crack up the first time I heard it. "Sorry" is harder to come by, but she is thinking about it.
These manners really do work to her benefit. It is hard to say no to her when she asks so plaintively and yet so politely. And for some reason, it strikes me as particularly funny for her to be so precise in her polite words while her grammar overall is still so odd. Thus, a common construction heard around here is, "Mama, book me, please." (Translation: Read a book to me.)
Helen is determinedly independent. "My do it!" is the refrain of the house. (We are working on distinguishing the "I" and "My" sounds - she finds the process hilarious.) She is also a fierce copycat. Thus, anything that any of us do, we can safely expect to find Helen trying to do it as soon as she witnesses it. This means she dresses herself (not too badly, actually); she gets my facial moisturizer out and smears it all over her face; she brushes her teeth regularly (and insists on the full routine - paste on the brush and then put it in the water); she tried to put my contact lenses in tonight (oh no!).
Helen loves to be outside, preferably to take a walk. If anyone puts on a coat or shoes, she appears instantly at his or her side, hurriedly pulling on her own outerwear and acting for all the world as if you have invited her to come along.
She is starting to use the toilet on her own, though it is still a bit sporadic. Most often, she asks to go right after she has already peed in her pull-up, but sometimes she gets the timing right. She particularly likes to visit any and all public restrooms, which makes outings with her a bit more complicated, now. At home, she knows where we keep the "potty treats" (a chocolate chip for a successful visit to the toilet) and has learned to help herself if not watched. She is tidy, though. The other day, I discovered a chair pushed up against the counter where we keep the treats, so I went hunting for trouble. I found her in the playroom, sitting calmly on the futon next to the other kids who were playing on the Wii. She had in her lap a plate filled with chocolate chips and was calmly consuming them as she watched the video game. I wasn't sure what to say - at least she was using a plate, which is beyond what I have managed to train any of the older kids to do!
She has definite opinions on clothing. I am not sure what they are yet, but they are definite. Some days, it seems that she just wants to wear anything that I haven't picked out for her, to assert her independence. If that is the case, her teen years might be long and trying.
I am sure there is much more to say, but perhaps for another day;.
Spring ducks
These photos are from mid-March. I am trying to get caught up a bit. And, in case you are wondering, yes, these two are big trouble.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Spring clothes
Helen really liked the little dress that Grandma Di found for her at the Goodwill. So much so, that when she got home, she insisted on putting it on right over her pajamas. She slept all night that way.
Easter Joy 2013
This year, w
e had the fun of hosting our good friends for a 3-day weekend. What did we do with 14 of us in the house, you may ask? Well, mostly, we laughed a lot. But, in photos, here was our visit:
e had the fun of hosting our good friends for a 3-day weekend. What did we do with 14 of us in the house, you may ask? Well, mostly, we laughed a lot. But, in photos, here was our visit:
WE PLAYED BOARD GAMES
WE PLAYED VIDEO GAMES
AND CHECKED IN WITH EMAIL ON LAPTOPS AND SMART PHONES
WE DYED EASTER EGGS - MANY, MANY EGGS
WE TOOK NAPS - SHORT NAPS
WE MADE S'MORES IN THE FIREPLACE
Of course, that is just what I happened to have my camera out for. We also:
- painted the hallway and bedroom (getting us much closer to finally finishing our bathroom remodel)
- stayed up way too late talking and laughing
- jumped on the trampolines at SkyZone
- walked to the Calvin College Nature Preserve
- had a picnic at the park
- went out to dinner (adults) while the kids fixed pizzas and looked after each other
- Celebrated Easter at church and then with a ham dinner
Altogether, not bad for 3 days. Can't wait to do it again!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)