Kids: status update

It has been a busy spring, getting ready for our move in June. I haven't had my camera out and I haven't posted to the blog. The kids, of course, haven't stopped growing just because I have been too busy to record it. I have a nursing toddler on my lap right now so a brief chance to update this blog as to what the kids have been up to.

Helen, age 2.25 years:

I love the way her speech is developing. She can now say anything she wants, but sometimes the grammar makes us laugh. In the same way as Yoda, she has developed her own very self-consistent, but non-standard, grammar.

"My do it!" is a standard around here. We have heard the word "I" only once or twice; she definitely thinks of herself as "my." This is usually followed by her dressing herself or putting her own shoes on. She actually doesn't do too badly at these tasks. Sometimes the clothes are backwards or the shoes are on the wrong feet, but she knows how to find the right assortment of things and get them on to head outside (her favorite thing to do).

"Mama, 'ide you!" or "Mama, 'ide me!" (I actually haven't figured out yet the distinction between these requests to nurse, but there seems to be a clear one in her mind.)

John, age 5.8 years:

He learned to read! He has been quietly accumulating his "popcorn" words this year in kindergarten. (These are words that "pop up everywhere" so the kids are taught to read them as sight words rather than sound them out.) He has learned his entire kindergarten list now, about 30 words, but he hasn't wanted to try books - he still wants to be read to instead. So it was a fun milestone yesterday when he sat down with Jeremy and read all the way through Dr. Seuss's Go Dog Go.

Margaret, age 8.75 years:

She has decided that she will now be known as "Meg." She doesn't remember this much more often than we do, but she grins from ear to ear when I remember to call her Meg, and then for a few moments refuses to answer to Margaret or Maggie.

She reads all the time, drawing the ire of John, who wants her for a playmate. But, she also can be sweet and generous with her love of reading - it is common for her to ask to read John his bedtime story, and she will read for much longer (and later) than Jeremy or I can often manage or would be willing to do, so John loves this.

She is 8 going on 28, and gets annoyed when she doesn't get all the same privileges of age that James might enjoy. She wants to stay home alone and  babysit Helen on her own and all such things. (We still say no.)

James, age 11.9 years:

He is truly a middle-schooler now. He has grown remarkably this year, both physically (shoe size 10 and still climbing!) and otherwise. He has learned to manage his own school work and schedule this year (with a few blips from time to time). He is very helpful at home - often stepping up to volunteer his assistance with things like watching Helen, cooking dinner, unloading the dishwasher.

He has developed his own interests and entertainments. When our friends with older teen boys visited in March, he caught a "Dr. Who" bug from them and now watches it regularly (the modern version; not the old ones). He loves camping and the outdoors and is excited about the idea of maybe going on a week's campout in Alberta, Canada (summer 2014 ) with the Cadets (a Boy Scout-like church organization).