Joseph is testing soon and showing all he has learned and loving it. He thrives on learning and structure, and always wants more. He especially loves to learn Latin now since it's coming together for him, and I am behind him as a tutor. I feel like he's driving a mental jaguar and leaving a huge trail of dust and I am running after him on foot and eating that dust, and getting winded. "One cannot give what one does not have" his Dad has reminded us. So Mom is learning too, in the not so spare time. We have the DVD's but I'm not ready for him to be beyond me at 10 years old, officially 5th grade. Honestly, he is a little encyclopedia and he's figuring out not everyone else is or wants to be. He doesn't really understand why some kids don't thirst for knowledge the way he does though. He is preparing for piano guild, an art show, and a Spring piano recital. He is starting baseball, and the new practices and drills. He really doesn't love initiating workouts, (translation he won't do his drills unless reminded or even prodded a little) but he feels great once he does it. We can relate. He loves to write and is extremely thoughtful. His tutor gave him a journal and he decided he wants to journal each day and when he is very old have a box of journals of his life to go back and read through.
The other day this kind big brother had come home from science class (with camo on his face as he learned about blending in with nature at the park). He convinced his sister to let him tie a string on her loose tooth and close the door to help pull it out. He read about this in the Dangerous Book for Boys. They tried it several times and the string kept sliding off. Mom was relieved since a painful extraction would be accompanied by dramatic feminine crying and probably a display of her little temper. She trusts him implicitly.
Well an hour or two later the tooth was out on its own and she was quite proud. This is her second tooth within a couple weeks. Here's a picture from the first hole the week or so before. Her baby sister just got two bottom teeth exactly where Leesie lost hers, so we joke that she donated them. Johnny is not too happy that his younger sister lost a tooth first. He is working on his own little firsts in baseball.
Johnny and Leesie are learning their kindergarden skills, writing letters. They see their Auntie Lora do calligraphy and they want to do it too. Now they know they need to practice their letters to someday do beautiful ones like her. Thank you Auntie for that motivation! They appear pretty confident since they do little presentations for a small class they go to. They are practicing how to trace their states and many capitals on a map, and recite some simple poems. They are slowly learning how to listen and help, and to listen and follow through, and listen and even sometimes how to be quiet. Some days we really move forward, other days not so much. Five is an interesting time. They go from being little buddies to rivals and annoyances for each other. One thing they do extremely well is try to love their baby sister, which is a great thing. Their own gifts shine as they reach out to 'help' her.
Elena, oh my, she is crawling, and pulling to stand, and letting go or turning and holding with one hand. She reached up to pull something off a ledge the other day, and then fell backward and rolled right out of it. Sometimes she falls forward on her face. She keeps us busy running after her, and keeping the floor very clean and safe from her tasting moments.
She is so happy the past couple weeks, and always exploring, each day an adventure. She is just pure sweet baby girl-ness. She is also heavy, and at 22 1/2 lbs she is really long, and looks older in those 18 month clothes then she is at 7 months. I am amazed how she can tire my arms if one holds her for the day without a baby holder or a stroller. It's a good workout. She wants to twirl, and whirl even when nursing or being changed. She is just loving being active and we just shower her little self with kisses or calls of "where's Elena...no, no, come here Elena. "
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