He Talks!
Boy, does he! Daniel is rapidly catching up with his brothers' verbal prowess. He does his best to count (he can number 2 objects reliably, and has most of the way to 10 memorized- though he's stronger on 789 than 345), sings a reasonable facsimile of the alphabet song, and sings along with most of our They Might Be Giants (he calls them "gians" with a hard "g") and last year's VBS music, with a little bit of Chicago here & there.

Daniel's favorite conversation (monologue?) goes something like this: "I see 'mals zoo!" "What animals do you see at the zoo, Daniel?" "I see po' beyars. I see 'mingos. I see fwogs. I see seyuws. Zebwas, 'stwiches, g'affes atta zoo!"

Tonight, Daniel and I went to Dollar General for a couple of odds and ends. When we got back, I let him out of the stroller, and he kept saying, "He'p gosies". I couldn't for the life of me figure out what he wanted help with, until we got inside the front door- he wanted to help me with the "groceries". Awww :)

Daniel is the youngest and he's the smallest, but he is a force to be reckoned with, nonetheless!

Labels: baby talk, Singing

- posted by Lenise @ 10:52 PM |

 
??!!!??
Sunday after church we were at lunch with some friends. Jay started relating a kindergartner anecdote about prenatal times, "When I was still in-" only to be interrupted by Isaac, who supplied "prison!"

I just don't know sometimes whether I ought to laugh or cry... :)

Labels: boy talk, sibling rivalry

- posted by Lenise @ 10:46 PM |

 
Speaking of needing a doctor...

Labels: homeschool, illness

- posted by Lenise @ 8:21 PM |

 
Paging Doctor John
Paul went back to his grading from home job yesterday, so I took the boys out. We had been to the zoo on Friday, so although Daniel was pushing to go back, I wasn't anxious to try it with the Saturday crowd. My friend Julie had recommended the Alamance County Historical Museum some time ago, but we'd never been, so we decided to give it a try yesterday. John and Isaac listened really well, and seemed to be interested in what the guide was saying. Meantime, I was chasing Daniel around saying "no, don't touch!" The old farmhouse is beautiful and very well-maintained, and the boys enjoyed the kitchen building and the barn especially well. But it was getting on to lunchtime, and Daniel was done being patient, so we left without seeing the oldest part of the house.

As I was strapping Daniel in, Jay was helping with Isaac's seatbelt (this may have been after our lunch stop- I don't remember anymore), when Isaac started crying hysterically "It's in my nose! It's in my nose!" "What is?" "A bee!" "A bee?" "No, a bead!" He was holding one, but had apparently decided to try sticking the other up his nose. Why he thought this was a good idea, I'll never know, but there it was.

I was looking for a kleenex, thinking he could blow it out, but he was pushing it up. Jay was saying he could see it and it was almost out, so I pushed on the little knot on the side of Isaac's button nose, but chickened out. I'm looking for kleenex, wondering whether to try urgent care before the ER if he couldn't blow it out, when John popped it out.

As much as I miss having a tiny baby around, it is a wonderful thing to have a capable and helpful 5-year-old!! When he was reading his first "human body" books, he said he'd like to be a doctor. He just may have found his calling :) (Isaac: "I'm a doctow too!" Me: "Isaac, if you want to be a doctor you need to stop sticking things up your nose. Do we have a deal?")

Labels: boys, historical landmarks, medical drama

- posted by Lenise @ 9:43 AM |

 
Arr, Matey!!



It's the Dread Pirate Isaac!

Labels: birthdays, costumes, photos, pirates

- posted by Lenise @ 7:58 AM |

 
For Friends and Family Up North

Labels: flowers, photos, spring

- posted by Lenise @ 6:48 AM |

 
The Better Part of Valor

Labels: baby talk, boys, sleep, sunshine

- posted by Lenise @ 9:04 PM |

 
Overdue Post Against Barbarism
So there's been another horrible instance of a child being killed by her parents in the name of "Christian" discipline. To me, this is a clear instance of blaspheming the Holy Spirit. TulipGirl has been linking to insightful, painfully fair, painfully honest examinations of the subject, which are helpful in understanding how these things can happen. I don't hear any of my friends singing the praises of the Pearls or Gary Ezzo, which is why I wasn't especially inclined to comment. It should be obvious what we think of "teachers" whose "methods" lead to such results. Nonetheless, in case there is someone reading this blog (ha!) who disagrees:

THERE IS NO ONE-FITS-ALL PERFECT WAY TO RAISE PERFECT CHILDREN. It's a process, highly dependent on the child and on the parents. Biblical principles are important, wonderful guides, but there is no single Biblical way to parent. We should be in prayer daily [physician, heal thyself] to seek wisdom for the task of parenting and grace for our failings and those of our children. It's not a formula, it's a conversation.

For the record, we do spank in our household. It's not a daily occurrence, but it happens often enough that the boys know it's a possibility. We do not use a tool other than our hands. Corporal punishment works better for some of our children than others- creativity is required. I obviously would love for my children to obey out of love, but they also need to know that there are unpleasant consequences for rebelling against benevolent guidance. Obviously, God's guidance is more trustworthy than mine, and just as obviously, I have rebellion issues myself, but I believe my upbringing served me remarkably well, and I only hope to do as well by my own children as Mom and Dad did by me. At the end, my children will still be, lo and behold, corrupt, fallible humans, flawed; but deeply, sacrificially loved not merely by their family but by their Father in heaven, as are we all (yep, you too!).

Labels: life, parenting

- posted by Lenise @ 10:19 PM |

 
Hey! It's My 6th Blogiversary
How much things have changed!!!!
- posted by Lenise @ 10:18 PM |

 
New Math
So John's nearly done with his Singapore Math Earlybird Kindergarten books. He's enjoyed them well enough and picked up the concepts without much trouble, so I don't feel like we have any reason to switch to something different. Are there multiple first-grade Singapore math curricula?

Then, of course, the siren song of the Sonlight Core curriculum tempts me. It looks like a really good program, but it's kind of expensive, and looks like it requires discipline from the parents as well as the child (horrors!) While that would be a good thing for us to cultivate around here, I am doubtful of our success.

We'll see what the Daddy says...

Labels: books, boys, learning

- posted by Lenise @ 10:19 PM |

 
Isaac's Birthday Present

Labels: birthdays, pirates, video

- posted by Lenise @ 9:29 PM |

 
Daniel's Birthday Gift

Labels: baby talk, birthdays, VeggieTales, video

- posted by Lenise @ 8:53 PM |