Update on the Boys

William

*We're over halfway through the book of Job now.

*We have gone back to working in Explode the Code.

*We've continued reading the Learn-to-Read bible and other Rocket Readers books.

*We read other books and magazines. He learns a lot every month about animals in his Big Backyard magazines.

*We talk almost daily about real science. It's just whatever comes up. We'll also start back in the plant science book after we move (probably 3 to 5 weeks from now.) We'll be planting like crazy, too. I'm getting excited about that. I know William will love it, and he's also going to get to spend a few days at my parents' house helping them plant their flowers for this year.

*We've been watching the Blue Planet and Planet Earth series again. I'm planning to soon buy a dvd series on the Universe. I keep forgetting...

*There's also always lessons about just about anything that can be attached to the proper biblical way of living. Will is full of questions, and I easily turn just about anything into a lesson to be learned.

*We've continued working in Complete Curriculum for Grade 1. We're only working, for now, in the Reading section and Math section. When we finish the reading section, we will return to the spelling and language arts sections and do them both at the same time. In math, he's worked on patterns, greater and fewer, and yesterday we started addition in the workbook, and he did a GREAT job. I was helping him, but I got up after the first question to start cooking a meal. He said excitedly, "I'm finished with this page!" I went over, and not only had he finished, but he got all the answers right. I've also tried my best to get him to use addition in every day things. For example, yesterday morning before we started school, he was building with some blocks. He asked me to come look when he was finished, and he said, "I have 1 door on this side, and over here I have three doors," so I asked him to add them to tell me his total number of doors. He added up all four sides. Then, we did the same with the windows.

*Will has built a "house" outside. When we had a couple pups, Nathan built them a four-sided enclosure (no roof, just four walls) to keep them in at night. Nathan drug it out of the garage and into the yard. William propped it up on one of its sides (he's VERY strong for his age--muscles ripping everywhere--healthiest kid I know). He drilled holes in it with one of his power drills (yes, a real drill, one of Nathan's retired ones), and then he ran wiring through them (he says those are his electrical wiring). He also took some screws and drilled things to the wall. Well, there's at least one thing on the wall. I can't remember anything else. Anyway, it's neatly drilled. It was an old wooden napkin holder with places for salt and pepper shakers on each side. I'm not sure what it's supposed to be....a place to hang a phone? I'll have to ask. He also took a bottle of paint (kid paint) and his paint brushes and painted his house (not-so-great looking, but he's very proud of it, though, and beams about it, so I smile, too). I get to sit on the porch and read or type on my laptop while he and Trusten play in the house...a small house, indeed, just enough room to hide in there, but they think it's great.

Trusten

*Yay! He really IS becoming interested in books. Still doesn't like them as much as William did at an even younger age, but I'm just thrilled that he'll actually sit with me long enough to read through a story book. Both of my boys will sit snuggle with me on the couch while I read a book. I want to work more with the Southwestern books I have and some of the other books--word books, shapes, colors, numbers. I still have a goal of him knowing his alphabet and colors by the age of two. It may or may not happen. William knew that and more before his second birthday, but he would stay longer and enjoyed it. I've started doing the alphabet puzzle with Trusten, and WOW, he stayed there through the whole thing (I've only done it once so far--yesterday), and he only threw two of the letters down on the floor. He enjoyed it, and he repeated some of the letters and pretended to sing. I think he can probably learn a lot better through songs. He loves to sing (not that he makes a lot of sense). He has a toy that his Aunt Meg bought for him that sings the alphabet. I encourage him to listen to it. It took forever for William to sing the alphabet. He might have only been able to do it about a year ago, and he'll be six in June. But, he knew his alphabet for a long time. Each child is different, though. I remember when my friend Lindsey stayed with me a couple days back when William was 2.5, and her oldest daughter was the same age. Meredith could sing, sing, sing and very clearly, but Will couldn't sing at ALL at that age. Of course, he had only recently, at that time, talked in many sentences. A lot of that was delayed. Now, Trusten, on the other hand, started some sentences at around 13 or 14 months of age. He is very smart, too. But, it's interesting in the ways they're different.

*A few nights ago we were all eating dinner. I'd baked chicken legs. William was picking at some of the pinkish-colored meat near the bone (it was fully cooked), and he said, "I think my chicken is bloody." Trusten pointed toward William's plate across the table and shouted, "Unclean, unclean!" I looked over at Nathan and said, "Do you know what he's saying? He's saying, 'Unclean.'" Upon hearing that I understood what he was saying, Trusten's eyes brightened, and he smiled, and then he shouted even more excitedly, "Unclean, unclean!" I was amazed that he knew blood was unclean (Will's meat was NOT bloody.) He really does seem to understand a lot for his age, though.

*Whenever Trusten does something naughty, and he knows full well that he is in danger of being punished, he immediately goes up to Nathan or to me (if I'm the only one here) and hugs us and/or pats us and smiles with the sweetest smile he can muster. It's like he thinks he can make himself too precious to be punished. What a little fox. He's putting on the charm. He gets that from Nathan. I told Nathan so. Trust is definitely clever, but I've made it clear to him that being cute is not going to save him.

*He's now on liquid iron-free multivitamins and naturally some-sort-of-fruit-flavored fish oil, as well as some N-Acetyle Cysteine. We're hoping that this will help him get the nutrition he needs, since he is terribly picky, and we're also hoping it will help improve his awful tantrums.

I don't have any time, really, to write about Nathan or me. Nathan did submit his paperwork and filing fee so that he can take his contractor's license exam. He needs this higher license. Now all he needs to do is study the book and/or go take a 3-day course so that he can hopefully pass the test.