Kids Update

It's definitely time for an update on the kids. I feel like I do a lot of picture posting on this blog, but I often don't talk much about what is going on in our day-to-day life. So, here is a much needed update on what the kids have been doing and how they have progressed over the last several months.

Avary has been doing a lot of homeschooling. Avary finished her reading lesson book back in December (or sometimes around then), and is reading really well now. I don't what grade level she is reading at (or who even defines that), but she reads books like the Magic Tree House series which, according to the internet, are written for grades 2 - 3. She also loves listening to audio books. So far, she has listened to the entire Chronicles of Narnia series, Charlotte's Web, Stuart Little, Little House in the Big Woods, and Heidi. I think there are some more, but I can't remember them all right now. For Math, she has been working on the Kindergarten level on IXL, a great website with tons of math practice. She only has two more skills in the Kindergarten level, and then she'll move on to the First Grade level. We have also been working on writing in Level 1 of Writing with Ease. Back in January, she also started going to a homeschool girl scout troop. She really likes it. There are four other girls her age there, and on her first day, she instantly became friends with Camilla. She also did gymnastics for awhile, and liked that, but we decided to take a break and do swimming lessons for awhile instead. So currently, she is doing swimming lessons, and she also just started a violin class that a lady in our homeschool group is offering. Avary is such a fun, energetic girl. I have a hard time keeping up with her sometimes. She's always thinking of things she wants to do, and they often require help from me, which is why I have a hard time keeping up. :) She really cares about Sam and Will, and our pets, Squeaky, Whiskers, and Snowflake. Avary and Sam can play together for hours, and they usually play well with Will, but certainly not always (see Will update below). Once the weather warmed up in the spring, they spent so much time outside in the backyard... jumping on the tramp, finding slugs, watching for the raspberries and cherries to get ripe, riding bikes and scooters, coloring with sidewalk chalk, etc. We went for weeks without rain, and they spent a lot of time almost every day for those weeks. Then, it started raining more, and they started playing upstairs in their room a lot. They started playing a game they call "Stories," which involves getting just about every single one of their toys out and having every toy participate in some kind of story. They've been playing these stories for over a year now. They have several different stories that they do. It's all quite organized and structured. I'll see a bunch of toys on the floor somewhere upstairs and wonder why the little stuffed bunny has it's head in a bag, or why there is a train track on the horse's back. If I ask the kids about it, sure enough, they have an explanation for every little detail.

Sam has also been doing some homeschooling, although not as much as Avary. He hasn't finished the reading lesson book yet, but his reading is really coming along anyway. He's also been doing math on IXL, but since he's only four, I don't really push academics with him. He surprises us with his vocabulary sometimes. He say things like, "I'm not really familiar with that." It's not uncommon for him to use a big word, and I'm usually not even sure where or when he picked it up. He also did gymnastics for awhile, and is doing swimming lessons now. He loves to play with Will. Now that Will is getting older, they have a lot of fun playing together. Sam is such a good brother, and shares his cars and trucks with Will, and just helps Will have fun playing. As long as Sam and Avary aren't playing their stories game, Sam loves to have his little brother around to play with. He's also a really good brother to Avary and is always concerned about her. One day, we were going to go to the zoo, but Avary woke up sick, so I stayed home with her and Mike took the boys to the zoo. While they were there, Sam kept saying things like, "Avary would like to see this. We should come back when Avary can come." And when Mike got them a little toy in the gift shop, Sam wanted to make sure that they also got something for Avary. He also is so sweet and picks wildflowers, for not only me, but Avary too. Sam really likes the primary song, Nephi's Courage, and he likes to sing other songs too. Often, when he's sitting on the potty, I'll hear him singing one song after another until he yells, "I'm ready for you to come wipe me!" :)
Our neighbor Roger told me that he and his wife thought it was so cute when one day, Sam was sitting on a swing outside, and Roger and Birgit could hear him through their window, just singing away. He's such a fun kid with a big imagination, and can entertain himself for long periods of time.

Will is a two-year old, which means he throws two-year old tantrums. He definitely is not shy about making his wants known. He is getting better now, but for awhile there, he broke down in a screaming and crying tantrum several times a day. Good thing he's so cute when he's not so mad. That makes up for it. :) His vocabulary is growing by leaps and bounds, and it's so fun to hear all the things he says. He repeats a lot of what the other kids say, but he also comes up with his own thoughts and ideas and is getting really good at expressing them. We have to work on his shouting, though. Usually, if he wants something, he asks me in a nice voice once, but before I even have time to answer, he asks again, only shouting. I'm constantly reminding him to talk nicely and say please. He's also very contrary, which is pretty funny.

For example:

Will: We went through a tunnel.

Me: Yeah, it was a big tunnel.

Will: No, it was a tiny tunnel!

And sometimes, he'll tell me something, and I'll say, "Mm-hmm"and he says, "No, you can't say mm-hmm. Say yeah!" It makes me laugh.

 He doesn't take naps anymore, but he goes to bed really easily, which I'm very thankful for. we just need to try to work on getting rid of his pacifier, :) He loves to play with cars, trucks, and blocks. He also likes to try to play with whatever the older kids are playing with and do whatever they are doing, but it doesn't always work out so well. I must say, the "stories"  that Avary and Sam like to play have been a cause of contention around here lately. The problem is, Avary and Sam don't want Will to play with them because he "messes up their stories," so if he goes upstairs to their room (they all share one big room), a lot of shouting and crying happens. Anyway, I'm glad that they usually all play well together, but we certainly have issues with that at times. Will is growing so fast, and he loves his big sister and brother. Pretty soon, he'll be a big brother too!

Belly Baby is now 31 weeks along, and we're all excited to meet him. Sam and Avary got to feel him move the other night, and it was so fun to see their faces light up with joy when they felt those little kicks.

And that's the update on the kids for now. There are always more things to record, so there should be more to come soon!