Garrett

Reading Home Improvement 1-2-3 to Wyatt

Garrett has been maturing and growing a lot in the past year or so. Although I don't have as many catchy quotes from him anymore, it's fun to look back at many of the ways he is maturing and learning. Here's the latest from the past several months:

7/9/13
I walked into Garrett’s room to get him up from quiet time today, and he was working furiously on a lock for his door. He had a system that he told me about in vivid detail that included a rubber band that wrapped around the latch and then a “shooter” on the other end that had a rubber band to hold it on. He also confidentially showed me the McDonald’s Spy Gear toy that shoots a red “bullet” out of it. He had it in his pocket to “be prepared” and to protect himself from bad people who might want to take him. The bullet would shoot out and hit them in the eye. I think we have a future gun owner/engineer??

Garrett has been enjoying summer camp at Cross of Christ. He likes being with the other kids even though they are younger than him. Today when I picked him up, all the kids said, “Goodbye Garrett!”  and waved at him, and another kid had given him a paper of letters he had stamped.

Garrett is devouring books on the solar system right now and can tell me lots of things I didn’t know about different planets, stars, etc. It’s so fun to see him poring over books that are probably 3^rd-4^th grade reading level, and loving all of the new information he is getting.

7/21/13

Garrett, who has apparently been reading everything in sight: “I notice that many of the things in the United States of America are from the Island of China.”

8/19/13

Today we started our first day of Kindergarten home school! I decided last-minute that this was the day, and so I told Garrett this morning. He immediately looked up sharply and then said, “And let’s do full-day Kindergarten.” He loved it and we all got tired out!

Highlights I wrote down one week (evidently it had been tough and I was looking for rays of sunshine):

When I forgot to pray at lunch, Garrett noticed and said, “Let’s pray.”

We’ve been doing round-the-table prayers and the boys pray more readily when we do this, and enjoy it.

Wade folding hands by himself to pray.

The boys holding hands spontaneously.

All 3 playing sweetly together.

Garrett saying politely but firmly to a bossy lady at the rec center playground who yelled at them to go down the slide on their “butt”: “That’s not an appropriate word.” (Not that butt is the worst word in the world, but I was happy Garrett stood up to that lady and was aware that there are nicer ways of saying it!)

Tonight Garrett asked me out of the blue at dinner, “What happens to the atoms, and even the protons, electrons and even photons when we cut paper with scissors?”

Last year at school Garrett loved saving the cups and little paper plates from the snack at school. He would sneak them into his backpack.

He loved doing “church service” for us. Standing on the bed, he’d have a stream of consciousness song come out saying things like, “God loves us, He does not hate us!”

Garrett: “The things that are hard I do first, and then I’ll do the fun things.”

Garrett, starry eyed in his bed after reading: “Mom, someday I want to build a model rocket that comes in the mail and fly it around the world.”

Wants to be a chemist, like Daddy.

Garrett and Wyatt have named their mini-tower fans. G’s is Joe Joe. W’s is Pee Wee. J

Garrett told me he really wants to learn more about the Bible. Later that day I gave him the kids’ section out of the Answers In Genesis magazine and told him it would help him learn more about the Bible, and he ran upstairs to read it saying, “Yes!!”

Garrett notices that Uncle Wiggly is a gentleman because he thinks of others and is nice to others. As Jim was snow-blowing he said, “Our Daddy is a gentleman."

 

Garrett has been devouring "Home Improvement 1-2-3, and can spout off whole sections of memorized material, telling me how to fix things that I've never even considered learning how to fix! His memory is amazing.

Being an inventor is probably Garrett's greatest aspiration right now. He is constantly trying to think of new things to invent!

Before Thanksgiving, he started drawing some amusing cartoons about a turkey so I encouraged him to draw them in a book and he dictated to me what to write. Here are the pages of the book:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wyatt

I think it's about time to update all of the kids' latest sayings and doings...surprised that the last post with them was way back in April! So for Wyatt, here are the latest notes I've taken in the past 6 months. I love his zany sense of humor, his laid-back personality, and his loving heart!

5/24/13

Wyatt got tired early on our bike ride/walk with the double stroller. Soon after we left the house he said, “I need to get my energy IN…all of my energy flew away from me at home” and took a seat on the double stroller. J

 

7/9/13

Wyatt was SO excited tonight that we would be able to look through a REAL telescope when we are camping this summer (I’m bringing mine). He talked to me about it in bed tonight with wide eyes and awe and wonder in his voice. "Am I going to get to see the HEAVENS with the telescope??” “I can’t wait to get to the cabin and look through the telescope!!!”

Wyatt is so cute when we gets up from bed and comes in and out….he always starts out with, “Well, ya’ see, actually, you know, I need to tell you somethin’…” (with a cute little tongue-click sprinkled throughout!)

7/16/13

Wyatt loves to play “accomplished baby” sometimes with me…he pretends to be a baby and then shows me all of the amazing things this accomplished baby can do….like talking, walking, etc.

Wyatt loves to try different foods. Yesterday we gave him a whole artichoke to eat all by himself for the first time, and he actually did a pretty good job eating it! At the store he specially requested corn (he loves to shuck it), peaches, and grapes.

 

7/23/013

Wyatt: Today at 5-Day Club, Wyatt had memorized John 3:16 so he got to choose a prize. He chose a pair of 80's neon yellow and black big sunglasses. On the way home, he said, "I love these sunglasses so much, I want to keep them until I go to heaven!!"

Wyatt also frequently says he loves everyone in the whole world soooo much! Today he said that he sends it to each person in each state, and made blowing sounds over and over. I asked if that was him sending his love and he said yes. J Little sweetie.

 

 

9/26/13

I recently discovered that Garrett and Wyatt have a little game they play that they call the Santa Clause Game – they sneak into each other’s rooms at night and put pennies under each other’s pillows. Garrett says he does it while Wyatt is sleeping, and I assume Wyatt does it before they are going to bed because that’s what he did tonight.

10/21/13

A collection of quotes from the past few months:

Wyatt: “Dr. Vacuum is the friendly sucker-upper!”

“Wade obeyed you! That’s called a baby miracle!!”

While watching me change Wade’s diaper and put Desitin on Wyatt was very sympathetic and said, “A diaper rash is like a fan blade whipping against you.”

I got the kids a learning snake toy that teaches them to fasten different kinds of things, and when it’s all fastened you have a snake toy! I showed it to Wyatt, and let him do it in the living room. Later in the day I realized it was all over the room. He told me he had “cut off its head so it won’t bite us” and that was on the secretary. Another part was lashed to a chair leg with a very elaborate knot!

Me: “Wyatt, what would help you stay dry at night?”

Wyatt: “Well, putting leaves under my pillow.”

On his own after I made him a place to hide out, he came to me and said with a beaming face, “Mom, thank you for making me one of those hide-out covers! ‘Cause I needed one of those!”

“I love you as much as God does! There’s no end to my love! Unless God snips my love wire.”

Wyatt sneezed, and I said, “Bless you, my dear.” He said with a dreamy voice, “I love it when you say that. It makes me feel like you love everyone in the whole world!”

Frequently loves to announce that he loves everyone in the whole world.

Me, reading a book about space to the boys: “Several major countries have agreed that space belongs to everyone.”

Wyatt: “No it doesn’t! Space belongs to the Lord!”

Jim: “Where do the Easter baskets come from?”

Wyatt: “There’s a magic bunny called the Torticollus bunny.”

Likes to talk about “zero” in terms of “zero times,” etc.

Put a thumb in his mouth and said, “This is a musical suck-strament.”

When a miracle happens in one of the Bible lessons in the Children’s Bible, he gets so excited! His eyes light up, he laughs open-mouthed, and yells, “That was a miracle!!!!!”

 

 

 

 

 

Wade

Little Wadey-pie has been growing up! People keep commenting on how big he looks and how he looks like a big boy instead of a baby now. He's saying so many things, walking quickly around, enjoying playing on his own some, and definitely making his likes and dislikes well known!

His neck is completely straightened out now, so we were released from PT a couple of months ago! It's wonderful to be past that semi-worrisome and physically draining time.

Here are some things I wrote about him recently in my ongoing word document that I'm keeping with kid's sayings and doings:

Me: Who wants more cheese?

Wade: “I – ooo! Chzze!”

He’s saying so many words – “bad” for bed (loves going onto the guest bed and playing), “I do too!!!” with anything Wyatt and Garrett are saying “I do” to. Thank you is "tu-tu," bottle is "bobble," and donut is "do-do!!"

He loves shoes and will often walk around in other people’s shoes. Has started obeying really well after a session with Daddy practicing obeying. Will say “Meh Mom” and obey if I remind him to say yes mom and obey. Will put toys away as I direct him, shoes in the shoe basket, etc. Loves to crawl up the stairs and is starting to want to bump down or slide down feet first backwards. Often wants to stop on the middle landing for a while just to enjoy surveying the room.

Loves finding balloons in books and will point and say “ba-oon!” Likes his Bob the Builder colors book, and will point to it and say, “Bob!” and “Hat!” Loves dogs too and notices them in books and out on walks. Loves the park, especially the swing and climbing on the play equipment. At the nursery at a new church, we were all surprised that instead of being happy to come to me when I picked him up, he turned to the lady who was holding him and said, “No! Hug!!” to her and didn’t want to come to me! Daddy is his favorite person by far. When Jim left for a conference for 4 days, he cried bitterly off and on for several hours and would walk to the door and say, “Daddy!! Daddy!! Bye! Hug!”

Is starting to say “Wy-att” for Wyatt, and can barely say “Ga-ett” for Garrett. He loves playing with them. He adores playing “squish” with Daddy and bros at night before bed. Jim “squishes” them and they squish him. Wade squishes his stuffed animals all the time, and loves to gather his little blanket and some stuffed animals under him when he goes to sleep in his crib at night. He loves his “pups,” a name for all of his stuffed animals except for his “lammy” – lambie pie. When he is done in his highchair or with his bottle of milk, he wastes no time in saying, “Done!” or “Out!” He absolutely loves going to Costco with Jim and the boys on Saturday morning! He walks around the house beforehand saying, “Cah-co, Cah-co” and Jim says he gobbles up anything they give him!

Here are lots of the latest pictures of sweet Wade:

Our last day at Physical Therapy - yay!!

 

 

Wade's first time enjoying the sand area at Flatirons Mall:

He absolutely loves going outside to play with his big brothers!

 

Or doing anything with them, for that matter!

 

Playing squish

 

This is the adorable way he hugs his stuffed animals, or "pups":

 

Loves to wear glasses of all kinds, Wyatt's CEF prize ones, ...

 

... or Daddy's ...

 

Doing great at feeding himself!

 

 

Loves the lawnmower with Daddy!

 

Putting the puffs in the holes of the parmesan cheese container is fun ...

 

Wade's little spot in the camper when we camped this summer:

 

Loving the swings!

 

 

Getting to enjoy snow in the backyard for the first time!

 

 

Following in his brothers' footsteps; putting unwanted food in what Jim and I quickly named the "rejection slot"

 

Not so sure at the grocery store!

Isn't he a cutie? We love him!

 

 

Homeschool

Things have been so busy around here for the past couple of months! We started homeschool in the middle of August, and that has pretty much taken up most of my time and energy, and I finally feel like I am finding my stride in schooling and can come up for some air. You'd think that once we made the decision to homeschool things would be cut and dried... but, no. I've been surprised by how many decisions about curriculum, teaching style, learning style, and philosophy there are once I got into the homeschool world.

This year we are enjoying My Father's World Kindergarten curriculum, which is a very easy review for Garrett since he is already reading and writing, but is a good challenge for Wyatt. We start with MFW each day, and I give worksheets or projects to Wyatt so he can join in too and get a review of the letters and sounds. And then I'm supplementing Hooked on Phonics for Garrett and we're speeding through that fast to make sure he has the good phonics foundation he needs, and we're also going through Handwriting Without Tears to make sure he is forming letters correctly. I'm also giving him some journal time to draw a picture and write about it any way he wants. I'd like to move to a more independent study in the next year or so, concentrating mostly on math, writing, and reading.

For My Father's World, I love the unit studies we're going through! We spend a week studying one topic that starts with one letter. So far we've studied the sun, the moon, leaves, apples, and nests and we're moving on to turtles next week. It's perfect for this year where Garrett is getting Kindergarten review and Wyatt is getting Preschool. They are so fascinated with each subject, and I love hearing Garrett read a lot of the books out loud to us. I'm getting into the rhythm of putting the books for the next week or two on hold at the library and then picking them up. I've also discovered the books on CD in the children's section and the kids really enjoy listening to them which gives me a chance to get something else done. We're trying to save DVD's and videos for weekends only, so they are forced to play, read, create, etc., and it's gone better than I expected but was hard at first.

We've also been reading "Leading Little Ones to God" which has been very good, and every once in a while I get out our Character Concepts curriculum and teach them a character trait and verse to go with it.

So, it's been fun, and I love how homeschool gives us the opportunity to learn together as a family, go on adventures together, teach the boys character traits like being helpful around the house with chores and being friends with each other, and lets the boys be boys and have a pretty care-free and imaginative childhood.

I'm so thankful for how well Garrett is reading, and that makes it a lot easier this year. Wyatt knows all of the letter sounds. Wade has been challenging at this age, but I've been trying to give him things to do while we work and train him that school time is the time for him to play quietly - I hope it takes soon! ;-)

So, here are a bunch of pictures from our latest activities...

First day of school!

 

 Ready to learn!

 

 Wade the little sidekick is too! (He frequently says, "I do TOO!!!")

 

 New sorting toy makes Wyatt happy.

 

 We started with the days of creation.

 

 Garrett loves learning about all kinds of things in his Charlie Brown Encyclopedia.

Wyatt got ahold of stickers when I was busy with Garrett!

Listening to "The Story of Ping" and following along in the book.

 

 Creating a "prototype of a cassette tape" :)

 

Doing fine motor activities before starting school.

 

 Camping trip where the boys caught the maximum limit of fish with Jim - 24 in 2 days!!

 

 

 A sweeping "invention"

 

 G's pictures of the moon and sun...

 

 Surveying the flood water levels (that flattened grass) after the big flood.

Eating crawdads that the boys and Jim worked hard to catch in our local lakes.

 

 Painting around leaves we collected on a walk.

 

 Blowing bubbles in Garrett's "truck."

 

 More bubbles!

 

 Playing with their "invention" that drains water through a pipe to either bottle.

 

 Wyatt is very generous and loves to wrap up little presents for me with plastic wrap.

 

 Another invention - a lock box (after we got locked out of the house and couldn't get into our lock box that had the key in it!)

 

 At a darling apple orchard in Longmont, built in 1892, with heirloom apples and a beautiful yellow farmhouse.

Fun and a picnic at the park...

 

Going on a leaf hunt in their adventure gear.

 

 They ended up getting mostly old grass clippings to make nests...

 

Wade loves swinging!

 ...and having Garrett push him.

 

 Folding his hands so nicely to pray...

 

 Sharpening pencils is a favorite activity around here.

Wade painting a little.

 

 Painting trees and autumn leaves.

Pumpkin patch time!

 

 I love watching the boys playing well together!