One of the things about kindergarten is that Anthon learns all the kid things like "first is the worst, second is the best," or "last one there is a rotten egg!" You know. So, he's always saying to Erilyn, "last one upstairs is a rotten egg!" or to wherever they are going, and the great thing is, she LOVES being the rotten egg! Even though she still tries to be first, the whole time she's running, she's also jumping up and down, arms in the air, shouting triumphantly, "I the rotten egg! I the rotten egg!"
Some of her recent interests are listening to music and dancing. Her dancing is mostly just cute two year old stuff, but she, amazingly, has occasional moments of grace and beauty in the way she moves her body. Yes, we're signing her up for dance classes soon.
One of the things I think is the coolest about Anthon is that his favorite books to read over and over again are his non-fiction books. One is about volcanoes, one is about tornadoes, one is about different ships and boats through the ages and across the world, and one is about deep sea creatures. I can't stress strongly enough how much he LOVES these books. And he LOVES watching Planet Earth episodes, or How the Earth was Made etc. He said to me in the car the other day, "Mom, I think I'm more into science." Which started an hour long conversation about different kinds of science, what those scientists do, which kinds of science he liked best, or would want to learn more about etc. It was awesome.
I was proud of myself the other day for taking advantage of a teaching opportunity. I'm a firm believer that the best time to teach your child something is when he/she comes to you with a question about it. So, in the car a couple of days ago, Anthon says, "Mom, can you get sick from fleas?" Which started a long conversation about different diseases, how insects can help spread them, how usually diseases that effect animals don't effect people and vice versa, etc. He was fascinated. And I just think it's so cool that what really grips him and grabs his interest are things about the world we live in, rather than cartoon characters.
The other day the kids and I were at McDonald's for lunch and Anthon comes running up to the table, breathless, and says, "Mom, Erilyn is so good at making friends. She'll play with anyone! And it helps me want to be better at making friends, too." While it's not necessarily true that Anthon needs to be better at making friends, (a boy four years older than Anthon said to me yesterday after I thanked him for hanging out with Anthon at the primary activity and told him how fun he thought it was, "Well sure. He's the fun one.") I love that he can recognize something Erilyn really is good at and not be jealous. I'm really treasuring the relationship they have right now. I know our family dynamics will change once the new baby comes, but I hope these two are always close like they are now. And I hope Erilyn will always have a sense of big brother worship for Anthon, and Anthon a protective and inclusive love for Erilyn. It really does bring a lot of joy into our lives just to see the two of them together! It's great.
1 comment:
This is the kind of post that I would love to read about myself as a kid. I think your children will love having these anecdotes and your observations. You're the best.
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