These Crazy Kids...

Avery

"threef" = third

Big brother taught Aileen how to blow a "zerbert" on his tummy.  She tries when he encourages her to do so, but she is still learning to blow and ends up spitting on his stomach.

I asked Avery if he thought that the Easter bunny was real.  He said, "Well, no.  Bunnies usually make a 'boing' sound when they hop.  I've never heard a 'boing' sound on Easter night."

(Avery) "Mom, I want to get a gun to go hunting and stuff.  I want to catch rabbits and birds and stuff to carve out their muscles and eat them.  If we catch a moose, we can use their horns for a project."

Avery is beginning to distinguish the difference between fantasy and reality.  He said that the Cookie Monster "doesn't really eat the cookies.  The crumbs just fall out of his mouth.  He is just a puppet."  He also said, "Come here mommy.  I've got a secret for yah.  Some people think that the elves make the toys, but the elves aren't real.  They are just gifts from other people."

(Avery) "Mom, I un-littered at school."  (His class picked up trash.)

(Avery) "FAST LIGHTNING BOLT BLUR!  That's the name of my team.  Does that sound FAST?"

Our little inventor decided that he was going to invent a popsicle that has a zipper on the end of the top of the tube.  That way, it is easy to open and you can zip it up and save it for later.

A babysitter came to our house to watch Avery and Aileen while we went on a date.  We overheard Avery tell the babysitter "I'm gonna warn you that I'm a talker.  I love to talk.  I get into trouble a lot at school and have to stand on the playground for minutes.  I've even gone all the way up to five minutes before."  He also mentioned that he has "CP" (which we figured out that he meant "P.E.").

We also noticed that Avery is showing signs of what he believes.  When we practice saying his Bible verses, he will not say the Lord's name.  I asked him why, and he wouldn't answer.  Then I asked if he was doing it to show respect, he nodded his head.  One time, he was talking silly, and saying a book character's name in different ways - Mrs. Goodman.  He used a short "o" vowel sound, and then immediately stopped, and then said "I'm sorry for my bad choice.  Please forgive me."  I assured him it was OK since it was an accident and that he was sorry, and he felt better and went back to being his silly self.

Lately, Avery has loved Amelia Bedelia and Curious George books.  We've been learning that in a lot of jokes and and in Amelia Bedelia's books, words are funny when they have a double meaning, but when the meaning is used in silly ways.  This has helped him understand the humor in his joke books a bit more.  Avery also pointed out that in the Curious George books, it always says "George was very curious" before George gets into mischief.  He thought that was really funny.  Then, he started saying several scenarios (of things that I think he secretly wishes he could do out of curiosity but doesn't because he knows he would get into trouble for them) and then says "Aileen was very curious" as he proceeded to construct a plot which she caused mischief.


Aileen

She still has her wavy strawberry blonde hair and crystal blue eyes.

Sometimes she naturally pushes in her chair or puts items back where she found them without being told to do so.

At 18 months old, she tries to repeat "I love you".

She is starting to assert herself more by disobeying and then pausing to see what we will do about it.

Some of her laughter is squeals and cackles when she is taunting her brother.

Aileen is showing us more of the playful and ornery side of her personality.


As parents, we have laughed together and thought that we would have never imagined having two kids with such funny personalities.

August Activities

Avery's drawing of "An American Bean Scratching It's Back"

Cereal box lap top complete with CD/DVD drive on the side.

Avery creating a video game, on paper, complete with multiple levels to play on his cereal box laptop computer.

Father/son moment when Avery noticed that Daddy looked thirsty while mowing the lawn.

Playing with an archaeology kit "digging" out dinosaur bones.

Following instructions to create a snap fish.

We found Avery's "surprise" attached to the mini blind cords in his room.

Avery's First Day of Kindergarten

This is a photo of Avery the morning of his first day of Kindergarten.  He said that he wanted to be an inventor, engineer and creator when he grows up.

Scribbling, Spoons and Stickers

Trying out the motion and feel of drawing with chalk on a chalkboard.

Enjoying the fun of scribbling with different colors and easy to grip triangle finger crayons.

Learning to eat with a spoon.

Practicing fine motor skills with wax paper and stickers. 

Avery's Sunday School Drawings

Avery's "Big Idea".  It is a rocket ride invention. You are supposed to first climb the ladder to push the On button.  The button makes the giant golf club swing and smack the rocket.  The people in the rocket go on a ride through the air.

Avery said he made a picture "just using shapes".  It shows an eagle flying in the air over an ocean with a lot of big bubbles.

This shows a robot that Avery invented.

Our little guy thought it would be really funny to draw a snail with bunny ears.

This one is my favorite.  It shows "Super Avery" going really fast to fight Dr. Octopus using lightning bolts.  He even made sure that Dr. Octopus had exactly eight arms.

Avery brought home a collection of drawings he had made during Sunday School this morning.  Each one had a story and showed his imagination and wonderful sense of humor.

Some Ways We Have Played and Used Our Imagination this Summer

Avery assembling a cardboard sculpture he painted.

Aileen giving us one of her goofy faces.

Avery creating an abstract design with painter's tape.

Avery playing with his race car town map.

Aileen enjoying a good book and time with her teddy bear.

Aileen showing off her shades at Grandma's.

Learning to Talk vs. Talking Non-stop

Avery

Likes for his daddy to read him a chapter from Beverly Cleary books (a favorite is The Mouse and the Motorcycle) at night.

Got really excited when we bought him new superhero underwear and sometimes announces what pair he is wearing for the day.

Draws “NO NO” signs and tapes them to the couch so that Aileen won’t climb up on them.

Tries to draw scoreboards with backwards numbers to keep score when he is playing a pretend game.  He will even add levels.

Draws make believe video games out on to paper, and uses his finger to trace his way through his video game avoiding the obstacles and “jumping” up to grab the gold medals for extra points.

Sometimes tries to write out sentences spelling words as he sounds them out.  He wrote the word for weed by spelling it “wiid” (like the Wii video game).

He wanted Aileen to wear her “headbone” (headband).

Sometimes we have Avery help us cook.  On one occasion, we were teaching him how to make French toast.  He decided he needed to add a “secret ingredient” to it, so he blew kisses into the mixture to “make it special, even though kisses weren’t in the recipe”.

Avery, noticing that his mother’s eyes looked tired commented “Mommy, did you know that your eye has roots?” as he pointed to the red blood vessels.

Loves for his mom to scratch his back.

His aunt was treating him to a bowl of ice cream, and she was about to put whipping cream on top and asked him to “say when” (meaning to let her know when to stop applying the whipping cream).  Avery misunderstood and excitedly shouted “NOW!”

Avery’s aunt was making conversation with him and knew that he was a big fan on Mickey Mouse and Lightning McQueen, so she asked him which one he liked better.  Avery, a little indignant at the question of choosing between his loyal favorites, said “Well, let me ask YOU a question.  Which one of your DOGS do you like better?”

Likes to chew gum and keep his mouth busy.

Made his mom a get well soon card in Sunday School without anyone prompting him to do so.

Gives his mom a “kiss hug” every night, and sometimes does it double if he is afraid he has missed a night.

Found an origami book and asked his mom to make him an animal.  He of course, picked out a spider (the hardest one in the entire book).  Then he carefully positioned it places to try to scare her with it.

His older cousins sometimes give him hand-me-down shirts, and he loves the idea that he gets to wear them and be like them.

Tries to identify with his dad by announcing all the teams that he likes, which are also his dad’s favorites.

Aileen

Now sits in a booster seat

Now uses a plate and can drink from a variety of sippy cups.

Can sometimes drink water by herself from a babyfood jar (held like a cup).

Has all of her baby teeth now except her second molars and cuspids.

Can imitate our funny faces and is expressive when she is in a playful mood.  She is still shy around strangers, however.

Gets jealous if she sees her mom or dad holding another child.

Runs around the house on her tip toes.

Here hair is long enough now that it has perfect little ringlets at the ends.

Tries to drink the bath water.

Tries to say “shoe” and runs to point to them if she wants to go somewhere.”  Tries to put on her own shoes, but still takes them off everytime she sits in the van.

Points to the window and says “go” because she loves being outside.

Likes to playfully hide behind the couch and giggle when we go looking for her.

Shakes her head to feel her hair swish back and forth

Turns all her legos right side up, as if she is picky on what side they are facing.

Folds her hands when we pray before meals

When the phone rings, she runs to find her toy phone.  She will pick it up and try to make singsong  beeping noises while touching the buttons as if she is dialing a number.  Aileen also will bring the phone up to her ear to listen, or she will place it against Avery’s ear.  Avery laughs and enjoys that she is interacting with him.

“emo” = Elmo (she recognizes this character from her books)

Points to the door and says “Go?”.  She gets frustrated that she cannot turn the doorknob handle to let herself out.

Says “baby”

Tries to say “kitty cat” and points happily to the TV screen or book if she sees one.  She seems to like other fuzzy or farmyard animals too.

Hugs her stuffed animals and says “awwwww” in a motherly voice and sways them back and forth.

Tries to say “thank you”

Loves to climb, especially on the kitchen chairs.  She would love to climb on top of the table to reach food, but we stop her before she gets a chance.  That doesn’t stop her from repeatedly trying.

Pulls on the table placemats to scoot the object she wants closer to her grasp.  When Avery is not watching his food or drink carefully, she has pulled his placemat up from underneath him spilling everything onto the floor.

Can say “ball” and loves to drop toy balls through the net of her toy basketball hoop.  Sometimes she will laugh and clap for herself and then look to us to do the same.

Loves to eat and will pull out a chair from the table, climb up into her booster seat and point to the sink or cabinets to beckon for food or drink.

Starts dropping food from her plate onto the floor to signal to us she is bored and finished with her meal.