Today, out of the blue, Joshua patted his cheeks and said, "Mommy, I'm white."
"Oh really?" I replied. "What color is Caleb?"
"Caleb's white, too," he said. "How about Moses?" I asked.
"Moses is brown."
"Oh, is that so? What about Daddy?"
"He's white," Joshua replied confidently. When I asked him what color I am, however, he had to deliberate briefly before deciding that I, too, am "white". Joshua concluded that Mimi, however, is "brown". He told me that Babo and Sooja Emo are also "brown", as are his friends Branden, Catalina, Bryce, Logan, and Ryker. On the other hand, Papa, Uncle Chris, and Granny are all "white".
What a blessing it is to have such a diverse group of friends and family! Our boys may not be colorblind, but there's no question that in their minds, color really is only skin-deep.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
17 Months on the 17th
Moses has been a busy, curious boy this past month. He asks to "see" everything, from the boiling pot on the stove to the rain dancing on the surface of the pool from the kitchen window. He also requests to "try" everything, from cracking an egg to throwing ice cubes into an overflowing pot of boiling rice noodles. Moses' desire to see and try everything is demonstrative of his inquisitive nature. This evening, for example, he asked me, "where Daddy?" after Joe left for worship team practice.
One of Moses' favorite pastimes is peeling things. He can easily occupy himself for a solid 30 minutes by peeling the paper labels off of crayons. Another one of his favorite activities is collecting small twigs and sticks in the yard and bringing them inside the house (Joe likes to say that Moses is looking for his staff). The other day while he was outside with Joe, he found a small Y-shaped branch, held it up, and said, "Y". I didn't believe Joe when he told me, so I asked Moses what letter he was holding, and was impressed when he replied, "Y". It's amazing to see what he picks up on the sly.
In addition to his covert independent study of the alphabet, Moses is also becoming very good at counting. He usually counts "1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9." He can drink from a cup without spilling, feed himself milk and cereal with a spoon (and make less of a mess than his 4-year-old brothers when they do the same), helps me hang laundry to dry, and thinks that he can swim all by himself. Most people guess that he's 6-12 months older than he really is, and it doesn't help that he's a good bit taller than some of his 2-year-old friends. Seeing that he's so much more bronzed than the rest of us, most people probably think he's adopted, too! I affectionately refer to him as "my big brown baby." Moses is still pretty skinny, though. We just weighed him tonight, and he rung in at 25 lbs. Caleb is 40 lbs. and Joshua is 45 lbs.
Caleb and Joshua are nurturing older brothers and deserve a lot of the credit for Moses' quick development. For example, Caleb often uses the time that he's sitting on the toilet as an opportunity to educate his baby brother. While Caleb is pooping, Moses will loiter outside the bathroom door while his brother drills him. The drills sound something like this and will go on and on for quite some time:
"Say horse."
"orse."
"Say chicken."
"chi-en" etc.
Joshua will sometimes "read" books to Moses while they sit together on the couch. Since Joshua can't actually read yet, he usually opts for books that involve numbers. This is probably one reason why Moses demonstrates such an interest in counting things. Joshua will ask Moses, "how many flowers are there?" and they will point and count the flowers in unison. Moses loves his big brothers and missed them dearly while they were in Vacation Bible School last week. When I would tell him it was time to go pick up Joshua and Caleb, Moses' face would light up and he'd yell, "Jahhhhhhh-shwa!" while running towards the door.
Of course, Moses also picks up undesirable behavior from his brothers, such as pretending to shoot his brothers with coat hanger "guns" and hitting each other in the head with large blunt objects. Whenever the twins come crying to me because Moses has assaulted them in such a manner, I am quick to remind them that he learns from their example. This doesn't seem to curb their desire to act this way, unfortunately. Boys will be boys, I suppose!
One of Moses' favorite pastimes is peeling things. He can easily occupy himself for a solid 30 minutes by peeling the paper labels off of crayons. Another one of his favorite activities is collecting small twigs and sticks in the yard and bringing them inside the house (Joe likes to say that Moses is looking for his staff). The other day while he was outside with Joe, he found a small Y-shaped branch, held it up, and said, "Y". I didn't believe Joe when he told me, so I asked Moses what letter he was holding, and was impressed when he replied, "Y". It's amazing to see what he picks up on the sly.
In addition to his covert independent study of the alphabet, Moses is also becoming very good at counting. He usually counts "1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9." He can drink from a cup without spilling, feed himself milk and cereal with a spoon (and make less of a mess than his 4-year-old brothers when they do the same), helps me hang laundry to dry, and thinks that he can swim all by himself. Most people guess that he's 6-12 months older than he really is, and it doesn't help that he's a good bit taller than some of his 2-year-old friends. Seeing that he's so much more bronzed than the rest of us, most people probably think he's adopted, too! I affectionately refer to him as "my big brown baby." Moses is still pretty skinny, though. We just weighed him tonight, and he rung in at 25 lbs. Caleb is 40 lbs. and Joshua is 45 lbs.
Caleb and Joshua are nurturing older brothers and deserve a lot of the credit for Moses' quick development. For example, Caleb often uses the time that he's sitting on the toilet as an opportunity to educate his baby brother. While Caleb is pooping, Moses will loiter outside the bathroom door while his brother drills him. The drills sound something like this and will go on and on for quite some time:
"Say horse."
"orse."
"Say chicken."
"chi-en" etc.
Joshua will sometimes "read" books to Moses while they sit together on the couch. Since Joshua can't actually read yet, he usually opts for books that involve numbers. This is probably one reason why Moses demonstrates such an interest in counting things. Joshua will ask Moses, "how many flowers are there?" and they will point and count the flowers in unison. Moses loves his big brothers and missed them dearly while they were in Vacation Bible School last week. When I would tell him it was time to go pick up Joshua and Caleb, Moses' face would light up and he'd yell, "Jahhhhhhh-shwa!" while running towards the door.
Of course, Moses also picks up undesirable behavior from his brothers, such as pretending to shoot his brothers with coat hanger "guns" and hitting each other in the head with large blunt objects. Whenever the twins come crying to me because Moses has assaulted them in such a manner, I am quick to remind them that he learns from their example. This doesn't seem to curb their desire to act this way, unfortunately. Boys will be boys, I suppose!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Elimination Experts
Upon reflecting on the previous night's episode of The Gospel Bill Show in which Miss Lana worried so much that she nearly developed an ulcer and had to go to the doctor, Caleb asked me, "Mom, does Miss Lana have a potty?" (Yes, in Caleb's opinion I have now graduated from "Mommy" to "Mom.")
"Yes, I'm sure she does have a potty," I replied, unsure about why he needed this information. Caleb replied, "Then Miss Lana needs to go poop on her potty so her tummy won't hurt anymore." And Joshua chimed in, "Miss Lana needs to eat lettuce so she can poop."
That's right, folks, next time save yourselves a visit to the doctor or pharmacy. Drs. Caleb and Joshua Wolf have all the answers!
"Yes, I'm sure she does have a potty," I replied, unsure about why he needed this information. Caleb replied, "Then Miss Lana needs to go poop on her potty so her tummy won't hurt anymore." And Joshua chimed in, "Miss Lana needs to eat lettuce so she can poop."
That's right, folks, next time save yourselves a visit to the doctor or pharmacy. Drs. Caleb and Joshua Wolf have all the answers!
Friday, July 2, 2010
Uncle John is Sleeping
Earlier this week we drove to Pittsburgh to attend my Great Uncle John's funeral. He was 86 years old when he passed away on the very day of his 63rd wedding anniversary. Both of my grandfathers died before I was born, so he was the closest thing to a grandfather I ever had. And since Uncle John and Aunt Rosine were never able to have children of their own, we really wanted to be there for Aunt Rosine, even though it was a long drive for three little boys. Just a couple days earlier our mechanic had told us not to take the Santa Fe for any long drives before we replaced a broken ball joint, so we decided to rent a minivan and ride together with Mimi and Papa. The novelty of riding in a different car definitely helped make the trip go more smoothly. The boys kept insisting that the van was ours and that we would not have to give it back, even though I warned them otherwise.
At the viewing, when the twins saw Uncle John lying peacefully in his casket, they were quick to announce to the whole room that "Uncle John is sleeping!" Joe took them outside during the ceremony, and then when they came back inside and found that the casket was missing, Joshua declared that "Uncle John woke up!" We had already explained to them that Uncle John died and went to Heaven to be with Jesus. "Is Uncle John in Heaven with George Washington?" asked Caleb. We confirmed that he was. "I want to die and go to Heaven and see George Washington and Uncle John," replied Caleb. We assured him that he would someday, but not for a very, very long time.
Uncle John was my Grandma's youngest brother, the last remaining of eight siblings who were born and raised as missionary kids in pre-Communist China. I will certainly miss hearing their memories about growing up in China and hearing them speak Chinese to each other. Not to belittle the sacrifices made by modern-day missionaries, but I can't even wrap my mind around the sacrifices my great-grandparents made when they transplanted themselves half-way around the world, without the internet or even the ability to make a phone call home to America, for over 50 years, all for the sake of spreading the good news of Jesus to an unreached people. It sure does make my life of raising twins plus one in the suburbs of DC seem pretty boring and inconsequential. But I guess there's always a possibility that I'm raising a future missionary or two, in which case I suppose I'll keep plugging along!
At the viewing, when the twins saw Uncle John lying peacefully in his casket, they were quick to announce to the whole room that "Uncle John is sleeping!" Joe took them outside during the ceremony, and then when they came back inside and found that the casket was missing, Joshua declared that "Uncle John woke up!" We had already explained to them that Uncle John died and went to Heaven to be with Jesus. "Is Uncle John in Heaven with George Washington?" asked Caleb. We confirmed that he was. "I want to die and go to Heaven and see George Washington and Uncle John," replied Caleb. We assured him that he would someday, but not for a very, very long time.
Uncle John was my Grandma's youngest brother, the last remaining of eight siblings who were born and raised as missionary kids in pre-Communist China. I will certainly miss hearing their memories about growing up in China and hearing them speak Chinese to each other. Not to belittle the sacrifices made by modern-day missionaries, but I can't even wrap my mind around the sacrifices my great-grandparents made when they transplanted themselves half-way around the world, without the internet or even the ability to make a phone call home to America, for over 50 years, all for the sake of spreading the good news of Jesus to an unreached people. It sure does make my life of raising twins plus one in the suburbs of DC seem pretty boring and inconsequential. But I guess there's always a possibility that I'm raising a future missionary or two, in which case I suppose I'll keep plugging along!
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