The twins are 6! On their birthday, they took Rice Krispies treats to school to share with their classmates, then that evening we had spaghetti and cake at Mimi and Papa's house, and the boys (including Moses) each got a rifle gun that they'd had their eyes on since they first noticed them at the Mount Vernon gift shop this past summer. Then on Saturday we threw the boys a pirate party with a dozen of their friends. Joe even dressed up like a pirate: he grew out his beard, wore a pirate wig that we found at the Variety Store, and stuck a toy machete in a colorful sash that he tied around his waist. Several of the boys' moms, including our friend Leah who has known Joe for several years now, thought that we had hired a "real" pirate! All of the boys had a blast digging for "treasure" in the turtle sandbox, "walking the plank", jumping on the trampoline, eating pizza, and play fighting with the boys' toy guns and swords.
Now that the boys are 6 years old, they are making progress along the road to self-sufficiency. They are finally wiping their own butts, although they still refuse to go #2 at school. In fact, a few weeks ago I got a call from the school nurse because Joshua was in the clinic, doubled over in stomach pain, refusing to use the bathroom. Before I could get to the school, the nurse called back to say that he finally went to the bathroom and was feeling better. Joshua, however, maintains that he never did poop at school, but that his tummy felt better because Jesus healed him.
In other areas of self-sufficiency, the boys can climb up on the counter, get a glass from the cupboard, and pour themselves a glass of milk or water. Heck, even 2-year-old Moses has started doing this. Caleb will often pour me a tall glass of water and bring it to me, unprompted, while I'm sitting at the computer or folding laundry. He is very sweet. He also likes to draw pictures and give them to us as gifts. Joshua is a sweet boy, too. He's always showing us affection and telling us things like, "I just love giving you hugs and kisses!"
I met with the twins' teachers for their first elementary school parent-teacher conferences last week, too. Both boys did very well on their first standardized test that is issued to all Kindergarteners in the state of Virginia. They both passed the Spring benchmark, which means that they already have all the skills and knowledge that they're expected to have before they finish Kindergarten. Granted, they attend one of the more competitive schools in one of the best public school systems in the nation, so I'm sure that most of their classmates did just as well if not better, and the teachers have accelerated the curriculum accordingly. If I remember correctly, Joshua scored a 182, Caleb scored a 178, and the Spring benchmark is 177.
Caleb actually could have scored higher, but he didn't give a single correct answer in the rhyming section. I could have sworn that he's known how to rhyme for a while now, so when I got home from the conference, I asked him to tell me something that rhymes, and of course he immediately rattled off a long list rhyming words. I suspect that Caleb simply did not understand what was being asked of him during this particular section of the test. After all, one of the items that was originally on his IEP was difficulty with "receptive language," or understanding what is being spoken to you. I will need to follow up with his teacher and make sure that she is aware of this. I really think that he has a very good teacher, but in a class full of 25 energetic kids, I can see how it would be very easy for a detail like that to slip through the cracks. Joshua's class is smaller with only 20 kids, and they have the added benefit of having a special ed teacher in the classroom for much of the day. So in addition to having fewer classroom distractions, Joshua gets a lot more one-on-one time than Caleb does. I am confident that Caleb will thrive nevertheless. His teacher said he is such a sweet, good boy and that he is trying very hard. Joshua's teacher told me that he is very sweet and kind, and his special ed teacher said that she thinks he's actually very smart. As a mom, you can't ask for better reports than those!
And now for a few quotes:
Joshua: "I guess I am the onliest boy who is listening and putting on my shoes!"
Moses: "Daddy! Mommy is not paying attention to me!"
Me: "Caleb, get your backpack!"
(Caleb completely ignores me and keeps walking while Moses puts on Caleb's backpack.)
Me: "Moses, thank you for bringing Caleb's backpack inside."
Moses: "Yes, because Caleb is not paying attention."
Moses, observing 2 egg yolks in a mixing bowl: "It's like a butt!"
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Monday, October 31, 2011
McMoses' Healthy Halloween
Moses has developed a strange habit of substituting the first syllable of certain words with "Mc". For example, he consistently makes the following adjustments:
McPuter = Computer
McTar = Guitar
McBrella = Umbrella
I'm pretty sure that he knows the correct pronunciations, but he still insists on saying things this way. Maybe it's his Irish heritage manifesting itself... and the only apparent manifestation of it, at that!
In other news, the boys are very excited about Halloween and going trick-or-treating tonight. The twins have been learning a lot of Halloween songs in music class at school, which they in turn teach to Moses. The other day I heard Moses singing his own rendition of a classic. I think I like his version better:
"Trick or treat, trick or treat, give me something good for me."
That's my boy!
McPuter = Computer
McTar = Guitar
McBrella = Umbrella
I'm pretty sure that he knows the correct pronunciations, but he still insists on saying things this way. Maybe it's his Irish heritage manifesting itself... and the only apparent manifestation of it, at that!
In other news, the boys are very excited about Halloween and going trick-or-treating tonight. The twins have been learning a lot of Halloween songs in music class at school, which they in turn teach to Moses. The other day I heard Moses singing his own rendition of a classic. I think I like his version better:
"Trick or treat, trick or treat, give me something good for me."
That's my boy!
Monday, October 24, 2011
Imaginative Moses
Moses has quite an active imagination, and it has blossomed all the more now that his big brothers are away at school all day. Whereas he previously relied heavily on his brothers for entertainment, he is now content to play with animal figurines, blocks, cars, and Legos all by himself for extended periods of time, quietly creating dialogues and singing to himself as he plays. Since the twins always had each other to play with, I suppose they were never required to plumb the depths of their imaginations to the same degree that Moses has. That's not to say they were completely unimaginative, it's just that they almost always collaborated with each other, such as when they used to pretend to be a mother monkey and a baby monkey. Moses also enjoys pretending to be different animals, such as the other day when he walked into the kitchen wearing gloves on his feet, and when I asked him why, he told me, "I am an ostrich and I have ostrich feet."
One way that Moses' imagination is manifesting itself is through telling lies, and convincing ones, at that. A couple weeks ago as we were getting ready to sit down to eat dinner, I noticed that Moses had taken off his jacket, so I asked him why. He replied, "Daddy told me to take my jacket off so that I won't spill macaroni on it." While it seemed like a somewhat reasonable explanation, I was mildly perturbed to hear that Joe had told him to remove layers considering how cold it was inside the house. And besides, macaroni and cheese wasn't much of a stain threat to his navy blue jacket. Baffled by Joe's logic, I asked him if he'd indeed told Moses to take his jacket off so that he wouldn't spill macaroni and cheese on it. And what do you know, he hadn't.
Moses also claims to have vivid dreams every night about horses racing. He tells us that he dreams about thoroughbreds, Asian wild horses, the white horse of the sea, and fallabellas. Speaking of dreaming, the other day while Moses and I were surveying the pumpkins on our front steps, he provided me with the following analysis. Pointing to the three large pumpkins, he said, "That's the mommy pumpkin, and the daddy pumpkin is a little bigger. And here's Moses. He's a big boy pumpkin." Then, pointing to a couple of the smaller pumpkins, he said, "And here's his brothers. They are babies." So much for being the humblest man on the face of the Earth!
One way that Moses' imagination is manifesting itself is through telling lies, and convincing ones, at that. A couple weeks ago as we were getting ready to sit down to eat dinner, I noticed that Moses had taken off his jacket, so I asked him why. He replied, "Daddy told me to take my jacket off so that I won't spill macaroni on it." While it seemed like a somewhat reasonable explanation, I was mildly perturbed to hear that Joe had told him to remove layers considering how cold it was inside the house. And besides, macaroni and cheese wasn't much of a stain threat to his navy blue jacket. Baffled by Joe's logic, I asked him if he'd indeed told Moses to take his jacket off so that he wouldn't spill macaroni and cheese on it. And what do you know, he hadn't.
Moses also claims to have vivid dreams every night about horses racing. He tells us that he dreams about thoroughbreds, Asian wild horses, the white horse of the sea, and fallabellas. Speaking of dreaming, the other day while Moses and I were surveying the pumpkins on our front steps, he provided me with the following analysis. Pointing to the three large pumpkins, he said, "That's the mommy pumpkin, and the daddy pumpkin is a little bigger. And here's Moses. He's a big boy pumpkin." Then, pointing to a couple of the smaller pumpkins, he said, "And here's his brothers. They are babies." So much for being the humblest man on the face of the Earth!
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Prolific Caleb
Caleb has blossomed into a prolific artist. The first thing he does when he wakes up in the morning is make a beeline to the dining room table, not to eat breakfast, but to commence a drawing of whatever happens to be his subject of choice for the week. Likewise, the first thing he does when he comes home from school on most days is situate himself at the table with a piece of paper and a bucket of markers. You would think he'd be tired of sitting and drawing after being at school all day, but apparently not. Joshua, on the other hand, wants nothing to do with sitting and drawing during after-school hours. He would rather run around the house for a while before settling into the couch with his latest library book.
I first noticed Caleb's trend toward the end of the summer when he became obsessed with drawing David and Goliath: pages upon pages of pictures of David with his sling facing off with Goliath with his sword. Some time later, he started drawing cars: lots of cars, complete with details such as headlights and spirals of exhaust spewing out the back. From there, he progressed on to pumpkins: jack-o-lanterns with varying shaped eyes, noses, and mouths. Next came pirate ships, influenced by our voyage on a pirate ship in Baltimore. And Caleb's most recent subject matter has been the owl, his school's mascot. Specifically, he draws an owl slightly hovering above the branch of a tree, almost always slightly tilting to the left, with a crescent moon in the upper right corner and a black night sky in the background.
It's fascinating how consistent Caleb is, with only slight variations in each piece from each series, not much unlike how a real artist operates. Indeed, of the many printmaking works I created in college, there are quite a few series of a common image with only slight variations among the members of each set. Caleb demonstrates the perfectionist tendencies of an artist, too. If he accidentally colors outside one of the lines he draws, he launches into a fit of consternation, dramatically discarding the ruined piece aside and starting over on a clean slate.
A few quotes:
"Caleb, it's not good to talk to your friends like that. Only Mommy can talk like that." - Joshua
"Oh, come on Caleb, don't be sad. Let's get busy. I like to play trains with you." - Joshua
"He is really evil and not a good student and is absolutely bad." -Joshua, commenting on someone's scary Halloween decoration.
Woman, talking to the twins: "How old are you?"
Caleb and Joshua: *no response*
Moses: "They are 5 and I am 2."
"I love green, and brown is my favorite color, too, because I am brown." - Moses
"Those two squirrels are friends, like me and Desmond." -Moses, while watching two squirrels chase and play with each other
"Look, mom, it's a silent color." -Moses, while applying very light pressure to the crayon while drawing.
I first noticed Caleb's trend toward the end of the summer when he became obsessed with drawing David and Goliath: pages upon pages of pictures of David with his sling facing off with Goliath with his sword. Some time later, he started drawing cars: lots of cars, complete with details such as headlights and spirals of exhaust spewing out the back. From there, he progressed on to pumpkins: jack-o-lanterns with varying shaped eyes, noses, and mouths. Next came pirate ships, influenced by our voyage on a pirate ship in Baltimore. And Caleb's most recent subject matter has been the owl, his school's mascot. Specifically, he draws an owl slightly hovering above the branch of a tree, almost always slightly tilting to the left, with a crescent moon in the upper right corner and a black night sky in the background.
It's fascinating how consistent Caleb is, with only slight variations in each piece from each series, not much unlike how a real artist operates. Indeed, of the many printmaking works I created in college, there are quite a few series of a common image with only slight variations among the members of each set. Caleb demonstrates the perfectionist tendencies of an artist, too. If he accidentally colors outside one of the lines he draws, he launches into a fit of consternation, dramatically discarding the ruined piece aside and starting over on a clean slate.
A few quotes:
"Caleb, it's not good to talk to your friends like that. Only Mommy can talk like that." - Joshua
"Oh, come on Caleb, don't be sad. Let's get busy. I like to play trains with you." - Joshua
"He is really evil and not a good student and is absolutely bad." -Joshua, commenting on someone's scary Halloween decoration.
Woman, talking to the twins: "How old are you?"
Caleb and Joshua: *no response*
Moses: "They are 5 and I am 2."
"I love green, and brown is my favorite color, too, because I am brown." - Moses
"Those two squirrels are friends, like me and Desmond." -Moses, while watching two squirrels chase and play with each other
"Look, mom, it's a silent color." -Moses, while applying very light pressure to the crayon while drawing.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Twin in the Mirror
This afternoon I took Caleb and Moses to Target while Joshua went to a play date at his classmate Owen's house. Caleb was upset that he didn't have a play date to attend, and decided that retail therapy would be the best cure for his blues. While walking through the shoe department, Caleb did a double-take as he strode past a full-length mirror. "What's the matter?" I asked him. "Oh, I thought that I saw Joshua but it was just me," he replied, smiling sheepishly. Only an identical twin could have that sort of problem!
It was also touching because I could tell that Caleb genuinely missed his twin. Their teachers have told me, and I've seen for myself while volunteering in the cafeteria at lunchtime, that they will call out to each other and wave happily whenever they see each other during the school day. I suppose that having them in separate classrooms is best for the development of their own individual identities, but sometimes it breaks my heart when I realize how much they cherish their unique bond.
Moses, on the other hand, announced to me this afternoon that he did not miss his brothers at all today. Every other day since Kindergarten started, Moses has asked me, "Where are my brothers?" or "I miss my brothers. Shall we go get them now?" I guess today I somehow managed to keep him well-enough distracted with preschool and errands. It's not an easy job, though, and I'm beginning to realize the significant role that the twins had in raising their baby brother these first two and a half years of his life. I've got to give them their fair share of credit for how well Moses has turned out!
It was also touching because I could tell that Caleb genuinely missed his twin. Their teachers have told me, and I've seen for myself while volunteering in the cafeteria at lunchtime, that they will call out to each other and wave happily whenever they see each other during the school day. I suppose that having them in separate classrooms is best for the development of their own individual identities, but sometimes it breaks my heart when I realize how much they cherish their unique bond.
Moses, on the other hand, announced to me this afternoon that he did not miss his brothers at all today. Every other day since Kindergarten started, Moses has asked me, "Where are my brothers?" or "I miss my brothers. Shall we go get them now?" I guess today I somehow managed to keep him well-enough distracted with preschool and errands. It's not an easy job, though, and I'm beginning to realize the significant role that the twins had in raising their baby brother these first two and a half years of his life. I've got to give them their fair share of credit for how well Moses has turned out!
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
The Kindergarten Conundrum
September was a month of new beginnings, with the twins starting Kindergarten and Moses starting preschool. I am thankful to report that all three boys are thoroughly enjoying school. When the county decided to close schools on the fourth day of school on account of inclement weather, the boys were disappointed. The following Friday, when I told the boys that they wouldn't have to go to school for the next two days, Joshua exclaimed, "Oh no, but I'll miss school!" When I went to pick up Moses after his second day of preschool, he scowled at me and told me to go away. I suppose his classmates provide him with greater entertainment value than I do.
That said, I don't think I've been this exhausted since I had a newborn. Escorting three kids to and from two different schools, packing nutritious lunches, entertaining Moses in the absence of his brothers, and volunteering in three different classrooms have all proved to be quite exhausting. Meanwhile, multiple home improvement tasks are looming over our heads, dinner needs to be cooked and cleaned up after, the boys manage to make just as much mess in the few hours they're home in the evening as they did when they were home all day long (such as when they decided to paint their pumpkins with black paint yesterday), Joe has been working ridiculously long hours, and the bunnies keep pooping and trying to escape their porch prison. Every afternoon at around two clock, there is nothing I'd rather do than take a nap, but my non-napping 2-year-old always has other plans for me, such as pretending to be the bad guy that he repeatedly strikes down with a sword, or helping him build a barn for his horse. And to think that I had people asking me what I would do with all of my free time now that the twins would be in school all day!
Anyway, here are some things we've been hearing lately...
"Good eye, Mom. Good eye." -Joshua's trademark way of saying "Good idea, Mom. Good idea."
"Normally my mother pushes me four times." -Moses, letting his preschool teacher know that he was not satisfied with a mere three pushes on the swing.
"My butt swallowed the poop so that you wouldn't have to smell it." -Joshua, explaining why he didn't finish his business in the same bathroom in which I was taking a shower.
"Look, I'm a bunny." -Joshua, showing me the big fluffy wad of toilet paper stuck in his butt.
Me: "Don't go out in the front yard all by yourself. It's getting dark outside and you never know when there might be bad guys around."
Joshua: "Don't worry, Mom, I'll take my gun."
Me: "But your gun isn't real."
Joshua: "I know that bullets won't come out, but the bad guys will still see my gun and be afraid."
"Let's make a jack-o-lantern with triangle eyes, a square nose, and a banana mouth." - Caleb
Joe: "This horse is a Selle Francais."
Moses: "No! That's a thoroughbred!"
Joe: "No, it says it's a Selle Francais."
Moses, crying: "NO! THOROUGHBRED!"
Me: "I told him it was a thoroughbred because I didn't know how to pronounce Selle Francais."
Joe: "Ok, you're right, Moses, it's a thoroughbred."
Moses: "Let's pray."
Me: "But we already prayed. We can go ahead and eat."
Moses: "No, we need to pray again!"
Me: "Why?"
Moses: "My food is still too hot!"
"Daddy, first you need to move the snowman mug, and then you can get your cup out." -Moses, directing Joe on the best way to take a particular cup out of the cupboard.
"Mommy, I just washing my hands because I touched the bunnies. I washing Thomas, too. He is so clean now, shall you feel him?" -Moses
That said, I don't think I've been this exhausted since I had a newborn. Escorting three kids to and from two different schools, packing nutritious lunches, entertaining Moses in the absence of his brothers, and volunteering in three different classrooms have all proved to be quite exhausting. Meanwhile, multiple home improvement tasks are looming over our heads, dinner needs to be cooked and cleaned up after, the boys manage to make just as much mess in the few hours they're home in the evening as they did when they were home all day long (such as when they decided to paint their pumpkins with black paint yesterday), Joe has been working ridiculously long hours, and the bunnies keep pooping and trying to escape their porch prison. Every afternoon at around two clock, there is nothing I'd rather do than take a nap, but my non-napping 2-year-old always has other plans for me, such as pretending to be the bad guy that he repeatedly strikes down with a sword, or helping him build a barn for his horse. And to think that I had people asking me what I would do with all of my free time now that the twins would be in school all day!
Anyway, here are some things we've been hearing lately...
"Good eye, Mom. Good eye." -Joshua's trademark way of saying "Good idea, Mom. Good idea."
"Normally my mother pushes me four times." -Moses, letting his preschool teacher know that he was not satisfied with a mere three pushes on the swing.
"My butt swallowed the poop so that you wouldn't have to smell it." -Joshua, explaining why he didn't finish his business in the same bathroom in which I was taking a shower.
"Look, I'm a bunny." -Joshua, showing me the big fluffy wad of toilet paper stuck in his butt.
Me: "Don't go out in the front yard all by yourself. It's getting dark outside and you never know when there might be bad guys around."
Joshua: "Don't worry, Mom, I'll take my gun."
Me: "But your gun isn't real."
Joshua: "I know that bullets won't come out, but the bad guys will still see my gun and be afraid."
"Let's make a jack-o-lantern with triangle eyes, a square nose, and a banana mouth." - Caleb
Joe: "This horse is a Selle Francais."
Moses: "No! That's a thoroughbred!"
Joe: "No, it says it's a Selle Francais."
Moses, crying: "NO! THOROUGHBRED!"
Me: "I told him it was a thoroughbred because I didn't know how to pronounce Selle Francais."
Joe: "Ok, you're right, Moses, it's a thoroughbred."
Moses: "Let's pray."
Me: "But we already prayed. We can go ahead and eat."
Moses: "No, we need to pray again!"
Me: "Why?"
Moses: "My food is still too hot!"
"Daddy, first you need to move the snowman mug, and then you can get your cup out." -Moses, directing Joe on the best way to take a particular cup out of the cupboard.
"Mommy, I just washing my hands because I touched the bunnies. I washing Thomas, too. He is so clean now, shall you feel him?" -Moses
Monday, September 5, 2011
Photos and Weapons in Heaven
The following conversation took place today at breakfast:
Caleb: "When we get to Heaven, I will stand next to Caleb and Mommy will take a picture of me, ok, Mommy?"
Moses: "And I will stand next to Aaron!"
Me: "But remember, I won't have my camera because we can't take stuff with us to Heaven. We can only take our souls."
Joshua, excitedly: "Our swords?!"
Me: "No, you know... Our spirits."
Joshua, even more excited: "Our spears?!"
Caleb: "When we get to Heaven, I will stand next to Caleb and Mommy will take a picture of me, ok, Mommy?"
Moses: "And I will stand next to Aaron!"
Me: "But remember, I won't have my camera because we can't take stuff with us to Heaven. We can only take our souls."
Joshua, excitedly: "Our swords?!"
Me: "No, you know... Our spirits."
Joshua, even more excited: "Our spears?!"
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