A silly conversation between Luke and me:
L: It’s silliness.
T: It’s not silliness.
L: Did I say it’s silliness?! It’s silliness!
T: Okay. It’s silliness. Whatever you say….it’s silliness.
L: Okay. I’ll shut up now…..
Silliness
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Monthly Archives: March 2008
Ni Hao? Xie Xie?
Bethany is really picking up on the few Chinese words we use regularly. I had heard that small children pick up on a new language more easily, but it is interesting to see it happen myself. It is obvious that she is able to recognize words that are Chinese because when she hears one Chinese word, she will start saying other Chinese words.
At breakfast today, I handed Bethany a muffin. After she took it, I said, “Say thank you.” She said, “Welcome….I mean, Ni Hao (hello) …..I mean, Xie Xie (thank you)….bukeqi (you’re welcome).” I think she was just reciting Chinese words she knew, not really sure of which words mean what, but she will learn soon enough! Who knows, she may end up being our translator in a few years!!
Engineer in Training
Several months ago I realized that Phillip seems to have a natural knack for engineering and things that take a lot of concentration. While playing a game of monopoly for family night one night, I looked over at Phillip and saw that he was lining up the hotels and houses in perfectly straight lines. Since then I have noticed that it is not an unusual occurrence to walk into a room and find toys lined up neatly. One day I saw a frisbee with a perfect ring of crayons around the edge. I knew instantly that it was Phillip’s handiwork.
From early on, Phillip has liked things to be very neat and in their place. When I come home from the grocery store, he pulls groceries out of the bags and starts putting them away. Whenever we are looking for something, Phillip is the one we are likely to ask first because he tends to know where things are.
Phillip also likes to take things apart and put them back together. Because of this, Peter has picked up on Phillip’s engineering-like abilities. When one of his toys breaks, he is very likely to ask Phillip to try to fix it. Several times I have heard Peter say, “Mom, will you help me with this? Never mind. Phillip figured it out!”
It is so interesting to see the kids’ interests forming when they are so young! I can’t wait to see how they use their individual interests and abilities as they grow into adulthood! I am looking forward to seeing how God uses each of them!
I Love You!
Bethany has learned to say “I love you,” and it’s so adorable I just had to share it! (Oh how I wish I’d had a blog and/or known how to use one when my other children were this age!).
Visual Bible
One of Anna’s favorite movies to watch is the book of Matthew in the Visual Bible. The Visual Bible is word for word from the Bible and shows what verse is being acted out at the bottom of the screen. The actors are really good, too!
Monday the kids wanted to watch a movie and requested watching the book of Matthew because it was their uncle Matthew‘s birthday (Happy Birthday, Matt!) and because Easter was the day before. Amazingly enough, they sat there, mesmerized, and watched the Bible for an hour and a half!! Even Bethany watched bits and pieces!
Bethany’s Blurbs
While out and about, Bethany and I visited a bathroom where music was playing from a speaker overhead. Bethany looked up and said, “Who’s singin’?.” After I told her it was the radio, she just looked up again and said, “Who’s singin’ up dere?” Evidently she didn’t quite understand how invisible people could sing on the ceiling, even if their names were Radio.”
Other blurbs by Bethany include:
“It is utside down” after turning a tub of strawberries upside down.
“It is emty” referring to an empty container.
“I’m in tubble, I’m in tubble.” (she wasn’t really in trouble….she just liked chanting it).
“Canny is kying” while Candice was crying.
“Did you yike it, Phup?” referring to Phillip’s candy.
“Can you open this, Mom?” referring also to candy.
“Can I have some, Mom?” referring to some type of food.
“I move it!” after pushing something across the floor.
Pat-a-Cake
Disobedient Tears
Today Luke had a discussion with our boys about being tough. Because Peter was crying over nothing, Luke told them that only some things are worth crying about. Examples would be when you lose a loved one or when you realize you hurt someone else’s feelings. Of course there are other instances, too, but the point was that not being able to play with your favorite toy is not a good reason to cry.
A couple of hours after this conversation, I overheard Peter having this conversation with himself while sitting on his bed:
“I don’t cry because I can’t have candy. I’m trying not to cry but the water keeps coming out.” Then he scolds himself saying, “Stop, me! I don’t like this” and wipes tears from his eyes.
It was so cute! I just wanted to take him in my arms and love on him! Time is going WAY too fast for me!! It won’t be too long before he is taller than me (of course that isn’t really saying much)!! 😀
Hunting in the Forest
Well….not technically a forest. It was actually just a small group of pine trees on one side of a park. This is where we had a little family Easter egg hunt today.
The kids had a blast hunting eggs and then got to play on the playground. Bethany actually enjoyed a playground for the first time. She went down the slide and revealed a few new phrases. First, she said “my turn” as she walked up to the slide. Once she got to the bottom of the slide, she said with excitement, “I did it!” It is so cute listening to 2 year olds learn to talk! (Check back in a few days for more 2 year old phrases) 🙂
On the way back to the van, Luke noticed Bethany turning sideways as she walked and was looking at something behind her. When we discovered why she was doing this, Luke and I could not help but share a good laugh together. She had discovered her shadow for the first time. She was walking around wondering what that thing was that was following her everywhere she want. It was hilarious!
Anna’s First Appliance
We have known for months that Anna was in need of orthodontic treatment. She took the first step in that direction this week when she got her first appliance (as they call it). She sleeps in a device called a T4K. Since braces are not put on until all the permanent teeth are in, this device was developed as pre-orthodontic care for children between the ages of 6 and 8. It helps encourage the teeth to grow in properly and also helps with facial development and a few other things. To find out more, check out this site.
Anna has to wear the T4K every night one hour before bedtime and then sleep in it at night. She is currently strengthening her mouth muscles and training herself to keep her mouth closed in order to keep the T4K in at night. To do this, she has to hold a popsicle stick or q-tip between her lips with the device in for one hour a day for a month. It is a little sore on muscles that aren’t used to doing much, but after that month, she should be able to keep the T4K in all night.
Honestly, I think the hardest part for her is not being able to talk for a full hour during that hour of exercise. 😀