temper temper

We have an almost 2 year old that needs to go to anger management.  BOY!  I remember after I had two kids and thought I knew everything.  I am so sorry for every judgement thought I have ever had about any one with wild or unruly children.  Liam has made me very, very humble.  First, were does all that energy come from?  And second, why does that energy need to destroy things?

 He just has a motor on him that doesn't stop.  HE NEVER STOPS.  I strap him in his high chair every few hours just so I can have a break.  I give him toys to play with at the table, and he has fun playing there too.  HOWEVER, if he wasn't strapped in he would just continue to GO.

 He can become VERY ANGRY VERY EASILY.  and when I say angry I mean, screaming, hitting (himself mostly) and refusing to be near anyone for 2 hours.  Do you know what screaming at the top of your lungs is like for 2 hours?  It really wears you out ( and when I say you I mean me). 

I can't really go out in public any more because he is so uncontrolable.  I never go to the store with him.  And forget the Library.  That has been the saddest part.  We have so few new books to read.  I started taking him to several indoor play grounds because if he get out of control there I can easily just leave and there are already loud kids there.  -Sigh-  I finally felt like maybe we were out of this stage and then he flipped out at a friends house and screamed there for an hour because I told him "No" when he threw his banana on the floor.  The next day though he was very sick.  So I am hoping that maybe he wasn't feeling well and that had something to do with it. 

Enoch at home

Enoch is a delight to have at home while the older two are at school.  We have so much fun together.  He still has his cranky days but they are getting fewer and fewer, and I have FINALLY found ways to get him out of his funk.  Maybe I will write about those another day.

 I love Enoch's preschool, but I don't think they do nearly enough so I always supplement.  He often doesn't want to do things at first, but as soon as you get him going he enjoys himself for hours.

 Right now hand writing is still very hard.  All of my kids struggle with writing but the boys have even more trouble.  We still do a hand writing page a day though.

 I just started having Enoch read to me about a month ago.  I can't believe how quick he has caught on to it.  I probably should have started earlier then now, but I felt like I did try not to long ago and he wasn't really picking it up ( however that might have been summer time- i can't seem to remember). 

 

 He now knows 33 sight words and is pretty good at sounding words out when they are CVC words.  His emotions still get in the way of some learning time but I feel like we are making great strides. 

 

He needs lots and lots ( and lots) of love.  He needs you to hug and kiss and touch and hug and kiss and touch and hug and tell him you love him and think he is wonderful all of the time.  I don't mind doing it at all, but sometimes I just get going to fast and forget. 

I can't believe that next year he will be in Kindergarten.

pinewood derby/ tiger scouts

Shadrach won his Tiger race in the Pinewood Derby!  He was soo proud and so excited.  I missed the race because I was at Ali Basketball game. :(  But I got there in time for the award ceremony. 

He was so excited that he got a trophy.  I have a big moral issue with trophy/medals.  I think you should have to actually work hard to get one.  I don't like it when everyone gets a trophy.  That is not how life is.  Sometimes you work hard, and you still don't get the trophy which is an experience I hope Shadrach gets to have as well.  However I think Shad probably put over 16 hours into making his car, and I don't think some of the other boys did that so I guess the trophy is ok. :)

His first 2 cars broke while Greg and him tried to cut it with the saw. Then he had to sand the body of the car before painting.  I think he sanded it every day for a week and a half.  Then he painted it.  The hardest part was sanding the axles and the wheels.  We did this for about two hours one day.  I think that was the big part that helped him win.  So in April, he gets to race it again in a bigger setting.  I don't expect him to do well.  This was our very first Pinewood derby, so we didn't know exactly what to do.  I am sure several other tiger scouts have older brothers who know more. 

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Ali is doing a project at school about Laura Ingalls Wilder.  She has loved it.  She started reading the books herself this last summer while on vacation.    She was excited to do research about her and then she got to dress up like her for her school's Wax Museum.

Then there was a snow delay and it was cancelled.  She was devastated.  She cried and cried.  But it got rescheduled for the next Friday. 

 

100 years old

Shadrach had to dress up like he was 100 years old today for school because it was the 100th day of school.  He had a good time.  He really wanted a beard more than anything so I got some make up out and painted a beard on him.  I love that guy!

Scientist

 

 Shadrach got a telescope for Christmas.  He also got a microscope, binoculars, magnifying glass, and night vision goggles.  I guess he really like to look at things up close and in the dark.  It took me awhile to figure out how to work it.  I have a lot of experience with microscopes, but I have never adjusted I telescope myself.  It was fun.  So far we have only looked at the moon.  BUT the moon was/is cool.  It was a really good time.

 

 Shadrach is dead set on being a scientist and right now doesn't even entertain other ideas at all.  When we first moved here to Ohio, they had several different activities that you could be in.  I saw that one was Mad Science and put him in it.  I could have put him into the Lego Club or Computer Club almost as easily.  This one sounded more educational, so I picked it.  I thought he would make some new friends and at the same time maybe learn something.  Little did I know it would spark something inside of him.  Now it is science every day, all day long.    That was almost a year ago.

Rice bowl

 Shadrach's basketball team is raising money for hunger. Everyone on his team was given a rice bowl, and they were supposed to put money in it.  He immediately came home and put all of his money in it from his piggy bank and then put his tooth fairy money in it from just the night before.  I wanted to say to him, "Oh no, Shad.  You should put some in the rice bowl but you need to keep most of it."  or "Let's figure out 10% and you can put that into the rice bowl.  You worked hard for that money and it is yours."   ...... But I didn't.  I caught myself before the words came out of my mouth.  Instead, I felt the moment.  I hugged him.  I told him that he surprised me, and I was proud of him.  I told him I thought that Jesus would have done the same thing. I told him that he was being very charitable. The rest of the day he did chores so he could add more money in the rice bowl.  Shadrach made me think the rest of the day of what we should all be doing to be more charitable.