Dylan at 10!

Hard to believe we've been parents for a decade.  It has been so much fun watching Dylan grow up.  He is good at so many things and gets lots of praise from teachers and other parents, which get us through the harder parenting times that come with his strong-willed personality.

On the first day of school, the teacher asked the kids to describe themselves in one word and write that word on a sticky note.  Dylan's word:  Awesome.

Dylan (like his Mommy) likes to always know what's going on and what the plan is.  He recently told me this regarding field trips, "I like to sit up front next to the teachers on bus trips so I can hear them plan what we are going to do.”

Dylan continues to play and improve at baseball.  In the spring, he was drafted onto a AAA team (the Mariners) and was one of only 2 nine-year olds on the team.  The coach said he picked Dylan despite his size because his previous coach's notes said he called him Charlie Hussle.

Dylan also swam for the Gators again this summer, learning the flip turn in no time to complete the 50 meter distance for 9-10 year olds.  He even beat me at a 50 meter freestyle race.  I think I had him at 25 though.  Then I was done.

Dylan is still big into Pokemon, playing the online game and trading cards with his friends and battling Lydia at home.  All his birthday presents from us this year are Pokemon related.

Dylan is still taking piano lessons much to his dismay and continues to excel.  He got a Superior (5 out of 5) at the music festival he competed in in March.  He is also playing the recorder again in school.

And Dylan is still in cub scouts - he is now a Webelo and Martin is his den leaders.  He (and Martin) spent a whole week at scout camp this summer and Dylan recruited his friend Danny to the den.  He also sold enough popcorn this year to pay for his dues!  The cub scout fall campout falls on Dylan's birthday so that's his sleepover party this year.  Then we will have a family party with Grandma and Grandpap at Dylan's favorite sit-down Mexican restaurant and then come home for ice cream cake.

Dylan and Levi have started bonded more by wrestling and Dylan is looking forward to Levi moving into his room next year.  Happy Birthday bug!

Levi update - 27 months

I think I stopped the every three month updates with Dylan and Lydia at 2 years old but Levi has changed so much in the last three months and is talking so much more, I just had to write another update.  (See, sometimes, the younger ones do get things the older ones didn't get.)

When we drop the big kids off at school he says "I anna go." He likes the days that I do morning supervision and we get to go inside and play games for a while.  But he doesn’t like to hold hands in the parking lot – he says, "walk, I anna walk!"  Generally, he wants to do everything the big(ger) people do – wear a backpack, slide the payment card, push the cart.  He says “payground” although sometimes it sounds like popcorn and he says "stroller" because he knows that will get him there.  He wants to go to sleep at night, and even tries to climb into his crib.  After his morning diaper change, he wants to brush his teeth – generally he loves routines. After that he says rekfast, oatmeal and wants to eat that every day.  He also says "unch" for lunch.  And he always declares if it's raining - "Wreyning!"

Levi often demands lovin' from us "Daddy hug," "Mommy hug / kiss."  He gets exciting when Martin comes home and says "Daddy home!"  He reminds us to pray at meals and bedtime and says "I anna pay (pray)."  Then he says "God, food, inks (drinks), Amen."

Everyday we talk about where everyone is, "Daddy ork, Dy-an cool (school), ee-a (Lydia) cool.  But he never says his name.  We ask him who he is and he says Mommy, Daddy, or Zak.  He often wants to “call pap! Call pap!”  The longest string of words I've heard him put together is “where’d mommy go?  Dere she is!”

Levi repeats a lot.  He even wants to do flashcards to learn new words.  We got to the card for "saw" and he went and got his toy saw.  I think he knows some colors (red, blue, green, orange).

Levi also has manners.  He says "ess you" when I sneeze and "y'elcome" when I give him something.  (He's got the thank you and you're welcome backwards.)

We can get him to do the "get excited" thing where he has a big smile and makes fists and stiffens his neck.  It's so cute.

I realized that I never blogged about the big kids saying Levi is awake and content.  They used to say that when he was a little baby.  Now they just say it for fun.