JASPER (soon 5) is doing AMAZING!!!! The whole "Special Time with Sarah" tactic really worked. He has just been great, great, great. I'm so glad we've re-connected and can have fun together again. I'm even happier to hear "I love you" and get hugs and kisses instead of all the nasty opposites! His listening and respectfulness have returned, and he takes his "please" and "thank you"'s very seriously and has made it his personal mission to be sure Hayden does, too. For one of our special activities we went to the Children's Museum of Art where we explored music, made our own shakers, listened to some students perform their own hand made instruments (the guitars were awesome), and played around on a Green Screen set to Bugs Bunny. We've also made soda, lemonade and Bagel Faces.
He has become more empathetic to his peers, is doing great in school (as always) and is happily embracing the role of Big Brother. He has finally began to bond with Hayden, and it is so much fun to watch them together as it happens.
Jasper wrote a story in school that has since become my favorite creativity piece by him.
It's called "Speed Boop" and it goes like this:
Once Upon a time there was a Boop.
He went out one day and Boop got broken.
And Speed who was his friend fixed him.
Then there was a thunder storm and a big meat ball smashed into it.
And then pasta came pouring down from the sky.
A blob came, he spit on the Speed Boops house and television.
And they lived happily ever after.
The End.
(Written on the back cover) Blob is goo!
There are 2 sequels, but they're not nearly as cute and more just vying for the amount of attention the first book got. The pictures are as equally entertaining as the words.
Along with writing has come a fascination and determination to write correctly. This includes punctuation and spelling. I taught him the use and purpose of colon's, semi-colon's, and exclamation points and he loves using them all. He is fast approaching age 5 and we are all SO happy that age 4 has passed and we made it out alive!
HAYDEN (soon 2) has discovered he has an opinion and the right to exercise it. He said "No" to just about everything in February, but came around to "Yes" again in March. He continues to hold a special place in his heart for the Mop and has even stepped it up a notch mopping VERY thoroughly and vigorously. He moves chairs, toys, his little table, dog bowls; doesn't want to miss a spot!
He's talking up a storm, some words more clear than others of course. Firetruck, Guitar, Octopus, Me, and My are the newest. It amazes me that he uses "me" and "my" correctly. He's always saying "No my turn" or "And me, and me!" when he wants to do something. He LOVES his best friend Pearce and runs around the playground searching and calling for him every time we go. He knows animals both by name now, not just sound, and can finish sentences in his favorite books. He's VERY good at asking with Please and saying Thank You. He loves to be a big boy and his independence increases daily. He can get up stairs faster than you can turn around and has started working his way down them as well. He no longer enjoys baby swings but is determined to learn how to pump on the big boy swings (even if it means falling off a few times). He loves to run (he rarely walks anywhere), jump (especially off bottom steps), and climb (furniture, park equipment, gym set-ups, whatever!). All boy, all the time.
The longest sentence he said was in an attempt to tease Jasper, like Jasper always teases him. He ran down the hallway one day screaming "Na-Na, Na-Na! I got water!"
My favorite thing he says is "Hold you! Hold you!" with his arms outstretched and a pleeding looking on his face when he wants to be held.
He is equal parts sweet and stubborn and the best listener on the planet. I continue to be impressed by his comprehension and obedience, as do many of his teachers and parents of his friends. He's coming into the 2's full speed ahead, and he certainly knows how to throw a tantrum like one, but he is such a wonderful kid! He's always giving hugs and kisses to us and the doggies and is a purely joyful child to be around everyday!
I feel so lucky and proud in helping raise them both.
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