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Personalities

It's fun to watch your kids grow into their personalities.  It's been a while since I've written anything about the boys.  I can't believe that they are 4 and 2 already!

Buddy



Buddy is my busy four-year old.  He is constantly moving his body in all sorts of contortions.  Because of this, we put him in gymnastics this last fall, and he loved it!  He thought the balance beam and bar were really great.




He is also very protective of his little brother.  He calls himself his brother's "savior" since he wants to save Button from "getting hit by pillows from other people."  He is also very concerned for Button's well-being and always wants to make sure that we have Button with us when we go places.


Buddy is also becoming very interested in Theology and tries to figure things out.  Recently, he told me that Jesus wasn't God.  Surprised, I asked him why he said that.  He replied that God made the world, but Jesus came later as a baby so he couldn't have been there to make everything.  We then explained that Jesus lived in heaven before He came down as a baby.  It satisfied him for now, but I believe we will be having a conversation about the Trinity very soon.

Another thing that has been nice lately is that he really wants to be good.  Jokingly, I asked him if now that he is four if he is going to obey me all the time.  He, very seriously, affirmed that he would and has taken it as his own.  He now tells me he's a big kid and that he is going to obey me all the time and that is what God would want him to do.  Of course, this doesn't always work in practice, but it's nice that he has a desire to do what is right.

After my homeschool burn-out last February, we've pretty much tried to stop any sort of academics for our preschool time at home.  This has included teaching reading.  Before we stopped, Buddy was starting to string words together phonetically and was learning some sight words.  Since then, we've randomly talked about reading but never with any particular plan or structure.  Because of this, I've recently been surprised at what he is picking up on his own.  Over Christmas, we drove past a neon sign that said "Joy" and "Peace".  Buddy excitedly told us what they said, and we didn't even know he knew those words.  He likes reading other signs as well and often tells us "That says, 'Do Not Enter'" or "No Smoking" or "One Way".  It's fun to see him figure things out for himself and join in his sense of accomplishment.

Buddy is also very much a first-born in that he likes things "just so".  He always wants his toys played in the same way so most of the boys' fights are over how Button rearranges the real "purpose" of the toy.  Buddy loves the challenge of building things with blocks or gears or lincoln logs, and I think he'd love it if Button were able to do it to the same caliber as he does.  Overall, though, the boys get along quite well, and I'm loving being at home with them.

Button




Button turned 2 last August and is my little introvert.  You wouldn't know it for all the smiling he does and his generally cheerful disposition.  He is such a fun kid to have around.  When he smiles his eyes disappear to make room for his chubby cheeks.  When he's not smiling, you will usually find him with one finger in his belly button and another one in his mouth.  We always have to make sure that he can get a finger in these places.  Buckling him up in the car can be a challenge because of this, and he'll often remind us "I want my belly button!" or "I want my mouth!"

He loves to sing.  Over Christmas, his favorite song was "The Little Drummer Boy" since we enjoyed the Ezra Jack Keats book by the same name.  He often would find his play drum and sing with it.  He is getting quite a repetoire of songs as well.  His favorite continues to be "Twinkle, Twinkle" but he's also learned "Jesus Loves Me", "The Doxology", "Nothing But the Blood", the Veggie Tales Theme Song and many others.

He also loves to cuddle.  Buddy does too, but there is a definitely a difference between cuddling a tall, lanky four-year old and a chubby two-year old who's sucking on his finger.  Button usually wakes up around 6:30 and comes into bed with us until his brother wakes up.  I love those last few minutes of the night.

Button's introverted side has been coming out more and more lately.  He'll often retreat into his room to play by himself with blocks just to have some alone time.  He also will start demanding to "go home" when we've been out a while especially when there are a lot of people around.  He can usually recharge by just having some time away before coming back to being with lots of people again.



The boys are so much fun right now.  I just can't wait to see what kind of people they will grow into!

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