Out of the blue one day Moriarty announced he likes salad. He gave me a recipe for his salad (in pics). I make epic salads every day, usually 2 for myself, and he asked me to make him one for his lunch and one for dinner. It’s wild. He’s always liked solo veg but hated lettuce. But, he has officially grown up culinarily. Lorelei has found a taste for snap peas and English shelling peas. I’m thrilled that they love vegetables so much. I really want to instill a love of fresh whole foods.
The kiddos are finally taking swimming lessons. I had wanted to start Moriarty years ago but Covid just screwed everything up. But they’re learning now. Moriarty is having a hard time practicing where he can’t put his feet down, but we’ve found a way for his teacher to put him on the far side and accommodate his fears. It’s slow progress, but they’re both starting to learn.
Moriarty turned 8. I guess that’s exciting. :-) We had a party at a trampoline park. Every kid he invited came, which suggests he’s very popular. He’s very creative and quite a leader among his friends. I took him out for pancakes for a special mom/son breakfast and Pip and I took him to teppanyaki for an exciting dinner. He was struggling academically at the start of the year. He was performing right at the cusp of expectations for his grade. We know he struggles with focus and didn’t have much interest in reading paper books (he listens to audiobooks all the time). We didn’t want to push, assuming it would click at some point. And it has. He’s started reading paper books, especially graphic novels. We’re reading with him most nights and are currently moving through Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. He had another assessment in January and has made substantial progress in all aspects of his reading. I’m so proud. He’s taking action that’s improving his academic performance. He’s also writing more signs (some in pics) and practicing drawing.
Lorelei’s brain is also changing. Babies often go through really fussy periods then come back to normal with some new skill. Turns out 3 year olds still do that. Lorelei went through a few weeks where she fought us on everything. Night time was awful every night. Tantrums. Drama. And we were keeping our fingers crossed she’d come out with a new change. And she did. She just asks questions that show she’s much more insightful and curious. She started asking me why things happen, and the relationships between things happening. She just surprises us daily with the things she says and questions she asks. A few Lorelei highlights:
I was making up a rhyming song in the car and when I hit my final rhyme she said “that was a good one, Mom”.
The towel bar fell down in the bathroom and Lorelei saw it and said, “Woah, what have you done with this place?”
Lorelei confidently reciting the nursery rhyme, despite repeated correction. “Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. The king and the horses and all the kinds men. Put Humpty together again.”
Eating Cool Ranch Doritos, “those ones taste like carpet with sparkles on it.”
All in all, we’re having a great spring and loving watching the yard come to life.
Photos: http://www.forloveandscience.com/2023-adventures pass: mal
Videos, Lorelei heavy this time