2013 Year In Review
I honestly don't even know where to begin. Every time I have thought about this tinersg blog over the last 6 months, it hasn't been without guilt. Guilt that I just cannot seem to get to it. Guilt that so much time has gone by since either of us last posted. And of course the more time that has passed, the more the kids have changed and we haven't been documenting it in here to look back on in the future.
My last post was about my dad. Dad passed away on May 3rd. Since then life and time have taken on strange qualities. The year has been framed by this feeling that we are just barely keeping our heads above water. Just. Barely. And more than ever before I find that I blinked and an entire year has gone by.
We've missed so much here in the blog. Stuff that we usually always document. Zeke's birthday. Ayla's birthday. Fourth of July and summer fun. Halloween. First lost teeth (which is now 5 lost teeth!). First day at a new school. I obviously will not sufficiently recap it all. But I think I will try to highlight things for each kid. So here goes...
Zeke- At some point this year Zeke became enthralled with throats. He was very curious about them. He would walk up to you and ask if he could see your throat and upon peering down in it he would say, "Is that your throat? All down away?" Any time he would talk about throats he would talk about how they are "all down away."
He still loves "boopboops" which he now correctly refers to as tubas. He desperately wants to learn to play one. Not just any tuba mind you, but the ones that wrap around you. The ones you see in marching bands- a sousaphone I think they are called. I told him that if he is still interested when he is 7 I will let him take lessons.
He still LOVES kittens. He is so adorable with how much he loves them that I am half tempted to get him one in spite of my allergies.
Lately he is obsessed with Larry Boy the cartoon character. He has a little Larry Boy and a little Alfred (Larry Boy's sidekick) doll and many MANY times throughout the day will ask, "Mommy? Will you come play with me? You can be Alfred." He loves anything Larry Boy. Books, toys, stuffed animals, his Larrymobile and his newly acquired Larry Boy t-shirt.
He has started drawing quite a bit this year. In the same form as Ayla when she was 3 years old he has picked one subject and draws it over and over and OVER again. That subject is of course, none other than Larry Boy himself. We bought him new markers for Christmas and he uses exactly five of them only. The five colors of Larry Boy! Zeke has also surprised us quite a bit lately at his ability to write numbers and letters and will shout from the other room, "How do you spell _____?"
He is very much a little boy and not a baby anymore. He even spent his first night in a big boy bed last night! (I'm a little sad that last night was the first night in six years where no one was sleeping in a crib in our house) Thankfully he still loves to cuddle and is very affectionate. He is never lacking in enthusiasm. He is smiley and sweet. He still really like Thomas the Tank Engine and builds elaborate train track systems that wind through the first floor of our house!
Ayla- 2013 was a big year for Ayla. She has changed so much. The year started with a little girl in kindergarten. Now we have this kid. She truly is a kid- not a little girl. She has interests and friends and lots to say about lots of stuff. She's more independent and capable.
Ayla lost her first tooth in April. One of the two front bottom ones. It was quickly followed by the other three main front teeth. She pulled out number five a few days before Christmas.
One HUGE thing for Ayla was starting school at Northside Elementary in September. We were all apprehensive about the decision to put Ayla in public school. I should never have doubted. Not only did Ayla transition quickly and smoothly, but she is excelling at everything and loving school and all her new friends. We also really love Northside. I am grateful to have access to such a good school.
Ayla was starting to read by the end of summer and now she is tearing through books as fast as you can say 'monkeys making music.' She is so bright. We are very proud of her. She is still very artistic and spends most of her free time making art projects of one form or another. Mostly she likes to sketch and color. She has just (since Christmas) discovered the joy of making things out of duct tape and has gone through four rolls in two days making anything from purses to shoes and hats.
Although she is artistic, she is not the most imaginative. In a way it is an odd combination. I think it will eventually lead her to possess many different skills. She is very literal and is constantly correcting Zeke about the CORRECT name, or the REAL meaning of things. Not the best combination when Zeke starts imagining and playing. ("No Zeke! That is not a car, it is laundry basket!")
Ayla will always be Ayla and her reactions to things have rarely matched in intensity that which she is reacting to. But I can honestly say that the older she gets, the more she calms down and is able to communicate without (at least at times) total meltdowns. I think she must feel so much less frustrated the older she gets because she is growing into that big brain of hers. Her capabilities and ability to communicate ideas are beginning to be sufficient to express what is going on in her head.
Annnnd - that's about all I can communicate from my head for now! It IS our goal to post much more regularly in 2014 - hold us to it if you like!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
~ Ruth (Jake, Ayla & Zeke)
My last post was about my dad. Dad passed away on May 3rd. Since then life and time have taken on strange qualities. The year has been framed by this feeling that we are just barely keeping our heads above water. Just. Barely. And more than ever before I find that I blinked and an entire year has gone by.
We've missed so much here in the blog. Stuff that we usually always document. Zeke's birthday. Ayla's birthday. Fourth of July and summer fun. Halloween. First lost teeth (which is now 5 lost teeth!). First day at a new school. I obviously will not sufficiently recap it all. But I think I will try to highlight things for each kid. So here goes...
Zeke- At some point this year Zeke became enthralled with throats. He was very curious about them. He would walk up to you and ask if he could see your throat and upon peering down in it he would say, "Is that your throat? All down away?" Any time he would talk about throats he would talk about how they are "all down away."
He still loves "boopboops" which he now correctly refers to as tubas. He desperately wants to learn to play one. Not just any tuba mind you, but the ones that wrap around you. The ones you see in marching bands- a sousaphone I think they are called. I told him that if he is still interested when he is 7 I will let him take lessons.
He still LOVES kittens. He is so adorable with how much he loves them that I am half tempted to get him one in spite of my allergies.
Lately he is obsessed with Larry Boy the cartoon character. He has a little Larry Boy and a little Alfred (Larry Boy's sidekick) doll and many MANY times throughout the day will ask, "Mommy? Will you come play with me? You can be Alfred." He loves anything Larry Boy. Books, toys, stuffed animals, his Larrymobile and his newly acquired Larry Boy t-shirt.
He has started drawing quite a bit this year. In the same form as Ayla when she was 3 years old he has picked one subject and draws it over and over and OVER again. That subject is of course, none other than Larry Boy himself. We bought him new markers for Christmas and he uses exactly five of them only. The five colors of Larry Boy! Zeke has also surprised us quite a bit lately at his ability to write numbers and letters and will shout from the other room, "How do you spell _____?"
He is very much a little boy and not a baby anymore. He even spent his first night in a big boy bed last night! (I'm a little sad that last night was the first night in six years where no one was sleeping in a crib in our house) Thankfully he still loves to cuddle and is very affectionate. He is never lacking in enthusiasm. He is smiley and sweet. He still really like Thomas the Tank Engine and builds elaborate train track systems that wind through the first floor of our house!
Ayla- 2013 was a big year for Ayla. She has changed so much. The year started with a little girl in kindergarten. Now we have this kid. She truly is a kid- not a little girl. She has interests and friends and lots to say about lots of stuff. She's more independent and capable.
Ayla lost her first tooth in April. One of the two front bottom ones. It was quickly followed by the other three main front teeth. She pulled out number five a few days before Christmas.
One HUGE thing for Ayla was starting school at Northside Elementary in September. We were all apprehensive about the decision to put Ayla in public school. I should never have doubted. Not only did Ayla transition quickly and smoothly, but she is excelling at everything and loving school and all her new friends. We also really love Northside. I am grateful to have access to such a good school.
Ayla was starting to read by the end of summer and now she is tearing through books as fast as you can say 'monkeys making music.' She is so bright. We are very proud of her. She is still very artistic and spends most of her free time making art projects of one form or another. Mostly she likes to sketch and color. She has just (since Christmas) discovered the joy of making things out of duct tape and has gone through four rolls in two days making anything from purses to shoes and hats.
Although she is artistic, she is not the most imaginative. In a way it is an odd combination. I think it will eventually lead her to possess many different skills. She is very literal and is constantly correcting Zeke about the CORRECT name, or the REAL meaning of things. Not the best combination when Zeke starts imagining and playing. ("No Zeke! That is not a car, it is laundry basket!")
Ayla will always be Ayla and her reactions to things have rarely matched in intensity that which she is reacting to. But I can honestly say that the older she gets, the more she calms down and is able to communicate without (at least at times) total meltdowns. I think she must feel so much less frustrated the older she gets because she is growing into that big brain of hers. Her capabilities and ability to communicate ideas are beginning to be sufficient to express what is going on in her head.
Annnnd - that's about all I can communicate from my head for now! It IS our goal to post much more regularly in 2014 - hold us to it if you like!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
~ Ruth (Jake, Ayla & Zeke)
Comments
Also loving the pj and nightie picture!