Kids Meme

Katrina at Callapidder Days tagged me last week for this simple yet thoughtful kids meme. And it came at such an excellent time, because I know a couple of my two readers are probably missing the "meat" about the grandchildren / nephews while I've been lamenting the camera and analyzing the act of blogging. So here goes: three things about each of the boys...

Calvin
age 3 years, 8 months

1. In a word, intense. He was born with what Auntie S dubbed the "thinky look" - tiny furrowed eyebrows and really bright eyes and a serious little mouth. It hasn't changed much. He notices everything, he feels things deeply, and he can be quite volatile about things that don't seem right or comfortable to him. Boredom and embarrassment are huge triggers for his intense moments. Luckily, he's getting really good at articulating. For example, he calmly came to me at a social function not too long ago saying that some boys pointed at him and were talking and it made him feel "shy." Adorable, helpful communication. I know it took a lot of effort for him to temper what he really felt and to come to me instead of kicking or screaming at the boys. So I have confidence his intensity will translate into a great quality as an adult.

2. He is so eager to please. I see it in him all the time, wanting to hear he did something well, craving feedback and approval. He also loves other people and wants to interact with them and have them hear and understand him. If I could change one thing about my mothering, it would be to remember this fact about him more often, and just focus on and praise and give thanks for all the things he does wonderfully, instead of harping on all the 3-year-old stuff he does that he'll probably grow out of on his own anyway. Maybe he would even grow out of it faster and with more confidence...Yeah, so there's one of the rough edges my kids are polishing off of me. :)

3. He loves to learn and perfect new skills, phrases, habits and activities. ("Perfect" being the key word there.) He watches intently, listens even when you think he is not, and practices quietly or in his mind before he will perform or say what he learned in front of other people. But when he does do something new, it is usually flawless or clever or very sweet, with a lot of thought and consideration behind it. He is very tentative and thoughtful before he acts, but exact, and surprises me just about everyday with something he has figured out.

The latest example of this quiet learning is his suddenly being able and willing to offer prayers all by himself at mealtimes and yesterday, in Primary at church. He went from me saying all the prayers to doing it all on his own, without too much of the stage where I tell him the words to say and he repeats them. It's precious! My favorite lines from his recent prayers are, "Thank you that we could live in this beautiful earf," and "Help us be happy and good."

Henry
age 2 years, 1 month

1. In a word, easygoing. From day one. So pliable and very much a "go with the flow" baby and toddler. He's starting to get some sass now and exert his newly discovered will (hollering from his bed, "Be nice, Mommy!" to get me to come pick him up), but all in all, he rolls with the punches and just has a happy time coming along for the ride.

2. He has the best facial expressions of anyone I have ever known. His sad, stick-out-the-bottom-lip thing gets me every time. His smile could light up a city. He can cock one eyebrow and make his eyes twinkly with mischief like no other. And his giggle is absolutely contagious. So much personality.

3. I hate to project a life interest on a little kid, but if there was ever a boy made for football, it's the Hemster. He is a bulldozer - unlike Calvin, he doesn't calculate anything before romping right over it, under it, or through it. He has had so many bumps and bruises, bonked head, and face plants into the sidewalk. And it never slows him down! There have been times that I was nearly crying and sure it was going to be an ER situation when he just got up, maybe came for a tiny bit of sympathy but hardly crying, then went back to climbing, running and pummeling. We've seriously considered the nickname "Ricochet" for him, because that is what he spends most of his time doing! There's no stopping his extreme adventures.

Like crawling under the bed for a book he knows is under there and getting stuck with his knees tucked under him. He yelled for me and I helped him get out, pulled the book he was after out, and he went back under for another book. (No we don't keep books under the bed. They were there, as Cal explained, because he moved them out of the way so he could build his train track. Which he was actually building quite a distance away. But see, he was planning ahead...)

So, there you have it. My boys in a 3-point nutshell.

I tag Carrot Jello, Gina, Gabriela and Nettie to tell us three little things about each of their children! (And yes, the criteria for my tags was to have four or more children. Growing up with lots of sibs, I love to hear the family dynamic!)