Now to talk about these three. They bring so much joy into the house and in our family. Jude and Truman are both learning to play piano, and it's so much fun to watch them learn and discover how to play a new song that they end up loving. Clemmie likes to sit at the piano and play a single note, over and over, while singing her favorite current song. "Hop Pop Buns" (her own special version of the original, 'Hot Cross Buns") is a heard often, so is "Sonne Le Matinez" sung over and over again (her favorite part of "Frere Jacques"), and occasionally strains of "Hey Jude" will come wafting through the house.
Truman, my ambitious, energetic, eager, okay, generally wild, pre kindergartner, is doing much better with focused school work than I would have expected. I normally don't do preschool with the little kids, usually just because I am so busy getting the older kids' subjects in, but while listening to him echo the words Jude was sounding out and having him ask me over and over again to write something down for him to copy made me decide to experiment and see if I could fit a little focused learning time in with him. To my surprise, he was far more focused and ready to learn than I would have guessed. Also, he was much more of a perfectionist than I had guessed. I was telling my husband this, and he said, "Truman's drive and energy do have a good side to them, too, you know. He may end up being the most enthusiastic pupil you'll ever teach." True. I hadn't thought of that. To my amazement, he does much better throughout the day after getting rid of that extra energy. I'm so thankful to be able to homeschool him, because I think that energy and enthusiasm is a gift that I would not want to tame or suppress, and I can't see how it would translate well in a school setting where he'd need to stay in his seat all day.
Jude is has begun paying attention to Audible when we listen in the car, and he loves it. And when he loves it, I love it, and him, all the more. So far he's listened all the way through The Sign of the Beaver, Snow Treasure, The Moffats, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, and All of a Kind Family. When asked how he is enjoying the current book, he says, in the most charming voice that still doesn't always pronounce its L's, "I wuve it."
You can see Clementine is wearing a new hand knit sweater. The pattern is Sweet William, and it is the sweetest of the sweet. I loved knitting it. The bunnies around the yoke are sophisticated while being perfectly delightful.
Thanks for checking in again guys, and your patience with this busy mom who loves to write when she can find the time to squeeze it in.
