Bringing Up Boys: Where to Begin?

Batman, Buzz, and Pooh

The summer and early fall have been quite eventful! I could probably post a dozen entries and not be done. Here are the highlights...

Nicholas:

Learned to ride a bike this summer!
Lost his first two teeth.
Has become a TOTAL bookworm. :)

Daniel:

Is at the "Why?" stage- constant questions!
Learning sight words and reading beginner books.
Using his imagination to play Star Wars is his favorite hobby.

Andrew:

Wants to do EVERYTHING his big brothers are doing.
Saying some words (thank you, night night, what's that), and trying to say many more.
Has earned the nickname "Mr. Destruction" for wreaking havoc all over the house. :)

In other family news, we took a trip to the Outer Banks of N.C. a few weeks ago. The weather was perfect, and all three boys had a blast. In August, we traveled to Georgia for a weekend stay at a cabin with my brother's family. Six little boys in one cabin? Nothin' but pure fun!

We've had a busy fall with school, church activities, and trips to Busch Gardens.

And, speaking of school...
So far, we are having a great year with Nicholas in first grade and Daniel doing K-4. As I mentioned, Nicholas has become a voracious reader, so he is able to do more independent work this year, which allows me to work with Daniel. We are taking multiple trips to the library each week, getting 6-8 chapter books, and Nicholas is done with them all in about 2-3 days. There have even been times when we've had to say, "You are not allowed to read right now." (Never thought I'd utter those words!)

We are enjoying our weekly routine, which has slowed down quite a bit from last year. Both Nicholas and Daniel are enrolled in Classical Conversations this year, and both are loving it. It is so fun for me to be able to sit back and watch them learn (from someone else!), and I'm always amazed at how much they pick up during CC.

Andrew is dropping his morning nap, which is making things a bit more challenging, but he is usually happy playing in his pack 'n play while we do school, or even upstairs with Daniel for a little while. We're coping!

Our gym started offering homeschool P.E. classes twice weekly, so the older boys can attend that as well. They are playing games like kickball and dodgeball, and getting a good dose of exercise, which makes us all happier.

Enjoy the photos!