2.02.2012

Milestones

It may not be readily obvious all the time, but I do actually try to limit the number of posts I write that center exclusively on our kids. I recognize that children and their antics are always much more interesting to the parents and don't want to bore too many people. I know that unavoidably our blog will be pegged as a mommy blog, but for those who couldn't care less about how cute our kids are, I try to capture the goings on of our life on a broader scale. After that disclaimer, here is a whole post about what the kids have been up to lately:

For Theo's birthday, our crafty neighbours made a really cool Mario pinata. Theo had a great time bashing at it but eventually we gave up on the blind fold as his swings became more and more wild. William seemed just as enthusiastic as Theo did when candy started to spill from the hole he bashed in Mario's head (wow, I didn't realize how vicious this whole thing was!).  The next day, we were able to have more fun by turning the pinata into a helmet/mask. It's fantastic to have good neighbours!


William was pretty absorbed in checking out all of the fallen goodies


"It's-a me, Mario!"

Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper by Theo
Theo's new favorite past-time has been drawing in his sketch book. I absolutely love this new focus of his because every afternoon he happily doodles away for an hour or two instead of bounding around, destructing the apartment, and making his brother upset. I am always happy when my children develop skills that make them more independent and less demanding of my one on one attention. I think the reason he is so interested in drawing is that he has recently hit a big milestone in fine motor skills and hand eye coordination. All of a sudden he has been able to draw fairly accurate shapes, pictures that are more or less distinguishable for what he says they are (even though the cats have eight legs and resemble spiders with tails), most letters, and even a few hiragana. He seems to have entered into a very sensitive period for learning to write letters and numbers, so I am more than happy to indulge his interest. He has also taken to labeling things in the house, like his brother.

I'm not quite sure what his label is supposed to mean, but William didn't seem to mind it one bit.


Also, despite the chilly temperatures and wind, we have been able to get out on the weekends and discover a few of the nice parks in our area and fly our kite. Once the weather warms up a bit more, I would like to get Theo a little pole so he can learn to fish. Most of the parks in our area are along the river, so it would be easy to teach him at one of these.


Flying the kite from the wind free comfort of the play tube


Making sure that the park pandas get enough bamboo


Meanwhile, William has grown a few more teeth and is able to cruise his way along all of our furniture to dismantle and bite anything he can get his grubby little hands on. He has a remarkably driven curiosity and Theo is always a willing accomplice in his most destructively mischievous acts. Here are a few recent shots of wee Wills:

Pretending to be mild mannered and innocent


Now showing his true personality and his four new sharp teeth


His favorite scrunch faced grin

Samurai in training


...and that is what has been going on in our children's lives in the past couple of weeks.  

3 comments:

Carol said...

The boys are soooo cute! I'm very proud of Theo and his writing and drawing, and pleased for you that he is finding something to keep him in one spot for more than a minute.

You know, William really takes after Ina's family in looks (not in Samurai training). I think of the photo of her, sisters, and parents when she was little.

hasnulyakin said...

Aaaaa....They are so cute ! Good one !

http://hasnulyakin.blogspot.com/2011/06/journey-to-crow-castle-in-naganojapan.html

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