Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Into Everything




"Into everything" doesn't even begin to describe the extent of the mayhem my 13-month old son commits on a daily basis. My daughter was just taking her first steps at this age, but Jonathan has been walking for 3 months. Our house looks like it's been burglarized 90% of the time. Jonathan loves sharp objects, outlets, electrical cords, toilets, you name it. Without fail, when I open the dishwasher, he'll pull out the sharpest knife he can find. He's also been known to take a plate out of the dishwasher and throw it over his shoulder. If anything is left within arms reach, he pulls it to the floor. Paperwork, dishes, toys, clothes, etc. I have to be very careful when the bath is filling with water, because once he fell in head first with his clothes on. He takes his own diapers off, dirty ones, so he must at all times be wearing a pair of pants. He drops items in the toilet, so the seat has to be down at all times. There are so many new rules in our house, just to prevent brother from hurting himself. He can open the oven door by hanging on the handle. If you try to shut a door, better check for little fingers first. Don't leave the back door open, or Jonathan will escape and make a bee line for the deck stairs. He has no concept of falling and repeatedly tries to dive off the bed. The other day at the playground he reached under a friend's stroller and pulled out an aerosol can of bug spray. The good news is, he wears himself out every day. He naps consistently. He smiles almost constantly. He's funny and sweet and everything I dreamed having a son would be.

Friday, August 14, 2009

Kindergarten


Lillian started her first day of Kindergarten last Monday! It's been a wonderful change, for both her and for me. She THRIVES on the structure and routines that school provides, which is something I've always known, but haven't had much luck implementing at home. We're fortunate enough to be in a fantastic school system and even more fortunate to be able to walk to and from school every day. Oakhurst Elementary, "One of the best little schools in the world," is a beautifully renovated school, originally built in 1915, with a lovely outdoor classroom. It's an Expeditionary Learning School, which is the primary reason we moved to Decatur. The Expeditionary Learning model emphasizes active learning and teaching, with all subjects being integrated into a semester-long expedition. You can read more about Expeditionary Learning Principles here. After 5 years of one-on-one time with Lil, I now have one-on-one time with Jonathan. We practiced kissing while sister was at school this week.