learning

Luke learned how to pump on the swings the other day...what a moment that was! I was inside doing a bit of sewing in the dining room and peeking out here and there while the boys played outside, and saw Luke pumping away on the swing. He had almost gotten it a few times, but this day he really got it and just kept swinging. Every time I looked out he would smile or giggle and I could tell he was just so extremely proud of himself. He said he wanted to swing until dad came home, so he kept going, and by the time Julio got home over an hour had gone by. When that kid puts his mind to something, he can do whatever he wants it seems! And he has the determination to keep at it...but if he doesn't want to do something yet, it's like pulling teeth to get him into it. He amazes me.
The next day, during Sammy's afternoon nap, Luke looked at me and said, "Mom, what can I learn today? Yesterday I learned how to pump, what should I learn today?" So I asked him if he wanted to learn how to bounce a soccer ball on his knee, or learn his letters (prime example of not really wanting to learn something yet!), or talk about shapes, or do music. He opted for music. So we went to the piano and spent the next 45 min or so playing songs on the piano together...me playing the melody and him playing some notes and both of us singing along. I played some hymns as he asked me to play some songs from "that Bible book" (the hymnal) and he even sang along to those. I love that he is into music, he sings so much of the day and mostly I love it. Sometimes I just wish he had a volume switch.
Today the same question came up and Julio told him he could learn how to patch a bike tire with him, so they worked on that for a bit of the afternoon. What will he ask to learn tomorrow? Any suggestions on things that may interest a 4-year-old to learn?

Samuel learns too, just mostly all the wrong things. His vocabulary has expanded into every possible version of 2-year-old potty talk, and honestly I don't know where he gets a lot of his choice expressions. His current favorite is "I poopoo yours head off!" Nice. The problem with him is, as soon as he knows it's not allowed it makes it funny and way more desirable to try out again and again. I am at a parenting loss - this child truly thinks he's a comedian and loves to get a rise out of us! Tonight we had company for dinner and he just sat there goofing off at the table the entire time - putting his corn on the cob on his head, putting his hands in his milk, eating like a crazy person - he makes me nuts. He's a little climbing machine too - always climbing on tables and couches and trying to get up on their bunk beds in every possible way other than using the ladder...yikes. He climbs on us too, which is only sometimes fun for me. Yet, for all his shenanigans, he is always so quick to give a hug or a kiss, is quick to say sorry for his misdemeanors, and has curled up on the couch with me to cozy up a couple of times this past week and just lay there with me for the longest time. It's amazing how the same little person can make you crazy, make you laugh, and make your heart soften into a pile of mush all in about 10 minutes. That's our Sam.

(My most recent project - aprons/smocks for the guys, much requested by Luke)