Birthday Interview with Tommy - 7 years old

Tommy is turning seven tomorrow, so it's time for our birthday interview! Based on how this interview went, I think I'm going to have to change some of the questions for next year, to make them a bit more mature. He seemed to think the questions were a bit silly. Why can't kids just stay little?

So how do you think it'll feel to be seven?
Pretty good.

What kinds of things can you do now that you’re almost seven that you couldn’t do when you were littler?
I’ll get more things to do. Like play harder [board] games. I can explore more games. 

What is your favorite color?
Red.

What is your favorite food?  
Apples with lemon juice.

What is your least favorite food?  
Butternut squash soup with mashed up mushrooms. (I explained that this food doesn't really exist, but then he said, "Yeah, but it would be just so gross!" Fair enough.)

What is your favorite book?
Sideways Stories from Wayside School.

What is your favorite thing to play with?
Geotrax train set

Do you have any friends? Who are they?
My best friend is Joseph Guenther.

What is your favorite thing to do?
Go on a daddy date. Actually, go to Central Park in SF.

What is your favorite thing about yourself?
That I’m good at helping people.

What is your favorite thing to do outside?
Climb our redwood tree.

Where is your favorite place to go?
Panera

What do you want to do for a job when you grow up?  
What Dad does. (What does Dad do?) Works with computers. (Why do you want to do that?) Because I like Dad, and I want to do what he does.

Where do you want to live when you grow up?  
I think I’ll live in San Francisco.

Do you think you’ll get married when you grow up? Who do you think you’ll marry?
Yes… I don’t know yet. 

How old will you be when you get married?
26

Where do babies come from?
A woman, of course. Why do you ask? 

Is there anything you’re afraid of?
No….Like what? I could make myself afraid of mirrors. I guess there's nothing I'm afraid of.

If you could be any animal, which one would you be and why? 
A baby cheetah. Because they’re really cute and they can hop really well. 

What do you love most about your siblings? 
Ben: That I have someone to play with.
Lucy: That I can play with her.

What do you like learning about?
Piano, that’s my best thing. 

What makes you very happy?
Birthdays make me really happy, because it’s a happy time.

Lucy is Walking!

A few weeks ago Lucy started to really enjoy us walking her around. She'd hold on to our hands and toddle happily. Last week she decided she was ready to start pushing things around. Like stools, chairs, and trucks, and baby walkers, and pretty much anything that would slide across the floor. 

Then today she let go and took off on her own! In the span of an hour, she went from taking just 10 steps to being able to cross the whole room, stop to pick something, turn to change direction, and even start running. She's really walking!

Apple Farm

This past week's field trip was to an apple farm with cousins and homeschooling friends. Visiting an apple farm has been on my fall bucket list for a few years now, and we finally did it!

It was a great place to get that obligatory baby-in-a-pumpkin-patch picture. :)

In the room where the apples are processed: washed, sorted, and boxed up to go to the stores.

What is one supposed to do with 8 pounds of apples? We started by making caramel apples. :)

Sunday Fun

Mark left for a weeklong business trip last Sunday. I had a bit of apprehension in the weeks leading up to this time. I've never been on my own with three kids (or any kids) for that long. Now that the week is over, I can report that everything went well and we  had a great time. I kept the kids really busy so they didn't have time for any shenanigans! 

The best day of all was the first day without Mark. We dropped him off at SFO early in the morning, then stopped by Krispy Kreme on the way back from the airport (my apologies to the boys' Sunday School teachers!)

Lucy's first doughnut (she only had a few pieces). She loved it.

 We met a tarantula on the way up the driveway to church. We stopped and got out to follow him around a bit. 

 After church, naps and quiet time, we went to our a car show in our town. This was the boys' favorite car, and the owner even let them hop inside.

Point Lobos

Last week we went to Point Lobos with friends. It was another perfect day at the coast. There was lots of boy romping, rock climbing, (rock throwing), and tide-pool exploring.  

This was the boys' favorite thing... seeing how close to the crashing waves they could get without getting wet. 

San Francisco Zoo

I've been trying to take lots of field trips while the weather is nice on the coast this fall. Two weeks ago we went to the San Francisco Zoo with some friends. The weather was wonderful! 

Stopping by a vista in Daly City, near the zoo.

The giraffes were all three kids' favorite animal at the zoo. 

Having lunch with the flamingos. 

Lucy at 15 Months

You are 15 months, Lucy!

You are so incredibly cute and pack a lot of personality in your little 20 %ile body. You are not afraid to make your opinion known. 

Your brothers totally adore you. As I'm writing this you are playing outside with them. They are building you a house out of our deck furniture and are laughing with delight when you crawl around inside. Every morning they rush to your bedroom door and push each other out of the way so they can be the first to greet you. 

You've started standing on your own and can stand for about thirty seconds without falling. You are cruising and pushing stools around the kitchen floor. You even took two steps a few days ago! I think you'll be full-on walking in a month or two.

You babble a TON. It's incredibly adorable. Words you are saying:

no!

uh-oh

 ow

puppah - (puppy)

mama

dada

bah-bay - (so big)

woah-woah - (bo-bo, from "bro-bro")

You're not always sunshine. This is what happened when I insisted that you eat a bite of egg. High drama, I tell ya. 

One of Bo-Bo's creations he built just for you. 

Your brothers love pushing you around the kitchen like this. :)

Even those this isn't a very good picture, I love it because it shows your spunk!

Cuddles with your other Bo-Bo

More drama. I don't remember what this was about, but it must have been very sad, indeed!

Homeschooling

We are two full months into our homeschooling year. We've settled into a rhythm. Most days are good, as long as my expectations are basic and I don't push anyone to do more than they are able. Then there are the days when one or more of us wake up on the wrong side of the bed and it's a challenge to be kind to each other. Those are the days when sometimes schooling gets set aside and we just work on being nice to each other. 

Tommy's favorite subject is piano. He says, "It's fun to play and to show people what I've learned." Ben's favorite subject is math, because "I get to learn new things." 

It's been neat to watch the boys flourish this year. Tommy is really like his new freedom in being able to choose his own schedule for the day. And Ben, who used to be very resistant to learning anything in the past, is doing well this school year. He is taking off in math, reading, and writing. He will even sit with his books and do work when it's not school time! 

We are really plowing through school. At this rate, we will be "officially" done with school by April, but of course that is not accounting for Life's curve-balls. My plan is to do as much as we can before our fourth little one comes along, because I know from experience that school will come to a screeching halt once that happens!

Tommy's coloring-book version of Starry Night (for picture study). 

Ben's volcano (for science)

This is what school time generally looks like for us. Even Lucy does school! She likes sitting with the boys and drawing. 

Lucy watching 'Bo-bo' practice piano