Monday, September 03, 2012
i have an eight-year-old. EIGHT! three summer olympic games (and three gold medals for the uswnt, thankyouverymuch) have come and gone since isaiah was born.
while i was pregnant with anthony, isaiah would seek out opportunities to take care of babies. "i want to be able to help with anthony, mom. that's why i like to take care of the babies." so sweet. my responsible first-born. he is perfectly capable of serving his brothers breakfast (cereal) and drinks (chocolate milk) and can change xav's diaper. he keeps asking me to teach him how to cook and wash dishes and do laundry. one day i will let him do all those things, but sometimes i feel like i expect too much from him already. he has his whole life to cook and wash dishes and do laundry. for now, he just has to be content with making his bed every day and bringing down his dirty clothes.
we start third grade on wednesday. i actually remember the things i learned in third grade, and now my son has reached this grade. he is officially not a little boy anymore and can't be expected to be entertained by little kid books or games or shows. he wants to hang out with his friends and watch super-hero movies. i am thankful that eric is such a good dad, because i cannot hang with the super-hero/boy stuff. i can build blocks with the best of them but i am not so great at the pretending and battling and flipping over couches and jumping off of things. eric is excellent at all of those things and i can see how much the boys enjoy that time with him, especially isaiah.
current interests (in no particular order):
pokemon
star wars
coloring (he is really good at coloring now)
reading
holding baby anthony
battling with his double sided sword he got from daddy for his birthday
his teeth (his two front teeth are currently growing back in...very slowly)
getting to see his friends
isaiah is smart. he doesn't know just how capable he is, though. this is probably my fault for expecting too much from him. isaiah likes to get things right away. he likes to be able to speed through his work without much effort. he tends to get frustrated right away when he is introduced to a completely new concept. it's like he has given up without trying. i don't know how to combat this thought process of his, but i am determined to figure it out. soon. very soon. there are only so many ways that i can remind him that his hard work pays off and has paid off in the past. and sarcasm doesn't work. :\
isaiah, you are so smart and can do anything. i am so proud of all that you have done and can do. sometimes it takes hard work and making a lot of mistakes. learning from those mistakes can be the best way to learn something. don't get frustrated. you can do it and i love you no matter what.
while i was pregnant with anthony, isaiah would seek out opportunities to take care of babies. "i want to be able to help with anthony, mom. that's why i like to take care of the babies." so sweet. my responsible first-born. he is perfectly capable of serving his brothers breakfast (cereal) and drinks (chocolate milk) and can change xav's diaper. he keeps asking me to teach him how to cook and wash dishes and do laundry. one day i will let him do all those things, but sometimes i feel like i expect too much from him already. he has his whole life to cook and wash dishes and do laundry. for now, he just has to be content with making his bed every day and bringing down his dirty clothes.
we start third grade on wednesday. i actually remember the things i learned in third grade, and now my son has reached this grade. he is officially not a little boy anymore and can't be expected to be entertained by little kid books or games or shows. he wants to hang out with his friends and watch super-hero movies. i am thankful that eric is such a good dad, because i cannot hang with the super-hero/boy stuff. i can build blocks with the best of them but i am not so great at the pretending and battling and flipping over couches and jumping off of things. eric is excellent at all of those things and i can see how much the boys enjoy that time with him, especially isaiah.
current interests (in no particular order):
pokemon
star wars
coloring (he is really good at coloring now)
reading
holding baby anthony
battling with his double sided sword he got from daddy for his birthday
his teeth (his two front teeth are currently growing back in...very slowly)
getting to see his friends
isaiah is smart. he doesn't know just how capable he is, though. this is probably my fault for expecting too much from him. isaiah likes to get things right away. he likes to be able to speed through his work without much effort. he tends to get frustrated right away when he is introduced to a completely new concept. it's like he has given up without trying. i don't know how to combat this thought process of his, but i am determined to figure it out. soon. very soon. there are only so many ways that i can remind him that his hard work pays off and has paid off in the past. and sarcasm doesn't work. :\
isaiah, you are so smart and can do anything. i am so proud of all that you have done and can do. sometimes it takes hard work and making a lot of mistakes. learning from those mistakes can be the best way to learn something. don't get frustrated. you can do it and i love you no matter what.
Thursday, October 06, 2011
isaiah is seven. he started second grade. this is the year he learns cursive and receives his First Holy Communion. big year.
we had a busy summer. one of the biggest things that happened to isaiah was that he played the role of Magician #1 in the church musical Are We There Yet? which is the story of Moses. he had to audition for the role. he was great and so were the other 90 kids in the musical. we *all* learned the *entire* musical, lines and songs for every character. isaiah had two lines: "and that's not the least of your problems!" and "your highness, don't be fooled. it's a simple magic trick." owen, especially, knows isaiah's line and performs them with much gusto. it's really cute.
isaiah had a ben 10 birthday party. all he knows about ben 10 is from reading a coloring/activity book that i got him and from short conversations with tito ryan. he isn't allowed to watch the cartoon because we haven't deemed it appropriate for him to watch (we try to limit the violence that enters his little brain). when i had asked him what kind of birthday party he wanted he said that he wanted "an alien birthday. but not the kind i had before when you put up the black curtain and had space ships and aliens hanging. like, a different kind of alien party." he totally wanted a ben 10 party but didn't want to ask outright because he knew we didn't completely approve of the cartoon. oh, isaiah. he was pleasantly surprised to find the house decorated in ben 10 on his 7th birthday. by the way, he still hasn't seen one episode of the cartoon. to be honest, some of the decorations were a little scary for the little ones.
9.27.2011 - isaiah loses his first tooth! eric and i were out for our anniversary, so we completely missed it. the permanent teeth for his bottom middle teeth were growing in behind the baby teeth, and both baby teeth were loose. the one on the left (his left) was more loose. the story goes like this: he bumps into xavier and his tooth falls out. he runs up the stairs carrying his tooth. "nani! i lost my tooth!!!" at the top of the stairs he bumps into ethan. the tooth goes flying. "oh, no! i really lost my tooth!" no worries, the tooth fairy knows where all the teeth are. she ended up leaving him $2.50. a one dollar bill, a one dollar coin and a fifty cent piece. second tooth should be coming out any day now!
we had a busy summer. one of the biggest things that happened to isaiah was that he played the role of Magician #1 in the church musical Are We There Yet? which is the story of Moses. he had to audition for the role. he was great and so were the other 90 kids in the musical. we *all* learned the *entire* musical, lines and songs for every character. isaiah had two lines: "and that's not the least of your problems!" and "your highness, don't be fooled. it's a simple magic trick." owen, especially, knows isaiah's line and performs them with much gusto. it's really cute.
isaiah had a ben 10 birthday party. all he knows about ben 10 is from reading a coloring/activity book that i got him and from short conversations with tito ryan. he isn't allowed to watch the cartoon because we haven't deemed it appropriate for him to watch (we try to limit the violence that enters his little brain). when i had asked him what kind of birthday party he wanted he said that he wanted "an alien birthday. but not the kind i had before when you put up the black curtain and had space ships and aliens hanging. like, a different kind of alien party." he totally wanted a ben 10 party but didn't want to ask outright because he knew we didn't completely approve of the cartoon. oh, isaiah. he was pleasantly surprised to find the house decorated in ben 10 on his 7th birthday. by the way, he still hasn't seen one episode of the cartoon. to be honest, some of the decorations were a little scary for the little ones.
9.27.2011 - isaiah loses his first tooth! eric and i were out for our anniversary, so we completely missed it. the permanent teeth for his bottom middle teeth were growing in behind the baby teeth, and both baby teeth were loose. the one on the left (his left) was more loose. the story goes like this: he bumps into xavier and his tooth falls out. he runs up the stairs carrying his tooth. "nani! i lost my tooth!!!" at the top of the stairs he bumps into ethan. the tooth goes flying. "oh, no! i really lost my tooth!" no worries, the tooth fairy knows where all the teeth are. she ended up leaving him $2.50. a one dollar bill, a one dollar coin and a fifty cent piece. second tooth should be coming out any day now!
Saturday, July 09, 2011
isaiah is almost 7 years old. he reads chapter books and changes diapers. he scores soccer goals and can get himself a glass of water. he is proficient at using the tv/tivo/dvd player and is learning to tread water. he is too big for toddler shows (which i know are safe for him to watch) and is venturing into star wars and thundercats and really really wants to watch harry potter (which we won't let him watch). he is really good at coloring in the lines and writes paragraphs and complete sentences.
where did my baby go?
he is huge. i can no longer buy him clothes from carters. that means he is huge. to me.
isaiah is incredibly enthusiastic. he really likes to watch tv and thinks he's bored when we don't allow him to watch (we tell him that it will turn your brain to mush). he loves to pretend to fight like a jedi and looooves playing in the little pool we have in our backyard (the "frosted family pool" as the box says). for some reason, the boys think it's awesome to jump in the pool with your clothes on, so we've let them do it twice so far. so silly. he's incredibly helpful and is easily offended when he's left alone to clean up a room. i don't blame him. his brothers can definitely be shirkers.
one of the funniest things isaiah has said in the last few months was during a conversation he was having with tita kelly about izzy's peanut allergy. "i'm allergic to animals. all of them. well, unless they're cooked." ha!
we like to ask the boys what they want to be when they grow up. isaiah's list has been: paleontologist or spy. last week, i asked him what he wanted to do when he grew up.
"i want to run fr. mikus hall," he said. "no, i mean, i want to do what fr. ben does."
you want to be a parish priest?
"yeah, i do."
i don't know if it's because he's been spending so much time in fr. mikus hall for play practice (he's magician #1 in the church musical on the life of moses) or if it's because he was really listening when fr. mark desser remarked to the altar boys that becoming a priest is a real option for their future. whatever the reason, i'm happy that it's an option that he would consider. we shall see.
where did my baby go?
he is huge. i can no longer buy him clothes from carters. that means he is huge. to me.
isaiah is incredibly enthusiastic. he really likes to watch tv and thinks he's bored when we don't allow him to watch (we tell him that it will turn your brain to mush). he loves to pretend to fight like a jedi and looooves playing in the little pool we have in our backyard (the "frosted family pool" as the box says). for some reason, the boys think it's awesome to jump in the pool with your clothes on, so we've let them do it twice so far. so silly. he's incredibly helpful and is easily offended when he's left alone to clean up a room. i don't blame him. his brothers can definitely be shirkers.
one of the funniest things isaiah has said in the last few months was during a conversation he was having with tita kelly about izzy's peanut allergy. "i'm allergic to animals. all of them. well, unless they're cooked." ha!
we like to ask the boys what they want to be when they grow up. isaiah's list has been: paleontologist or spy. last week, i asked him what he wanted to do when he grew up.
"i want to run fr. mikus hall," he said. "no, i mean, i want to do what fr. ben does."
you want to be a parish priest?
"yeah, i do."
i don't know if it's because he's been spending so much time in fr. mikus hall for play practice (he's magician #1 in the church musical on the life of moses) or if it's because he was really listening when fr. mark desser remarked to the altar boys that becoming a priest is a real option for their future. whatever the reason, i'm happy that it's an option that he would consider. we shall see.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
my almost 6-1/2 year old.
we're homeschooling now. he's the guinea pig. he is bearing the brunt of my failed attempts at patience while teaching. (with lots of grace, i'm getting better at it.)
isaiah is a shining star, but i don't do a good enough job making him feel that way. he is incredibly bright and can memorize anything you ask him to memorize (except math facts, argghh). he plays the piano well, is especially considerate and kind, loves to tell jokes even if he doesn't totally understand them, and he is such. an awesome. big brother.
if xavier is crying when he wakes up from his nap, isaiah will go get him.
if all the boys made a huge mess in the family room, isaiah is the first one to start cleaning it up.
if he's drawing pokemon and his other brothers start talking about their current favorite, he'll draw that character for them.
if he's eating the last cookie and owen wants some, he'll let owen finish it.
he loves to make them all laugh. he's so good at being super silly.
isaiah loves to altar serve. the first time we didn't go to 9 a.m. daily Mass, he cried a little because he had been so looking forward to serving. it thrills him to hold a "big red" candle as opposed to the "swing" candles that the younger boys usually carry. today, he got to carry the "big gold" candle because he was the only little boy serving. the "big gold" is a big deal. i love that these are things that he gets so excited about.
there is so much more to say about isaiah. i just can't believe that my first baby isn't a baby anymore.
we're homeschooling now. he's the guinea pig. he is bearing the brunt of my failed attempts at patience while teaching. (with lots of grace, i'm getting better at it.)
isaiah is a shining star, but i don't do a good enough job making him feel that way. he is incredibly bright and can memorize anything you ask him to memorize (except math facts, argghh). he plays the piano well, is especially considerate and kind, loves to tell jokes even if he doesn't totally understand them, and he is such. an awesome. big brother.
if xavier is crying when he wakes up from his nap, isaiah will go get him.
if all the boys made a huge mess in the family room, isaiah is the first one to start cleaning it up.
if he's drawing pokemon and his other brothers start talking about their current favorite, he'll draw that character for them.
if he's eating the last cookie and owen wants some, he'll let owen finish it.
he loves to make them all laugh. he's so good at being super silly.
isaiah loves to altar serve. the first time we didn't go to 9 a.m. daily Mass, he cried a little because he had been so looking forward to serving. it thrills him to hold a "big red" candle as opposed to the "swing" candles that the younger boys usually carry. today, he got to carry the "big gold" candle because he was the only little boy serving. the "big gold" is a big deal. i love that these are things that he gets so excited about.
there is so much more to say about isaiah. i just can't believe that my first baby isn't a baby anymore.
Monday, August 23, 2010
"shake your groove thing, yeah yeah! show me how you do it now!"
my baby is SIX. how can it be that i am the mother of a first grader?? i am so unbelievably proud of him. we have asked a LOT of him and he has handled it all beautifully with little complaint. as the oldest of 4, we ask him to be a good example, put his brothers first, be the bigger person, help take care of them, do small chores for mommy and daddy like throwing out diapers or grabbing boxes of tissue or making sure xavier doesn't go upstairs...i forget sometimes that he's still so little. but he rises to these challenges. he loves to be in charge ("mama's downstairs, ethan, so I'M the boss.") and he loves being helpful, especially when it comes to xavier. isaiah has a really good heart. i could go on for pages about how good isaiah's heart is, but i'll leave it at that for now. i am SO proud of him.
he had an alvin and the chipmunks birthday. i tracked down a red hoodie and had roby put a big yellow "A" on it for isaiah's gift. we played "pin the A on alvin's shirt" and danced around to songs from alvin and the chipmunks: the squeakquel. we also had movie time with popcorn buckets filled with cheese puffs and smartfood popcorn. as a bonus, daddy got home early just as we came home from an impromptu birthday lunch at burger king with noah and ellie. isaiah even got to pick out a present during some one-on-one time with daddy.
isaiah specifically requested two cakes: one regular one and one to smash his face into. it was literally the only thing he asked for for his birthday, so of course he got it. there were a lot of sugar sprinkles on his face-smashing cake which failed to make the mess that i think he was hoping for. next time i will make it with more frosting and no sugar sprinkles, if not just a whole lot of whipped cream on top.
i hope you had a great birthday, isaiah! i think you did, because before you went to bed on your birthday you told me that "this was the greatest birthday. like, better than all other birthday parties together! thanks, mom." you are the best, buddy. i love you so much!
my baby is SIX. how can it be that i am the mother of a first grader?? i am so unbelievably proud of him. we have asked a LOT of him and he has handled it all beautifully with little complaint. as the oldest of 4, we ask him to be a good example, put his brothers first, be the bigger person, help take care of them, do small chores for mommy and daddy like throwing out diapers or grabbing boxes of tissue or making sure xavier doesn't go upstairs...i forget sometimes that he's still so little. but he rises to these challenges. he loves to be in charge ("mama's downstairs, ethan, so I'M the boss.") and he loves being helpful, especially when it comes to xavier. isaiah has a really good heart. i could go on for pages about how good isaiah's heart is, but i'll leave it at that for now. i am SO proud of him.
he had an alvin and the chipmunks birthday. i tracked down a red hoodie and had roby put a big yellow "A" on it for isaiah's gift. we played "pin the A on alvin's shirt" and danced around to songs from alvin and the chipmunks: the squeakquel. we also had movie time with popcorn buckets filled with cheese puffs and smartfood popcorn. as a bonus, daddy got home early just as we came home from an impromptu birthday lunch at burger king with noah and ellie. isaiah even got to pick out a present during some one-on-one time with daddy.
isaiah specifically requested two cakes: one regular one and one to smash his face into. it was literally the only thing he asked for for his birthday, so of course he got it. there were a lot of sugar sprinkles on his face-smashing cake which failed to make the mess that i think he was hoping for. next time i will make it with more frosting and no sugar sprinkles, if not just a whole lot of whipped cream on top.
i hope you had a great birthday, isaiah! i think you did, because before you went to bed on your birthday you told me that "this was the greatest birthday. like, better than all other birthday parties together! thanks, mom." you are the best, buddy. i love you so much!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
it's summer vacation. "i'm a first-grader now!" wow. first-graders are so OLD. i'm going to blink and he'll be graduating from college and leaving me to go marry a very good, smart and god-fearing girl.
in the meantime, he still needs to learn how to consistently write his letters and numbers the correct way. we're on it, though. we have workbooks and the whole summer.
do you want to know how good of a kuya isaiah is? he tells me that he wants to watch tv, but xavier is also awake. he says, "mama, i want to watch something where xavier will learn." so he put in blue's clues for xavier so he could learn his colors and shapes. i caught him teaching xavier how to count this morning using his silly bands.
sidenote: silly bands are the latest craze among kids. they are rubber bands in the shape of whatever - the boys have insects, dinosaurs and musical instruments - and the boys LOVE them. isaiah, ethan and owen all wear them. /end sidenote.
isaiah also holds owen's hand when we're walking down the street and does his very best to follow the rules. we went to chicago last weekend, and had to go in and out of the elevator a thousand times. every time, he held the door to make sure that everyone got in and out alright. he is SUCH a good and considerate boy. he is too big to hold and cradle in my lap, but i do it anyway.
i don't want him to grow up. i want him to stay this sweet an innocent forever.
in the meantime, he still needs to learn how to consistently write his letters and numbers the correct way. we're on it, though. we have workbooks and the whole summer.
do you want to know how good of a kuya isaiah is? he tells me that he wants to watch tv, but xavier is also awake. he says, "mama, i want to watch something where xavier will learn." so he put in blue's clues for xavier so he could learn his colors and shapes. i caught him teaching xavier how to count this morning using his silly bands.
sidenote: silly bands are the latest craze among kids. they are rubber bands in the shape of whatever - the boys have insects, dinosaurs and musical instruments - and the boys LOVE them. isaiah, ethan and owen all wear them. /end sidenote.
isaiah also holds owen's hand when we're walking down the street and does his very best to follow the rules. we went to chicago last weekend, and had to go in and out of the elevator a thousand times. every time, he held the door to make sure that everyone got in and out alright. he is SUCH a good and considerate boy. he is too big to hold and cradle in my lap, but i do it anyway.
i don't want him to grow up. i want him to stay this sweet an innocent forever.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
spring break has come and gone. i asked isaiah today if he was ready to go back to school. "no!" he told me with a smile. we did a lot last week.
easter itself was really nice. the easter bunny was good to him and his brothers...and he got to go on an egg hunt at noah's house. we made it a big deal to teach isaiah and his brothers about why we celebrate easter and Jesus dying for us and opening the gates of heaven by rising from the dead. "it's not about candy and the easter bunny!" isaiah learned in school. he made up a song, too:
"haaave a happy easter. haaave a happy happy happyhappyhappy easter. haaave a happy easter. and don't forget Jesus!"
monday was bowling with nani...he got a strike! i can't remember if he hit the bumpers, but a strike is a strike, right? right! he also pounded two hot dogs and a ton of french fries while we were bowling. there's something about crinkle fries that taste so good when served at a bowling alley.
tuesday we got to play with noah and ellie. first stop was the morley candy factory. second stop was the play area at lakeside. we took a snack break at panera in the mall and i discovered that isaiah like eating asiago bagels toasted with cream cheese. who knew?
the weather was really nice so we got to go to the park almost every day with daddy. isaiah and ethan got to play with their new scooters (spiderman for isaiah, cars for ethan...just like their bed covers) a lot. it's so nice to be able to all go to the park as a family. i actually have the energy to go now that xavier is bigger and i'm not pregnant.
isaiah is such a big boy and he's such a good boy. i took all the boys shopping with me one day, and when we got home, he took owen inside and then told me that he wanted to help me bring in the shopping bags. he learned how to take xavier out of his car seat this past weekend and even tries to help ethan unbuckle from his car seat, too.
isaiah really doesn't like to be in trouble. i think more than that, he doesn't like to disappoint us. a couple times recently, he has broken a rule or done something he shouldn't have (like standing up on the dining room table and jumping off)...but we didn't yell or get mad. we just told him that he shouldn't have done that and why and to not do it again. instead of feeling better about it, i think it just made him feel worse because he didn't get punished and he ended up crying quietly because he felt so bad. he really is such a good boy. i'm really proud of him because he always tells the truth.
he really likes to sing, especially songs he picks up from hearing daddy sing with the band. "we're going downtown in an earlier round. sugar plum goin' down swingin'." love it, buddy.
easter itself was really nice. the easter bunny was good to him and his brothers...and he got to go on an egg hunt at noah's house. we made it a big deal to teach isaiah and his brothers about why we celebrate easter and Jesus dying for us and opening the gates of heaven by rising from the dead. "it's not about candy and the easter bunny!" isaiah learned in school. he made up a song, too:
"haaave a happy easter. haaave a happy happy happyhappyhappy easter. haaave a happy easter. and don't forget Jesus!"
monday was bowling with nani...he got a strike! i can't remember if he hit the bumpers, but a strike is a strike, right? right! he also pounded two hot dogs and a ton of french fries while we were bowling. there's something about crinkle fries that taste so good when served at a bowling alley.
tuesday we got to play with noah and ellie. first stop was the morley candy factory. second stop was the play area at lakeside. we took a snack break at panera in the mall and i discovered that isaiah like eating asiago bagels toasted with cream cheese. who knew?
the weather was really nice so we got to go to the park almost every day with daddy. isaiah and ethan got to play with their new scooters (spiderman for isaiah, cars for ethan...just like their bed covers) a lot. it's so nice to be able to all go to the park as a family. i actually have the energy to go now that xavier is bigger and i'm not pregnant.
isaiah is such a big boy and he's such a good boy. i took all the boys shopping with me one day, and when we got home, he took owen inside and then told me that he wanted to help me bring in the shopping bags. he learned how to take xavier out of his car seat this past weekend and even tries to help ethan unbuckle from his car seat, too.
isaiah really doesn't like to be in trouble. i think more than that, he doesn't like to disappoint us. a couple times recently, he has broken a rule or done something he shouldn't have (like standing up on the dining room table and jumping off)...but we didn't yell or get mad. we just told him that he shouldn't have done that and why and to not do it again. instead of feeling better about it, i think it just made him feel worse because he didn't get punished and he ended up crying quietly because he felt so bad. he really is such a good boy. i'm really proud of him because he always tells the truth.
he really likes to sing, especially songs he picks up from hearing daddy sing with the band. "we're going downtown in an earlier round. sugar plum goin' down swingin'." love it, buddy.
