Hmmm. Recently I realized that Isaiah was making some strides and growing up and because I tend to push my firstborn, I hadn't really enjoyed those changes. I always seem to think that he needs to do better on ___________ rather than see what he's doing well on right now. So this post is an attempt for me to point out to myself some good things we have going.
First of all, Isaiah has made huge strides in his learning this year. He's such an inquisitive kid. He's constantly asking questions and that's good but I have to admit I don't always see it that way. NEVER do we take a ride that he doesn't have something he's thinking about and wants to talk about. Maybe politics...yes, he's actually fairly up on current events and since he's living in a time of very divisive issues, he's learning quite a lot. Sometimes I mourn that he's not just another oblivious kid, but that's just not the way God made him. If there's news...maybe while Dad's watching for a few minutes on TV or maybe an email up on my hotmail account or an article in Grandpa's "WORLD" Magazine, he's paying attention. He knows more about the political process at 8 than I did at 18.
He also has read more of the Bible and discussed more of the Bible than many kids his age. Recently, I remembered that at 8 I read the Picture Bible so I got him one. He takes it to church and reads it during the times that he's not listening to the sermon. And interestingly, he REMEMBERS things. I was watching a movie on Jeremiah the prophet recently, which he ended up watching with me for a bit and afterward, he talked some more about how Jeremiah was freed by King Nebechadnezzar because he had tried to persuade the Jews to surrender to the Babylonians rather than fight. Seriously...I had to stop and marvel at the way he puts thing together.
He's got a problem solving mind...which he got from his Dad. He's constantly engineering legos to match whatever he's into. He's working out math problems when he finds them around him...which happens to be all the time. He's also very good about negotiating...which actually is not all good. But he's very adept at getting you to see his way.
Finally, he's making good strides in responsibility. We've been focusing on this from a "trustworthiness" perspective for quite awhile and it seems that he now understands that telling the truth, not exaggerating, doing what you say you will do and obeying your parents (even if you think it's lame) is a better way to go than the other. I have to say, he had to learn that one the hard way, but then so did his dad and I. We are currently working on self control and sensitivity to others...and while he understands the need and is making strides, somehow is 8 year old mind and body have other ideas. We will be reminding and encouraging for awhile.
That's Isaiah's highlights for right now. Stop in again and there will be another round. He's growing up fast.
Wow, something happens in the 4th (and 5th) years of a little boy's life. Gabe is just changing daily. It's hard to keep up, so I'll blog.
Physically, he's progressing every day. This week alone he learned to pump on the swing AND fasten his own seatbelt. While I was thrilled to not stand behind a swing for half an hour at a pop and to not have to wiggle my way into the backseat of the van (or ask Isaiah or Elly to help), it's a little bittersweet. We got rid of the stroller this week (kept one for baby dolls) since it had been on the garage wall for over a year. He was a bit sad but when he saw the mom with 5 little ones who needed it, he decided it was OK.
Mentally, he's also working hard. He's learned to love starfall.com and pbskids.com. He's quite proficient at the "games"....little does he know he's getting in his "preschool". He's a lover of books. He doesn't mind if he has to "read" them himself, though he will sit for nearly anything you'll read to him (including the books we use for science and history). If it's about a machine...oh, life does not get any better than that. His vocabulary and speech skills have jumped lately. I noticed recently that he can actually tell a story that you can follow now and report details fairly accurately. (His brother and sister are learning that they are not going to get away with some things they thought he wasn't noticing anymore.)
We're discovering "who Gabe is" right now. He's tended toward some character traits but now he's fairly consistent. He love to help. He's right there if we're mowing or planting garden. He trails me when I vacuum and as long as someone is helping, he's good at picking up or folding clothes. He's also fairly focused on others for a 4 year old. Not all the time, but often he's willing to share and will show kindness to Maggie when she needs to play outside or to his sister as they play after "school" or even to his big brother (the toughest of all since there's some teasing that goes on) when they are working on legos. He loves to chat on the phone and he's one of the "gang" outside in the neighborhood making sure everyone has someone to play with and going along with the games the older kids sweetly let him play.
Spiritually, Gabriel has "taken off" and it's thrilling to hear and see. We just came off of Easter and during that time we do our Resurrection Eggs devotions a couple weeks up to Resurrection Sunday. They are plastic eggs with little objects to teach the story of Jesus' death and resurrection. This was the year that I presented the gospel about how there was bad news: that we are sinners and God hates sin...and there is good news: that God sent Jesus to take away our sin once and for all if we just believe him for eternal life. And of his own volition, Gabe was right there, with "I believe that Mama." When asked to articulate what he believes, he can't quite find all the words but he can answer basic questions. I've seen this three times now...how each of my children during this 4th and 5th year come to saving knowledge of Jesus all on their own. The Holy Spirit works in them in amazing ways and those lessons we've been teaching on character start to become their own. What an amazing thing to get to watch and even more amazing to be a small part of.
So if you're praying for us, keep it up. There's something new nearly everyday around here. What an exciting journey we are all on together.
