Can Do!

Underfoot sent a letter to his cousin a few weeks ago. He asked me if I could call him so that Underfoot could talk to his cousin. Underfoot invited him to come to our house for his birthday party.

Underfoot got to play with the Dickey children yesterday. Joy School was here this week. Underfoot played with paint and shaving cream. It was lots of fun. K2 got to paint too.

K2 has taken to squealing frequently. He loves to eat oranges. He calls them “orangy.” He continues to grow. His language understanding increases each day.

I have been reading a book called Why Gender Matters by Sax. The book is fascinating. The book’s main premise is that boys and girls are very different from birth. For example, boy’s eyeballs are made to tract object while girl’s eyeballs notice the changes in color. The author cites numerous studies which indicate just
how different boys and girls are. Perhaps the most interesting part of the book describes how our “gender neutral” education system hinders both girls and boys by trying to force both sexes to fit the same mold. The book has changed the way I view boys and girls and how to parent most effectively for my children.

I attended a BSA outdoor youth leadership training on Friday evening and Saturday. I learned a bunch about how to teach boys how to be better men.

While I went camping, Mama stayed home and had a party with our boys. The next day she did Bountiful Baskets and watched a few extra children throughout the afternoon. The children helped Mama with the cleaning. K2 did not want to take a nap because other children were here at the house. Underfoot played hard and fell asleep on the couch when he stopped running around.

Here is a funny story from Joy School. The alphabet tree fell down during the night and K2 had pulled out a lot toys just before Joy School started. Mama explained to the children that a hurricane went through the house, tearing things apart. One little boy said that no one else had a hurricane come through their house. It must only happen at Underfoot’ house. (Hurricane K2!)

Mama went to a church “Meet & Greet” on Thursday evening. She was a little frustrated in going because she didn’t have anyone to go with and didn’t call anyone to go with her. (She was having a pity party.) After the event she wanted to leave as quickly as possible because she felt so alone. She almost left when she turned around to try again. She entered the room where they were serving refreshments and saw that someone  needed help with dishing up the ice cream. She took over. Someone came through the line and gave her a compliment that lifted her spirits. The person said to her that she always seems to see a need and just step in and fill it. The person also said they admired that quality in her. I am proud of her “can do” attitude.