“A portrait of my children once a week, every week, in 2014.”

Lillia & Zane are on vacation this week!

“A portrait of my children once a week, every week, in 2014.”

Lillia: You got a new haircut and suddenly you seemed at least two years older (and about a foot taller). You just seem older in general. Yesterday morning you spent some time cleaning up the living room, just to be helpful. Dad told me that by the end of the day you were lamenting how fast everything became messy again…I know the feeling, kiddo! You also made me sign a petition for you because you were too young to sign it yourself. The issue at hand dealt with intellectual property rights and, more specifically, the rights of artists and writers to make fanart and fan fiction using copyrighted characters. It’s great to see you becoming more interested in the world around you.

Zane: This week your favorite phrase is, “will you play with me?” Playing “with” you usually entails being directed to watch you or to perform a specific action. I think you’re definitely in the “associative play” stage of social development. It will be interesting to see how you interact with your peers at school in the fall. It’s one thing to have adults doing your bidding, but another thing entirely to learn how to deal with other kids. I think you will be fine; I just hope that exposure to conflict won’t turn you into a big meanie (probably unlikely considering what a sweet temperament you have).

“A portrait of my children once a week, every week, in 2014.”

Lillia: Most kids would probably hate it if their parents posted a silly photo of them on the internet, but I bet you’ll be proud. I had a more genteel image selected, but I just love this one too much not to share. Though you are often quite serious, you can be downright goofy sometimes, too. I was secretly (okay, not so secretly) pleased this week when you told me that one of your favorite subjects is History. Of course, I want you to grow up loving and pursuing the things YOU enjoy, but I think that studying History is a very worthwhile endeavor and I support your explorations into the past 100%. Maybe someday we’ll be poring over old documents in an archive somewhere, side by side.

Zane: This week you have been talking incessantly about your trip to the Children’s Museum. It clearly left quite the impression on you! Your favorite story is about how Lillia climbed into the “bee hive” (a fenced-in climber that goes up two stories), but that you were scared and you cried. You’re definitely an adventuresome guy and most dangerous things don’t deter you, but that bee hive? You were terrified. Maybe you are claustrophobic, or maybe seeing your mother on the other side of a chainlink fence, just beyond your reach, was a little too much. No matter, there were lots of fun things for you to do there, and you can always try again next time!

“A portrait of my children once a week, every week, in 2014.”

Lillia: Last night you were really sad because you had a mild argument with one of your friends on Minecraft. Then you told us that one of your favorite online friends from Chicken Smoothie had left the forums. You were visibly upset about both situations. I know how hard it is for you to find kids that are share your interests and can appreciate your idiosyncrasies, and I can see that you are frightened of losing the special friends that you have made. But, actually, friendships change over time. I didn’t realize that until I was an adult, but it’s true! In fact, most close relationships have an ebb and flow to them; sometimes you won’t be in sync and sometimes it will work like magic. You just have to ride the wave.

Zane: All this rain has been kind of a downer, huh? You’re the type of guy that needs to be outside, a lot. I’ve been trying to keep you entertained, but mostly you’re just upending coffee tables and tearing apart the couch. If we had a bigger house, I would just fill one of the rooms with old furniture and let you go at it! The highlight of your week was definitely visiting Daddy, and opening a savings account, at the bank. You really love to chat with grown-ups, and you’ve recently started telling “tall tales.” Thankfully, I think drier weather is on the horizon so we’ll be able to run around outside again soon.

“A portrait of my children once a week, every week, in 2014.”

Lillia: You did it! You earned your brown belt! I am so proud of you. And, yesterday you did your Spring MAP test and your math score went up 15 points since the last test. It’s amazing how much you’ve improved in math this year. We got a little behind while we were homeschooling, but you have caught up and then some. I hope you have a blast partying with all of your friends tonight!

Zane: [those cheeks – I’m dying! ] Phew! What a week! Although our garden plans were temporarily thwarted, you were so patient and it all turned out okay in the end. You have really enjoyed tending our little vegetable plants, and I know you will be so thrilled when we can harvest the “fruits” of our labors, so to speak, later in the summer. Thanks for being such an awesome little guy, and for being so excited about everything we do (even when it’s stressful). You make it all worthwhile.