#HundtBoysx4: 8.5, 6.5, 3.5

Nolan, Judah, Carter, and Preston had their half birthdays back in early November. I always have the best intention to give a little update on what's going on in their lives at that time, but here I am in January doing this. Always better to do than not. 

The biggest thing for all four of them lately-ish is the pretend return to normalcy that we are all experiencing. I will continue to call it pretend because the precautions my family are continuing to take are still a lot and if you step foot into a school around here for a few minutes, you will know that things are very much NOT back to normal. The transition back to school full time for N & J, the actual real starting of elementary school for C, and the starting of daycare for P has been a MAJOR shift around here. In other news...

Nolan: 8.5

Although online school was not for anyone in my house, Nolan did really enjoy being able to do things at his own pace. He always had an amazing attitude about doing work. The most challenging thing about being in person for him is the exhaustion he feels from a full day. Going back to full day school and then having to do aftercare many of the days is a lot. Not being able to go at his own pace has also been difficult. This kid continues to be curious, quick on the uptake, and very motivated by relationships, positive feedback, and deep thinking. Nolan devours chapter books, especially if they are funny and quick paced like Diary of a Wimpy Kid. 

Currently, Nolan is practicing baseball indoors preparing to be able to play outside in the spring on is on a basketball team with Judah that Josh is coaching. He gives it everything he's got. He loves to write essays about topics like travel or his favorite things to do while riding a bike. Nolan will play any board game at any time and can play for hours. He's been teaching neighbors and friends Monopoly, Apples to Apples, Life, etc. His favorite thing to draw is buildings. When he does something wrong or hurts someone, he tries to make it right usually by writing thoughtful cards or letters. 

Judah: 8.5

Judah continues to love people and, even though his smiling face is behind a mask at school, he is still charming everyone. The beginning of the year always seems to be tough for Judah (and me), especially. It takes a while to get into the grove, takes a while to figure out how long work is going to take, takes a while to know the expectations and ask questions to get on the same page. Judah continues to work at his own pace. Sometimes that is painstakingly slow. As the year progresses he continues to grow, and him and I get into a better rhythm of working together. His hard work is inspiring... truly. Compliment this guy and he will embarrass in seconds. 

Vacuuming is one of Judah's favorite things right now. We got a cordless one around Christmas and he is all about it. Judah has been experimenting with cool ways to do art. He likes to use little scraps and 3-D objects like beads or tinsel and glue it all over a a piece of paper. He loves to help cook and does love games, but usually only gives us one round before he's out. Judah has been playing with Preston a ton. They love to chase each other, play with stuffed animals, and then also can drive each other crazy on occasion too ;) 

Carter: 6.5

This kid is fierce... about everything. His mathematical reasoning is truly remarkable for his age. He picks up concepts fast. He loves to do well and feel proud. He works really hard. He plays really hard too. I wasn't totally sure what full time school would be like for him as he has never ever done it, but I could not be more pleased with his teacher and the way she helps him shine. She pushes him and challenges him and keeps him nice and busy ;) He doesn't always love to read books or practice things together, but once he gets going, he is fierce. So fierce with everything. For as much as his love, kindness, joy, and hard work is overflowing, so is his anger, sadness, or frustration. He has explosive big feelings in every single direction. We are working very hard on honoring those, harnessing them for good and reflection, and handling them in a way that does not take up too much space and is safe and healthy. It. has been the Lord's work let me tell you. Once he calms down, he is a very insightful and pensive person. 

Carter loves to do directed drawings, color (which he HATED doing last year), dot-2-dot, and is a story teller extraordinaire. Ask him to recall details from anything at school, any story he's read, or any elaborate play he's done at home or at school and buckle up. You will get details you never knew you needed ;) 

Preston: 3.5

One of the big things going on in Preston's world right now is potty training. We have been going at it for more than 6 months at this point and he's been an interesting case. All of my boys have been slow going in the potty training department, none of them really being potty trained until just about 4 years old. Preston, for a very long time, was completely uninterested. Okay, dude, I'll go along... we don't have to do that yet. Then, he was showing all the signs of being ready. Peeing on the potty came slowly and inconsistent. We road that wave. Then, it was the absolute refusal to poop on any toilet or little potty. He was convinced he was never going to do it until he was a grown up and I honestly thinking he might be right. Lately, though, we've been making some gains and I speak with cautious optimism that we are almost done. 

Preston wants Josh or me to sleep with him "for a few minutes" right at bedtime and asks for very silly songs to be sung. One of his favorites is "Stinky Pizza." I think I sign different lyrics in a different tune every time, but he loves it. He also may be the only 3 year old on the planet who wears a 3D sleep mask to bed. He loves his Arfy dog, his blanket, and doing anything that his brothers are doing. He is stubborn... oh have mercy. 

#Hundtboysx4 

My four guys are super into Pokemon right now. They love reading about them, watching movies about them, organizing, trading, and setting up stores with their Pokemon cards. Even Preston has a binder full of cards. Sometimes it's a gift that my mom doesn't get rid of things because my sisters' old cards have been given a second life over here. We are really trying to work on table etiquette, learning about money and saving, spending, and donating it, and figuring out a good rhythm for evenings after school and work as those have been challenging at times.

We are also trying to weave small moments to look forward to. We've been doing Full House Fridays where we get pizza and watch a couple of Full House episodes each Friday night. We are currently in the middle of season 4. Several new board games have entered our house since Christmas time and we've been loving learning how to play those little by little. Marble Run Towers have been a big hit. 

It is never quiet here and often not harmonious either, but these four boys sure do love big and honestly are such good brothers to one another.