An Absence and C-Man Update.

Hi there!  Remember me?  Is anyone even still out there?  I confess, with twitter, pinterest and instagram, blogging these days feels...like so much work.  Those others provide instant gratification!  (By the way, are you on twitter, pinterest or instagram?  Don't be a stalker, let's follow each other!)

You know the feeling of owing someone a phone call and the longer you wait, the harder it is to make the call?  That is how it has been for me and blogging.  So much to catch up on.  So hard to know where to start!  So maybe I will just dive in and update you on the kids.  (There are family and friends from real life who rely on this blog to get their C-Man and JuJu and Little E fixes.)

{proud, brave boy}

C-Man.  Such a big little man these days.  He is long, tall and lanky and it is freaking this mom out!  No more pudgy hands, chubby cheeks (well, maybe he still has those a little?  a mom can dream....), and big fat curls on the top of his head.  He lost his two bottom teeth.  After being very scared by a bad incident at the dentist about a year ago, he finally went again and was so, so very brave (and still no cavities, yay!).  He is obsessed with all things bees.  He loves to share bits of trivia about them and "rescue" bees that seem to need a little help (i.e. drowning in the pond).  He helped B harvest some honey just the other day and when he finally got the chance to try it, I asked him how it tasted.  "It is so good I can't even tell you, mama."  At school, we are told, he is one of the best participators in circle time (mostly with the singing), and he loves eurythmy (a dance and movement activity that is big in Waldorf) and all the handwork they do (knitting, sewing, felting, etc.).

He has been hanging out with an older boy at school lately and coming home with things like, "Did you know that when you are six you get a girlfriend?"  NONONO, no you don't, C-Man.  He continues to love telling his puppet shows, making everyone laugh, setting up "traps," tying knots, doing "science experiences," and what B and I call "word smithing" (he is the king of word games, rhyming, double meanings, etc.).  His teacher thinks he will be a Shakespearean actor.  ;-)

{funny man}

Here are a couple of C-Man-isms lately: he loves to go down to the garden and help B trap gophers.  He has to think it all out first though, natch.  "We need to first get a rock and tie a rope to it, make a pulley, hang it from the tree and lure the gopher out...." or something along those lines.  (Meanwhile, JuJu has a hoe and is rather violently hacking away at the holes in the ground trying to get the poor thing "by force.")  Then the other day: B was telling C-Man he will never be 2 or 3 or 4 ever again.  He is going to keep getting older and older.  "No I'm not, Da-ya.  When I die, I'm going to come back and do it all over again."  As matter of fact as can be.   "Who told you that???  A friend?  Someone at school?"  we implored....  "Nobody at all.  I just know it."  Hmmmmm.

He continues to be so especially sweet with Little E.  (He and JuJu bicker almost constantly and it is kinda sad.)  He is very patient with her, loves to tell us cute Little E stories, helps her down stairs, while eating, teaching her new words, etc.  He also has been especially cuddly with me, which is not typical.  He isn't the touchiest kid in the world (unlike JuJu who loves full body contact with mama as much as possible), so when he gives it out, I'll take it.

He is also one of the most disciplined kids I know.  Example: I give him a little teeny tiny chocolate bar as a treat (he loves nothing more than chocolate).  "Mama, can I have the whole thing?"  Yes, or you can save some for later if you'd like.  "I think I'll save some for later."  (Which he did, again natch.)  Then (telling JuJu): "When you really, really like something, it is better to take tiny bites so it lasts longer."  Also, as he sits down to dinner: "Mama, I like to eat what I don't prefer first and then eat my favorite thing last."  Who is this kid??

So, there you have it.  A little glimpse of my 5 year old little big boy.  I have JuJu and Little E updates and some more food posts coming up soon.  I have been cooking up a storm!