What's special about our kids

Amy is a girl who appreciates structure and having responsibility. Where perhaps we did too much for Reed since he was our first kid and there are so many instances where it's easier to just do something for him rather than wait for him to work his way through something....with Amy our expectations were higher. We'd learned that it'd really be best to let her do things on her own, that way she'd learn faster. I guess that's where it's not so fair to be a second child! (Don't I know it!)

But ultimately I think it suits Amy well. She is quick to jump in and do for herself what Reed is content to have done for him a lot of the time (pouring a drink is one example). She likes having jobs at home and will even get upset if someone does one of her jobs for her (like delivering drinks at dinner time). She works to solve problems when she runs into them, rather than throwing her hands up in surrender. If she can't figure it out, she'll keep working. Her problem-solving skills are terrific.

This has carried over into school as well. Her kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Mitkowski, knew that if she allowed Amy to be an authority in the classroom, it would benefit everyone - they often joked that if they forgot something they needed to do or remember, they could just ask Amy and she would know. They let her help kids who were having trouble, they let her give direction. She thrived in this environment.

Now, Reed...he is becoming much more self-sufficient as time goes by, and it's great to see. Now he can reach the higher cabinets (or he'll drag a chair over so he can reach), he fixes his own lunch (mostly)...but we probably didn't do him any favors by over-doing things for him. We're working on it, though!

Reed is great at recognizing the structure and rules for things – I think is why he's doing well with chess. He can explain the rules of a game very clearly and completely. In third grade, his teacher says he's doing everything he's supposed to...he gets his work done (really) quickly and then has time to read while other kids are still working. He even reads while the lessons are going on, but when Mr. Heenan asks him a question about whatever they're discussing, he's prepared with the answer despite it appearing that he wasn't really paying attention. He's a great multi-tasker, hopefully that will benefit him. Somehow it's still astonishing to us how fast the kid can read. He got books for Christmas that he'd read within 15 minutes of opening them. I guess some people might think then the present wasn't really worthwhile, but what they don't realize is that he'll read the same book a dozen times more. Reed is also someone who doesn't follow the norm – he thinks on his own and doesn't do thinks just because other kids are doing it. I hope that's something that continues since it will serve him well in pursuing his own happiness.

Our kids also genuinely seem to enjoy each other's company too. Which is not to say that they don't fight and drive us nuts, but they have a lot of things they both like. They are both big into Pokemon and Club Penguin, and for Christmas they got a Wii game called Skylander that they've spent a lot of time playing and talking about – discussing strategies, favorite characters, favorite moves. They also worked together on a big Lego set that Amy got for Christmas – that is a new shared interest for them that I'm happy to see.

So overall I'd say that they're keepers. Happy New Year!

Whoops!

Well about two and half weeks ago, I picked Reed up from CASA (the kids' after-school program) and he told me he'd gotten hurt playing football. He'd tripped over someone's foot and landed face down. There was a bump on the right side of his collar bone and it seemed pretty painful, but we just figured it was a sore muscle and it'd feel better with time.

Fast forward two weeks later, to this past Monday. A nagging, month-long cold finally brought us to the doctor's office. We also wanted to ask about the shoulder pain, since Reed was still seeming to have trouble.

Imagine Tod's surprise when the doctor took one look at Reed and said "Yep, he's got a broken collarbone." YIKES! Wow, I never would have guessed that (obviously). Dr. Shannon said that even if we'd brought him in sooner, there isn't really much you can do for a broken clavicle - at most, they would have put him in a splint for a few days. She said by that point it was probably pretty well healed.

So now both our kids have had broken bones. Neither of us has ever had one. I think we've got two really tough kids, that's for sure. Reed continued playing football (he just used his left hand) and doing most everything he normally does, all while having a broken bone. Amazing kids we've got.

What a kid!

A couple of times in the last week, I've been struck by what a great kid Amy is. I mean, she drives us batty sometimes (okay, frequently), but wow. She's amazing.

Yesterday was our annual cookie day. Mom started this tradition when Aly was a baby, if I remember right. We get together, bake a bunch of stuff, order lunch and just hang out together. None of us really needs the stuff we're baking, usually, but it's a tradition.

This year, Amy helped from start to finish, only taking a break to eat lunch. Afterward, Tod asked if she was helpful...and honestly, she was every bit as helpful as anyone. She did everything we asked her to, did her best, and was geniuinely helpful. When we got home, she ran to the bathroom and on her way said "I didn't go to the bathroom all day because I didn't want to stop working!". When it's something she's interested in (like cooking), she is all in. She works so hard. It's awesome.

Another thing was a school problem that Amy solved for herself. When we had her parent-teacher conference in November, Ms. Rokus told us how Amy was sitting next to a girl named Katie, and that Amy had been really helpful in getting Katie to come out of her shell and feel more comfortable in the classroom. How great for both of them! Well, one day last week Amy told me she'd switched seats in the classroom. The first reason she gave was that Peter (who she loves wanted to sit at the table with the girls where she sits. Then she said, "Well, that's one reason, but there was another reason too." After a little prodding, she explained: "Katie wants me to tell her the answers, but she knows what the answers are, she can do it on her own. I'm afraid she won't be my friend anymore if I don't give her the answers." Wow. So Amy saw the opportunity to change seats as a chance to get out of this problem, while also making her friend Peter happy. I am really impressed that she found a way to solve her problem, and it's one that works for everyone.

Last, Amy has unfortunately gotten a case of head lice in the last week (cue the paranoid scratching). She was invited to a 'penguin pajama party' at her classmate Morgan's home, where a couple dozen little girls were going to eat popcorn and cupcakes and watch the movie "Mr. Popper's Penguins." She was SO excited about this, since she hasn't gotten a lot of invites. Well since she had head lice, we decided it wasn't a good idea for her to go, since she'd possibly be laying on the floor next to other kids, sharing pillows, etc. We were so worried how she would take the news - it's the kind of thing that would normally devastate her. Tod broke the news to her, and while she was definitely very upset, she also told him that she was kind of expecting that to happen. So she wasn't nearly as broken up about it as we feared. We had a special movie night at home where she picked the movie we rented, and we had pizza and she snuggled on the couch with Dad.

We are so lucky to be her parents. She's quite an amazing kid.