Skiing and General Update on These Fun Kids

We took the kids up to Liberty Mountain Resort in Pennsylvania to practice some skiing.

 There were cuddles on the ride up.

 Anders spent most of the time next to the magic carpet and then skiing while holding on to me or Mike. He insisted on having poles, though they were not helpful. But Mike and I had them, so he had to have them.  Anders laughed and had a great time skiing, asking to go over and over.

In other Anders news, this kid is a kick in the pants. He is not going to hide behind his big sister, who he totally adores.  He attacks her with hugs and kisses and tells her how much he loves her all the time -- so often it sometimes upsets Ellis.  Other fun things he is doing:

• Talking all of the time. He sometimes gets a little stuck trying to express himself but does not want anyone else to talk for him.  He wants to be given time to say everything he has to say or he gets angry. Much of what he says is often muddled because he rarely stays confined to one topic at a time.  He loves using if/then phrasing, even if it is not appropriate.  And he uses because to connect two thoughts, even if one has nothing to do with the other. Sometimes he says both sides of the same thing, like, "When I'm tall, I won't be little anymore."
• This child asks questions all the time. When he runs out of things to say, he starts in with the questions. And they jump all over the place. Do skeletons have feet? How do you make branches and leaves? How to you make a cake? Where do you get tea? Do zombies walk or sit?
• There are certain things that he says all of the time.  If ever we talk about doing something he wants to do, he adds, "And me!" Or "And me?" He likes to tell us that he told us so. "I told you it was going to rain." Or "I told you there were going to be toys here." He rarely did tell us, but he still says it.
• Anders wants to do things for himself and gets angry if we don't let him try, which would please his teacher to no end. He will interrupt our attempt to zip up his jacket or help him dress with an "I can do it! I can do it!"
• When a joke works, Anders sticks with it.  Anything that was once funny, he will use again, usually out of context and long after it is still funny.  But he thinks it is so hysterical that we laugh and it just encourages him further.
• Anders has a great ability to entertain himself. He will demand attention but, if he doesn't get it, sit in a corner and have a conversation with imaginary friends or play with toys or a pencil or whatever he has. And he can entertain himself for a really long time this way. It is quite impressive.
• He is still struggling to enunciate but is trying so hard and doing so much better.  He has stopped saying "lellow" and now says "yellow." He usually uses a "v" but will fall back and pronounce it "b" when he isn't thinking, like "lub" instead of "love" or "Taybon" instead of "Tayvon." He will practice saying a word correctly with such focus.  He is also working on writing his name.  He gets easily frustrated but can be coaxed along and is so proud of himself when he gets it right, which he usually does very quickly.
• The kid runs a mile a minute and then just collapses.  He is going and going and going and then he is asleep.  It is hilarious.  But he really needs his sleep. If he doesn't get a nap, or at least a good rest time, he just falls apart -- though he will fully admit he needs to go to bed. Considering what a terrible sleeper he was when born, he is among the best now.

Ellis took a skiing lesson and then immediately wanted to go on the lift. She went up three times and improved remarkably on each trip. Mike has to post that video too.  She went from not being able to make a full turn to weaving in and out of crowds in 3 runs.  It really was impressive.  Mike kept trying to give her pointers.  She finally told him to stop and just let her figure it out, which she did.

Other notable things going on with Ellis, who can sometimes be flummoxed by her little brother's moods and demands but is most often his biggest cheerleader:

• She has lost 7 teeth and is extremely proud of it.  The 8th tooth is already wiggling.
• She is extremely energetic and needs to run around or she will not go to sleep on time.  I find it remarkable how little sleep she needs and how much activity she requires to get tired.
• She is best friends with her classmate Johnny Lopez, who is also her chief competition in terms of academic accomplishment. I love that they are best friends. And they really do love being together.
• Ellis continues to be incredibly focused on whatever it is she wants to master.  She practices piano like crazy, without being asked, especially if she likes the song -- but even when she doesn't.
• The school has her in advanced reading and advanced math.  They are definitely challenging her.  We need to make sure we don't push too hard because the work is really tough and I don't want to frustrate her.  But I definitely want to meet her at the right level and keep her brain challenged, which is not easy.  She really does soak everything in, and she is super proud of her accomplishments.
• On the other hand, she cam be a bit scatter-brained.  She regularly takes her shoes and socks off, drops them wherever she took them off and loses them.  This is true at our house and others.  
• Then again, she is 7.  I often forget that because she acts so much older than she is.  She really wants to be grown up.  She wants to walk to school by herself (no way).  But I do let her run errands for me at the grocery store or look at something at Target while I am in a different section.  This is all the independence I can allow right now. She is such a poised, mature kid that I forget she has just recently left the toddler stage.  Then she tells me that she really needs hugs and comes and sits in my lap for snuggles, and I remember she is just a little girl, a first grader who still needs her mommy.