About My Kids

Gabriel is handsome little boy. I know I'm his mom, but he really is. His eyelashes are to die for-- no kidding. (It never fails that the boys get the great eyelashes.)

One of the gifts Gabriel received in his stocking on Christmas Day was a beginner's writing tablet. In the month following, I sat down several times with Gabriel and showed him how to write his name because I thought it would be fun for him. We tried and then I quit. My almost-4-year-old had not yet mastered how to hold a pencil properly (though his 2.5-year-old sister can), despite my repeated efforts at teaching him, and I decided it just wasn't worth it. Right then and there I, in a sudden fit of frustration, decided that Gabriel wouldn't begin kindergarten until 2009, when he is 6-going-on-7 years old.

I should know by now-- I've spent my whole life around homeschoolers and homeschooling moms-- that it's often when the mom stops trying that her children start. The other day Gabriel brought Daniel's palm pilot to me (he likes doodling on it) and showed me all the letters he had copied from the refrigerator alphabet magnets we had also given him for Christmas. They looked great!

Gabriel still plays drums at least once a day. He will announce to us all that he's "going to work" and then head upstairs for his very own private worship jam session. Sometimes he sings church songs and imitates a church drummer's beats, sometimes he writes his own stuff, and sometimes he sings Doodlebops songs.

Bronwyn likes everything pretty and girlie. She thinks Aunt Beanz's shoes are the best thing ever and pink is officially, without a doubt, her favorite color. Ribbons in her hair, sandals with bows, flowered fabrics, and earrings are among her obsessions of late. OK... any accessory of any sort is her obsession.

In contrast, she also loves playing in dirt, chasing the Tomford's goat, and wrestling with her brothers.

All in all, we might just have to say that Bronwyn has quite a bit of zest for life and loves anything and everything that looks even remotely fun or interesting.

Bronwyn is a fairly independent personality. One morning recently, Daniel-- upon waking up at 6am or so-- found her asleep on our living room couch with a stack of children's books on the nearby coffee table. When she woke up and moved to the couch, we still aren't sure. She never felt the need to find Daniel or I, which is very unlike her older brother.

Jackson holds the record as our quietest child. He doesn't really say a single word (if we're feeling generous, we might consider his "Da da" to be in direct reference to Daniel and his vocal intonations that accompany hand-waving to be his version of "Goodbye"), and he doesn't really babble much either. But don't be confused by his quiet demeanor: the boy has strong opinions and will stubbornly cling to them.

Jackson is our pickiest eater. He doesn't like meat and potatoes. He doesn't like most vegetables. He would be happy on a diet of Cheerios and bananas three times a day, but since we don't allow this, it isn't unusual for him to end a day having eaten only the few required bites of food at each meal. Oh-- and he loves anything Italian, too. But I don't really like feeding him red sauce because his entire body matches the color of his hair by the time he's finished.

This quiet, picky eater is very, very physically resilient. When he is offended, it is rarely because of actual injury and almost always because he is feeling a sense of injustice. Gabriel might sit on his head and he won't cry, but if Gabriel gets a book to look at and he doesn't, he may very well throw himself on the floor in the absolute depths of despair.

My peaches-'n-cream-complexion boy is absolutely adorable. He has the classic red-head white eyebrows and eyelashes and he has the trademark Sinclair droopy eyes. And, to top it all off, he's just plain squishy and soft and cuddly. He gives wonderful hugs.