A well-meaning lady in the store asked Micah if he was in school.

He enthusiastically answered, “Yes!  I’m in Kindergarten!  And, I’m Homeschooled!”

She sweetly replied, “That’s great!”

Micah’s response: “It IS great, because instead of spending a long time on math, we just do 2 or 3 minutes of math and then we’re done!“

I don’t think that sweet lady will be nominating me for ‘Teacher of the Year’ anytime soon.

(Just to clarify … we spend much more than 2 or 3 minutes on math each day.  And, even though Micah is telling time quite well, he’s not allowed to “watch” his watch while we’re doing schoolwork.  So, in the end, I’m truly glad that he’s having so much fun with his curriculum that the time seems to fly by.)

The first week was colder, and the wind picked up in the afternoons, but the kids didn’t mind at all.  You see, we bought a week’s pass to the Maui Ocean Center, and the kids loved every minute we spent at the aquarium.

There is a tunnel through the shark and sting-ray tank, which is quite an experience.  As I was trying (unsuccessfully) to line up the kids for a photo in the tunnel, Aaron pointed to the biggest shark of all, and said, “Tiger Shark!”  I snapped the photo just in time to catch Micah’s reaction:

Micah, of course, took it upon himself to learn the names of as many fish as he could, and by the end of the week was acting as a tour guide for other visitors of the aquarium.  We took the video camera along, if you care to join him for a virtual tour: (warning: video is almost 10 minutes long.)

Our second week brought warmer weather, more beach time, and lots of snorkeling.

Micah’s new-found knowledge was great while we were snorkeling, because he knew the names of most of the fish we saw!  We went on one guided snorkel tour, and saw a humpback whale from the boat.  We also got to snorkel with giant green sea turtles – a definite first for me!  I never imagined I’d be ten feet away from a 450-lb turtle in the wild!

One of the most valuable things we brought home from the trip … and the thing which might, by itself, be worth every penny we spent … is the fact that Micah is now considering alternate career choices!  Our set-in-stone Paleontologist discovered that it’s fun to learn about living creatures, and is now talking about wanting to be a Marine Biologist, or a Snorkel/Scuba Tour Guide, or a Teacher, or own his own Aquarium … while maybe doing a little digging for fossils on the side.  Regardless, his parents are enjoying a much needed break from the non-stop dino and fossil talk around the house!

Oh … and Matthew spent the entire two weeks completely accident-free … plane rides, boat tours, car trips, swimming pools, exciting activities, and all … he told us “potty” when he needed to go, and that was that!

We are also thrilled to announce that #4 appears to be a GIRL!  Boy, oh boy … our house full of boys is in for a change!  Micah was “99% sure” that we would have a girl this time, because that’s what he had been praying for.  Oh, to have faith like a child!

We are so very thankful.

Me: “Micah, are you ready to start our school?”

Micah: “Not yet. I’m reading about Argentina in my atlas, and then I want to read a couple stories from my Greek Myths book.”

Prayer Time:

“and God, Thank You for making me … me.”

I have all kinds of things to tell you about:  our fun fall activities, Jesse’s club foot, potty training with Matthew, and the fun we have homeschooling Micah.

But first, I’m excited to share our latest venture with you!

It’s a big deal.

The whole family is so very excited about it!

But, it has taken all of my “spare” energy over the last several months, and is the reason blog updates have been few and far between.  Laundry has been piling up, dishes have gone undone … all because I’ve been working on something very special.

For many months now, we’ve been praying that God would add to our family.  We’ve really been enjoying our boys, and we see how good they are for each other.  We’ve seen that, just as Dr. Ray (our favorite parenting expert) says, “Siblings are the greatest gift you can give to your children.”  Our boys love each other so much.  They learn from each other while they play together.  They teach each each other while they laugh and goof off.  They help each other grow into better people.

For Matthew, his two brothers are the best teachers, therapists, and care-givers he has.  As he grows older, this will only be more true.  And Matthew teaches them, too.  He teaches them what unconditional love looks like, how to be selfless and caring, and how to put the needs of another ahead of one’s own desires.  He also shows all of us what PURE JOY looks like!  Micah has often said, “I wish we had TEN Matthews!”  The love between the brothers is a blessing we hadn’t really anticipated, and one that can’t be truly appreciated unless you’ve experienced it!

We wanted another sibling for our boys.  We wanted another son (or maybe even a daughter??).

And now, we are proud and excited to announce that he or she is here! 

At about 15 weeks old, 4 inches long, and weighing in at a little less than 2oz, we have a new son or daughter due in early May.

For such a tiny little person, he or she has taken every ounce of energy I have, and has made me feel quite sick.  Thankfully, now that I’m in the 2nd trimester, some of that is fading and I’m starting to feel better.

Of course, we appreciate your prayers for a healthy baby and safe pregnancy.  Thanks for caring about us while we’re on this journey!

At the end of a big day:

Daddy: “What did you learn about today, Micah.”

Micah: “The Ten Commandments.”

Daddy:  “That’s great!  Can you tell me any of them?  What are the commandments?”

Micah:  “Well … like don’t steal stuff …, and don’t commit your neighbor’s stuff.”

Daddy:  “Was there any about your parents? … your mother and father?”

Micah: “Yeah.  There was something about adultery.”

… and the student’s name was Micah.  I love it.

Matthew,

It’s hard to believe that you are four years old today!

Yet, at the same time, it seems like a lifetime ago that you were born – so fragile and so sick, to parents who were so scared for you.

You have blessed us more than I can say in the last 4 years.  You have surprised us, challenged us, and entertained us.  You have the sweetest, most loving personality I have ever seen, and your concern for others is far beyond your years.  You have taught us more about love than you’ll ever know.

You are stubborn, and you are determined, but these traits suit you and will serve you well.

You are adorable, and attract attention everywhere we go.  You either stubbornly refuse to talk to strangers, or you smile, wave, and say “Hello, how are you?” to everyone!  (It sounds like only two words when you say it, though:  “Hewwo.  ow-are-oo?”)  You can recognize letters and say them, you are getting so much better at expressing yourself verbally, you love to sit at the end of our driveway and wave at the cars and trucks that go by.  You say, “Hi, black car!  Bye, black car!” and correctly identify the colors every time.

We are so proud of you.

(We are especially proud that you learned to use the potty this week.  )

We love you so much,

Mommy & Daddy

Oh boy.

Where do I start?

We knew Matthew was ready.  He was showing all the signs… literally.  He would sign “potty” to me as he squatted to fill a diaper.  He could stay dry for hours at a time, he knew what the potty was for, and had even successfully used the toilet on occasion when we caught him at the right time and in the right mood.

But, it was starting to become a battle.  He did NOT want to sit on the potty – didn’t want anything to do with it.  His stubborn streak – which is very, very wide – was asserting itself, and he was saying he did NOT want to do what we wanted him to do!

I knew I needed help.  Thinking back to how we potty trained Micah, there were a lot of conversations, a lot of bargaining, bribing, etc.  I knew that approach just wasn’t going to work.  There is NO bribing or bargaining with a stubborn 3-yo whose verbal skills are still quite limited.

So, I started looking for books.  As usual, most of the resources I found were written for kids with autism, but would have something in the subtitle about “…and children with other developmental disorders.”  grr.  Down syndrome and Autism are very, very different, and sometimes I still get frustrated by the lack of resources available for our little T21 kiddos.

One book stood out to me, though: “Ready, Set, Potty!”  I liked it because it made potty training “fun,” encouraged you to tailor the method to fit your child, and had success with kids with limited verbal skills.  We decided to read the book, commit 100%, and go for it.  With the carpet cleaner on stand-by, we embarked on our adventure.

That was two weeks ago.

Today, I’m excited to report a major milestone.  A breakthrough!  Matthew had NO accidents for the entire day today!  He went #1 and #2 in the potty without a single fight or complaint!

Getting there wasn’t easy.  The last two weeks have been difficult, exhausting, and frustrating to say the least.  We had to modify our methods, try different strategies, beg, plead, scold, and celebrate like you’ve never seen when there was a “success.”  We started going “by the book,” but deviated significantly by the end.  I’d tell you all about it, but I’m too worn out from the past two weeks.  I’ll share more details later for those of you who embarking on your own adventure … because there is no book titled “how to potty-train your especially stubborn 3-year-old who has speech delays & Down syndrome.”

First day of Kindergarten

Micah started Kindergarten today, and loved it.  I know – it’s Labor Day – but I wanted our “first day of school” to be a day that Daddy was home to help run interference with our younger two.

I could write pages and pages about our decision to homeschool, but I think the following video will answer a lot of those questions.  We had to homeschool this kid!

When we were done for the day, Micah begged for more.  He’s so eager to learn, fun to teach, and will charm your socks off.  As part of an assignment today (working on rules of capitalization,) he was asked to write a sentence that describes someone in our family.  This is what he wrote:  “The pretty girl is Mommy.“

I love you, my Kindergartener!  I’m so excited to be your teacher.