3 and 4

I have to brag on my kids for a minute. As much as I miss them being babies, I am loving watching them learn more and grow into these awesome little.... people. I know that sounds weird, but it is so neat seeing their personalities really form and emerge. I am all too aware that they will both change a lot and I hesitate to point out anything because I don't want them to be labeled or put into a box, but I do want to share what I am noticing at ages 3 and 4 so we can look back one day and see if they stayed the same or changed completely.

Bennett: She is just so dang smart. On her 2nd day of school her teacher pulled us aside and said that she was going to start working with Bennett on extra curriculum. She loves to learn. She is really starting to read and can now read billboards and labels and words on shopping bags. We can give her words and she can sound them out and write them down without us helping her at all. Every day she is reading more and more and pages in books are starting to really come together for her.

She will randomly say things like, "Did you know that the words quickly and quietly both begin with a qu and end with an ly? That's pretty cool, right?" Things like that come out of her mouth all the time and I love hearing her work things out in her mind. She picks up anything instantly... sign language, Spanish, anything... she just absolutely loves to learn. And she is good at anything she puts her mind to. Whether it is gymnastics, soccer, or even playing a game on the Wii, she is going to figure it out until she gets it right.

She is also becoming very introverted which I never would have predicted a year ago. She loves being with her family and is not shy at all around us, but around strangers, she gets really quiet. She would rather play with one friend at a time than a crowd.  

She is extremely artistic and her drawings are really good. She loves to color and draw pictures on her magna-doodle. She would paint and read all day if she could and her favorite thing is just being with her family.

Will: Oh my goodness. Will Webster is the life of the party. And he is just as smart as his sister. Nobody can believe how much he talks and though he the youngest in his class, he is keeping right up with the older 3 year olds. He can write all of his letters and is starting to sound them out as well. He basically learns everything from Bennett. I really think his desire to keep up with her is the best education in the world. When we work with her on her reading and writing, he wants to be right there with us. He can write all the names of his family members and a few other words such as Dog, Go, and Hat. 

He is a ham! He goes up to strangers and asks them their name and what their favorite color is or who they pull for. Alabama or Auburn? He will perform for anyone and everyone. He has made up shows and plays and will put them on anytime you ask. At our baby shower the other day, Will performed his "butterfly show" for the entire church staff. I hope in 10 years I still remember that. He will sing for the doctor, checkout clerk at the grocery store, and anyone who will listen. When he starts performing, Bennett usually sits shyly and watches him with a smile on her face. She is very content to let him have the stage.

When Bennett is drawing, Will is asking to put on a play. He just starting saying he wants to direct a movie and he will assign us all parts. Even as I was typing that sentence Will said to Rob, "How about we make a show?" He isn't as careful or cautious as his sister when it comes to trying new things. He just dives in head first and lets the chips fall where they may.

Will is more compassionate. He hates it when people cry or are hurt. It bothers him deeply. Bennett is not as empathetic. She tends to want people not to show emotions and just get over it. :-) They both went with me to my check up at the doctors office today and Will got so upset when I had to lay down on the table and kept asking the doctor if I was okay. Bennett didn't seem fazed at all. Will seems to be a lot more nurturing and Bennett is leaning more to the practical side of things.

I know they will change. In a few years years Will may be into circus acrobatics and Bennett may be completely over her shyness and may hate to draw. Who knows? That really is why I hesitate to say anything because I hate when kids are put into boxes at young ages. I don't want Bennett to be "the smart and shy one" and Will to be the "loud extroverted" one. But that's what they are at 3 and 4 and I want to remember these stages.

And I am so proud of the way they are getting ready for their baby sister. Both sing to her and talk to her and genuinely seem so excited for her arrival. I know I am focusing on the positives here. Of course they fight, annoy each other, get sent to time out, disobey, throw tantrums, refuse to obey me, and that's usually all before 9:00 in the morning. But overall, they are turning out to be these fantastic little people that I somehow got lucky enough to be given the honor of raising. I am so grateful to God for these gifts. And I pray every single day that He gives me the wisdom and the patience to do the best job that I possibly can.

My heart and my soul