My little brother Blake has been staying with us this summer.
He's also Silas' uncle and best friend. They go well together.
Their favorite activity is playing with Legos but they also liked swimming.
Almost every waking moment has been taken up with discussing battle tactics of droids and clones, how to best attack the other side, watching Lego Star Wars videos on YouTube, occasionally playing with blocks and army men, riding bikes on the porch while also attacking a droid army and sometimes making time to listen to me read 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' to them.
I'm really going to miss Blake. Mostly because it means Silas will then turn to me to discuss and play the above-mentioned things. And also because he's a kind, calm, well-mannered, friendly and lovely boy.
Christian played a little bit of men's soccer again this year. We got to watch him play in only one game, but we had a lot of fun that day.
Christian warmed up by playing with Silas.
Instead of in the heat of the high school's metal benches, we got to sit under the trees next to the band's practice field. We took Eli's umbrella in case we couldn't sit in the shade.
And so he could play with it.
Silas goofing off with some glasses.
The boys watching Daddy play.
Daddy as goalkeeper and wearing an XXL jersey. He'd never played goalie before and he enjoyed it.
Peaches!
There's Auntie Char joining us!
Eli's distracted by Silas' ear, but everyone else is cheesing away.
My precious little boy, still for just long enough to snap this photo.
Since Blake has been here I haven't really had to entertain Silas too much. This has given me some extra time with this little guy here.
He is more than happy to let me take his picture. He just doesn't want to sit still to let me do it. He likes hanging out with me, though. We were sitting on the edge of the cabin porch and swinging our legs together. Then he would ask for me to let him down and he would run around to the steps, go up them and come and sit next to me again. Then we would do it all over again.
He's become such a gem. He sings almost constantly, and at the top of his voice. He dances to the slightest tune. I especially love it when his mind is on something else and his body just starts wiggling. He can't help it. Once he had Tater Tot in his arms and started dancing with her (while she was struggling to get away).
Look at my cute little boy! It's a good thing swimming season is almost over because this life jacket is almost too small. He likes swimming more this year, though. He really likes jumping off the ladder (while I'm holding his hands) and into the water.
He's become really sweet and helpful lately. He always tries to clean up any mess he's made. He'll go and get things for me (like a fresh diaper or a towel). He helps unload the dishwasher. He will almost always give you a hug when you ask nicely.
Every time he wakes up he asks, "Good...sleep...Mummy? Yeah?" He always has to take his blanket, lovey, and monkey out of bed with him but doesn't care about them once he's up. He likes to help in the kitchen. If we include him, in some small way, in what we're doing then he is so much easier to handle. He likes the attention, man.
He's talking a lot more and saying his words better. I can make out almost all of what he says. If I can't then Silas usually can. I tried starting him in room time a few weeks ago, giving him a few toys to play with and a few books. He hated it. He does NOT like being alone. I think he's still just a tad too young for it. We'll try him again with it later.
He is developing a lot. It's like his brain clicked and now he understands how his puzzles work and is starting to understand his numbers. Colors and letters are still a little ways off, although he does sing the alphabet song sometimes. He does like to draw and color and also likes working with the manipulatives I got for him. Mostly because then he can hold it up and say, "Look Mummy!" and get a cheer from me.
The other day we were working outside, cutting up wood. I was moving the big logs and throwing them over the fence so we could pick them up with the truck. Every time I threw a big one over the fence he would clap his hands and say, "Yea! Good...job...Mummy!" He loves anything with wheels on it and anything to do with a farm. He thinks the EIEIO in Old MacDonald actually says, "Eli-Eli-O." It might be because that's how we sing it to him.
I do sometimes feel like he's my biggest accomplishment so far. Silas is such a compliant child; parenting him has always been easy. Eli has been a lot harder. But we've seen improvement. Some because he's getting older but some because we've worked hard at being consistent with him. Not allowing him to throw fits. Making him eat his food. Teaching him to talk instead of whine when he wants something. Hopefully he will continue to grow out of some of his toddler tendencies (i.e. not sharing and not being nice) and we'll continue to be consistent in our discipline. It is most assuredly a journey, not a destination!
My awesome five-year-old was so excited to start school because it's "so much fun."
At his new desk area, working on math (which is his favorite).
We start school in the afternoons now. Since Christian works evenings and is home in the mornings, we decided to make mornings family time and afternoons school time. It works for now because Eli is asleep and the house is quiet.
He's trying not to laugh in this photo. He didn't like his picture being taken.
This school year is going to be a lot more structured than last year's kindergarten. He has several more subjects and a lot more work. One of the things that was nice about last year was it was so flexible. And yet, in the end the flexibility became annoying because it wasn't as high of a priority as it needed to be. So other things always took precedence, which meant we had to cram in several lessons in one day or find a few minutes to finish up his work. I'm glad we started out slowly and didn't make kindergarten this huge overwhelming venture for him, but I'm ready to make it more 'professional'. I want school and learning to be fun and exciting for him, but it also needs to be serious and purposeful. My goal for kindergarten was to ease into homeschooling and instill a love for learning. Hopefully this year we can combine those two things with the ability to work hard and try his best. It's only been three days but so far things are going smoothly.
We recently went to our public library for a summer event they were holding. We found this book on a display shelf while we were there:
"I Have the Right to Be a Child" is written by Alain Serres and illustrated by Aurelia Fronty. My interest was piqued. The book is based on a little thing from the UN called the Convention on the Rights of the Child. This convention founded UNICEF. They set out a certain amount of 'rights' or basic standards that every child in the world is entitled to. Every country in the United Nations has ratified this treaty, except for three. The United States is the only Western country not to have done so.
First, let me say that the majority of these rights are very good; in a large portion of our world they're needed. It sets out things like a child's right not to be in the military until they're 18, to not be forced into slavery or child prostitution. These are excellent things that I would happily support. However, there are 2 things about the treaty that are frightening.
The first is the requirement of the country to give up its sovereignty. From the UNICEF website:
"The Convention on the Rights of the Child is the first legally binding international instrument to incorporate the full range of human rights—civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights."
And
"By agreeing to undertake the obligations of the Convention (by ratifying or acceding to it), national
governments have committed themselves to protecting and ensuring children's rights and they have agreed to hold themselves accountable for this commitment before the international community."
From the Parental Rights website:
"A committee of 18 experts from other nations, sitting in Geneva, has the authority to issue official interpretations of the treaty which are entitled to binding weight in American courts and legislatures. This effectively transfers ultimate authority for all policies in this area to this foreign committee."
The second thing I find frightening, though, is some of the actual rights and how they can be interpreted. Or rather, how they have been interpreted in other countries already. By enforcing the right of the child, the parent's right is undermined. Again from the UNICEF website: "...we cannot ensure some rights without—or at the expense of—other rights." For example, this treaty has been used in other countries to outlaw spanking. There's also a principle in the treaty about 'the best interest of the child.' Using this principle, if a government worker thought how you were raising your child was not in the child's best interest, the government worker could override any decision made by you, the parent. There are many other things, as well, that have come about from this treaty.
For example, the right to think for themselves. Obviously, this is not a bad thing. We want to teach our children to think for themselves and not be sheep. However, when this right is ensured at the expense of the parent's right to teach and mold their child - it can have very bad consequences. I'm going to post a video at the end called "Overruled." In it they talk about a few legal cases where the child has sued the parents for violating their rights. One example is of a teenage boy who felt oppressed because his parents made him go to church.
The right not to be poor or to be too hot. Very idealistic but obviously not enforceable. And that last line, 'Not more' is a little suspicious to me...
The right to refuse to go to work. Again, I know child labor is a problem in many countries but taken one step too far it can prevent parents from teaching their children how to work hard and have a good work ethic. Children would have a legally enforceable right to leisure.
You might have to click on this picture to be able to read it, but it is basically a guilt trip for the United States not having ratified the treaty. On the bottom right it says, "If I live in one of the very few countries that haven't agreed to the Convention, like the United States, I have the right to demand that country to join! Should I not have the same rights as every other child in the world?" Needless to say, by the time Christian and I got to this part of the book, we were extremely distressed. Where did this book come from? So we looked at the back page to the notes on the author and illustrator. Then we rolled our eyes. They were French.
I know that my post might seem a bit like scare mongering. I really don't like using fear and 'what-ifs' as motivators, but these aren't 'what-ifs.' They have happened in other countries and have happened, to a certain degree, in this country (mostly in those states that have tried to introduce their own legislation similar to the treaty).
The Convention on the Right of the Child shifts the authority and responsibility of the child from the parent to the government. This has already happened in America concerning education - in most people's eyes it is the government's job to educate our children, not the parents.
The United States hasn't ratified this treaty, mostly because we are very protective of our sovereignty. It would need a two-thirds vote in the Senate to pass it, and I don't think it will come close any time soon. However, the theory behind it - that the government is responsible for the well-being of the child - is still a threat to parental rights from those who believe that the CRC should be implemented within the US, either at a federal or state level.
I'm posting several different links so you can decide for yourself.
We finished the flooring in the office/schoolroom. We still have to put up the baseboards, but that's okay. It's 99.5% done.
Now I just need to get a rug so I can cover it all up. No, that's not the reason I need a rug. I need a rug so we can sit on the floor and comfortably read books together. I think.
We're slowly getting everything ready for first grade, starting August 13th! We're also taking full advantage of the lazy dog days of summer before we start school.
Eli likes to pull his trousers all the way up past his belly button. Silas did it to him once several weeks ago and now he's constantly hitching them up as high as they'll go.
Mr. Banana Face came and got me and said, "Cheeeeese. Picture?" So I, of course, had to take his picture. It's blurry because he won't stay still for half a second, but it's still cute. And I won't think badly of myself for posting two photos of Eli and none of Silas because Silas was at his grandfather's for four days and wasn't around to have it taken.
I've started this blog for one reason only: to document my children's lives while they're young so I won't forget. If you happen to run across it and enjoy it, then I've accomplished two things today. Woohoo!
Silas Says
While praying one night shortly after the death of our kitty cat: "Dear God, thank you for a wonderful kitty. Please keep her safe and buried. Amen."
