Enoch turns 6

We have a growing little boy on our hands... and he is officially 6 years old now!  I'm not even sure how to do a complete update post for Enoch,  but I'll at least give it a go.

First, for a few facts.  Enoch has lost 3 teeth, he wears a size 6 clothes and a size 12 or 13 in shoes.  He has daily chores, mainly in the morning, of unloading the dishwasher, feeding/watering the dog, and emptying the compost bucket.  He often also vacuums, helps fold/put away laundry, and mops the tile floors. Enoch and I do homeschool 4-5 days per week, usually while the girls nap, which ends up being good quality time for us.  Right now we cover Reading, Math, Handwriting, and Critical Thinking in school.  This Fall we technically consider him being in first grade (though we've been doing homeschool for quite awhile now), and that has opened up a few new opportunities for him.  First of all, he is playing flag football with a group of other 5-7 year old boys once a week.  Secondly, he began participating in the big boys' Sunday school class at our church (6-12 year olds), also once per week. And lastly, he has been engaged with a group called Trail Life, which focuses on building character and doing outdoor activities like camping (similar to Boy Scouts).   All of these additions have gone smoothly, and we've enjoyed seeing Enoch easing into new roles and relationships.



Now, for some random yet important things that I want to remember... Every morning the first thing Enoch does is climb in my lap and snuggle in the rocking chair.  He loves being read aloud to, and especially if you will rub his back or his arm while doing so (I think his strong love language is definitely physical touch).  When he has free time, Little Man enjoys building Legos (we have a block room pretty much devoted to them), creating in the school room with paper, glue, markers, scissors, rope, sticks, pipe cleaners, etc, playing outside, riding his bike, reading books, playing guitar, or helping me/Hugh with a project.

The three big kids get along pretty well when they're engaged with some task or fun activity, especially if it's outside.  Here are some specific details about relationships:  Karis is kind of like Enoch's little buddy.  They used to sit beside each other in the car, which bonded them quite a bit, I think.  He loves helping her care for her babies and laughing at her stories and dancing with her.  When she cries at night or throws a fit, he's usually the first one to come and try to cheer her up or figure out what's wrong.  Enoch loves riding bikes with Alaythia, having concerts with her, and reading alongside her.  They are both very similar (voices, reactions, strong-headed-ness, etc.), which means that they are either best friends or worst enemies.  :)  Enoch is still quite enamored with baby Zoe (6 mos old now).  He loves to make her laugh... all the time.  He is always willing to hold her, and he begs to help change her diaper and get her ready for bed.

Here are a few photos and videos to show what life with our Little Man is like these days.

Birthday morning snuggles

 

Birthday morning baking 

 Birthday cake decorating

And blowing out the candles (warning, it's a little loud at the beginning!):

Here's a poem Enoch memorized in school about being six.  It is titled "Now We Are Six" by A.A. Milne, and you can find the words here.  (He memorized it while writing in out for his handwriting practice.)

 

 Birthday lego set (he picked out this street sweeper/excavator combo, but here the machine hasn't been put together yet.)

 Reading with Alaythia while Daddy works on something in the car

Duck mask (he has also been into a creative/crafting spell lately where he makes masks, flags, pictures, and lots of other things) 

Our homeschool group has a Fall sports program that he participated in this year.  This is half of the little boys group, practicing flag football.  Enoch is the little boy in the green shirt on the far right. 

 Playing guitar

Enoch still loves to sing and play music, especially when he has an audience!

 We just got some kid knives, and he just loves cutting up our fruits and veggies that we eat for snack and lunch, which is a double win because it really does help me!

 Craft time with Alaythia at CFA.  We don't do this often because it is often crowded and crazy, but they both really enjoyed making crowns.

 Cutting and reading during school.  (We use All About Reading, and it has worked very well for us so far!)

 At the refuge with the girls.

 Enoch has a few Where is Waldo books in the car, and he loves reading them while we drive.

 More school stuff... Here he was showing me how to make 10 with addition using his blocks (1+8+1=10 or 5+5=10, etc.).  We use Math-U-See, and we both love it!!

 Dressing up in his Fall clothes.

 Loving on Zoe after her bath (he loves baby Zoe so much!)

Another one of his creations.  I love seeing glimpses of his theology being formed: "God is good." 

Shopping with Alaythia

And, if you're still here, then you're in for one last treat.  This is Enoch's favorite poem (so far), and he loves to quote it!  It is called "Wind on the Hill" by A.A. Milne.  (He also memorized this one by writing it out during school.)

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Karis & Alaythia Learning to Run

Both girls have been getting faster and faster lately!  Here's a short video from our time at the refuge last week.

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FFF: An Interview with Enoch

I've been trying to take more videos lately so that I can remember some of the sweet things the kids say and do as well as to be able to listen to their little voices years from now.  This video was taken at dinner a few months ago, and it is a great example of how Enoch talks when he is in an amiable mood.  (Some of you are probably thinking that Enoch seems to always be in a good mood and is always smiling; however, this is certainly not true of any child, let alone our firstborn.  These days he generally has a few different modes: amiable, rebellious, complaining, and big-boy-helper.)

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Kisses for your Hump Day

Here are some kisses for your Hump Day (video is from a few weeks ago, but I thought I should still upload it since she is too cute).  :)



{This is an example of one of those developmental skills that she must have learned by watching her two older siblings because Hugh and I never worked on teaching her how to blow kisses... she just started doing it one day!}

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Enoch Training Our Dog

For anyone who wants a good laugh, you can check out this video of Enoch "training" Cora to find a toy in his bed.  (We recently went to a dog show where the dogs had to find a toy that their owner had touched and retrieve it.  I think that this training is based on that activity.)  This happens almost every morning now with about the same results, Enoch is very dedicated and determined, and Cora is... distracted and not sure why he keeps putting her toy in the bed instead of throwing it for her.

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FFF: Alaythia Walking (with a walker) and Talking

Happy Friday!  It snowed in our little town this morning, which was pretty exciting for our big kids to get out and play in... Unfortunately, the snow melted as soon as it hit the ground though, so there weren't any fun snowmen... but also no wrecked cars from slippery roads, so no complaints.

Here is a short video of Alaythia walking and talking.  She has just begun using this little walker in the past week or two, and she definitely likes it!  Although she can't really turn or direct it yet, the pushing is so fun for her!  And I just love to listen to her talk and babble.  :)

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FFF: Alaythia's 9 month update

Baby Girl is growing right up!  I know that I just wrote her 6-8 month update, but a lot has happened in her little world over the past 30 days.  One of the first notable things, is that we got Alaythia's official height and weight at her 9 month check up.  Little one is weighing in at 20 pounds and is 28 inches already!  Her doctor visit went well, and overall she has been a pretty healthy baby.  She even survived all four of us getting the stomach bug without succumbing to it (Thank you, Jesus!!)!


Also new on the roster this month was crawling!  This has added a whole new dynamic to my daily life as a stay at home mama!!!  Thankfully though she is still slow and learning, and most of our house is safe for her to be in.  But what she lacks in speed, she certainly makes up for in determination!  If she sets her mind to crawling over to get a certain toy, then she is going to crawl over and get that toy, no matter how many times she might get moved or knocked down in the process. (I have NO idea where she gets such a stubborn nature about her... And I'm sure Hugh doesn't have the slightest idea either.  ;)


This also brings me to the next big change in Alaythia's life, learning the big "no" word.  Up to this point, there wasn't really much that she could do that would warrant a "no" from us; however, now that her world is expanding, she has been adding to the list of no-no's daily.  :)  Her current favorite no-no is spying out cords and using them as teething toys... you can imagine my excitement about that one.  :/  So, we've begun the process of learning "no," which, of course, has been quite a big change for her.  I know she is understanding me though because now sometimes when she begins moving toward a forbidden object, she will turn to see if I'm looking first. 

 One last development that is in the works is pulling up/standing.  She is getting better at pulling up on low objects into a kneeling position, but she still can't quite pull up all the way to standing yet.  If we stand her up next to the coffee table though she will hold on and maintain her stance for a few minutes (or until she gets bored with the toy in front of her).

snuggles with Enoch

hitching a ride with the laundry

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FFF: A Gem of a Video of Karis

Just this past week, Karis learned how to blow her nose all by herself, holding the tissue and everything!  She is so proud of herself now every time she does it... and I must admit that she's pretty cute when she blows all by herself too!!  So, I shot a video of her in action... she also plays "Where's Karis?" in the video (all by herself) and waves good bye... and gives an up-close look at her newest teeth (she has 6 on top coming in right now, and those two front ones are winning the race)!  Lots of little goodies packed into this 2 minute gem, for sure.  :)

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FFF: Big Boxes for Big Kids

These two big boxes were delivered to our home this week due to us having a huge subscribe & save order for March.  Immediately, Enoch was taken with them, and Karis warmed up to them quickly when she saw how much her big brother was enjoying them.  :) 

Here's a video of one of the ways they enjoy playing together in the boxes. 

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Karis Can Wave!

Karis learned how to wave just this week.  I first noticed it when we were at the vet office and she waved at the sweet vet tech who was playing with her.  :)  Here's a quick video of her waving and of Hugh lifting her high in the air (one of their favorite things to do together as of late).

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FFF: Karis is Learning to Crawl!

Sorry I've been absent lately!  We are in the final days of getting ready for baby Alaythia's arrival, so we've been busy, busy beavers... and napping beavers, too.  ;)  Among all the preparations though, Karis decided that she was ready to start moving!  So for the past week, she's been perfecting what we call the inchworm (similar to the army crawl).  Here's a video:


Isn't she cute?!!?!!  We are so excited for this new phase of learning for Karis and thankful she is increasing in her desire to be engaged in the world around her!! 

This new skill has mainly developed during our potty training times because she gets sat down in the hallway and prefers to be in the bathroom with Enoch and I.  She can go a little further than in the video, but she doesn't have unlimited range yet.  Enoch isn't sure he likes this new development when they are on the floor playing together because he is almost always her #1 target, but he's learning to be more patient and I'm learning how to referee.  ;) 

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FFF: Karis' Recent Therapy

Here are some things we've been working on in therapy lately:

 

Learning to stack blocks into a tower

Chewing on "hard munchables" like raw carrot sticks
(this strengthens Karis' jaw muscles and gives her practice biting)

Working on standing, and especially transitioning to standing
(as mentioned here)

Wearing kinesio tape on belly & back

(this reminds her muscles to work and helps support them similar to a girdle... our PT applies it on Thurs and we remove it around Mon or Tues so her skin has time to breathe before it is re-applied on Thurs.  It can be tricky to remove, but we think it is worth it!)

Karis has also been working hard at learning how to use her spoon.  This is a special spoon that our OT ordered for her, and she just loves using it!  It has a slightly curved handle and is on the smaller side of spoons since her hands and mouth are still petite. We typically support her elbow and lightly hold her hand to help guide it; however, just last week she began showing some increased coordination, which our OT and I were both so excited about:

We've also been working a ton on talking/verbalizing, and Karis is now quite the little chatterbox!  Her main sounds are "ba" "da" "aaah" and lots of yells.  ;)  Our ST (the one who comes to our home to work on the talking side of speech therapy) told us a few weeks ago that she wanted us to begin making Karis verbalize something before receiving a bite of food for mealtime (this was to capitalize on her fondness of eating).  Prior to this, Karis had been using sign language very well before bites (bringing her hand to her mouth for "eat" or "drink"), so our ST knew she understood how to communicate the idea of wanting a bite or drink.  I worked on verbalizing with Karis for a few weeks but had a difficult time getting her to make any sounds except yells.  Then, what do you know, but I was out of the house for a day helping some friends as they delivered their first baby, and Daddy took care of both kids... sure enough, after just a few meals with him, Karis was verbalizing before bites!  Our ST was so pleased the next time she stopped by!  These days when I say "Karis, do you want a bite?" there is a quick "ba, ba, ba" response and an open mouth (she doesn't even mess with signing anymore).  So now we are working on verbalizing before other things as well like when she wants a toy or wants to be picked up, etc. and we are also working on increasing the types of sounds she is saying.  The only challenge with this new development has been our level of noise during our church service.  We used to sit at the back and slowly eat through a bowl of cheerios.  Each time Karis was ready for a bite, she would sign "eat" quietly, and I'd give her another bite.  Now, instead of signing, she says "ba, ba, ba" in a not so quiet tone.... let's just say Mama's getting quick and we are working on learning the word "wait" as well.  ;) 

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FFF: Karis Eating

Just a quick video of Karis eating some grapes from around a month ago.  The first sign she learned was "eat," and she is now quite proficient at saying it when she wants another bite!  In the video, she also uses her raking grasp to pick up grapes.  This has made meal time so much easier since I can just put food out on her tray and she eats independently, though I do still have to limit how much I put out at a time because she is like a greedy little vacuum - always trying to suck up however much she can as fast as humanly possible.  ;)


We are working toward a pincer grasp these days (using thumb and pointer finger only), but she will only try that if we are very careful about how we give her each bite. 

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Enoch can... put on jeans!

One of Enoch's newest accomplishments is putting on his jeans by himself.  We've been working on it for a few weeks now, and as long as the jeans aren't too tight on him, he is pretty reliable about being able to put them on independently.  I thought I'd post a video of my Little Man practicing with us girls a few days ago.  (Karis' little laughs in the background are also fairly typical of how she interacts with Enoch when she is around him these days... she thinks he is just too funny & exciting, and she loves to watch him, laugh at him, and reach for him.... and he certainly doesn't mind the extra attention from his admiring audience!)

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Karis Playing with Daddy (videos)

Here are two videos of Hugh playing with Karis.  She just loves playing these days, especially when Daddy gets home from work!  If you watch closely, you'll notice her throw her hands up and down in excitement a few times... that's her "yay!!!!" expression right now.  :)

Karis giving hugs & getting tickled:


Karis playing "Where's Karis?"

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FFF: Enoch Preaching

Here's a video Hugh took a few weeks ago of Enoch teaching the Bible.  He likes to do this a few times per week, and he especially likes to do it when he has an audience... an audience who can clap (as you'll see if you watch the video).  Every time he preaches, he has to have his pulpit (the stool) and his Bible (his is the ESV Children's Bible, which has the full text of Scripture with lots of good pictures included... not that he can actually read it yet, but he likes flipping through it). 

In this video, there is a lot of gibberish... I'm not even able to understand parts of it, ha!  But, typically he will 'teach' us some passage of Scripture he has
(partly) memorized or he will open up to a page and talk about what the picture shows.  He also really likes talking about how Jesus rose from the dead right now... any time we read the Bible, he likes to interrupt every few sentences by saying "... and THEN Jesus rose from the dead."  It is pretty cute.  Most of what he says typically has some root in something he's heard - either through his Scripture songs, family worship, or our church meetings (like in the video he talks about falling down and worshipping God, which is from a sermon a few weeks back in our church meeting)... it is really neat to see what he remembers, and also a good reminder to me that he is always listening and learning!

Anyway, without further ado... Enoch's preaching (sorry for all of my laughing in the background!)

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FFF: Karis Giving Kisses

Well, it's official that Hugh is smitten... Karis has learned how to kiss now, and he thinks it's just the sweetest thing.  (I do too, of course!)  And I'm not gonna lie, she has been getting plenty of practice between her two boys and her mama all wanting some of her sweet sugars.  :) 

Here is a video of her kissing Daddy.

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TBT: Enoch's first set of words (~20 mos old)

I ran across this video on my phone while trying to make space for new photos/videos.  After watching it, I decided to share it since it captures some sweet memories of Enoch at such a cute stage.  I just love the way he pronounced some of those newer words in his little baby voice (which Hugh reminded me this week will one day change into a deep, manly voice...).  And I laughed inside a bit seeing him doing little things like showing me his socks, or hitting his head on the couch, or saying "no, no, no"...  quite a good portrayal of those days of intense learning.  ;)  Hope you enjoy my throw back as much as I did. 

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Enoch can Jump!

Little Man finally figured out how to get both of his feet off the ground at the same time!  I just noticed this new development a week ago, but Hugh says he's been doing it for a month or so...  Now he does it all the time!

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FFF: Enoch Singing (with guitar)

Just a few long videos for your Friday of Enoch singing and playing his guitar (while standing up, which is quite new, as you'll see).  He is really loving strumming on this old guitar these days, and he requests to play it multiple times a day.  Thankfully one of our friends tuned it to a random chord for us, so it no longer kills our ear drums.  ;)  Hope you enjoy!



A Mighty Fortress is Our God
A mighty fortress is our God,
A bulwark never failing......
For still our ancient foe
Does seek to work us woe,
His craft and power are great
And armed with cruel hate


Colossians 3:1-3  (See #14)
If then you have been raised with Christ,
seek the things that are above,
where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
Set your minds on things that are above,
not on things that are on Earth.
For you have died,
and your life is hidden with Christ in God.


James 1:12  (See #26)
Blessed is the man
who remains steadfast under trial,
for when he has stood the test,
he will receive the crown of life....




Holy, Holy, Holy
Holy, holy, holy,
Lord God Almighty
Early in the morning
our song shall rise to thee.


Psalm 1  (See #13)
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.


All of the scripture songs that Enoch is singing in those videos are from the Fighter Verses resource put out by Desiring God.  We have two of the CDs that we listen to in the car, and we all love them!  I highly recommend them, especially if you try to memorize in the ESV translation.  Here's a video that describes why they were made:

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