Some Odds and Ends

Just a few things that have been happening around here lately.

1. Joseph finished memorizing his Articles of Faith 2 weeks ago.

2. He and I finished reading the first Harry Potter together, and now we're starting the 2nd one. I read it to him at bedtime, and amazingly enough (if Rebekah's weaving her magic in getting Jalen Andrew to sleep in a different room), James quietly listens to the story as well. No. That is not a normal thing for him to do, AND many times he'll fall asleep while I'm reading.

3. Jalen Andrew is really getting good at talking in full sentences. The development of language always amazes me. He still has a quiet personality, and he does the sweetest head nods and says, "Uh-huh" when asked a question. We like to ask him yes and no questions, just to hear his sweet "Uh-huh!" However . . .

4. He's starting to answer other questions now, as well. I asked him yesterday what songs he sang in nursery, and he answered, "Duck (Old McDonald) . . . umm, Winkle Star . . . ummm, 'Round a Rosies." Too cute. I loved his "ummms" as he thought about his answer.

5. And then yesterday at church, I wrote his name on a little Magna Doodle, and told him that it was his name. He looked at me curiously. Then I wrote "Rebekah" and told him that it was Rebekah's name. He showed her the Magna Doodle, and when she nodded in recognition that it was her name, a light when on in Jalen Andrew's eyes. He suddenly understood that words mean something. We wrote Christine, and he got the same response. We wrote Dad, and he stood on the bench to show it to his Dad, who from the stand nodded his recognition. We wrote James and Joseph, and Jalen Andrew who really understood by this point that those symbols signified people's names, tried desperately to wake up James and Joseph to show them their names. He then requested that I help him write Baby's name (her real name is Elizabeth, but she's baby to him, and she in turn calls him her baby). After I wrote it, he left my lap, to visit the pew behind us and show Elizabeth her name. She didn't get what the fuss was about, but enjoyed stroking his shoulder as he shared her mom's lap. Then he had me write Landon too, and visited the end of our pew, to show Landon. I LOVE this age, when they start understanding all the mystery that has been surrounding them!

5. I think it's safe to say that Jalen Andrew is a lover not a fighter. He sure has quite a flock of little girls that he likes in his nursery class. He likes to hug them, and talk about them, and share their fish crackers with them (that would be Elizabeth, who was quite happy to share). I was helping in nursery last week, when I realized that Jalen Andrew had just pushed a little girl down. While I helped them back up, Miss Abby told me, "If it's any consolation. . . he wasn't trying to push her over. He was just trying to kiss her." The other day, Rebekah was grilling Jalen Andrew with questions, to try and get him to do his cute head nod "Uh-huh." Referring to the incident above, she asked him if he liked to kiss girls (mind you, all his answers to the questions before this were "Uh-huh"), to which he promptly replied, "Yum." Needless to say, he and I had a long conversation about the only girl he's allowed to kiss is his Mom, and that the number 22 is the magic number he has to reach before kissing anymore girls!