1 and A HALF!!

Don't you remember being a kid and emphasizing that you were closer to the next age year with the decisive AND A HALF!!

I feel like Kent is doing just that. He has a lot to say and he ain't afraid to say it. His stumps are more like his soapbox or pulpit.

His vocabulary is growing day by day and the dorm boys have to filter themselves a lot more, next year especially. They have a much more colorful way of speaking than Kent's harmless "NO" that they love to hear him shout. He's finally repeating their names, and it'll be sad to see them graduate on Monday. We'll get lots more boys in the fall, many of whom are skateboarders and electronic-music lovers. Kent already tries to stand up on his four-wheeled xylophone, imitating his dorm bros...

His night wakings have vanished and on top of that, for the last 3 days, we've been sleeping in until 6:30, 6 and once even 7 am!!! We'll take him out of his crib and let him run around between his room and ours while we flop back into bed and snooze a bit. Kent usually finds toys and shoves them in our faces yelling their name. This morning it was LEG! 

Spring lasted three days here and now it's in the 70s and 80s. We've spent a lot of time playing with water on the deck and going to the beach and hanging out in the shade.

 See our water wall in the back?

 HE LOVES STICKS! Any sticks become rhythm sticks, just like music class.

Bubbles!

Where's Kent? I see him.

 In the sandbox!

 How do you keep a toddler from removing his sun hat????

 "BIG!" he says. "STICK!" he exclaims. Life is good.

 Watering the stumps.

Randomly, I started singing Silent Night one evening because he was tired and agitated. He started crying!! I switched to Jingle Bells (why is it Christmas in my head?) and he was fine. A minute later, I tried Silent Night again and his lip got all pouty and he teared up. The next day, I showed Matt and he wanted it on film. We're so cruel.

He loves to entertain himself.

 He only needed one.

He's really good at getting into my purse. He can pretty much get into anything. Every surface is reachable, except the mantel. The mantel is becoming quite cluttered.

He still prefers me over Matt, but he always looks forward to Papa coming home from work. His whole face just lights up. One day, Matt was holding him and he reached for me, so I took him. Then he waved bye-bye to Matt.

At the last two music classes, I've been so proud of Kent's progress. He no longer needs me to show him what to do or where to go. When it's time to pop those bubbles, he's right out there. When it's time to get rhythm sticks, he goes right up to the Miss Bethany and waits his turn. When it's time to give them back (which used to be a fight involving tears), he walks up to her and lifts them up to her waiting for her to notice him (and she gives him a big thank you!!). When it's time for the musical parade around the library, he grabs what he likes from the bag and he marches after the other kids (he used to need me to physically direct him). He still doesn't follow the songs' directions without help (like the hokie pokie), but he does everything else on his own like a big boy. What a marvelous boy you're growing into buddy.