Rain, rain, come again, little Charlton and James love to play!

I've never seen anyone so excited about the rain as Charlton is. If there is rain, you are bound to find him outside splashing the puddles with his bare feet. He insists in having no shoes on and rarely wears a coat. He tells me he wants "rain in his hair" so I let him, and then ask Gillian to give him a bath after he has had enough of that rain soak more than his hair.When he isn't outside playing in the rain, he loves to read. Right now we are in a Dr. Seuss reading marathon. He is very fond of them, and when we went to the library the other day we cleaned the library out of Dr. Seuss' books. An apology in advance to all of you whose child got upset for not finding any of those books. After I read to him for an hour or so, and if we don't have any errands to run or story time to attend, I let Charlton play on his own. It seemed as if it was just yesterday I was complaining about life with a toddler, but at this point Charlton is a delight to be with. He loves to read and play with me, he enjoys helping out in my chores, he doesn't mind when we have to go shopping, and he is cranky only once a day - when it's time for his nap - and I full heartily support him on his desire to rest. My favorite time of the day is when I'm working on a personal project (that sounds so serious when in fact I mean reading or writing) and he is playing quietly on his own.
Another aspect of Charlton that brings joy to me on a daily basis is his talking. He repeats a lot of the stuff that his brothers and sister say, but slowly he's adding his own personality into the mix. Here are a few funny stuff he said this week:

One afternoon I was asking him what he wanted to eat for lunch, and he kept spouting words after words in frustration. It was obvious he was having hard time finding the right words. And then all of a sudden, he slammed his hands on the kitchen table and said: I can't talk!

One morning Elijah was in the vicinity of our home running some errands for his job and so he stopped to see us. He had been driving his friend's sports car, a really loud Camero. When it was time for Elijah to leave, Charlton clang to him and wouldn't let him leave. To distract him, Elijah took him to show him the car. After a minute or so, Charlton appeared in my doorstep demanding my attention with his big eyes. He said: It was so weird, mom. Babi (father in Albanian) pushed a button in the car, and the car screamed!

I was trying to mop the kitchen floor, and Charlton was on the way "trying" to unload the dishes. I kept asking him to move and when he didn't budge I spanked his bottom. Indignantly he turned around and said: How can you? I love you.

James also likes the rain, although he doesn't like to get his feet wet. He will however play t-ball rain or shine, and since he has this contraption that allows him to play it on his own, he doesn't need anyone to accompany him. I've seen him many a times outside enjoying himself being alone and doing what he likes best.


When on a few occasions we had some sun spreading its warmth on us this week, James would take advantage of the overgrown weed area to play hide and seek with his brothers.

Now you see him...

Now you don't...

I'm glad I have James with me in the early afternoon. I'm still discovering his personality, and his strengths and weaknesses. I enjoy seeing him grow older and showing me who he is. It's funny in the mornings when I'm making lunches for my older children, and he asks if he can eat at the cafeteria. It's not that he cares for the food. Goodness, he doesn't even have to be there because his school ends right before lunch. But he wants so badly to be like his sister and brother and feel like a big boy, and so he joins the first graders and eats lunch with them, food from the cafeteria, food that my daughter thinks it's disgusting and my Jefferson throws in the trash. Ah, the joys of growing up.

We play a lot of board games together, James and I, but with Charlton wanting to join us it isn't as fun anymore. So we save time to be together when Charlton takes his nap. James's favorite past time is still reading. I think we must have read most all of the picture books at the library, because now I'm finding James expand his territory by checking out non fiction books as well. Beside having his father read Hardy Boys to him and me children's classics, James has shown interest in WWI and WWII stories and facts. He also is interested in learning about people and their lives. Here are a few of what I'm reading to James at the moment:
Speaking of James' s interest in notable people's lives, I enjoyed discussing the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.with him when James brought home his portrayal of this prominent figure. I love it that my children are growing up and we can actually discuss important issues now such as prejudice, racism, strength of character and integrity, and many more, and the same time you know they are getting it. I was proud of James when he told me that Dr. King must have been inspired by Heavenly Father to speak up on all of us being equal in the eyes of God.

I can't wait for Charlton to grow up and hear what wisdom he has to share with the rest of us.

What are your children interested in at the moment?