Alex and I arrived home after 24+ hours of travel.
Yesterday, while driving to the store we drove past a couple girls on horses and I asked Alex "What are those?" pointing to the horses. He's immediate response was, "Unicorns!" We couldn't help but laugh and in his defense when we study the alphabet the U card has a unicorn on it and the H card does not have a horse on it. So of course, the only word he knows that looks similar to a horse is a unicorn!
In these four short weeks Alex has learned so much! His English gets better every day. But he has so much more to learn then English. Here's a few other things he's learned. Some he learned easily, some not so easily:
1. When mom says your clothes don't match, you have to go change no matter how much you pout or say no. (I always say, "Alex you are not an orphan any more and I will not have you looking like one!")
2. If you don't use soap in the bathtub, you'll be getting back in to try again.
3. When you wear shorts you wear short socks.
4. You need to TRY everything on your plate. You don't have to like it and you don't have to eat it all-unless it's your vegetables-even then if you don't want to eat them, that's okay-you just don't get any treats later.
5. When you try food that you have thoroughly sniffed and made a disgusting face about, sometimes you really like it and ask for more.
6. Bedtime is at nine o'clock and when mom trust you to get yourself to bed on time and you don't do it, you get to go to bed however minutes you were late getting into bed-that much earlier the next night.
7. When you do your 10 minute daily chore poorly, Mom will call you back to re-do it as many times as it takes to get it right-and it ends up taking you longer than ten minutes.
8. Sponge Bob is cool and you get to watch more TV then the other children. (This is in an effort to help him pick up English-I know, do I really want him sounding like Patrick and Sponge Bob?)
9. Having sleep over's with cousins is cool.
10. Sacrament is boring but primary is fun.
11. You have to take turns with Rylee sitting on the best side of the car.
12. The youngest children sit in the very back of the van.
13. Austin is fun and silly and "needs crazy medicine". (That's what Alex is always telling him.)
14. Singing and dancing are a daily occurrence at your house.
15. Making money selling punch, Popsicles and popcorn is great!
16. You need to let the batteries die before replacing them in anything.
17. Mom likes hugs and kisses daily.
18. Mom is not so dumb, if you say you've brushed your teeth, your toothbrush better be wet.
19. Riding your bike is a privilege and can be taken away if you don't obey or behave.
20. You are very smart. No one may have told you that before but you are incredibly smart and your Mom tells you that all the time. (And that you're cute too!)
21. America is "rely rely cool!"
All in all, things have gone WAY better than I anticipated. After our little computer talk a couple weeks ago Alex has been wonderful. I know there are times he wants to pout and stomp off but he resists. We did have some tears over the re-bath due to lack of soap usage but afterwards I tickled and hugged him and made a big deal over how good he smells and he found his giggles. He is struggling with my new "bath everyday" rule. But the boy plays so hard and sweats-he needs to bath every day!
Last night I was gone at the bedtime hour but home shortly after and when I got home he was up with his light and radio on. I explained that he'd be going to bed tomorrow at 8:44 instead of nine o'clock. I'm sure that will be a struggle and I know that sounds like such a petty thing to worry about but the point is I left him with specific instructions (not to mention he was reminded by Rylee to go to bed and she managed to get in bed on time) and he chose not to obey. So this is a consequence he needs to learn. I know I'm a mean mother but mean mothers have the nicest kids!
I have learned a lot too in these past four weeks:
1. Wearing mismatched, homemade earrings to church makes Alex very proud.
2. That shirts are not only to cover your body but to use as a napkin.
3. Alex eats fruit like other kids eat candy.
4. That you teach your children so much right from birth and sometimes it's over whelming to think of all the things Alex needs to learn.
5. It's important to CHECK Alex's pockets before washing his pants!
6. That hot sweaty little boys give the nicest hugs.
7. Loving Alex is easy.
8. Teaching him isn't always easy.
9. English words with a Russian accent are hard to understand-no matter how loud he repeats them. (Usually when I just can't get it, he's not using the right word in the first place. Lucky for me and Alex we're both very good at charades!)
10. As much as we've both learned, we have lots more to go....
On the way to our neighbors house a block away none of us but Alex had on a seat belt and he was telling everyone "Kambree-seat belt, Austin-seat belt" etc. Then Austin said, "Why don't you tell Mom-seat belt?" Alex gasped. "Mama, no seat belt?-insert sound of disappointment- Mama broken?" So, despite the fact I'm a mean mother-with high hygenic & color cordinating standards, he must still love me or at least care about me as he doesn't want to see me "broken"!
Yesterday, while driving to the store we drove past a couple girls on horses and I asked Alex "What are those?" pointing to the horses. He's immediate response was, "Unicorns!" We couldn't help but laugh and in his defense when we study the alphabet the U card has a unicorn on it and the H card does not have a horse on it. So of course, the only word he knows that looks similar to a horse is a unicorn!
In these four short weeks Alex has learned so much! His English gets better every day. But he has so much more to learn then English. Here's a few other things he's learned. Some he learned easily, some not so easily:
1. When mom says your clothes don't match, you have to go change no matter how much you pout or say no. (I always say, "Alex you are not an orphan any more and I will not have you looking like one!")
2. If you don't use soap in the bathtub, you'll be getting back in to try again.
3. When you wear shorts you wear short socks.
4. You need to TRY everything on your plate. You don't have to like it and you don't have to eat it all-unless it's your vegetables-even then if you don't want to eat them, that's okay-you just don't get any treats later.
5. When you try food that you have thoroughly sniffed and made a disgusting face about, sometimes you really like it and ask for more.
6. Bedtime is at nine o'clock and when mom trust you to get yourself to bed on time and you don't do it, you get to go to bed however minutes you were late getting into bed-that much earlier the next night.
7. When you do your 10 minute daily chore poorly, Mom will call you back to re-do it as many times as it takes to get it right-and it ends up taking you longer than ten minutes.
8. Sponge Bob is cool and you get to watch more TV then the other children. (This is in an effort to help him pick up English-I know, do I really want him sounding like Patrick and Sponge Bob?)
9. Having sleep over's with cousins is cool.
10. Sacrament is boring but primary is fun.
11. You have to take turns with Rylee sitting on the best side of the car.
12. The youngest children sit in the very back of the van.
13. Austin is fun and silly and "needs crazy medicine". (That's what Alex is always telling him.)
14. Singing and dancing are a daily occurrence at your house.
15. Making money selling punch, Popsicles and popcorn is great!
16. You need to let the batteries die before replacing them in anything.
17. Mom likes hugs and kisses daily.
18. Mom is not so dumb, if you say you've brushed your teeth, your toothbrush better be wet.
19. Riding your bike is a privilege and can be taken away if you don't obey or behave.
20. You are very smart. No one may have told you that before but you are incredibly smart and your Mom tells you that all the time. (And that you're cute too!)
21. America is "rely rely cool!"
All in all, things have gone WAY better than I anticipated. After our little computer talk a couple weeks ago Alex has been wonderful. I know there are times he wants to pout and stomp off but he resists. We did have some tears over the re-bath due to lack of soap usage but afterwards I tickled and hugged him and made a big deal over how good he smells and he found his giggles. He is struggling with my new "bath everyday" rule. But the boy plays so hard and sweats-he needs to bath every day!
Last night I was gone at the bedtime hour but home shortly after and when I got home he was up with his light and radio on. I explained that he'd be going to bed tomorrow at 8:44 instead of nine o'clock. I'm sure that will be a struggle and I know that sounds like such a petty thing to worry about but the point is I left him with specific instructions (not to mention he was reminded by Rylee to go to bed and she managed to get in bed on time) and he chose not to obey. So this is a consequence he needs to learn. I know I'm a mean mother but mean mothers have the nicest kids!
I have learned a lot too in these past four weeks:
1. Wearing mismatched, homemade earrings to church makes Alex very proud.
2. That shirts are not only to cover your body but to use as a napkin.
3. Alex eats fruit like other kids eat candy.
4. That you teach your children so much right from birth and sometimes it's over whelming to think of all the things Alex needs to learn.
5. It's important to CHECK Alex's pockets before washing his pants!
6. That hot sweaty little boys give the nicest hugs.
7. Loving Alex is easy.
8. Teaching him isn't always easy.
9. English words with a Russian accent are hard to understand-no matter how loud he repeats them. (Usually when I just can't get it, he's not using the right word in the first place. Lucky for me and Alex we're both very good at charades!)
10. As much as we've both learned, we have lots more to go....
On the way to our neighbors house a block away none of us but Alex had on a seat belt and he was telling everyone "Kambree-seat belt, Austin-seat belt" etc. Then Austin said, "Why don't you tell Mom-seat belt?" Alex gasped. "Mama, no seat belt?-insert sound of disappointment- Mama broken?" So, despite the fact I'm a mean mother-with high hygenic & color cordinating standards, he must still love me or at least care about me as he doesn't want to see me "broken"!
4 of my blog friends said something...:
You are such a good mom! (cut to me cutting and pasting all of your rules into our family rule book right now)... What a great post!
I loved it, we just talked about the exact bed time rule last night! Well, they struggle getting up in the morning so how many minutes longer they sleep in they are going to have to go to bed that much earlier that night. Today they did much better.
Such a cute post! Alex really is so cute and very clever. I really can't believe some of the things he comes up with. I just read your comment about taking our husbands our for their february birthdays hehehe, lets do it!
Your posts to continue to bring us joy, even though you are now home. You have such a talent with words, and you articulate so well when you talk about Alex. He is such a cute kid, and we love to see the progress he's making. Please give him a big hug from all of us!
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