Eugenious

Elena

• can reliably count four objects. More than four, and she starts double-counting and ends up with crazy-high numbers of Cheerios.
• loves loves loves to set the table and becomes quite sad if her parents carry too many items out to the porch picnic table (I think we last ate dinner inside last June. Really. I mean, you gotta squeeze all the sun out of an Oregon summer.)
• started in the “big kid room” last Monday. That’s preschool. I remember being stunned at the size of the 5-year-olds in my new 3-year-old’s classroom when Sylvan started preschool. With Elena, I figure she’ll just roll with it.
• has some molars coming in that hurt at least a little.
• has learned how to skip! She puts the non-hopping leg straight out in front of her. She told me she was “practicing” her skipping today, because she’s apparently on her way to Junior Nationals.

Oh, and she's a happy smiling girl. Almost always.

Sylvan

• started karate 2 1/2 weeks ago. He showed me some kata on the playground last week and in the living room tonight.
• was called a “role model” by his Kindergarten teacher this morning, as in, “Sylvan is such a role model in the classroom. When we’re waiting to settle down, I can say to the class, ‘I see that Sylvan is ready to listen.'” I, myself, saw similar behavior in his karate class. He saves his mischief for me! As a parent, I’m supposed to be pleased that he’s comfortable enough in my unconditional love that he can infuriate me without fear of becoming unloved.
• can read remarkably well, but he’s never attempted to read a book by himself.
• has graduated to a larger bike, on which he’s really fast! (Time to clean out the wheeled objects in the garage…)
• has math skills that sort of frighten me, as in, “Do you think they’ll let a sixth grader take linear algebra?”
• warmly and openly greets other kids, his age and older, usually calling them by name before they talk to him. His ability to remember names is good, and his complete belief in other kids returning his greeting is charmingly disarming.

Notice the turquoise karate belt (a.k.a. old climbing webbing)?