Halfway Through The Year Already

I'd like to teach the world to slooooow dowwwwwwwwn (or sing), in perfect harmony! I'd like to hold it in my arms, and keep it company...

Well, it's already the end of June, and here's what I'm seeing in the kids these days.

Both of them are bouncy and active, and also like some quiet, alone time. They're gregarious and sociable, athletically competent and participative, creative and intelligent. Highly observant and good at reading others' feelings. They seem comfortable with their individuality. Not exceedingly academic or precocious. Nobody would call them "gifted" or particularly driven toward a specific activity -- an art, sport or pursuit. And yet, they are flexible, adaptable and engaging. Fun to be with and quirky -- like little furry animals with their own thing going!

My son is starting to be much more responsible for himself. He's getting dressed in the morning, getting his own breakfast, and pulling himself together for school. He puts on his own sunblock, brushes his teeth, and packs his backpack with lunchbox. We're working on getting a more appropriately-sized water bottle/thermos! Finally we've diagnosed some of what is going on in his (growing) neurology, and are going to get him some of the help he needs while also easing up on him with respect to things he can't change. I think we're going to have a much more positive family dynamic as a result of these new diagnostic insights.

My daughter continues to be a helpful, compassionate little spark of light. She is also becoming more responsible, and can get dressed and ready with the best of them. As she gets older we see that she continues to be a very social creature and thrives on being with others in all things, especially at mealtimes. She looks up to her brother and adores him -- he can't really put a foot wrong in her eyes. Most of all, she is pretty patient and inclusive with him, especially when she can compute things more quickly than he.

We are lucky the kids' temperaments mesh so well.

On the more mundane front...
- she can buckle her own seatbelt and open her own car door
- he can make scrambled eggs and bacon
- actually, she can too
- both can make waffles and pancakes, and we're working on flipping skills
- they eat salad and vinaigrette, green beans, broccoli and bokchoy
- she eats blood oranges and artichokes too!
- he eats hamburgers, carne asada and burritos
- both of them eat some fish, as well as gyoza and soba

Now that they will eat things that aren't just pizza, pasta, hotdogs and quesadillas, we can eat in many different places at last!

This is probably the most fun we've had with the kids since they were born. They bike, they are rollerblading, they swim, they ski, they eat normal food (and every fruit known to Mother Nature) and one of the reads while the other one loves to be read to! What an amazing combination of attributes, no?