Catchin' up

Nothing major or hilarious to report. Just thought I'd update everyone on the boys.

The other day I took Cam and Gabriel to the dr because they weren't feeling well. Cameron did SOOO GOOD! What a change from the last time there with Dylan. Cam was laying down on the table before the dr even came in. We found out that Cameron has bronchitis and Gabriel has an ear infection. So, we went from having no kids on medication to all 3 being on medication (Dylan for his asthma).

Cub Scouts has been having such an amazing positive impact on Dylan. He is so proud of himself and his accomplishments (learning the scout motto, cub scout promise, the law of the pack, the handshake, the solute, the sign, earning beads and other awards etc...) The other day he did his 'Scouting for Food'. He and Cameron put door hangers on our neighbors doors and went back a week later to collect any food donations that the neighbors left out. It was cold and raining and Dylan was so excited to put his uniform on and collect the food. He even ASKED me to take his photo (below). Cub Scouts is perfect for him and he's really getting into it. Later that day Chan and Dylan volunteered to help install the new (gigantic) playground at the church. They were among 60 other people who spent the day in the freezing rain wheeling tons (literally) of stone wheel barrow by wheel barrow. Dylan is thrilled that he got to be a part of it all. Dylan and Chan are going on the Cub Scout camping trip for 2 nights. I can't wait to hear how it goes. A few weeks ago Dylan, Chan and the cub scouts were in the New Cumberland parade. Everyone in his pack had to dress as something from a certain part of the US. Dylan had to pick something from the North East. We decided on a coin (representing the US Mint...and Dylan loves money). I made him a quarter costume that came out really cute. Apparently it was a huge hit at the parade (they could hear the spectators talking about it and picking him out of the crowd).

Dylan after collecting the food donations

Dylan was all smiles in the parade

Dylan got his report card and is doing great. His teacher is a hard grader. She said that she never gives out 'Advanced' grades unless the child has 100% accuracy in a particular subject. Good news, Dylan got Advanced in Math! He loves math and science which doesn't surprise us, he's always been into the mechanics of things.

Cameron has been amazing us! Or as Dylan says "Cameron is a GENIUS!" Cam just turned 4 less than two months ago and he is already calculating math problems in his head! Obviously Dylan is doing awesome in math and Cameron is now doing the same math problems in his head. He doesn't just memorize the answer, he actually calculates it. You can say "What is 5+7?" or "What is 9+4?" and he'll think for a minute and give the answer! He doesn't even count on his fingers, he just whispers to himself as he counts it out in his mind. It's so cool! Here he is doing 1st grade math in preschool (even without pencil/paper). We didn't teach him this either, he just watched and listened while Dylan did his homework and picked it up on his own. Based on his birthday, he wouldn't be in 1st grade for another 2 1/2 years. His birthday is right on the cut off which means that he could either be in preschool next year or kindergarten. It's always a huge decision about when to put a child in kindergarten. I don't want to push him out the door too soon, but I also want to make sure he's where he needs to be. We're not making any decisions yet. We have plenty of time and we're just going to wait and see and make that decision later. He is also starting to read and has been spelling for quite awhile now. He loves working on his writing.

At the end of Cameron's soccer season the YMCA had a wonderful awards event. They invited all the kids to the indoor water park at the Y and then had a pizza party and gave out awards. When Dylan was in soccer at the Y he got a trophie both years. This year Cameron got a medal. It is really cool (it's a really nice metal one - not plastic or anything) and he also got a certificate. It's nice that he got something different than Dylan did - it made it extra special.

Cameron with his medal and certificate
(it's kinda hard to see the medal - the ribbon on the medal is the same color as his shirt).

Cameron at the indoor water park before the awards ceremony

Gabriel, our sweet little baby, is doing wonderfully too. He's still not a big talker, but he makes sure he gets his point across. It's cute the way he gets so excited and yells "YAYA!" (aka: dada) when Chan gets home. He is OBSESSED with books. Ever since he was a baby he was never big into playing with toys. He just wasnt interested. Well, we've discovered what makes him tick! BOOKS! He's a very active boy who doesn't stay still for long, but if you have a book in your hand, he'll sit still on your lap for hours. Ok, we've never actually sat for hours, but I'd imagine he would. :) We'll read book after book and when I finally decide that we're done, he freaks out - crying and reaching for more books. But hey, there's nothing wrong with loving books! Gabriel loves to imitate his big brothers and he tries to do everything they do. He has his 18 mo checkup on Friday.

Gabriel at grandpas house