Carving It Up.

In case you can't tell from this picture, Will does not enjoy the "de-gooing" of the inside of the pumpkin.

It doesn't bother Eliza Grace at all.

 In the spirit of Will's Minecraft Steve costume....

 
This year Eliza Grace did all her own carving for the very first time.  It turned out adorable!

And to make it extra Halloweenie authentic, we hired that daddy long leg spider to pose for the picture!

Her Gift.

Like everyone, Eliza Grace has many gifts and talents. One of these is her gift of words.

She started talking in complete sentences when she was around 18 months old. 

While some kids were saying, "Dada go to work?" Eliza Grace was saying, "Hey Daddy, what are you going to do at work today?"

While certain physical activities were more challenging (musical rhythm, balancing, riding a bike, etc.) speaking and reading came very easily.

She's the kid that you have to tell to put the book down and go to sleep a couple of times a night. 

By first grade she was writing her own books and poems with accompanying illustrations.

It's been fun to watch her writing mature as she learns more about writing styles and composition. 

Her poem entitled "The Dragons" was written as a class assignment during a unit on poetry this year.  

What I find most impressive is that her final submission was exactly the same as her first draft, which she whipped out in class when she first received the assignment.  

Earlier this week I was wading through all of the papers in her book bag and stumbled upon a hastily written poem on a crumbled scrap piece of paper.  

I asked her what it was and she said, "Oh, I wrote that in math class after I was done with the quiz.  It was just something that was on my mind."

As someone who also loves reading and writing for pleasure I sometimes wonder if it's just me that thinks she has a gift in this area.

But then I read her words again and I realize, it's not just me. She does really have a gift.

Apparently the Problem is My Brain.

Yesterday, on the way to Tae Kwon Do, I was chatting with Will about plans for his 8th birthday party in November. (The best time to have good conversation with your child, especially your boy child, is in the car.)

I'd been considering booking a game truck company to come to a nearby park and set up laser tag so that I could avoid having an onslaught of 2nd grade boys take over and potentially destroy our home.  

Then I saw what said game trucks charge.  

Moving on.

So, we were discussing plan B,C and possibly D. During the course of the discussion I asked Will what he and his friends really like to do most.

"Play war, Mommy," was his reply.  

Ok. So I started throwing out ideas, themes, games to play, etc. Will listened patiently and then, in a somewhat exasperated tone, explained the following:

"Mommy, you don't have a boy brain."

To this I responded, "You are absolutely right.  I do not have a boy brain (thank the good Lord).  What's your point?"

"Here's what we're going to do," he said, "we're going to have two teams and then we are just going to run around and fight until it's time for cake."

Alrighty then.  

Sounds like he has the activity portion of the party well in hand. Guess I'll take care of the cake.