Three Years and Ten Months of Will

What's new with Will, you might be wondering?

Well, preschool just started back up, and he's an old pro this time around. I admit that my heart swells a little when I see him square his small shoulders, sling his backpack on, and head into his classroom. He's really good at the alphabet and is starting to put together words for spelling and reading. He knows his numbers, but is still working on recognizing the numeric symbols. Will enjoys the songs and rhymes that the students learn at Miss Dana's, and I often hear him repeating them around the house.

Will is going to start swimming lessons soon, and he's really looking forward to it. This past summer he did tumbling and soccer, and really maximized the opportunity to run around and exhaust himself. So, since Susanna was born, he's been going a little stir crazy since we haven't been going out and about as much as we usually do. So, swimming lessons should be great!

His imagination has absolutely blossomed over the course of the past six months or so. He tells himself stories, and often transforms mundane objects into fantastical weapons and tools for fighting imaginary dangers. He also uses Legos to build all kinds of objects, motor vehicles, and buildings - airplanes, guns, our house, temples, etc. sometimes after he goes to bed I can hear him singing to himself (both well-known ditties and self-styled originals) and telling himself stories. Of course, he is always the hero of these epic tales.

That reminds me - he's developed a passion for all things cowboy. This includes"cowboy songs," which in my collection means music by the Riders in the Sky. I don't think he gets the humor, but he absolutely has tuned into the ideas of wide, open spaces, ranches, livestock, and the cowboy's horse and gun. In fact, he said to me the other day that he would be a cowboy when he grows up, but that he "really needs a horse." Hmm.

Other things on his radar...cooking dinner with me ("Can I help, Mama? Can I? Can I?"), stories about Jesus (thank you, illustrated scripture story book), and his baby sister. He mostly calls her that..."my baby sister." He adores her, lying on the floor beside her and talking to her in baby talk. He brings her toys, takes out her used diapers, and wants to hold her and touch her every second. We're really fortunate that he has reacted so positively to her.

I took him and Susanna (reclining in her carseat during waketime) outside into the yard today while I weeded and cleaned up the yard for the coming season. Susanna mostly dozed, but Will jabbered and played and kept me entertained all afternoon. He's a gem!