0-3 kids in a year!: What are they doing?

I write this boring post to give our families that don't see us all of the time a glimpse into what is going on with these grandkids, nieces, and nephews. Hopefully it's not boring to you, family!

Kenneth

Well, that smile should tell you everything! He is thriving in doing school at home. He is learning so much and continues to amaze us. He is reading pretty well and we are mourning that we can't spell things anymore to keep him in the dark about things. He always figures it out. His first tball practice was last night. I think he did pretty well for the first practice. There are still some basics he will have to learn, but he and Matt will have lots of fun practicing together in our back yard. We already knew he was a good helper, but he keeps getting better at it. Yesterday he took the diaper bag and my purse from me without me asking. He saw that I was loaded down with Lucy and other things and wanted to help. He's like a mini-daddy to Lucy and loves on her all of the time. He is so careful with her and does a good job of keeping her safe. Kenneth is so pleasant almost every day and a joy to teach and be around!

Michael

Let's just say that Michael is marching to his own drum lately. He has had a difficult time adjusting to not having as much attention as he was getting before home schooling began. That's caused a few behavior problems. But don't worry. I have a new behavior strategy that requires me to do everything bad that he does. I'm not brave enough to do it in public, but at home it's on! If he throws himself against the door in a raging fit, so do I. In fact, I got a little too enthusiastic and heard the door crack a bit. I'll have to be less dramatic from now on.
He is in a gymnastics class and is proving to be a great athlete. Not such a great listener, but hey, he's only 4! He loves to play outside with his friends (all of the big kids). He continues to make us laugh all of the time with things that he says. He likes to eat about 800 times a day. Oh, and in the last couple of days, he's started voluntarily helping a lot. He'll grab the broom and start sweeping the floor or help me carry stuff down to the car. I'm praying that we are coming out of the "fit phase" a little bit. Just in time for the next one to enter into it!

Lucy
Oh, how she lights up our lives every day! This car is her favorite toy and she will play on it for hours. Here are some of the things that she is doing.
Talking: caca (cracker), da (bar), a different sounding da (ball), nyanya (mimi), nana (banana), dudu (bye bye), tatu (thank you).
Doing: signs "more" and "eat", brings us books to read to her all day long (Her fave is Miss Lucy Had a Baby.), walking forwards and backwards, helps us dress her, gets her shoes and brings them to us when asked, mostly feeds herself, lets her brothers know when they have done something to make her unhappy by pointing her finger and hollering at them.
Loves: horsey rides, books, baths, playing outside, being tossed in the air by daddy, wrestling, eating, when daddy gets home, shoes, going bye-bye, mimi, riding in wagons, growing hair.

Car Troubles? That's right Michael. Let the girl get out and push the car while you sit inside and drive. And then let her fill it up with gas. We have some gentleman training we need to do.