three going on thirteen..

Our little charismatic Zack is growing up so fast.. Everyday he does something that makes us laugh or has me saying, "I must write that down, or I will forget it." I am finally starting to feel better, which means I have been super busy getting things done that I haven't been able to do for the past four months (like clean, make dinner, organize, etc.) and I've been terrible about keeping up the blog or writing down little conversations-- here are just a few things I want to remember.

• He's been able to spell his name for a while, but out of the blue (with no coaching from me) he's been writing it. I am so proud of his scribbles, even if they are in places other than paper.. like the kitchen floor or the bathroom counter. Next to his name, he will draw a picture of himself and I know it looks like chicken scratches, but I love it. (especially the full circle c.)

• A few days after writing his name on paper, I found several word documents on the computer with zack written all the way down the page. I figured it was one of the older boys obsessed with their little brother's name, but sure enough, it was little Zack at the keyboard. He knows how to log onto their favorite alien kid games (it's saved as a favorite on the tool bar) and when they ask who's playing, Zack can type in his own name. I am not sure whether to coach him in writing or typing lessons first. These days, it seems like kids would be better off using the keyboard. It seriously blows my mind how fast they pick up on things. Just the other day, I watched Zack scroll down the page of a Google Transformer search. When he couldn't see what he was looking for, he sighed and said, "I guess I will go back and try another link." I smiled as I watched him eventually find what he was looking for.
  

• Zack is officially a member of the Ben and Luke club. He has always thought he belonged, but Ben and Luke had secret plans to get him occupied with something else while they did what they wanted. The last few months (probably because I have been feeling so sick) he's grown up so much and has really become one of the crew. Now all their superhero games have three members.. He's playing board games with them, helping with the chores, etc. I love to see the little trio working as a team. I caught them playing something the other day when Zack was in charge-- he was referring to Ben as his "sidekick." Apparently, when you are the most powerful superhero, you have a few sidekicks who help you out once in a while, but they never get any of the glory. Now that Zack belongs, I think he's quickly moved up the authority ladder.

• A few weeks ago during church, I caught Zack flipping off the congregation behind him. He realized this was getting a reaction from everyone, so he didn't have the will power to stop. I quickly explained that when you raise your middle finger, it means "I hate you", but he didn't believe me. So he had to ask Daddy-- it's only true if Dad agrees. Ever since then, he says about once a day, "I will never, never say I hate you with my finger." Hopefully he follows through with that promise.

• Last weekend, Aaron and I had a quick weekend getaway for our upcoming anniversary (more to follow.) We arrived home with a little gift for the kids-- new Frisbees for the new Frisbee golf course by our house. They were excited.. Ben picked up Zack, handed him to Aaron and said, "Here is YOUR present!" Aaron laid Zack over his lap and started spanking him. When Zack broke free, he ran a few steps, turned around, pulled down his pants (and underwear) and screamed, "Here's your present, Dad!" Nothing like a full moon from a three year old. The problem is, he's so encourage-able. It's really hard not to laugh when he's doing inappropriate things... which brings me to my last bullet point.

• Zack is obsessed with pointing at people and describing what he sees. He's constantly telling me that others are really, really fat.. He'll say things like, "She has a skinny face, but her legs are really fat." He started doing it with people on tv, which wasn't a big deal-- but in public, it's terrible. I have tried to tell him how rude it is to say thing like that, but he's only learned to whisper it to me. Yesterday he pointed to someone he thought needed to lose a few pounds and then said, "I will tell you quiet so they don't cry if they hear me." My biggest problem is keeping a straight face. I love his honesty, but eventually he's going to tell me that I am one of the fat people, so I need to curb this ASAP.