Learning and Growing Up

With basketball season beginning this week, I told Robbie he HAD to learn to tie his shoes. He did it! He's officially a shoe-tie-er!

Rob and I both were in speech as children. I had a lisp. Rob couldn't say his Rs. Robbie got a little bit of both of us! I always thought it was cute and wasn't a big deal yet (he's not even in Kindergarten!) until I realized that his writing is affected. He writes notes to Rob and tapes them on the garage door so Rob has a little surprise on his late nights. I saw one note was "FWUM Robbie." In another he explained his pictures as "DIS is . . ."
What I love about Robbie is he is determined and wants to do things right. I started working with him, and now for the last two weeks, every R sounds like a car engine and his THs are so deep on his tongue he spits. He's doing great! Last night, the note was "FRUM Robbie". Love this kid.

It's a Haas trait, really--always talking about government corruption, how they've been wronged etc. It's almost a family joke now. Well now I see how the "trait" is being perpetuated. This morning the boys were counting out money they have been saving; Robbie wants a new bow and Ty wants The Flash action figure. Robbie had his money all lined up and was proud to announce he finally had enough.
"Well, you are actually going to need more than that, 'cause the tax," Rob says.
"What's that?"
"It's money the government takes from you."
I step in here--"It's for roads and lights . . ."
"Yeah that's some of it, but they waste a bunch of the money too," Rob finishes.
I give him the big-eyed-Seriously!-look and he shuts up.

A few hours later I hear them in the boys' room; Rob's with them. Somehow the topic of stealing is brought up.
"No, we NEVER steal money," Rob says emphatically.
"Yeah," Robbie agrees. "Only bad guys steal money, like the Egg Grabber-Napper on Chip-n-Dale or the government!"
I rush into the room to see a huge smile on Rob's face, looking down at the ground. He doesn't look up, but says, "Heard that, huh?"

Nice.