Bat fanatics!

Last week I pulled out the bat unit I created when I was teaching and Connor and Anderson and I have been working on it. I guess in a way it is my attempt to justify the two huge cabinets of school stuff I have sitting in my garage.

However, the boys have been loving it! They know more about bats than really necessary---especially the stuff about the "guano". We have read books and sequenced a story, made a chart, and watched a couple of videos. There has been more "squeaking" around our house than really necessary, but all in the name of learning!

To entertain us parents, Jon and I scared them with a HUGE bat that we hung over one of the doorways in our house after they went to bed. I had picked it up one year really cheap after Halloween and stuck it in my file unused. We laughed the whole time we assembled it thinking about what Connor and Andy's reaction would be in the morning. Their faces met our expectations! So funny!

We topped it off on Monday night with a trip to watch the bats emerge from their roost near the Biltmore area in Phoenix. So fun!

Worth the wait . . . and the crazy looks I got from my family while they wondered if the bats were really going to show up. They did! It just took them a little bit after sunset. I guess they were sleeping in a little.

The "story" continued . . .

Well, today someone may have asked what Anderson's story was . . . but not meant it in the same way. Argh.

Apparently, he was "delightful" during his Bible class this morning according to his teacher. But immediately afterward had a change of heart. He wanted to be held. Unfortunately, I had Kyndall in my arms since she was too grumpy and sleepy for her carseat. Along with her I had her "bucket" seat, diaper bag, my purse, Bible, and the crafts and papers from Connor and Andy's class. Holding him wasn't an option. So he proceeded to have a fit---falling to the ground, begging while holding onto my feet, refusing to get in the car, and screaming nasty words while we were driving home (yes, "stupid" is considered evil in our house). Needless to say, it was a tough day.

Two year olds! Gotta love them!! Good thing for Anderson that I truly do.

What's HIS story?!?!

On Thursday, I got the chance to take Anderson to storytime at the library all by himself since Connor was in preschool and Kyndall was being cuddled at home by Grandma Hart. This week has been a little crazy and I honestly was tempted by the idea of letting Dora the Explorer entertain us, but we pressed on with the original plan and even made it to the library on time.

This was the first storytime for only 2 year olds of the new school year and really Anderson's first time ever. He didn't know what to expect and was a little shy at the beginning. But, he warmed up. He counted the monkeys, guessed which color house the mouse was in, clapped for the stories, and did the Hokey Pokey. He sat on his carpet square (of course he picked orange, his favorite!) and stood right next to me when he was doing the rhymes to get all the wiggles out. At one point, he needed to be held. But after a minute or so, he was right back in the action.

At the end of the planned activities, they put out some puzzles, and Anderson waited in line for his shot at them. They were 8-10 piece puzzles with pegs . . . so last year for him. Ha! But, he waited for a kid to finish each one so that he could have a turn. When he finished them all, he told me he was ready to go home. About that time, a mom came to me and asked me--"What's HIS story?" I was a little unsure of what she was asking but she then asked why he listened so well while the other kids were running around and why he paid such close attention. Honestly, I hadn't noticed so much. It was just Andy. But, it started me thinking about what HIS story was . . . here is what I have come up with.

He has an older brother who ADORES him. Honestly. Connor doesn't want to do anything fun without him. I think that has made Anderson try that much harder to do everything that Connor does. They will get to play soccer together on the same team this year and I don't know who is more excited---Connor or Andy. Both of their eyes lit up when we told them. He tries every stunt, laughs at all the jokes, and watches whatever Connor does.

Anderson ADORES his little sister. Truly. She can barely let out a cry before Anderson is telling me that she is upset and running to figure out if he can help. When we got ready to go to the store last week, he was busy gathering a binky, blanket, and doll for Kyndall. He talks to her while she swings, "reads" stories to her, puts on Superhero shows while she plays in the exersaucer, and replaces her binky when it falls out because she is giggling at him.

He cracks his parents up and tests our ability to discipline with a straight face in the midst of a hilarious moment! He has called his dad an "idiot" at the dinner table (I don't think he will do that again, but it was a classic Hatch family moment) and calls down to me while heading upstairs for his nap---"Goodnight sweetheart". His arms cross in front of him as he supervises anyone elses puzzle doing. You can actually see him tense up if a piece is being tried in the wrong spot. His favorite sayings are, "Aw man" and "you've got to be kidding me". Lately his favorite Diamondback is "Andy Jackson" . . . if there is a Connor (or Conor) Jackson, there must be an Andy Jackson too, right?!?!

Of course, he has his two-year-old moments, but most of the time he is a pretty easy-going kid with a special spunk about him.

I guess I am not sure what his "story" will be, but I am so thankful that I get to watch it unfold. God has been so good to give us an Anderson . . . alongside a Connor and a Kyndall.