Smarty Pants...

na na na na na...

Yes this is one of those posts, but I can't help it because I'm so proud of my Elijah Paul...

and here's why...Reading did not come as naturally easy for him as it was for Evan... as parents we've had to really work with him and help him and try try try so so so hard to be patient when he'd sound out a three letter word for like five minutes, finally get it and then in the next sentence, there was that word again... so easy... but he'd have to figure it all out again, it was hard argh.... and not just for us... the poor kid wasn't enjoying reading very much. We learned to back off and be encouraging and we had to practice practice practice! In his Kindergarten class Eli was pretty much in the low end of the middle students... just a bit below average, still ok... but we really wanted reading to click for him... not that he had to love reading like we do, but that he was confident with it and could read on a average level and enjoy it!

When E started first grade this year he was once again placed in the just below average reading group. and then something happened... it just clicked I guess! He gets it!! and he is doing so well!! I credit a lot of it to his persistence and patience with himself and a huge portion of credit goes to his amazing teacher Ms. Jensen!! What a difference it makes to have a dedicated, seasoned teacher who really cares and watches for individual strengths and qualities in each of her students and knows ways to help them individually!! Eli's confidence with reading has grown so much in just the past few months... he is loving being able to read fluently and is now an above average reader!!

Then last week he came home with a sealed letter from the school... I teased him asking him what mischief he'd been into now to have to bring home a note from the principal? He got this worried, serious look and said "I didn't do anything mom!" I reassured him that I was just joking and we opened the letter together. It was great news!! The letter said that Eli had been selected as one of two students in each first grade class to be pulled out during math time for an accelerated math course! His teacher recommend him for this special privilege because he is at the top of his class in comprehending math skills!!! WOW!... he certainly didn't get that from me, his dad is the math whizz around here!! Eli was grinning ear to ear for the rest of the afternoon and I am so proud of what a smarty pants Eli is!!

Speaking of math whizzezz... Gabriel our third genius boy who is only 20 months and speaks and comprehends better than most 2 1/2 year olds.... can count to ten!! He's only done it a few times in the right order! He usually says all the numbers just before he's getting ready to jump into our arms off of... well pretty much any object that he's currently climbing on... Glen pointed out tonight that
"Gabe's good at his prime numbers..."

I sheepishly asked "so...what is a prime number... " "...seems to have slipped my mind..." (silently I'm hoping it's some big math secret that is only learned by those elect math students who make it past algebra.... which doesn't include me)

Glen explained it... something about dividing and they can't be by something???... then Evan chimes in telling me more.... ( shoot... I was suppose to know that...!)

"1, 3, 5, 7, 9," ... and then Gabe always ends with "10!" and off he jumps!!!

So.... there's my na na na na na for today....about my smart, practically genius children!!

oh, and did I mention... absolutely adorable!!... because they are that too!!