The Greatest Kid in the Nation!

I have to tell you, Thobe is so much fun right now. He is so sweet and smart and just amazing. I love all the progress that he's made at school. He struggles a little with fine motor stuff, but he has no idea that he does. He loves to draw and write and color. Thobe's doing a great job with reading, and he LOVES math!!! The most amazing thing about Thobe is his ability to make connections that most kids his age don't make. When we were out in Utah and went to buy a birthday present for his cousin, he saw a magazine that talked about The Biggest Loser. He said, "Oh look, Mom, the Biggest Loser" (can you tell what I do on Tuesday night?). He then said, "Hey, Mom. Have you ever heard of the Smallest Winner," and then he chuckled softly to himself. Also while we were at the store and were looking for cards, I asked if he'd like to give James a card that said "For the greatest kid in the nation." He said he'd like to get that for him. I put the card in the cart, and Thobe asked, "Uh, Mom? Am I the second greatest kid in the nation?" I assured him that he was actually the greatest kid in the nation, so the Thobe said, "Oh, so it's from the greatest kid in the nation, right, Mom?"

He was really silly when my mom and dad were here. He often spent time quizzing my grandpa on which letter different words started with and gave him simple addition problems. One time, he said softly, "Grandpa, what does is start with?" My dad didn't hear what he said or thought he said something else, so he answered that it started with an s. Thobe promptly corrected him and responded, "Uh no, Grandpa, it starts with I." Thobe has some pretty strong gender stereotypes. One night we went out to dinner and Michael and my dad rode in Michael's car. Last minute, Alden jumped in with them, they drove away. Thobe was the most out of control I've ever seen him. "I don't want ride with the women," he hollered. "I want to ride with the MEN!!!!" He also teased my mom a lot by telling her that he only loved her a little bit but that he loved my dad a lot. I think my mom saw really how much he loved her when they were getting ready to go into the airport, and Thobe said in a sad, quiet voice, "Grandma it's sad when family you love has to leave, huh?" It still breaks my heart when I think about him saying that.

Thobe's had so much fun in school preparing for Thanks- giving. He talks incessantly about the Thanksgiving feast that his class had. He also tells us a lot about the Pilgrims. The day before Thanksgiving, Alden said, "Thobe what do you want to be when you grow up. I want to be a lawyer." Thobe thought for a minute and then said, "I want to be a Pilgrim." I hope that Thobe has the same courage and righteous faith that the Pilgrims had. What a great kid!