My Kolby-Boy

A couple weeks ago I wrote a post all about Courtland, and I thought I’d do one of these for each of our boys over the next few weeks. So, here’s a spotlight on Kolby.

Kolby is really starting to be such a big kid lately. He loves to spend time in the study reading or coloring. Tonight he read ‘Hop on Pop’ again for his brothers before bed, and he was able to read all the words in the book (except he did need some help with the word, ‘Constantinople’). And last week he and I had a really nice time reading the first of the Boxcar Children books together. The back yard is also one of Kolby’s favorite play places – he even has a specific swing on the swing set that he has recently claimed as his favorite.

Since we have recently stopped his naps in anticipation of afternoon kindergarten this Fall, I have had a chance to spend a little extra time with him while his brothers are sleeping, and have noticed how creative he is – since I refuse to entertain him, (I still have to get things done during nap time) I encourage him to think of things to do, and the other day he was excited to show me a puppet made from a lunch sack that he had colored and a bunch of paper plates and bowls that he had drawn on and then hidden around the house for me to find. And today he had me help him make a tambourine out of a couple of paper bowls and some small rocks he found in the yard.

Kolby has also shown us recently how responsible he is. I rely on him a lot to help out around the house, so he is really good at helping me get clothes for his brothers, watching out for the little boys, and picking up around the house. But I’d have to say that my favorite thing he does is when he makes lunch. Kolby makes lunch almost every day (and he usually makes breakfast for himself and his brothers, too, when he doesn’t get up and eat with Michael before work). I will send Kolby out in the back yard with the peanut butter, jelly, bread, and a butter knife and he makes sandwiches for his brothers, himself, (and lately he has been making one for me too). Then he puts everything away. I’ll usually get the kids some fruit and another snack, and either Kolby or I will get drinks for all the kids. Isn’t he amazing? I didn’t know a kid that young could do all that, but he does it almost every day. Also, Kolby started showering by himself this week, which he said he really likes to do. (He asked me tonight if he could take a shower after already taking one this afternoon, and when I explained to him that we usually only take one shower a day unless we get really dirty doing something like yard work or hiking, he pointed out that his knees were dirty from playing outside).

He also loves to be a little kid. He and his little brothers run around in a pack (if you go through our family room, our dining room, our kitchen, and our living room, you end up back in the family room – so this circle allows the boys to run to their hearts content). He likes to play with his cars, trains, and dinosaurs, and animals. The boys enjoy playing chase in the back yard (or “catch,” as they call it, because they run and try to catch someone). And sometimes I find them marching in a parade – today they had made instruments out of some paper dishes, plastic utensils, and frisbees, and Kolby was leading the parade through the back yard. Kolby also enjoys playing frisbee (“rusbee”) with his Daddy, and he has started to get better at catching Daddy’s throws lately.

Kolby started piano lessons again with a new teacher here who comes to our house to teach lessons (wonderful!), and she was very impressed at how well he could play and how much he knew about the music since he’s not even 6 yet. He has been faithfully playing the same 3 songs that his teacher in Utah assigned at his last lesson over and over almost every day since we moved, so I’m sure he will enjoy learning new things now.

When we unpacked we found a pair of Spiderman sunglasses that one of Kolby’s friends gave him for a birthday in Milwaukee and he has been wearing them since we got here. When they’re not on he eyes he props them up on the top of his head – so cute! And Kolby has become more aware of taking care of himself and his appearance too. He spikes his hair with the gel on his own now, and he has started to help me by doing Eli’s and Camden’s hair too some days. And he picks out all of his own clothes, sometimes asking me if certain shirts and shorts that he has picked out match or not.

Kolby is also very sweet. He likes to play with his little brothers, but he also loves baby Courtland and sometimes I find him taking a break from running around with the other boys to sit and coo at the baby or give him a toy. The other day he asked if he could color downstairs, and I asked him where he was going to do it, and he told me he was going to color on the floor next to where Courtland was laying so Courtland could watch him.

Kolby is such a wonderful helper and a sweet boy. We are really lucky to have him as part of our family.

(I need to get some more of the current photos of the boys off the cell phones, but here are some really cute older shots of Kolby that I had on the home computer already).