Ten Things I Love About Austin Today

1. Austin loves his family and is very affectionate. He has not yet outgrown sitting in my lap, snuggling against me while we read, or giving random little boy hugs. He shows equally enthusiastic affection to his siblings, who may not always appreciate it, but I think his intentions are good.

2. Austin loves to read. He is a little bookworm. Lately he and I have been spending afternoon time while (one or hopefully more) siblings are asleep reading Little House in the Big Woods. Then we research things we're not familiar with like "salt rising bread" and watch videos about how maple sugar is made. This is so fun and makes me look forward to more formal homeschooling next year.

3. Austin loves to learn. He and I have been slowly working through Phonics Pathways for awhile and he is starting to really take off as a reader. He points out words all over that he knows. I have loved watching him grow in this way.

4. Austin likes things to be organized. Just like me, not coincidentally. He helped me organize the pantry one afternoon a few months back and I thought, if he's this much help as a four year old just imagine the projects we'll be able to tackle together when he's older!

5. Austin loves to help me in the kitchen. This is kind of a love/hate thing for me, actually. It makes for slower, messier cooking, but I love to cook and bake and passing on kitchen skills to my kids is important to me. So I am learning to just relax and enjoy working with a little sous-chef.

6. Austin has become a really good eater in the last few months. It is so nice to make dinner and know that Zach and I will not be the only ones enjoying it. He is not a fan of spicy food but otherwise he'll try, and usually like, just about anything I cook.

7. Austin shares things with me, like candy from his Halloween treat bag. And just now I witnessed him offer Esther a bite of his Three Musketeers. He can be so sweet and generous.

8. Probably as a result of all the reading we do around here, Austin uses phrases like "to and fro," "it so happens that," and "in spite of."

9. Austin asks a lot of questions about God. Sometimes his heart seems so hard and I get discouraged, but then he asks a question, I do my best to answer, and I remind myself that God is at work and I must be patient.

10. Austin is learning to tell jokes. He likes knock knock jokes in particular because Gran and Pops have been texting new jokes to him every few days. He thinks he can take the beginning of a joke like "Knock knock, who's there, boo, boo hoo..." and then add any ending he likes, such as "why did you call me an owl in a tree?" Then he laughs hysterically. It is certainly funny, albeit not in the traditional way.

Ah, my firstborn! What a gift--a challenging, make-me-laugh, make-me-cry, beautiful gift.