Five Days, Five Kids: Dekker

My school kids have a five day weekend! I thought it would be nice to throw out an update about each kid over the next five days! Its kind of an odd time to put together a little series like this. Normally, a Monday-Friday schedule would make more sense. However, I’m going on a retreat next week, from Thursday through Sunday, so I wouldn’t be able to finish it. So, Thursday to Monday it is!

I was going to start with Dekker, in order of age, but I remember that sometimes feeling annoying, as the youngest child. My next thought was to go in alphabetical order, but weirdly, thats the same order! I never realized that. We’ll definitely mess that up with the next one, haha! (NOT because the next one is on the way, but because none of our baby names start with X, Y, or Z) Rather than getting a whole lot more creative than that, we’re just going to roll with it this way. Starting with Dekker.

Whats new with Dekker? He’s excelling at school, and continuing to move up in his reading levels. He’s braver in the gym and on the playground. He says his favorite subject at school is math, yet he admits its the most challenging. I LOVE that he likes it, even though its not easy for him! That right there says a lot about his character. He’s very responsible, and loves to be given responsibilities. He walks with Laela to and from school on her school days, and while I thought he might, he hasn’t forgotten to go get her even once! Haha! He’s actually admit he’s gone to pick her up occasionally, and realize upon arrival that its not her day! But he can laugh at himself while he tells me about it later 🙂 He loves to be silly!

Whats the same about Dekker? His size, haha! He’s growing up, but not yet growing up, if you know what I mean. He’s still one of the shorter kids in class, having yet to hit a solid growth spurt in the last year or so. He’s “sit in the front row of the school picture” short, but he’s built like a tank! He’s “grade two football team” tanky. These are very technical measurements, so pay attention, lol! Also, his willingness to help and to do jobs hasn’t changed. I used to fear that I was “making” him do too much, but he often offers all on his own! Just today, I said to Dekker “Honey, thats not a job for you. I’m happy to do it.” And he insisted! He wrapped up a dirty diaper and ran it off to our diaper pail. “I don’t mind, mommy. I’m already up.” I am SO grateful that he’s like this, and puffy proud of him that this is how he’s basically always been.

He wouldn’t tell you, but he’s secretly a leader.

I LOVE who Dekker has been, and I LOVE who he’s growing into.