Monday 22 November 2010

Star pupils

Sean has moved up to the Cubs now and, along with Finn, has relocated from the 78th Pentland troop based at St. John's in Oxgangs next to the library to the Fairmilehead Parish Church. This means we can walk the boys round although the Beavers and Cubs are on different nights. Sean was a bit reluctant at first but pronounced it "brilliant" when I picked him up afterwards and we walked round the road. Finn was much more awkward, refusing to go into his new Beavers group even though plenty of his classmates were in attendance. However, he was adamant that he wouldn't go back after his first ever night at Beavers but subsequently went on to really enjoy it, winning the Beaver of the Week cup and being one of the best Beavers in his term there, so we can only hope he's behaving the way Finn does and now, having made a point, he goes along more readily in future.

Sean was delighted to get a "Star Pupil" award the other week at Assembly, having submitted very good homework for his "water" work (with much heavy prompting from his mother) and for his general diligence in class. The reports on all the boys were favourable at Parents' Night with Sean described as being an "asset to the class," Finn keen to make his teacher laugh (and doing well academically too) and Rowan settling in well to pre-school life. We do need to encourage Rowan with a pencil or crayon in his hand. He is very reluctant to do any drawing or sit and attempt letters and that is something I'd like to help him with. It can be very difficult to get Rowan to concentrate on things he finds hard or boring, as exemplified when we are sitting watching "Strictly" and he is clambering over Sharon, the couches, his brothers - anything rather than sit still.

Angus is getting bigger and louder by the day. On Sunday afternoon I took Rowan and Finn out to Leadburn soft play leaving Sharon with Sean and Angus. Angus was a torment, turning the place upside down as the other two tried to rationalise the toys in anticipation of more arriving at Christmas time. Throwing books, shouting, grabbing the biggest, baddest knives from worktops, going wild if he isn't allowed the run of the fruit bowl, dipping his hand in his yoghurt and then trying to feed himself with predictably messy results - all these are the joys of a boisterous 18-month-old. Yesterday morning we had a reasonable lie-in. When Sharon did get up, she found Angus sitting on the kitchen table trying, with a little success, to lever the flesh of a banana out of its skin using a toy spanner!

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