Tayedon

It wasn’t very long ago that Taye would be the ultimate high and low of every day.  Thankfully, he has entered a new phase and is now nothing but joy.  He is helpful and funny and thoughtful.  Poor kid is falling into middle-child status (his blog update is later than the others) and we often don’t expect him to know the things he does.  Lex and I were taking turns saying the presidents and Tayedon joined in – we were both shocked to hear Taye recite from George Washington to FDR with only a few hints.  He enjoys music and is often singing songs he learned from preschool, including Frere Jacque and a tune to buenos dias amigo como estas muy bien.  He may be quiet sometimes, but he is paying attention.  One day when we were driving he told me, ‘If there is a slow car, just say “dammit” and press the turbo boost button and go around them like dad.’

He knows how to purposefully tune someone out too – and when he realizes he wants to catch it after all, he says (quickly in a way I don’t know how to capture in writing) “whatyousay?” (wa-u-se?)  Another cute phrase he says several times a day is, “That’s Amazing!”  I love that he finds so many things amazing and he is so much fun to investigate with.

He likes to play the piano and swing a bat with his left hand.  He is reading Dr. Seuss and Dick and Jane on his own.  He thinks it’s fun counting to 100 by tens and wants only the “brown” coins (pennies).  He loves Phoebe and has a connection with animals. He enjoys any craft from painting to playdoh to bubbles.

He and his brother are constantly competing and he sometimes doesn’t bother if he know he can’t keep up.  He is absolutely thrilled that he can do something his brother cannot – roll his tongue into a taco – and often brags, “I can do three things with my tongue that no one else can” when he proceeds to make a raspberry sound, clicking sound, and then the taco roll.  He talks about Lex’s friends a lot too and was even telling his own best friend, Brandon, how great it was to go to Lex’s best friend, William’s house.

He can be a wonderful big brother too.  He has a quick temper and might knock her down if she breaks something, but right away he says he’s sorry (to me, not her).  When he’s helping her, though, he’s terribly sweet.