Update...and lawnmowers

Oh my goodness...where does the time go! I cannot believe a month has passed since our last post. My apologies to those of you who check our blog frequently for updates on "This Jones Family". So, where to begin???

Thompson is an young boy (I know we are biased, but still) who continually amazes us! As you may recall from a December post, his favorite movie is "The Polar Express". In early January he learned a life lesson (at least for a 3-year old) about asking for help to load a movie into the DVD player after having loaded this one incorrectly and scratching it so bad that it would no longer play. Long story short, we decided not to replace the movie as we did not want to set the precedent of immediately replacing a toy if it is broken...not to mention Thompson reminded us that Santa had brought the movie and we would have to go the North Pole to ask for a new one.

And if you think the story ends here, then you're wrong. Rather, we find Thompson using his imagination daily to reenact scenes from the movie. We can't decide whether we are more amazed at his memory (recalling scenes nearly word for word) or his creativity (using a flashlight for a lantern, a blue fleece blanket for a bathrobe, his navy blue socks as coal, a sand shovel to shovel the coal, a bed or barstools as a train, and the list goes on!) Of course, his imagination is not limited to "The Polar Express"...Thompson can cover many other sights and sounds.

He continues to enjoy music - both listening to it and playing it. We've discovered the children's TV program "Jack's Big Music Show", which introduces children to a wide range of musical genres, instruments and topics. Needless to say, it's been a hit! To foster Thompson's innate musical abilities, we have re-enrolled him the spring semester of Kindermusik.

Some of his favorites books these days are Big Words for Little People, Hop on Pop, Animal Serenade, Drummer Boy, Mike Mulligan and His Steamshovel, Every Friday, and Chugga Chugga Choo Choo. Thompson is enjoying school, looking forward each week to music and chapel. As he tells his teachers, "I like chapel."

Oh, and we'd be remiss if we didn't mention how much Thompson enjoys jigsaw puzzles. This too has been an facet of his play time that has amazed us. We love to sit and observe him as he assembles puzzles in a very methodical and Thompson-like way. He has quickly mastered 24-60 piece puzzles and does not want any help. As he reminds us, "I can do it by myself."

Over the past year, it has been eye-opening to realize how much information Thompson's little brain absorbs, retains and shares...it is like one big sponge! And like a sponge, what is absorbed, is what comes out. We've been reminded that these years play a significant role in his development as a young boy (and future man) of this world and any moment we can turn into a teachable moment to instill good manners, to learn about making good choices, to learn how to interact and speak with others, to respect others, and to learn about God's unconditional love is time well spent.

Finally, speaking of what his little mind remembers, enjoy the video clip below. After looking at it, click on the following link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puK4NxGKNdQ) and see if it sounds familiar!