my 2 kids are liike chalk and cheese...so so special in their own ways. and today was a wonderful reminder to me of just how unique each one of them is!

kay woke up all cranky, wanting to sleep in a lot longer, drink milk for a few more hours, and absolutely not have to get out of bed unless carried!  we compromised and eventually she was out the door with kynan as i lay down for a whiile longer. (yes, we 2 are liike peas from the same pod! :))

kynan, on the other hand, rushed straight to the room when called- all bubbly and full of smiles.  and when i emerged from the room a liittle later, he informed me proudly that his sister had made her breakfast "all on her own!" (a 1st :))  and that he hadnt even helped at all!

later, my liittle late-riser got busy, whle kynan did some copywork... she took a whiteboard and marker and proceeded to write some numbers.  she wrote them in ascending order, asking me to help guide her hand in the right direction for the  4&7. "i know what comes next!", she exclaimed as she got to ten. and did she stop there? no, she carried on to fourteen, 'five'teen, and up to 18. every now and then she'd check, "the 1 comes 1st rt? so 16 is 1 then 6 ya? and 17 is 1 then 7?...no don't tell me, i know it is"...  :b  i asked her if she wanted to carry on to 20?...  "no!", she quipped, "Now i want to READ!!!" and that's EXACTLY what she did.... even allowing me to record her for the very 1st time. :b)   as she reads, she reads with expression. simple words, but even when she's guessing them, they're read with conviction. 

kynan lay on the sofa reading too, now and then checking on words which he was capable of reading, but didnt qt want to risk guessing, nor the chore of sounding them out. :)  he knows may words now by sight, but still lacks confidence. he stopped a few times wanting affirmation, trying to make sure i was actually listening. :) i assured him he was doing a fab job, (which he was), and that i was enjoying the story.  that gave him some peace of mind...

not long b4 gym, kynan grabbed his camping scout songbook, and asked if he cd sing me something while i got ready. "sure!" i responded. it was another 1st for me... having him offer to sing ;)  and although he was a tny bit off-key, he did a fab job of reading the words and keeping time...so-much-so that kay cd jump right in and sing along.

she held the tune perfectly, and sang with passion.  the 2 of them were so sweet together, i wanted to whip out my videocam again...but alas the battery was flat this time  :(   so they'll hv to do a repeat-performance for me another time. (it's the 1st time they've atually sung together btw)   and cant not mention hat i was inspired too!   as we headed down the road to gym, we lost all our inhibitions, and belted out some campfire songs at the top of our lungs :) it was the most fun i've had n a long time... totally liberating!

the rest of the day, kynan shone... he performed valiantly in gym and swimming.  stoppiing only to catch his breath now and then. i see him opening up in classes...being the 1st to talk to newbies irrespective of race or nationality, trying to find out more about them. his jokes and lighthearted banter seems to attract friends.  on the downside though, i notice that some of the girls he's befriended, seem rather impatient if he spreads himself too thin...  gettiing irate if he's pre-occupied wiith someone else and doesnt come when they call. :) 

i'm so happy for kynan. it's nice to see him find his own liittle niche.  i found out tday that kcpp lets their kids do swimmiing weekly from p1. this is encouraging for us. so ky wont hv to stop his classes nxt year.  a dad i chanced to sit beside tday, has a p3 girl in the kcpp swim team. she's only bn swimmng since p1 and doing v well iit seems.  he says that kcpp doesnt only choose 'the best' to compete in inter-school events either. they wd rather register a large contingent and give them the experience of competitiion... (unliike most schools who wd only enter those with a sure-fire chance of getting medals.)  in the event that ky doesnt take well to academics, at least he will hv anoher avenue in which to be recognised, and perhaps excel. somehow i believe that God has really put us in the right place at the right tiime... and it leaves me feeling a whole lot more optimistic abt next year.

hooray!!! for new beginnings for our little chalk and cheese!