Warning: Proud Mom Post!

For all the grumbling I do, I really do enjoy motherhood (well, most of the time). Despite wanting to sell my kids to the gypsies half the time (two-thirds?), there are moments that are truly rewarding. Today I opened a sealed envelope that had arrived in the mail last week but had gone overlooked. Julianne took a bunch of end-of-the-year standardized tests in June, given to Kindergarteners across the United States. Well according to the contents of that envelope, it turns out she tested in the 99th percentile. Our little Beantown Binxie is quite a smart cookie. I already knew that, but now it's officially on paper. I'm smiling.

And today, we signed up for the summer reading program at the library. The big kids went in, armed with a book each to report on. Only one, because it's a one-book-per-day program. I stood and watched from a distance with a wriggling toddler as Thomas animatedly described his book to the children's librarian. And I also watched as she smiled and shook her head in disbelief, that this type of detailed report and congenial conversation was coming out of a just-turned-five-year-old's mouth. There he is, reading the story to her. Afterwards she pulled me aside and though most of my attention was spent on keeping James from running away from me, my ears heard "amazing", "very special", "unbelievable" and so on. Yup, that's my Thomas. Personally I think he's off the chart with his intelligence, but I'm in no rush to have him skip grades or anything like that. He has a lot of maturing yet to do and is probably behind the curve in some of those developmental areas. Childhood is fleeting enough as it is. All in good time, I think. But today, I am so proud of my two "big" kids. And James, I'm proud of you too, for playing quietly on the big wooden train and not having a meltdown upon departure from the library. Baby steps, right? Ole!