Do You Even Know Who I Am? Matthew The Superman

What we have today is a drawing by Matthew and few enhancements done by me like the Superman S and Superman word in pencil with Matthew's green tracing over.

Note the logo is cut out because I did mistake and wrote 'wrong way' S. Well what can I say, I get confused when I try to write upside down, but that wasn't acceptable by Matthew.

Sometimes I feel like I push him too much at his age (3 3/4), but I think it is good exercise to start him on drawing and writing. Matthew is now able to write letter M very well. He can spell and write (copy) his name. He also can draw a face, sun, full body as seen above, and snowman. On the pictures he added Krypton (the green crystal) and bunch of colored Smarties.

Matthew loves superheros and Superman is still his most favorite one. He was Superman for Halloween. Few weeks ago I had to hide the Superman suite because we had to go out and no way he was going to be Superman, especially when it was really cold outside. The unfortunate thing is that I forgot where I hid the suite. However, I promised him to get bigger size for the next Halloween.

So the other day we are walking through our subdivision with other children and their nanny. One of our neighbors came out from the house to collect the newspaper. It was almost noon and she was still wearing the nightgown. 'It's my lazy day today' - she announced.

We chatted a bit and then Matthew interrupted with yelling to her 'Hi'. She waved and said 'Hi William'.

I smiled because she called him that once before. However, right after Matthew called back to her 'Do you even know who I am?' She did not hear him very well so Matthew continued 'I am secretly Superman'. She heard him and replied 'Hi Superman', and we laughed.

May be it is time to say something to her, otherwise the only Superman boy that lived in our street will be William.

But Where Is My Cake? Life Is Full Of Surprises

A week after Christmas holiday we were visiting my parents (Matthew's grandparents). During the week before the visit we picked up one of those packaged Christmas cakes on sale and brought it with us. Matthew made a mental note.

My mom asked if we could open and eat it next week as she already bought some sweets for us to enjoy after lunch. It was okay with us.

So we had cookies and tea and Matthew had cookies and some drink.

When we finished I told Matthew we have to get ready for home. Matthew looked at me surprised and turned to look at Baba (the grandmother, that what he calls her).

'Baba, but we did not eat the cake. Where is the cake Baba? Baba I brought you a cake?' - Matthew kept talking.

I thought he will never stop about the cake. He really wanted to eat this cake. We had to spend five minutes to explain to him why we are not eating this cake today. It was because next week his cousins will be coming and they want to eat the cake too. It was settled.

***

Last week we were visiting my parents again and for lunch Matthew was enjoying his chicken soup. When he finished his soup and the second dish he brought dish back to the kitchen and came back to the table. Then he lift the place mat and being surprised asked: 'But where is my surprise?'

It happened once on Christmas Eve, Baba placed $20 under place mat for each grandchild as a surprise (way too much in my opinion, but I couldn't argue). So he remembered and asked again. I cannot believe that my mother went and found another $20 because he just asked.

He knows better to say that 'Baba this is too much', but no instead he said he is going to toy store to buy some more toys. Yes, like he really needs more toys.

I think instead of having serious talk with Matthew I will have to have a serious talk with my mom.

Don't Forget Carrot In My Chicken Soup

It is official Matthew is now registered for the Junior Kindergarten (JK) and will start next fall. We ended up enrolling him into the public school system as opposed to other options we had - catholic or Montessori. The reason being is that I thought it would be hard on him to go full time for five days so I enrolled him into the public system where they still  have two and three alternating days per week. Okay, I will admit too, it would be hard for me to let him go as well.

On Monday this week we delivered last piece of paperwork to the school. Matthew is eligible for school bus, but I thought that we test out how far we will need to walk. Yes, I am going to walk with him.

It took us 20 minutes to walk with Matthew sitting in the wagon. I think we can do it.

On the way home we dropped by the playground. Matthew loves kids his age and is not afraid to talk and play. Soon as we arrived he engaged playing with a boy little older than him and a girl about his age, who were also siblings.

He raced them into the play tunnel and up the stairs and slid down on the double slide with the girl. He loved the fact that they slid together. Right after the girl went to play somewhere else and the boy went back into the tunnel.

Oh it was lot of fun for Matthew, so he decided to direct the play.

'Hey boy, you stay in the tunnel and I will go and get my friend' - he said to the boy.
'Hey, your friend is my sister' - the boy yelled out from the tunnel.
'Okay then, I will get your sister' - Matthew waved at him.
'Hey girl do you want to come and go up the tunnel and slide' - he asked her.
'I want to play on the ropes' - she replied.
'Okay then lets play ropes' - Matthew replied, abandoning the boy.

Well the rope game did not last very long as the mother of the boy and the girl called for home. The girl stayed behind and almost cried not wanting to go home. The mother and the boy were leaving the playground.

'Hey boy your forgot your sister' - Matthew yelled after the boy.
'Matthew don't worry they know' - I replied.

Today I told Matthew that he will be having chicken soup for lunch.
'Okay Mom and don't forget the carrot' - he replied.

I just hope that all the demands by the three year old do not grow proportionally, but I will miss him when he goes to school.

The Best Secret Ever, A Secret Re-Defined

I was talking on the phone with my sister. Matthew was with his Daddy in the computer room upstairs. He knew that I was on the phone and since he always wants to talk to people I talk to, he did eventually picked up the phone.

'Hi' - he said.
'I am fantastic' - he answered my sister.
'I have to tell you something, Daddy is doing card for Mommy for Christmas, photo of me' - he is telling my sister (its Ukrainian Christmas today). Whereas, Daddy on the back is telling Matthew that it is a secret.
'It is a secret, Daddy is doing photo of me for Mommy' - he continues to tell her.
'Mommy it is a secret and don't tell anyone' - he told me right after.
'Matthew that is best secret, I will tell no one' - I replied. Matthew hanged up but came back in couple of seconds.
'And I am secretly Superman, okay, I got to go now, bey bey' - and that was it.

The News Guy

Toys, toys everywhere. We live in the toy land. We don't have a big house, so to contain a child in one small place with toys is hard. We gave in and let it be.

This Christmas we treated ourselves with a new television, a flat screen. It was time to take the old beast out. We strapped the new TV to a stand; however, with all the television falling on children stories, we continue to remind Matthew that is dangerous to hover around.

The other day for whatever reason Matthew ran towards the TV with his toy and as we needed a scratch, I raised my voice to prevent him to go any further. Matthew got little shy. I looked at him seriously but I try to explain again in the lower tone.

- 'Matthew you don't want to fall into the TV'- for whatever reason I said that.
- 'And yeah I don't want to be a news guy too' - he replied laughing.
- 'Come here you joker I need to give you a hug and a kiss' - I opened up my arms.