Erik's How-way-you-la Chorus

I was working on this mid-December, and never got it posted because it seemed unfinished. I didn't add to it, but decided after re-reading it was post-worthy as-is. --Lara 2/27/09


Erik has had the Handel's Hallelujah Chorus in his head for the last few days. I think he must have heard Ben humming it or something. Anyway, he can't say Hallelujah, so he says "how-way-you-la" over and over again. Shaun and I just smile. The best is when he gets to the part that goes "you-la, you-la, how way-ay you la."

Erik loves to do mazes and other activity work books. He tore through a maze book last weekend and finished the whole thing. On the cover it says for Grade 1. Whatever. This preschooler loved it.

Erik is also my outdoor enthusiast. He loves to play outside in dirt, water, snow, grass, leaves, and rocks. He makes up games like Dirt Clod Smashing, Pine Cone Throwing, and Snowball Shredding. Playing outside is one of the only things that he will do by himself even if Ben doesn't want to.

I took this picture of him this summer after one of his outdoor boy sessions. He freaks if he gets a tiny crumb on his hands, but full-on dirt on his face is not a problem...

One of my favorite things about Erik is his smile. We will be watching TV or eating lunch together or something and Erik will lean forward into my field of view to look at me and smile until I notice and smile back at him. Just as if to say "I'm checking in with you and everything's good."

Erik loves numbers and must be a counting genius! When he was 3 1/2, we were driving in the van and he started counting. He kept counting all the way to 100. I was quite impressed. Then he started counting backwards from 100! He was very deliberate; he was thinking hard about what came next after each number. But he went from 100 to about 67 before he made a mistake! Now that's impressive. He didn't get his math genes from me.

Erik is also a great big brother for Alex. He kisses him at least 50 times a day. I guess the novelty of a baby has not worn off yet for him. They ride next to each other in their car seats in the van, and Erik always makes sure to remind me to put the handle down on the infant carrier so he can have a good view of Alex's face as they ride. In this picture, Erik is trying to shield Alex's eyes from the bright light after we opened the window blinds in my hospital room. Such protective instincts!