The Kids: Jude

Jude is still doing life at his own speed.  He's one tough dude, yet he's a cuddle bear.  He's the only one of our boys who will voluntarily give me a hug.  Randomly throughout the day, he'll catch sight of me, smile, run to me and wrap his arms around me.  It's enough to make my heart melt.

Jude is learning to read.  He seems to be having some of the same struggles with reading that his older sister had.  Each of them had terrible ear infections their first year of life.  Each ended up getting tubes in their ears.  I'm wondering if the constant infections affected their ability to hear language and contributed to their difficulty in learning to read.  It's just a theory that I've formulated based on some of the material I've read.  I'm no expert, just a mama trying to figure out how to teach her kids to read and enjoy all that reading will afford them, not the least of which is the ability to learn about God through His Word.

We are using the All About Reading Program, which is more time intensive than other phonics programs I've used in the past, but is highly recommended for children who struggle to read.  So far, so good.  Jude even read some of the words on the back of the cereal box to me the other morning.

Other than reading, Jude spends his days running here and there and every where.  He rarely walks. Anyone who knows Jude knows that he is not very quiet, either.  As his Grandpa Bob says, "Jude has one volume--loud."  Just seventeen months Joel's junior, Jude could not be more different in personality than his older brother.  He's a "take life by the horns" type of guy.

Jude makes me laugh every single day.  Between his facial expressions, his guttural noises and his quirky sayings, he's a crack up.  The other day, I stood in the kitchen and yelled his name.  I needed him to come to me as I had a job for him to do.  Our house is big, so often times kids don't hear me well, thus the yelling.  Thus the gift of the intercom system for my birthday.  "Juuude!  Juuude!" I shouted.  Finally, the intercom unit in the kitchen came on. "I'm not able to collect laundry right now, Mom.  I'm going to the bathroom!" (Yes, some child thought it was a good idea to put one of the intercom units in the bathroom.)

Jude also loves to playact military battles, just like his older brother.  One day not long ago, I returned home from running errands and MP Jude granted me clearance to park in our driveway. "Cops and Robbers" and "Cowboys and Indians" are also among Jude's favorite playtime activities.

Last summer, I was going through a stressful time and as a result, I wasn't sleeping well.  My friend, who is an expert in all things essential oils, set me up with a diffuser and some lavender oil.  I couldn't believe how much it helped.

Then, one day, I was in the health food store and I spotted an essential oil, took a whiff and on a whim, decided to bring it home.  It's called "Cheer Up Buttercup!" I often times get this oil going in the diffuser in the morning.  I'll make a big mug of tea, say a prayer, put on my big girl "I can do this" attitude and dig into that day's homeschool lessons. Jude calls the oil, "Suck It Up, Buttercup!" because he can't remember it's real name.  I think I like Jude's name better.

We are beginning to see glimpses of the soft heart Jude displays toward the things of the Lord.  He asks thoughtful questions during our Bible study time and quietly contemplates truths we are studying.  His dad and I trust that the Lord will fashion Jude into a "contender for the faith," just as his namesake exhorted believers to be.