What's Going On With These Kids

Here's the latest:
Ash - 8.5 months
* he scoots - sits on the hardwood and pushes himself backward with his hands. He also lays on his tummy and uses his hands to pull himself while his feet push. No crawling just yet but he gets around.
* he has dracula teeth - I'm eagerly awaiting the appearance of his front, top teeth
* he CANNOT wait to be running around with the big kids.
* he loves it when Kiv carries him, when Benj plays with him, and when Mia cuddles him

Mia - 28 months
* poor kid has been super clumsy lately. I had been giving her grief about not being careful when I read that, at this age, kids go through some major frontal lobe brain growth which affects physical coordination and balance. Oops.
* has a HUGE vocabulary and can construct complex sentences.
* thinks she's in charge. I often lay in bed nursing Ash for a few minutes when the kids get up. Mia does not like this. "Stand up!" she yells at me. We also need to work on pushing - if she wants it and you're in her way, watch out. I hope this attitude will serve her well in life but in the mean time it's a little embarrassing when my 25lb toddler is smashing her way to the front of the line.
* likes to pick her own clothes and seems to have a thing for black.
* is cuddly and snuggly and loves to be read to
* will only fall asleep for a nap in the car or in the backpack
* likes to watch me cook (so does Benj)

Benj - 3.5 years
* has left his toddlerhood behind. His shoulders are broader and he's getting more coordinated every day.
* is almost keeping up with Akiva in the learning to read/count departments
* needs to have some time to himself. We're working on how to make that happen. Right now, he zones out in front of a video when he needs a break. We're thinking of getting him a play tent to set up in the bedroom for when he needs a break.
* Is in the middle of the terrible threes - he's smart and talented with poor judgement and low impulse-control. A lot more rough play that sometimes borders on outright violence here these days.
* has a color-by-numbers book but will literally only color the individual number no matter how many times I show him that you're supposed to color the whole area the number is in...:)
* always willing to help in the kitchen. He comes in and asks "what I do for you, Mom?" then when he's done he asks "what I do for you now, Mom?" He likes pouring in ingredients and mixing and, of course, tasting.

Akiva - 5.25 years
* is learning to control his temper - will flail and stomp now more often than hurting his siblings...progress, progress.
* still works at his own pace and on his own schedule. In organizing our homeschooling, it's basically useless to proceed with an activity until he decides he's ready for it. For now, most of the homeschooling we do is "sneaky" - and takes place while playing games or talking
* is beginning to learn to read - we've been talking about letters and the sounds they make for months. He's now interested in learning about this more formally so we're hitting the phonics book, computer game, and beginning reader books.
* can eat an entire pizza by himself in one sitting
* loves his excellent Biology Buddies class at Swan Lake Nature Centre
* still wants to have a gas/service station when he grows up. When we told him we were setting money aside to use for his education when he gets big, he told me he wanted to use it to become a mechanic :)