Deep Roots & Wide Wings » Silas

How He Rolls

Amy — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 11:10:06 +0000

Silas has conquered his big boy bike! For his birthday last week, he got his first bike with peddles. Prior to that, he rolled European style- with a training bike that’s just like a standard bike – minus the peddles.

Silas grew so tall so fast, that he never comfortably fit on a tricycle or any other small ride-on device meant for toddlers. So this past week, he’s learned what peddling is all about. Thanks to “riding Euro” for about a year… he had already mastered balancing which made peddling come with ease. It’s crazy to watch my little guy zooming around on his big-boy-bike. Truth be told… it still makes my eyes a little welly. My baby, on a bike!

Something’s Different

Amy — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 12:04:30 +0000

Look past the fact that Silas has his face painted (he was the birthday boy, after-all)- do you notice something different about him than his classmates?

African Giants

Amy — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 11:34:46 +0000

That’s what they call the millepedes that are really common here. I don’t know about you, but I will never be comfortable enough with any creepy-crawly to feel okay about “giant” being a part of their name. But alas, my son feels differently. He’s spent hours the past few days “caring for”, hunting, and making coil into balls these not-so-lovely but very prevalent creatures.

They often find their way into our house, and I’ve inadvertantly stepped on a few, while barefoot, and they “burst”. NASTY.

I actually don’t know which I prefer… Silas catching frogs and trying to convince me that they should sleep in his bed or him playing with the giants? I guess boys will be boys…

Wednesday’s Window

Amy — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 19:27:42 +0000

One highlight of being back in South Africa has been watching Silas reconnect with his african brother Thuledi (Abram’s son). Today, they were jumping off of our front porch, hand in hand:

Busted!

Amy — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 02:05:08 +0000

Here’s a conversation that happened a few days ago- that keeps replaying in my head and making me chuckle…

Abbie (5) to Silas (3): Wow- do you have new shoes?

Silas: Nope

Abbie to Me: Silas’ shoes look really new, but he says they’re not new.

Me to Abbie: They aren’t new, I just washed them.

Silas to everyone around: Mom, you don’t wash stuff- Ms. Emily washed them for me.

Me: BUSTED.

Yesterday’s Adventure

Amy — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 05:10:23 +0000

We had a beautiful day yesterday- and I spent the morning on a 2 mile hike with the kiddos down our driveway. I took the camera along and these shots are some of my favorites:

Questionable?

Amy — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 14:23:16 +0000

Highly Questionable!

Wednesday's Window

Amy — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 08:00:19 +0000

My kiddos are accessorizing! Ellie with her adorable pigtails and Silas with his Sotho meets New Orleans hat!

Last Book

Amy — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 12:30:41 +0000

My heart is proud: I’m Silas’ last book of the day. Yep, in mom’s terms this is the equivalent of being a last call. You know- being that connection, that person, that you want to share your final moments of the day with before drifting off to sleep.

So, we have a new routine at bed time in our house. While I put Ellie to bed- Dave starts books with Silas. Then I get to do last book and we say our bedtime prayers. I love it. I love these moments of being a mom. Of knowing that every moment I invest in my children matters… and that they treasure our moments together in their own way… just as I treasure them in mine.

Here’s to being last book…

Genuine.

Amy — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 09:22:52 +0000

Starting Silas in preschool here in South Africa was a little bit terrifying for me. In addition to the normal hurdles that come along with this early and initial step of fostering independence… I knew that Silas would face some unique obstacles. He’s the only American. His accent is different and he struggles at times to understand the dialects that he hears. The teachers use English in the classroom, which most of the other kids understand, but a myriad of languages are spoken on the playground.

At the end of each school day, I watch his classroom door creep open and the frenzy of 3-year-olds that come pouring out like bees from a hive. Many of them are paired up in friendship- but Silas runs towards me alone. This got me praying. I started to ask God to overcome every barrier and give Silas a solid friend at school.

No kidding, the next afternoon when the classroom door crept open, I saw the frenzy of kids spilling out… and then I saw Silas. He was dragging his backpack behind him… and another little boy was helping him pull it along. When Silas saw me, he let go of his bag and ran to the fence- and his friend continued to carry Silas’ bag until they both reached us. I smiled at the little face of this stranger and my heart let out a ‘God, you’re so good…” We made our way to the truck and I asked Silas about his day. I asked him to tell me the name of his new friend, and he said “Genuine”. I was unsure, so I asked again and Silas said, “his name is Genuine”.

I learned from Silas’ teacher that the other little boy’s name is actually Benjamin… but Genuine also sounds like a perfect fit to me!!