The World of Reading

WARNING:  This post contains some serious bragging.  But this is my blog, and part of my goal is to record what my kids are doing so they can look back on it someday in case I never recover from my 6-year backlog of scrapbooking tasks.  Continue reading if you must.

Christopher is really reading.  Not just reciting memorized books or sounding out simple words.  I have no idea how it happened, and it amazes me.  It’s kind of like when they start walking or talking–you cannot imagine your tiny baby coming toward you vertically, or saying “uh, uh, uh, I don’t think so” every time you ask them to do something, and then one day, there you are.

I love to see how it has opened up a whole new world for Christopher.  He loves to read signs as we drive down the road.  (Will likes to pretend he can read, too, based solely on context clues.  The other day, as we passed Starbucks, Will pointed and said, “That spells coffee!”)  Christopher has a Wallace and Grommett video, which he has always called “Wallace and Grommick.”  Last week, he looked at it and said, “It’s not Wallace and Grommick!  It’s Wallace and Grommett!”

One thing I am most proud of is Christopher’s participation in the summer reading program at the library.  He read 120 books!!  He earned a ticket to a baseball game, and he is SO excited.  Now that we are done keeping track, he is still reading all the time.  (Ashley, remember our dream of our kids spending their day reading in the corner?  It is coming true.  A little bit.)

Will has been staying busy perfecting the arts of tantrum-throwing and arguing over every miniscule aspect of our day.  I noticed today that the first of his 2-year molars is poking through, so I’m hoping I’ll get a little bit of my sweetheart back when that turmoil is over.  Poor thing!  (Hmm, am I referring to myself or my kid?  I’ll let you decide!)

You mothers out there know that we all secretly wonder–if something happened to us, would our husbands be able to handle the kids okay on their own?  I am always very confident in Noel’s abilities, as long as someone reminds him to cut the kids’ fingernails.  Today he admitted to me that yesterday at lunch, the kids asked for honey and jelly sandwiches.  No, that is not a typo.  Not peanut butter and honey, or PB&J, just honey and jelly.  He gave it to them.  So I’m just putting it out there–if something happens to me, will someone check to make sure my kids have peanut butter, at least at school??  I’m sure everything else would be fine.

Salt Lake City 2008

We recently enjoyed a trip to Salt Lake City to see Uncle Brian and Aunt Amanda. The boys were great travelers and were thrilled with every aspect of the trip, from the airplanes to the parking shuttle bus. Ice cream during our layover was also a big hit!

In Salt Lake City, there were so many fun things to do. We went to an aquarium, the zoo, the park, the movies, and the ice cream shop. One night we went to a jazz concert at an outdoor mall where they had a fountain for the kids to play in. Christopher was ecstatic, jumping up and down, with a wide-mouthed smile. Then he slipped and did a face-plant, smacking his head on the rock-hard ground. Even after we calmed him down, he had a headache and didn’t want to play anymore. It was a bummer! But we discovered sprinklers in the park near Aunt Amanda’s house a couple of days later and had a better experience. Christopher was hesitant at first, because he was dressed in his church clothes. He said, “I don’t want to get my pants wet!” But we convinced him to go for it, and he ended up completely soaked and very happy with himself.

One interesting aspect of the trip was the fact that Aunt Amanda and Uncle Brian have a dog and a cat. We didn’t see the cat much, but the boys got to know their dog, Staley, very well. Christopher loved to have Staley lick his hands and watch him chase after his toys. Will, on the other hand, was not a big fan. At first, he screamed anytime Staley was pointed in his direction. He got better with it as the week went on and even petted him a couple of times. But his repeated question–”He’s not going to eat me?”–revealed the fears he was holding on to!

Noel and I also celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary while we were there. While Aunt Amanda and Uncle Brian babysat, we drove to Park City to eat a fabulous dinner and watch a movie in the park. It was unique, romantic date in a beautiful setting!

Thanks, Amanda and Brian, for a great week. We had a blast and can’t wait to do it again! Enjoy the photos–click on them to enlarge.

Aunt Amanda, Mommy and the boys

Aunt Amanda, Will and Christopher

Christopher loved playing in these sprinklers

His face showed sheer bliss until he did a face-plant on the slippery stones

At the zoo, we saw a rare white alligator

Christopher wanted to sit on this elephant, but it was noisy!

Will was so excited to see the zebra

Riding the train

Our anniversary dinner in Park City

Our table is on the upper deck just above the sign

Yummy Artic Circle ice cream!

The boys had a great time with Uncle Brian

Playing at another sprinkler park (in our church clothes!)

Soaked, happy boys

This is so fun!

Will and the sprinklers

Reading to his brother

Why teaching Christopher to read sitting next to Christopher while he taught himself to read is the smartest thing we’ve ever done:

More to come on our Salt Lake City trip once I am a little more recovered from it.

Fireworks!

We had a really fun 4th of July weekend with the kids. Last year, The Move got in the way of our Independence Day celebration, so it has been two years since we’ve taken the kids to see fireworks. It is hard to believe that two years ago, Will was a baby, and Christopher was Will’s age! So it was definitely time for some fireworks.

On the 4th, we enjoyed a cookout at a friends’ house, complete with homemade ice cream. Then we met some other friends at a nearby country club for fireworks. The kids had a great time running around on the beautiful lawns and snacking on watermelon and cookies. The fireworks didn’t start until 9:20, but the kids were very patient. At dusk, we started seeing other fireworks off in the distance, and Christopher was intrigued. But at about 9:00, he crawled into my lap and said, “Mommy, I’m really enjoying all of this, but I’m getting pretty tired.” Finally, the fireworks began, and they were fantastic! Will was terrified at first, but he got over it and enjoyed the middle of the show until it got very loud again at the end. Christopher sat in my lap, covering his ears and squealing with both delight and fear, until his need to go potty took over and he started asking when it was going to be over. All in all, it was a wonderful day. I think this picture says it all:

Finally, I can’t resist showing you just how typical my oldest child is. We have two recycling bins in the garage, and it is Christopher’s job to take the cans, boxes, etc. from the kitchen to the bins. He decided that the bottles and cans need to go in one bin and the boxes in the other. One day, I mistakenly put a box in the can bin. When he saw it, I heard him sigh, and he came in and said, “Mommy, didn’t I tell you that the boxes go in this bin and the cans go in that bin?!?!” That’s my little organizer!

Go Diego Go! Live

Last weekend, my parents and I took the kids to see Go Diego Go! Live.  (Daddy was out of town.)  It was a blast.  It was loud, colorful, and interactive.  The kids got to growl, claw, and jump their way through Diego’s big adventure.  When Diego came on stage, swinging on a vine, you’d think the Beatles had just landed in America.  It was hilarious how the place went nuts!  I had worried that Will might lose interest, but he was enamored the entire time.  And I’m telling you, you haven’t lived until you witness your 50-something-year-old father singing along enthusiastically with Diego and his pals.  We all had such a great time!

After the show, I couldn’t resist getting the boys the over-priced rescue packs you see in the photo below.  They’ve been a big hit.  Of course, we’ve been playing Diego ever since the show.  Thankfully, Will isn’t old enough to complain about being assigned the role of Diego’s sister, Alicia.  He loves playing Diego and singing the Rescue Pack song!