I remember, when I was a kid, my grandmother would bring me Strawberry Shortcake books, then ask me to read them to her. I'm sure she brought me other books, but for some reason, that's the memory that is striking to me. I love to read; I'm currently in the middle of two books and a magazine, plus all the blogs and news media I read. One of my favorite ways to wake up is to spend an extra half hour lounging in bed, reading my book. In fact, M just told A that, he "didn't like to read when he got to high school, but Mommy reminded [him] how much [he] enjoys it."
As such, it's very important to both of us that the boys enjoy reading, because not only is it something we love, but it also is so important. It seems to me that it's one constant, even as our world changes and becomes more and more tech, more and more digitized, it also becomes more and more reading based. So, when I found the blog Book Loving Boys, and saw that it was doing a virtual exchange of the Flat Stanley Project, I really was excited to participate. I've heard of Flat Stanley, but we've never before read it. I changed that by requesting it from the library, and was so happy to see it in my pile today. It couldn't have come at a better time because tomorrow, M has an all day fencing event, so we're looking for activities, and this sounds like a perfect one for us.
It turns out that my exchange partner also has two boys, and her blog is about their reading adventures. Check out LitLad, and stay tuned for the adventures of our Flat Stanley!
It also happens that, on a day I've already planned for a reading activity, Target is having a Seuss celebration. Tomorrow has been renamed "Reading Day!"
Friday, February 25, 2011
Take a look, it's in a book!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Ch-ch-ch-changes
It's really amazing what a difference three years makes. In E, it's obvious when he's changing, and we notice it immediately. I can tell how much heavier he has gotten in the past month, I can see his eyes are becoming less blue and more gray, I see he has more hair and that it's gotten darker. In A, however, it's a shock to realize he's grown because the changes are smaller as a percentage. I looked at him the other day and realized he's really gotten tall in the past few months. His face is looking more and more grown up; the other day I looked at him and felt I had a glimpse of how he would look as a teenager--freaky.
In behavior, changes are happening too. E is getting frustrated that we can't understand what he wants/needs. He has taken to screaming. It's a lot of fun. He screams when the food on his tray is finished. He screams when he wakes up (I seem to remember A babbling and entertaining himself in the crib; E does not do this). He screams when he is tired of standing (still not pulling himself up or cruising yet, though he is getting much better at "the inchworm").
By contrast, A is pretty even keeled. Yep, he throws tantrums and gets mad ("Mommy, I'm mad at you."), but the kind of cool thing is that after being in time out, he is so friendly, happy, and loving. Sometimes we all just need a break from each other.
I am constantly amazed by the feeling when "my heart swells." I've heard this phrase a hundred times, but never really had that feeling before my boys came along (no offense to my other loved ones!). I love that my boys are cuddlers, that they're laughers, that they try. I love that they both have an interest in books (A now tells E stories, and E is happy to flip through a book on his own). I love the way A will say, "I love my Daddy and my Mommy. I love my whoooole family." I love the way E looks for me when he's in one room and I am in another. And I love the way they make my heart swell.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
Milestones
On Wednesday night, I was doing the "put the boys to bed by myself" routine. I took E into A's room, and E decided to start moving. The next day, he really started moving all over the place. Now, there's no stopping him; I had him on the floor while I went to the bathroom, and he started wiggle worming all the way down the hall.
I took video, but am having problems transferring videos from that camera to my computer, so it will come soon.
The point is, we have a army crawler!!
On the topic of milestones, A came home the other day and started drawing "the family," his first set of actual stick figures. He very quickly went from drawing circular scribbles to drawing stick figures. He has been very interested in coloring on this mask they made at school for Chinese New Year... the other day, I saw him drawing circles--real circles, not just scribbles in a circular pattern.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Cupids, A & E
In January 2008, A and I made our first journey to Picture People. We went with friends, so ended up at the one in Quakerbridge Mall. I love love loved the pictures they took, and one of my all time favorite pictures of A was one of them.
So when I took E, on a whim, for 9 month pictures, and saw that they again had the angel wings, I knew we HAD to try to get some good pictures of him in them.
He actually tolerated them pretty well and was his adorable little self.
