Swedish Cheese

Last night as I was reading with each of the kids (headache free for a change), I was really able to just enjoy our time together and I got to thinking about how I'm going to miss this.  If I'm completely honest, some nights I am just pushing through the routine to get done.  I want to get into my own bed and just be done.  I'm thankful that isn't every night.  And I'm thankful last night was a good one.

As was stated in her "report card" a few months ago, "Sarah is a reader!"  She has been blessed with this amazing elephant memory and that reading and phonetics just come very naturally to her.  This is how I found her this morning after the big kids had left for the bus.  She loves to read and she loves school.  She seems to be adjusting to this half day kindergarten better than I am, but I know she is missing being with kids all day.  She's started gymnastics once a week and the best part is we go on Tuesday mornings so no one else has to get dragged along.  And mom can actually read--although I did spend this last Tuesday morning texting a certain sister-in-law.  Sometimes we have to figure out how to save the world. ;)

In between saving the world, I managed to grab a couple of phone pics--here's Sarah working on her handstands.

And again.  She's the third from the left.  This is her first gymnastics class and she loves it!

I am finding myself a little distracted when I try to read lately.  This is what my bedside table looks like, but one of those books I started months ago and keep forgetting about it.  I have another one on my Kindle that I am struggling to get through.  I love the Bible study, but it is not conducive to headaches.  Beth Moore really makes me think and dig into my Bible.  I love that part, but sometimes my head is too foggy to focus.  Last night I was able to really focus and get into it, so I did.  It is one of my prayers that my Bible will be the most worn out book I own, but I realize that doesn't just happen.  I've got to put down that sneaky iPad under the books and the journal and the remote control (not pictured here) to make that happen.

Then there are the other things I have the privilege of reading.  There are notes and messages on post-its left for me constantly by these girls.  My Bible is full of more.  There's one right in front of me now: "My mom is my only mom and the best one! Peace and love, Hannah"  True, if I'm the only one, I must be the best, right?

I really hope that by reading to the kids every night, we continue to instill a love of reading into them.  I know that action speaks louder than words and that really need to set the example by letting them see me read as well.  That's where I get into trouble with that whole distraction thing.  Hannah and I have been reading The Little House Books--we're reading Farmer Boy now, but we're also reading an abridged version of Little Women so it has been slow going.  Hannah's homework takes a lot out of both of us.  She also needs time to just be Hannah in between school and bed and she still needs a bed time on the early side.

Her teacher in Michigan reminded me as we were moving that this is a critical time in her reading life.  She didn't want us to let her reading get lost in the shuffle of the move.  I feel like we've tried really hard not to do that, but I can tell that reading is not the love of her life.  At least not in the way that her brother and sister love it.  When given a choice, she checks out books like the Poodle book above.  She gets bored with chapter books--maybe because it takes her a while to read them?  She was really animated and interested in the Poodle book and we both learned a few things.  Like we learned that Max should be earning his keep by searching for truffles for us.  That is what toy poodles were bred for apparently.
Hannah is also a lover a poetry.  I often find her reading her poetry books when she is reading on her own.  We'll stick with is and continue to read together.  I know that it matters.

She found this gem when picking out her book the other night.  I love this one because it has my Uncle Rikki's name in it--written by my grandmother.  Hannah shares my joy over memories like that.

Nathan reads constantly.  It is challenging to find age appropriate books that keep him interested.  We are reading a book together right now that his teacher in Michigan started reading to his class and he really wanted to finish, called "Wonder".  It is so good.  I have felt that way about several books we've read together.  I read "To Kill A Mockingbird" and "The Outsiders" to him a few months ago, which I already knew I loved.  He's just started "The Hobbit" on his own.  I am not really interested in reading those books and he hasn't been either, but he saw part of the movie with a friend in Michigan (he asked to leave because the violence was bothering him), but he has decided he'd like to try and read the book now.
We are buying most of his books on The Kindle.  The public library just doesn't seem to have what he's looking for, when he's looking for it.  I have to constantly remind him when he complains that he doesn't get an "allowance" that he spends it (and then some) on books!  I just love our time together.  We read, we chat, we laugh.  He still tells me stuff.  I have to enjoy it before our relationship just becomes one constant eye roll.

So back to last night and being present and thinking about how some day I'll miss this... I decided to get a video of Sarah reading.  She was very proud of herself after reading it the first time, so I went to get the camera and she proudly read it again.  I was pretty sure she read the line "Swiss cheese" the first time, but I chuckled as she read it "Swedish cheese" on camera.  After she finished, I told her that it was actually "Swiss" cheese and not "Swedish".  She looked at me and said, "Um, you could have told me that the first time I read it".  Okay then.

This is kid is going to have to be constantly on my radar!  She does not miss a thing.

She brought home her "100 Days of School" booklet that she worked very hard on and turned in on the 100th day of school last week and when I saw this, I asked, "So your teacher really liked your 100 days book?!"  She looked at me frankly and said, "No, she just put 'wow' on everyone's".  No fooling her.

She makes us shake our heads.  A lot.

Hannah was so sick last week.  We ended up at the doctor on Thursday afternoon (after I sent her back to school, oops!) because the fever she'd had Monday and Tuesday came back.  She had strep throat and on top of that a terrible cold.  She was so good about resting and recovering and having to miss the 100th day of school and Super Hero day.  So bummed for her.

In my last post I mentioned a story I wanted to tell about Uncle "J".  Last week Hannah randomly turned to me and said, "I would really like to know what Uncle J's real name is".  I said, "Well, it is Jay".  (I might have been distracted by a game of Ruzzle).  She said, "JUST J?!?!  THAT's IT!?!?!"

I said yes, clearly not understanding why that was so amazing.

She said, "He's so lucky!  I wish my name was just 'H'".  Classic Hannah.  We love this girl!

Between her confusion about Uncle "J" and Sarah's repeatedly calling Uncle James, "You know, Daddy's friend, that guy James?", I think a trip to Texas is WAY overdue.  And as of last night, one has been scheduled.  Looking forward to some Texas and most importantly, the people in it, this summer!  So excited.  We are comin' to Texas, y'all!

EDIT:

I'm a little sad that I told her about the Swedish cheese.  I had corrected her the first time she read "stomachache" as "stummyache" which is something she has said for a while and the second read through, she changed it.  It is so hard to remember their little mispronunciations once they are gone.  Sniff, sniff.  She doesn't call our neighbors "Ambers" or "namebors" anymore either.  I have to go retro to remember Nathan & Hannah's.  Maybe not all moms forget that, but my brain is seriously at capacity. :)  Sorry kids.  I felt so guilty when the doctor checking Hannah last week asked me how much she weighed and I couldn't answer.  I'm more of a ballpark mom.  She was about 6 pounds, born in the morning some time. :)  And I thought the pop quiz portion of my life was over.  

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