Summer Update

Summer is moving right along, as is my impending return to work. We seem to continue to stay up later and sleep in longer, and we will have a rude awakening once the real schedule kicks in. For now, I guess we are just trying to enjoy it. The backyard pool is working out very nicely, for one.



A few random updates to note:

Throughout the summer, we have tried to continue to push TJ to read on a daily basis. It seems to be getting much better for him, but one of the things that bothers me is that neither one of the kids ever just brings a book to us and asks us to read in the middle of the day. (We always read at night as part of the routine.) Recently, I was in a local bookstore and found a chapter book called "Captain Underpants and the Big Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy." And likewise, "Captain Underpants and the Perilous Plot of Professor Poopypants." Well, getting to read about boogers and poopypants did the trick. I read for over and hour and a half straight yesterday, and finally had to stop because my voice was giving out, even though both kids were still begging for more. Yeah! (And, besides the potty words, there is a ton of new vocabulary, which is the whole point of reading.) I was really hoping that if I could just continue my search for the right books, I could spark a bigger interest in reading. What can I say? Boys will be boys!

Luka update: This little boy is very persistent and always seems to want to learn new tricks. And, he does NOT give up until he has mastered a trick to his satisfaction. Most recently, for the last month, he has been working on his headstands. He is now at the point where he can do a full headstand for 30 seconds! His book of tricks (all compiled this year) includes: snapping his fingers, whistling, winking, and pumping on the swing.

Interestingly, TJ is not yet able to do any of these except pump while swinging. Not, however, because he couldn't, but because he simple doesn't care enough to practice every free moment of the day. I mention this not to minimize TJ's ability at all, but simply to highlight a difference in the characters of the two boys, which is so interesting when raising two very different boys in the same household!

Finally, a story about Jiffy, Luka's beloved giraffe. When flying to Louisville, where Scott was to pick us up, Scott got into a 1 1/2 hour traffic jam. Luka, Mikayla and I were hanging out and reading in the airport, and when Scott finally called to say he was 10 minutes out, we quickly got up and forgot that Jiffy had fallen behind the bench. I remembered as soon as we got in the truck, but of course, getting a gate pass and going back through security is quite the process, (the security line was so long!) so, tears (both of ours) and all, we headed for Indy.

I immediately texted neighbor Jackie, who had just stopped working at the hospital, which is where Jiffy came from. (Jackie was moving that same day!) I just thought that perhaps there might be a Jiffy stuck in someones office closet at the hospital. Jackie worked her magic, and within an hour had texted me back to say she had located one and would hang it on our back door.

Well, luck be had, Papa, who was visiting Macy and Norah, was staying at our house that night. So, I texted Papa and asked him to stuff Jiffy in his suitcase, since we were both headed to Michigan for my cousin's wedding that weekend. Three days later, a brand new soft Jiffy was waiting for Luka in the Michigan hotel!

What a mother won't do for her son's lovey. That was definitely one of those "terrible Mommy moments" and one I hope not to repeat again!

A few random pictures: