Story time & 9 days to go!!!

Took the Chelatchie Prairie Railroad out to Moulton Falls!


LOVE THIS PIC!!!


Standing on the train together!


Grammy & Daniel!


Papa and Cammy!


Cammy, Papa, Daniel & Mommy ready to ride
the train!


How does Papa want to spend his 53rd Birthday?
Taking the boys to Red Robin! LOVE Cameron's
smile! ;-)


Sliding on our tummies on the slide!


Cameron was pushing Daniel in the swing!


Cameron loves the bubble machine!


Daniel holding a bug!


Papa showing a bug to the boys!


Papa took the bug and put it on a spider web
and they watched the spider wrap it up to eat
later! Thanks Papa for that "wonderful" lesson
in the circle of life....


Daniel enjoying putting these blocks together!

For all you Mommy's out there, you know that "wonderful, melt-your-heart, get a tear in your eye" feeling you get when something special happens with your children? I had that wonderful feeling and moment with my little Cammy man last night! It was time for bed and getting them changed and ready to sit down and read a book! Normally I read to the boys. Well, Cameron had a Thomas book and said "I read"! So I said, "OK! You read to me and brother!".

So we all sat on the rug in their room and Cameron proceeded to turn to the last page in the book and begin there! (Big smile on my face!) He started saying, "Gordon. James. Thomas. Percy.", and pointing to each of them. Turn the page. "That's snow!" Turn the page. "Uh Oh! Henry falling!" Turn the page. "That's Toby! Those are birds!" Turn the page. "That's Thomas! That's a cow!" I ask what a cow says and they both say "MOOO!" Turn the page. Skip a page. "More birdies! That's a polar express!" (Thomas has the snowplow on the front of his engine, which looks like the polar express train.) "Those are fish! That's a boat! That another boat!" So then we start over again (at the end of the book) and I begin asking him what other thing in the book are. If he is unsure, I say "That's a windmill!" His reply was, "That's a windmill! Right!" I had this huge smile and giggled! Every time I pointed something out he didn't know and then told him, he repeated and ended with "Right!", sounding like "Oh yea! Right! I knew that Mom!" (It's starting already!)

Daniel normally doesn't sit quietly and let Cameron do the talking. He usually jumps in and answers, but he sat quietly and was listening to Cammy tell us the story! It was so sweet and so wonderful to hear Cameron talking so much! He's always been the quieter one and didn't speak as well as Daniel because of his hearing issues, but since he got the tubes in his ears, it has made a huge difference! Now we just need him to have the confidence, like last night, to speak up and not let Daniel speak for him. I'm so very, very proud of him and how well he is doing! He warmed my heart and made me feel so wonderful watching him do so well!!! This is one of the many joys of being a Mommy! I LOVE IT!

So I think we have decided that we will not start the boys in Pre-School in September. We have been talking and decided that it would be better to start them next year when they are 4 and then a 2nd year of pre-school at 5 and then start Kindergarten at 6. Boys do not mature as quickly as girls emotionally, they are physically much smaller than children their age, they aren't close to being potty-trained and it will probably be better for them in the long-run when they are older. It's better to hold them back a little at this age, than when they are older. Financial reasons are another part of it, but not the main part. I am thinking that I will put my Early Childhood Education to good use and prepare a plan to work with them over the next year in a similar way they would be worked with in pre-school. My mom was also a pre-school teacher for many years, so I think between the two of us, we can come up with a plan. We have also decided that we will start putting them into other programs instead this next year, like swimming lessons and Community Ed programs.

Well, 9 more days until we go to the beach!!! I am so excited and can't wait! I need to get away and relax and enjoy some family time! I'm looking forward to the boys playing more on the beach and hopefully the ocean (it was chilly last time) and swimming in the pool together! My parents picked up these really cute body suits for them that have a flotation device in the body area to help them stay afloat on their own! We'll see how that goes, since last year they clung to us like glue!!! And Bryan and I have only 1 more month from today until our 10 year anniversary! L

We hope you are doing well and enjoy the attached pics from the last month or so!

Luv,
Jen