Reading with Sis and some videos

It's fun to find pictures and videos of Mystery Baby on my camera that I didn't even know about. :)

1. 
   

Reading Buddies

Baby Genius!

We like to declare our kids baby geniuses at various points of their babyhood.  And granted, Little Guy is nearly four and not quite a baby anymore, but I like Baby Genius better than Child Genius or Child Prodigy.  Although all are fitting.  :)

We checked out these Bob books from the library a few months ago.  He already knew all the sounds the letters make thanks to this video.  B sat down with him and the first few times, Little Guy would sound out the word but was unable to put the sounds together to read the word.  If B sounded it out, he could figure out the word.  Eventually he's gotten to where he sounds out the letters and then knows the word.  He's worked his way through the Bob books mostly and the other day started reading some of our K12 Kindergarten phonics books with B.  This video is the first time he's ever read this particular story.  He read the title and the first line and then B ran and got the camera.  We have some earlier footage of him reading the Bob books, but it looks as though B uploaded them to his computer, and his computer isn't home right now. 

Our little reader:
http://youtu.be/A-fExDb84fg

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Heading home we flew Burbank to San Francisco to Dulles.  Burbank was awesomely empty, no lines for security and both going there and coming home I didn't have to go through the x-ray machine, just a normal metal detector. Score!  The Burbank airport has stairs they wheel up to the airplane so you go outside and climb up them.  I've always thought that was fun and the kids thought so too.  Our plane from Burbank to SF was small so Little Guy and I were on one side of the aisle and Buddy and PS were on the other side (two seats per side).  The plane from SF to Dulles was a regular three seats per side of the aisle.  This meant the three kids were together and I was across the aisle from them (none of them would sit alone).  That was more difficult, and is one of the reasons they got ot watch the inflight movie which was Pirates of the Carribeean 4 (which I normally wouldn't have let them watch).  Little Guy fell asleep with his headphones on watching the pirate movie.  The first pictures are PS reading in the Burbank airport while we waited for our flight.

Reading with Daddy

 I told Little Guy to look at his book, not at the camera and he gave me the stink eye.

So I told him he could smile and he broke out this million dollar smile.

 All my boys.

Big Sister

Princess Sparkley reading a book to her little brother. (Ignore Baby X's finger in his nose.) I LOVE that she can read him books so I don't have to read "Moo, Baa, La, La, La" or "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" thirty times a day. I just say, "Oh, take that book to [Princess Sparkley] and have her read it to you" when Baby X comes at me with a book and I'm busy and he says, "Oh, [Princess Sparkely]" and runs off to find her. Awesome.

Babymouse

With some of her birthday money, Princess Sparkley bought this Babymouse t-shirt and the new Babymouse book (which we bought at Borders the day it was released... exciting, exciting). For those of you who don't know, Babymouse is a graphic novel that PS LOVES. This particular book is Babymouse: Dragonslayer... hence the viking hat and sword.

Cabin Trek 2009: Day 1

My parents built an A-frame cabin in the mountains above Cedar City, UT in about 1968 when they were living in Las Vegas. It was a bit further away when we were living in southern California during my childhood, but we still visited often. Over the past couple of years my parents and brother have bought land and built a bigger cabin with electricity and running water (the old cabin did not have such luxuries).

We left home Friday, June 26th in the afternoon, stopping at the library in Topeka to stock up on even more books to entertain our kids (mainly to PS since she finishes at least one library book before we've left the library parking lot) on the long drive and the subsequent time at a cabin lacking a TV or internet access.


Here's Princess Sparkley hurrying to finish a book before we return it.


Our first day's drive was not long... about four hours to Hays, KS.


Buddy and PS in their hotel bed.


Baby X did not do so well the first night in a hotel... here he is the next morning asleep in our bed. Luckily this horrible night did not reflect the entire vacation or we might have only lasted a day.

Baby X loves books.

Are You My Mother? Part 2

Princess Sparkley Reads: Are you my Mother? Part 1

For Grandma L