Reading Hour

Lots of reading going on these days in the house. The kids picked up a Pink Panther book this weekend at the library and have read it several times. I just can't say no - when they ask me to read, I have to drop everything and do it. Daddy is the same, but for Legos - when Agustin asks him to play Legos with him, he drops everything.

Library Day

Went to the Damas library today - it has been a lifesaver for me these past 2-3 years. One of these days I will put up a post with the books I've read, 90% of them from that library. I took the kids with me today. Agustin goes through the books like water - he really is not selective at all. Since I have to rent them at 25 cents a book for every two weeks they are out, if he gets 25 books, that can be a bit pricey, so I told the kids to keep it to four books today. They were great - went through the big stack they had originally chosen and pared it down to four. But then...Mommy had to do the same.

One of the things I miss most about home is having a (good) library, as well as a Barnes and Noble, nearby. Geez how I miss the library and B&N.

Don't step on a car

I was in Ibarra today. The drive home was foggy and rainy and darker than dark, pretty tricky for these old eyes. The kids stayed up for me, which was great, so I got to see them when I came in. Walking in the door is tricky, however, since you have to try not to step on all the cars that always seem to be strewn around the house, regardless of how often you pick them up. But it makes me smile. My boys sure love their cars.

Getting around to Harry Potter...finally!

So I've decided to read Harry Potter, finally. My mom gave me the first three books many years ago, before I had kids, and I read the first two and half of the third. Then I decided that I wanted to read them all, in order, so I stopped reading and started collecting. This summer I got the last one, and so finally this week I decided to start reading. Just finished the first one, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, and loved it (I liked it the first time, too). I'd love to read them to the kids (I remember my mom reading us Little House in the Big Woods), but I think it'd be too scary for them (they're huge babies).

Looking for a school

The last routine of the morning - getting our shoes on. This year will be Agustin's last at Freedom. He will be going into 2nd grade, I can't even believe it. And we have to find a school, which is torture. Choosing the right one, one not too far, not too expensive (most of them are around $300 a month, too expensive in my opinion for the quality you get - most of those schools really aren't that impressive). I can't take the decisions. I just want someone to tell me that THIS is the school he has to go to and period.

Transformers for bed

The Transformers book has been a hit. We read it every day, and the kids are not getting tired of it.

Our nightly routine consists of reading 2 books (each kid gets to choose one, and unfortunately for me, if they happen to choose the same one, they end up choosing another anyhow - it can make for a long bedtime routine). Then the kids get tucked in, say prayers (Nico makes fun the whole time but Agustin takes them very seriously), and then Mommy has to stay and sing songs in the dark as they fall asleep. We started the song-singing back in November when one of the kids was feeling bad, to help him fall asleep, but somehow it has become a tradition. Right now the four most requested songs are Jingle Bells, Jingle Bell Rock, the Transformers song (from some commercial when I was small - I like that one since it is only two lines long), and On Top of Spaghetti.

I am usually exhausted by the end of the entire routine and collapse on my bed.

Bookshelf makes mommy smile

The title says it all. Somewhere to house the kids' books is a good thing. And I love that now the boys can get to their books easier (before they would always fall and make a mess). Nicolas is especially enjoying the shelf, as I will often find piles of books around the house or on his bed as he takes them off the shelf and looks at them.

Digital cars

Nicolas and Agustin got a computer program for Christmas that lets them put together their own race car. It is called "Dream Cars" and they can't get enough of it. From deciding on the type of engine to the type of spoiler or the color of the paint job to the decals, the kids are learning about the things that go into race cars.

Race tracks and tempra

Sick day today. Agustin has what Nicolas just got over. Not fun. Very high fever. Too high for my liking. Been taking a lot of Tempra today to keep it down. He's been feeling pretty rough today, but still had enough energy to put together this great Geotrack track.

Tooth Fairy

Agustin is losing teeth left and right. Tonight he lost another, the front one on the top. He is excited to hear from the tooth fairy tonight. And get one dollar richer.

ETA: He lost another on the bottom on Saturday night that I didn't even know was loose! And apparently the tooth fairy gives a fiver for losing two teeth in the same weekend. (Could it have anything to do with the fact that the tooth fairy didn't have any change?)

Mommy smells

Tonight Nicolas told his father,

"Mommy smells like my favorite cereal."

Not exactly a compliment, I suppose, as that means I smell like either Captain Crunch, Special K, or "Marshmallow cereal".

A million little pieces...of legos

There are Legos all over Agustin's room. He is a Lego whiz, and can make anything out of them. We step on them every day. It hurts. But I love how he'll put together a whole house or school, or a bunch of little dogs, or robots, or cars. He is so good at visualizing something to make. He can spend hours alone in his room, playing with his Legos. Until he realizes he might be alone. That is when he screams, "Mommy! Are you there?"

Book shopping

I had the day off today to go to Agustin's open house at school. He did great and brought home a great report card (19.3/20), but one thing I noticed is that he is a little behind in his reading. The other kids read much faster than him (although I am still unsure as to whether they understand what they are reading). So I decided to take him to the bookstore this afternoon. He got four books, from Toy Story to Ice Age 3 to Transformers and one about Hot Wheels, and enjoyed sitting down with them and reading them (especially the Transformers). I really hope I can help him improve his reading skills. He loves to hear stories, loves going to the bookstore and library and going through the books, but it has been hard getting him to read on his own.

All better

This is more like it! Here he is, much better after a fever-filled weekend. During the night he slept soundly and there was no sign of a fever. We are Tempra-free today and I am happy! The worst thing in the world is watching your kids feel sick and not being able to help them.

Nicolás sick again

This face is what I've been looking at all weekend. Poor Nicolás has been feeling pretty bad, complaining of a headache, stomachache, and an ache in his chest. He's had a pretty high fever all weekend too, which is worse at night. Funny, though. He'll be fine and playing alone until he sees me. Then suddenly he is crying and clutching at himself and saying how much it hurts.

New computer chair for more comfortable surfing

We finally "got rid" of our old, uncomfortable computer chair (i.e. Nicolás jumped up on my lap while I was on it and the legs broke off). We replaced it with this one, reminiscent of something you might see in an IKEA catalog. And it is so comfortable, which means we surf longer. It's nice to use the computer without getting a backache!

Belated BIrthday Present

Agustin finally received his birthday magazine subscription from Grandma Bauer today. Grandma Bauer has always been good about keeping her "Ecuadorians" up-to-date with magazines, from Reader's Digest to Woman's Day and National Geographic. Agustin is thrilled - it is the perfect magazine for him: all about animals (seals, cheetahs and sharks), robots, cool innovative cars, and craft projects. Even a jokes page, and while he doesn't quite get them yet (they are a little advanced, more like for an 8-10 year old), he laughs as if he did!

Dulce de leche and crackers

Nicolas got into the pantry tonight and took it upon himself to open a package of Ritz and a tub of dulce de leche. I love it when he does something independent like that.

First bombero

A bombero is a bad (failing) grade. Agustin's first, a 10.5/20 on his English spelling test. As a teacher, I have strong opinions about the nature of this test (first and foremost that there is no context whatsoever for those words), but I won't go into that. We studied diligently for a half hour, writing the words over and over. It's quite exciting realizing that soon he will be reading in both languages (at least a bit).

ETA: I forgot to mention that tonight we had a parent-teacher conference with Nicolás's teacher. That's his report card on the left, and it is PERFECT! All Very Satisfactories. Good job, Nico!

Storage!!!

Finally finished the new storage area in the back with a new door. We got the high chair, stroller, baby chairs and other miscellaneous items in there! Woohoo - you can walk by the washing machine again without tripping over tools and bags of fertilizer and toys!