Happy Father's Day!

A couple weeks ago I took the boys to a ceramics place called Color Me Mine. The boys got to choose something to paint for Jason. Kyle chose a dragon and Max chose a mug. They were thrilled! The painting brought out their personalities and the final results were very indicative of those personalities! They both had a good time and worked very hard. Kyle was very meticulous and chose his colors carefully. Max mixed all his colors together and was covered in paint himself when he was done. They were both very proud of their work and hoped Daddy would love it, which of course he did! We gave him their creations today and then took him out to dinner at Buca Di Beppo - a yummy family-style Italian restaurant that Jason loves! Happy Father's Day to Jason and my Dad - the two best Dad's ever!

Summer Reading

Kyle is GREAT at reading and once he's motivated to read he does enjoy it. In an effort to keep him motivated to read this summer we've come up with a summer reading incentive for him. He helped me come up with a list of small prizes that he can earn for every 5 chapter books he reads this summer. Some of the things on his list are a trip to get ice cream, a Pokemon booster pack, a new book from the bookstore, and a solo trip to the pool with me. So far he's almost finished his first book and he's only on day 1 of summer. His first book he's reading is from the A to Z Mystery Series "The Missing Mummy." We checked out that book and several others from the library. So far his reading list includes "The White Wolf," "The Vampire's Vacation," "Pirates Past Noon," and "Night of the Ninjas." Once he's read all those he'll get his first prize. He also has to give me a verbal summary of the book and write/draw about his favorite part. So far he seems very excited about this plan!

Kyle's music concert

Last night was Kyle's first school music concert. It was optional to participate but there was a great turnout. The music teacher at his school put together a fun program for the kids grades K-2. Each grade level performed about 6 songs. It was held at the nearby middle school. There ended up being 12 kids from Kyle's class alone there. He was thrilled to see all his friends and perform his songs for us. He did a great job making sure he was careful with his cast - he was holding back with some of the motions so he didn't injure himself - I was very proud of him! Max LOVED watching Kyle and the other kids perform. He clapped so loud after each song - he was happy to be a part of the evening. It was very HOT in the cafeteria where it was held, but we made it through and it was a good time. I took some videos but Kyle's so far away that you can't really make him out in any of them.

Max's last soccer class

Monday evening was Max's last soccer class of the season. He really seemed to enjoy it and has grown so much during the course of it. He actually listens well and follows directions now. I don't have to chase him around to make sure he stays with the group. I can actually just sit and watch from the sidelines. He even seems to be getting the skills that he's been taught and tries hard to do what he's asked. He's growing up! They did a small medal ceremony at the end where each child was presented with a medal and got their picture taken with Coach John.

Strawberry picking

Today Max and I went strawberry picking at Butler's Orchard. We went early before it got too hot and picked 6 lbs. of strawberries! I think Max ate about a pound himself as well. They were very good strawberries. I had some after we'd brought them home and washed them for lunch and I can see why he couldn't stop eating them! He had a great time. It would have been a little hard for Kyle with his cast and he was at school anyway, so it was just the two of us this year. Maybe we'll all try blueberry picking in a few weeks once school is out.

Kyle's broken arm and painting

As most of you know by now, Kyle broke his arm a few weeks ago. He tripped over a stool in the bathroom and managed to fall backwards into the metal door stopper and hit his elbow in exactly the wrong place. He broke the bone right above his elbow. He's had his arm in a cast, but thankfully didn't need surgery. He will get the cast off on June 15, but will not be back to full activity for another month or two after that. It's been hard to find things for him to do since he's limited and the playground, running, jumping, etc. are off limits. He's getting pretty good at doing things with his left hand and has really gotten into painting these days. He's always enjoyed art and painting, but he is thrilled that he can still do it and be just as creative using his left hand. He's into abstract painting of designs with lots of colors. He's recently told me he wants to be an artist when he grows up.

Happy 2nd Birthday Michael!

The boys' cousin Michael had his second birthday on Friday. We went to his house on Saturday to celebrate with him and the rest of the family. We had pizza and cupcakes and opened presents. The boys had fun playing with Michael and Kyle in particular was very good with him. Michael is delayed in some areas, but is starting to take steps while holding your hands, so Kyle was excited to help him "walk" and he was entertaining him by playing music which he loved!