Adventures in Learning

Xavier and Brodie are so interested in learning and I owe it all to Leap Frog's the Letter Factory. 

Xavier has learned to read small words. He can sound them out if all of the letters make the sound they are supposed to. We had quite an argument that did not actually end over the word "ball". He insists that it is   BOLL because the a makes the short o sound.  I even showed him a flash card with a picture of a ball and the word typed under it.  He still wasn't buying it. CURSE YOU ENGLISH LANGUAGE!!

Xavier has also been practicing writing his letters.  He was working on it one day in one of his workbooks and I could see he was getting bored. Then I noticed that the pictures in the workbook all looked sad. They were all frowning. Seriously not one smile.  I thought it was strange, but used it to my advantage. I said (for example) "Oh X! that frog looks sad! Its because its missing an F, now he is only a rog. Can you help him be happy?" So he wrote the f and then I let him draw a smile on the frog over the frown. We did this for every picture, even fence posts. He did like 5 more pages. 

We checked out his school last week. He is so excited! He said "There are sharks in my classroom!"  Their mascot is a shark. They have aquariums all over the school too. Its great. He starts summer school on June 1st! (a month long to get them use to the idea of school before it starts)

Brodie is obsessed with letters. He recognizes each one and knows the sound for it. We went to the Snake Parade before the St. Patrick's Day Parade and he enjoyed pointing out the letters on the side of the floats. The parade itself wasn't as interesting to him.

When we went camping in the Red Woods last Nov. there were humongous, gorgeous trees surrounding us and all he wanted to do was go up the the posts that numbered the campsites and point to each number as I read it. We went in circles so many times until I just picked him up and went back to our campsite because I wanted to relax in the unique atmosphere. Then we went back to it later, of course.

Akeem came to visit 2 weeks ago and he told me he was watching Brodie and X run around and chase each other. Brodie ran into the kitchen all worked up over something X did but stopped to read the sound of each flash card on the floor before chasing after him again. He found it hilarious.

I am going to have to get him "my baby can read" thats the next step, right?
   

Outside Adventure

Xavier and Brodie have not been able to go outside very much because it is so cold outside.  Yes, in fact, the news reporter advised that any skin that was left exposed may become frostbitten within 30 min. and you had better not sweat either because it would freeze.

But before the scary warnings, way back last week when in was way up in the 20's and one day the news even exclaimed in text: High of 40o today !!!  (Yes there were 3 exclamation marks. ), X and Brodie did get to venture out a little.

X and his mommy tried sledding down some sort of slope. His mommy tried to pack the snow into a path by scooting down pushing with her feet along the sides.  After doing this a few times and getting the snow kinda packed she set Xavier up on the sled and gave him a helping push.  Away he went, for a whole 4 ft. So she nudged him along some more and again a few times.  "Lets try that again" she suggested, so they went back to the top of the sort of slope and, determined to give her son the experience of sledding down a hill, she ran pushing him most of the way down.

Pleased and exhausted, she picked up a hand-full of snow, squeezed it into an oddly shaped ball and tossed it at X, hitting him square in his overly padded back.  He turned with a sneaky, excited smile already pasted on his pink face.  It was on.  He picked up two hand-fulls of snow and threw it at her. Since he did not know how to make a snowball, his mommy was showered in dusty snow.  Over and over he got hit in various places on his jacket and backside of his pants. He got better too, getting in some good hits.  His trash talk was much better than his aim though.  He would taunt "Miiiiist Meeeee"  even after he was hit by a good one.

Then they made the much anticipated Abominable Snowman.  Well he wasn't eight feet high, he was closer to 3 feet, and his head was balanced precariously on top, but he did have red eyes.  X was sure to make that happen, so his mommy went inside in search of two read buttons.  They were small, but she found them. She cut a tip off of a carrot for the nose, because the whole carrot would be way too big for this Abominable Snowman.

A few days later, after the snow started to melt a little more (In fact it was the 40o!!!! day) X and Brodie went for a bike ride with their Mommy and Daddy.  Daddy had lined up X's big wheel and Brodies scooter in the garage then opened the garage door as they climbed on.  And they're off! Well X was.  Brodie didn't know how to work the scooter so his Mommy pushed him as he stood with both feet up.  Down the hill they raced. X was in the lead with Daddy while Mommy tried showing Brodie how to push himself with one leg.  He quickly realized he could go much faster and with much less effort if his Mommy pushed him so, like a freeloader, he kept his feet up. X only ran into the snow on the side of the road a dozen or so times saying "Woopsy" and correcting himself.  He has gotten really good at riding his big wheel. But his challenge came when they had to go back up the hill.

This isn't a cliff hanger.  He made it up with the help of his mommy because daddy was now pushing Brodie and they went in and had hot chocolate and life was yummy.

X man and Brodie move to Missouri.

 Jan. 11, 2011 was an exciting day for Xavier and Brodie.  They were on their way to a new land to discover new things, like snow and forests. But it was a long an arduous journey. "Missouri is super duper far away. Its taking 3 hours to get there!" said Xavier.   "CAR!!! Vrrrooooooom vrrooooom" replied Brodie.
They were really good for their mommy for the whole trip, watching lots and lots of movies and munching on yummy cookies that Katie and David made for them.  They weren't even phased when their mommy slid on the icy road and spun around into the other lane.  (I guess that was because there were no cars coming and she only panicked under her breath.)  And they didn't even mind when they got a flat tire.  They just went right on watching their movie- asking to have the door closed to keep out the cold air, of course.  And Xavier overcame his not wanting to pee on the side of the road into the snow so well that he still asks if we can stop just so he can pee in the snow.
Finally after 3 hours, I mean 3 days, they arrived. What a beautiful home.  We were greeted with balloons on the outside light and toilet paper in the bathrooms.  What a sweet landlord.  He also turned on the heat.  Good thing too, it was like 15 degrees!
Now the boys have a big yard with trees that they can play with for up to 30 min before they get too cold and we have to come back inside.  It will be nice when it warms up though ;)