Kiddo update

Aaron

• For the past month or so, I have been teaching Aaron to read.  We are using a phonics-based approach recommended by a friend, and the results are amazing!  The first few lessons we did together were a bit boring for him because they were mostly focused on sounds and repetition.  But now that he is getting to read actual words and sentences, he absolutely loves it and he's an incredibly fast learner.  He has even surprised us a number of times by reading words on signs or billboards as we pass by.  As an avid reader myself, I am so excited for him to discover a love of reading too!
• His obsession with legos continues, and we continue to encourage it.  He has a pretty impressive collection of different sets now, but he has also started going rogue and building his own creations (e.g., robots and spaceships) from scratch.  We also recently introduced him to the Lego movie and, not surprisingly, it's his new favorite.

Jill

• The terrible twos seem to have dissipated and in their wake, we have a preschooler!  Well, almost.  Jill starts school next week and she is so ready.  Maybe it's because Aaron paved the way, but she does not appear to be the least bit apprehensive about starting school.  Last night her teacher (the beloved Mrs. Stephens, who was Aaron's teacher last year) came to our house for a visit and before she could even get through the door, Jill ran up and gave her a big hug!
• Jill still loves to play make-believe.  She is constantly assigning us all roles to play -- usually from whatever book, TV show, or movie she saw most recently: "Mom, you're Prince Eric and I'm Ariel."  "You're Bolt and I'm Penny."  "You're Cruella and I'm a baby dalmatian."  "You're a hyena and I'm Simba."  "You're Emmett and I'm Lucy."  "You're Flick and I'm Dot."  The list goes on and on and the possibilities are endless.  The funny thing is, I often don't even need to do anything to participate in her make-believe world.  I could be in the middle of washing dishes and if Jill prances over and demands that I "be Elsa," all I have to do is to say "ok" and then I can go on washing dishes.  The only difference is that now I'm Elsa while I wash the dishes!

Daniel

• I think the end of teething is finally in sight.  Whew, it has been a loooong ordeal!  But Danny's final molar is most of the way through.  And at the risk of jinxing it, he slept in past 6:00 for the past few days.  Coincidence?  Probably.
• On a possibly related note, one of Danny's favorite things to do these days is brush his teeth.  He runs to the bathroom, climbs up on the stool, turns on the water in the sink (yes, he can do that), and begs for "beepa!  beepa!"  I'm not sure why, but "beepa" means toothbrush.  He wants me to put toothpaste on his toothbrush and let him gnaw on it while the water is running.  It's a really special treat if he gets to use Daddy's electric toothbrush.
• His communications skills are exploding!  He is not shy about telling us what he wants (or doesn't want) in no uncertain terms.  So we're hearing a lot of "more" and "no."  But my favorite new word of his is "happy."  At bedtime, after we turn out the lights, I sing You Are My Sunshine.  When I get to the line "you make me..." I pause so he can trill out "happy!"  He basically just wants me to sing that line over and over again so he can keep saying "happy."  If I try to sing anything else, he begs, "More happy!  More happy!"

7/23: Our second family

7/24: The messmaker

7/24: Mass transit

7/24: Snack break on the pool deck

7/24: Watching the lightning storm

7/25: Circle of (my) life

7/29: "Messy day" at church camp

7/30: Storytime

7/30: When the toll road rest stop is closed, we improvise

7/30: Someone thought the fountain was a swimming pool

7/30: One of their favorite spots

7/31: We've gotta get one of these.

7/31: Storyteller

7/31: Summer slurpees

8/1: The horrors of teething

8/4: Somebody got a new cute haircut!

8/4: I'll let you guess which of these Costco purchases was a necessity and which was an impulse buy...

8/9: Danny's first happy meal

8/12: Looking up to his big brother

8/12: More storytime

8/12: She's a natural!

8/13: Double trouble

8/13: Buddies from birth

8/14: Be still my heart

8/16: Danny loves blowing bubbles so much that when he can't find actual bubbles, he gets creative!

8/16: Despite the cotton candy, Jill was an unenthusiastic Cubs fan in the beginning...

8/16: ...that's more like it!

8/16: Three amigos

8/19: Fun times at the air and water show

8/19: Another Broyles movie night success

8/20: This guy!

8/21: Aren't I just the cutest?

8/21: Beautiful day at Oz Park

8/21: Choo choo, comin' through!

8/21: Buggy brothers

8/22: Rockin' out

8/22: Love that sweet smile!

8/22: Danny sure is lucky to have a brother and sister that look out for him

8/24: "Happy as a hippo" 

(bonus points for anyone that recognizes that quote)

8/24: Before I had kids, I swore I would never give them goldfish...

8/24: This is what happened when we told them to get dressed

8/26: Snuggles

8/26: Oh hey!

8/27: Making a present for Oma at the South Bend children's museum

8/27: Pretty in pink

8/28: Splash pad!

8/27: Sibling screen time

8/28: Hmm, what else do you have?

8/28: In Dannyspeak, "truck" is "trootroo"

8/28: Oma's happy place

8/28: Lego lover

8/29: Reuniting with Josie for one last summer play date before school starts!

8/29: Communal ice cream

Quote Wall

-Aaron: "Mommy, the top of my lego robot is cooler than the bottom.  Actually, the top and the bottom of my lego robot are both the same temperature of cool!"

-Jill: "You're my sweet Mommy."
-Me: "Aw, thanks Jilly."
-Jill: "We could never get another Mommy if you died."

-Aaron (after jumping in the pool): "This is colding my penis!"

-Jill: "Once upon a time, there were four tables.  And they walked across the street and they held their Mom's hand.  And they fell asleep and they were not tired at all. ...  The end."

-Aaron (to Sawyer's mom): "Sawyer is smaller than Danny!"
-Michelle: "Yeah.  They're the same age, but Danny is a pretty big guy."
-Aaron (whispering conspiratorially): "I bet he's still drinking the breastmilk."

-Jill: "I peed on your head!  I pooped on your head!"
-Me: "Jill, enough with the pee and poop jokes."
-Jill: "Ok. I fart on your head!"

-Jill (whispering ominously as she sits on the potty): "It's coming.  It's coming."
(plop)
-Jill (looking up at me wide-eyed, still whispering): "It came."