I want to do my school

Recently, we discovered the Starfall.com website which is a super great, totally free online resource for learning to read phonetically. I thought this would be a good place for Sofia to keep up her reading with the simple online books similar to the ones she would bring home from challenger that are right at her level.

Because Marcelo sees Sofia learning to read and also me spending individual time with her reviewing phonics and so forth, I told him he could do the alphabet section of the website and he often says, "I want to do my school". It is super cute. The only problem is that he doesn't have a good grasp of mouse mechanics and I'm still weary about him around the laptop seeing as what happened with those missing (broken) keys and all.

Here, Sofia demonstrates to him how to read a book and then helps him click on the letters he wants to do.

Library Story Time

I've decided to kick my mom butt in gear and do more educational, worth-while, non-TV -movie -toy, related activities with the kids. After Peter was born, I re-instituted the limited TV time I can really see a difference in how it affects the kids. For me it means more work up front. But it is what it is.

So, I decided, with Sofia's emergence into reading, that we should make regular trips to the library. Lehi recently opened a "satellite" branch, Point Meadow, that seemed custom made for the kids so we took a visit during story time.

So this is why I'm always telling the kids to "please smile for c#*!$% sake". In the other picture, I think Sofia is picking her nose.

It is the cutest thing on the outside, like a modern one-room school house. I don't really understand why they made a library whose parking lot is bigger than it's building but whatever. Also, I think the fountain outside might have cost more. Clearly, I'm not privy to how these plans are made.

Marcelo really enjoyed Story Time. I think he thinks it's like his "Preschool". So cute. It's also nice to have your big sister there sometimes.

Kangaroo Zoo

I should have entitled this entry: "Too Scared to Jump. Too Much in Love Not To."

For the first two hours a Kangaroo Zoo, I followed Marcelo around trying to provide moral support so that he could feel safe and go inside the jumpy things or the slide-y things. He was so excited to be there with the rest of the big kids, Becky's kids. He would run right along side all of them until the entrance to one of the bouncy things and jump in. Then, he would retreat and mope. He just could not get up the nerve to do it.

Becky, with her more kid friendly persona, got him to go up one of the small slides and come down. When he saw himself emerging from the mouth of the shark, evidenced by the giant pointy teeth hanging down, he freaked out. Maybe a pre-briefing session about the bouncy place would have been a good idea.

So after a couple of hours at this place, I was ready to go. A little disappointed Marcelo wasn't able to partake of as much fun as he could have had he not spent all his time running from one bouncy house to another and waiting outside. Suddenly, I look over to take inventory of the kids and I see THIS! (Yes, it's blurry. I could hardly get my camera ready on time).

He is going up the BIGGEST slide on the premises with his beloved Lydia. Lydia is Marcelo's ever-patient, sweet loving little muse. He would, clearly, follow her to the ends of the earth, walk across burning lava, submit himself to poisonous scorpion bites, ... well you get it.

Unfortunately, something happens at the top and he ends up plummeting down the slide like a sack of potatoes with the evil sorceress, I mean, Sofia directly above him with her metal, piercing sword-legs pointed at his spleen. Oh, the poor child. I cringe with anguish as I witness the calamity occurring before me but there is nothing I can do except continue to document the calamity in photographs. I have flashes of how he will be traumatized for life fearing anything to do with inflated structures, slides, and dragons.

As they disappear from sight, I run to asses the wreckage at the bottom and prepare myself for the bloody and mangled scene.

OMG.
Where is Sofia?
Where is the blood?
... and the body parts?
Wait, I still can't see his face.
I'm not sure I'm prepared for this.

I am shocked to see this looking back at me, literally, the biggest smile I have ever seen in my life. It's so big, his lips are getting sucked into his mouth. It's kind of scary looking.

But I was SO happy to see he had conquered his fear, (wasn't hurt), and had the biggest rush of his short life. All to be with his beloved Lydia.

The End