Books Bryce has destroyed (I mean read)!

You can always tell a book that Bryce has read at our house. It is at the very least torn, folded and wrinkled. Don't get me wrong, I love that he is a reader, but boy is he hard on books. He takes a book everywhere. He reads on the bus, in the car and occasionally even at home. He especially likes fantasy books like Harry Potter and Artemis Fowl, but will read just about anything.

He is not the only reader in the house (just the most destructive). Ty read his first Harry Potter book this year and is now reading "Inkheart", which is the longest book he has attempted. Paige still prefers a book she can finish in a couple of days at most. She recently started reading American Girl books. She also read a book called "Clementine" that she loved. Brett loves anything that anyone will read to him, but especially funny books like "Hiccupotomus". Dave hasn't read much lately, but enjoys a good Clancy or Grisham (usually started on an airplane).

I have loved to read for as long as I can remember. I remember coming home from the local library with a stack of books bigger than I could carry and finding a comfy spot to read them all. I love libraries and book stores. I have been reading a lot of children's fantasy/fairytale type books lately. I love Shannon Hale ("Goose Girl" and "Princess Academy"), I like Gail Carson Levine ("Ella Enchanted" and "Fairest"), of course I like Harry Potter and after Bryce recently finished "Magyk" I started it. I also love, mystery/suspense type books, an occasional Biography and even a bestseller now and then. I would love suggestions for a good read!

random stuff

This week report cards came home. Everyone did pretty well. One "C" (Ty, spelling).

Brett thinks he can read and write. He "reads" signs all the time and asks for interpretations. Example: "Mommy, what is FOD" "I don't know spell it for me." "F-O-O-D" "Oh, food!" He also draws funny pictures and makes up names for the creatures he draws.

Friday night Dave and Bryce went on a scout campout. Bryce's first. It was cold and rainy! Bryce loved it. He got to shoot shotguns. Of course, he was barely strong enough to get the thing off the ground and didn't hit anything, but it was great! They came home wet, dirty and very stinky.

Paige answered the phone for the first time today. She knew it was her friend, who had to "call right back", but still it was a first.

I am going through scrapbook withdrawls. With the loss of my scrap space and new space (which will be great!) unfinished, my stuff is in such chaos that I can't get anything going.

Kids are out of school for two days, but the house is pretty quiet (Ty's not here). Paige and Brett are playing school and Bryce is going out to shoot baskets. Maybe I should take a nap! :)

What is your favorite...?

Ty has always been the talker of the family and when we get in the car he has always let the questions fly. When he was younger they were often funny and very entertaining and thought provoking like, "Does a mailman have a mailman?" and "How come you never know when you fall asleep?" But, lately Ty's car talk often focuses on favorites. What is your favorite this or that. So much so that recently Dave asked Ty, "What is your favorite thing to ask what is your favorite?" He is very curious and wonders why everyones favorite food is not pizza. He doesn't like it when I tell him I don't have a favorite color. What is your favorite subject? What is your favorite song? What is your favorite amusement park ride? (That is one of his favorite topics). What is your favorite game? What is your favorite thing to do outside? It is never ending!

So, What are your favorites?

I usually have good conversations with Brett in the car too. Earlier this week we were driving home from running errands and I asked him why he was being so quiet. He said, "Remember, you're driving you hafta concentrate!" I agreed and then he told me he was saying stuff in his head. So, I asked what he was thinking about and he said. "Stuff they say on "Cars". It is his favorite movie right now!

Paige's Homework

One of Paige's new homework assignments has been to write a story using her new vocabulary words. I think she does a great job. Here is what she wrote tonight:

Once there was a very lucky Chinese girl named Ivy. She was very excited for the New Year's Parade. Her brother thought the firecrackers were worthless, but she thought differently. The next day was the big parade and she couldn't wait. She devoured her lunch to get to the parade. On the way Ivy's dress was rustling in the wind. When she got there she met her friend, Lu. She really appreciated her. They saw the dragon and later they saw the firecrackers exploding. Lu's sister was startled by the firecrackers. When she got back her mother scolder her because she got home so late but she had the best day of her life.

Can you guess which words are the vocabulary words?

I Know Everything!

For a while now Brett has regularly informed us that he knows EVERYTHING. His brothers and sister often play "Trip up Brett." They ask him questions that obviously Brett does not know the answer to, but Brett has a response for these questions, "I'm not tellin' but I DO know!" A couple of days ago Brett and I were in the van headed home and he was trying to decide which game to play when we arrived. He kept saying things like"I can't decide" , "I don't know which one to play." His final comment--"I DO know everything, I'm just not a good decider." I think it will be a sad day when he finally acknowledges that he does not know everything, but with this stubborn boy that could be a long time coming.

Life is a Rollercoaster

Why is our life like a rollercoaster? Well, life is full of ups and downs, life can be fun and exciting and even sometimes scary. But, mostly I chose the rollercoaster theme just because we love rollercoasters. I think in our more than 16 years of marriage we have attended at least one amusement park a year. We have ridden rollercoasters in Texas, Oklahoma, Utah, Ohio, Florida, New Jersey, and California and attended around 16 different amusement parks. Dave and Bryce will ride anything including the tallest, fastest rollercoaster in the world! Ty and Paige prefer mid size coasters and both rode their first rollercoaster with a loop last summer. Brett will ride anything he is tall enough to get on and puts his hands up and screams with delight on every ride. Even I like the big coasters as long as they are smooth. So, welcome to the amusement park!

Do I really want to do this?

I have recently discovered the joys of reading about other peoples lives and have been trying to decide if "blogging" is something I want to do. I think it would be a great way to give our far off family a look at our lives. But, do I really want to put anything out there in the unknown of cyberspace? I guess since I am doing this---that decision has been made. Well, we'll see how it goes.