I thought I'd write an update on what the kids are into right now...
I started reading the first Harry Potter book to Jack & Casey in November. We finished in January and watched the movie. They loved the movie and I think it helped them visualize the magic of the book. Now we're reading the 2nd book and Jack keeps asking me to read more every night because "we just got to an interesting part!" Jack has been drawing pictures of the characters during his free time at school.
On his own, Jack is reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid books and a Nate the Great book. On Christmas Eve, he went to church early with Pat and read more than half of the Nate book! (Thanks for saving us seats!)
Casey is starting to read aloud to me while Jack does his reading. She does a very good job of sounding things out. She gets a little frustrated because she is not reading fast enough to comprehend and sometimes it doesn't make sense to her, but I'm sure it won't be long before she's figuring it all out.
What We're Watching:
For the past several months, it's been all things Ninja. It started when we found American Ninja Warrior on TV one night last spring. Then, this summer they started watching a show called Kickin' It which is the only non-animated show from Disney I've let them watch. I think they've seen every episode of every season at least 3 times. We met one of the actors this summer at a fair, standing in line for a good hour for her autograph. And now it's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I walk around with the catchy theme song in my head all day.
What We're Playing With:
Both Jack and Casey got a Rainbow Loom for Christmas and they make bracelets every day. I love that the "it" toy was only $16 (plus some extra for more bands) and has provided hours of entertainment, even for me. I now get requests to make them surprise bracelets while they're sleeping.
Jack got a Wii for Christmas and has been playing the Lego Star Wars game. He is still into all things Lego and he keeps finding new kinds…Star Wars, Chima, Hero Factory, and Ninja Turtles. I keep trying to find ways to organize them better. Lately it means dismantling sets and putting them in plastic bags although I did find a big plastic bin with dividers in the Christmas section for all his loose Legos.
Casey got an American Girl doll for Christmas, whose name is Casey Junior and she has been taking care of her "twin sister" pretty well. She's already been on a couple of plane rides and to downtown Memphis.
They both still love to "craft" and I don't understand how they go through so much tape. They just make things up - paper airplanes, tiny pieces of paper with staples in it, tiny pieces of paper with tape, brown paper bags with strings attached to papers. They also love when cardboard boxes come in the house. Right now in our house there is an elf house complete with furniture (leftover from Christmas), a garbage eating robot and another garbage eating robot decorated with Christmas items.
What We're Eating:
Since Pat suggested we offer dessert if they eat what's on their plates without complaint, they have both eaten more variety of vegetables, meat and even some soup. It's only a few bites of each, but I count that as success. And it's usually not without complaint…I should probably crack down on that. Offering ice cream for two bites of vegetables goes against every article I've ever read about how to deal with picky eaters but it so far it's working to get them to eat things besides carbs and sometimes they even forget about dessert.
