Contents of June

JB reminded me that if I am writing a post about reading I need to mention Benjamin's obsession with the "contents of april," his name for the "table of contents."  It has proven impossible to change his way of saying this.  I'm sure it's one of those things that will work itself out...right? 

Using his phrase as a title for this post also suggests that I am writing about what is making us content this first month of summer--reading and imaginative play together.   

I think this was an attempt at "rest time" 

Indeed, reading or looking at books is a primary activity for both kids right now, with Benjamin in the early stages of actually reading and Liza Jane pointing with great excitement at pictures she sees and "look mommy, letters!"  She will also sit down with a book and flip through the pages as she talk herself through the book, most of which I don't usually understand except for the occasional "mommy and baby and baby and daddy..."

reading right there in the middle of things at Poppa Rollos 

And what a delight to read with Benjamin this summer.  Reading is truly the go-to activity at our house, so it makes sense that Benjamin should be eager to read on his own I suppose. We're not big believers in pushing early reading for it's own sake though; it's really been his initiative that has made him a reader.  We're going through first reader books like Hop on Pop and the Little Bear books.  We just got a new bunch from the library so we can read some stories he doesn't already know.  As I'm writing this during Liza's nap, Ben is reading "Going on a Bear Hunt" next to me here on the couch.

Another wonderful thing about this summer is sibling play.  Benjamin and Eliza have really learned how to enjoy playing together. Not that they don't have their fights, and I do wonder how this is going to be different when Eliza starts to really dig in her heels about being bossed around, but I don't want to diminish this stage either.  Their favorite thing to play right now is microwave, which is actually our old broken microwave that we put on the floor of the entry-way a few weeks ago and will probably stay there a bit longer.  

The Thomas the Train tent someone gave us has also been a hit for play time.  Benjamin really doesn't care very much about the whole "Thomas" thing, but he does like to take the train/airplane/boat to places like Mars, Paris, and Liza's favorite place:  "I'm goin' to town, mama."  I love it when they talk together and get into the same game.  Usually it starts with Ben saying, "ok Liza, let's do this" and Liza responds very sweetly with "Oh, awright Ben Ben!" But sometimes Liza has ideas of her own and I've tried to encourage Ben to be responsive to her ideas too.  

The last picture of the day is from a little canoe trip JB took with Benjamin and another family. He took Liza out for a little spin when we met them for a picnic.  And now I hear Liza on the monitor, "Mama, it's time to wake up!" She's being very sweet about it, but that won't last long...

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Eliza turns two

When Eliza Jane was just a few weeks old, or maybe even days old, like in the picture below, I remember being struck by her distinct personality.  It was inevitable that we would compare her, our second child, to our first, but she has certainly done her best to set herself apart.  The picture below often comes to mind when I consider how unique she is.  It's not a remarkable picture at all, but something struck me about her dark eyes and distinct features when I took it and for me it is still a peek into her soul.  

our mysterious new child in her first week life 

What I noticed back then has been confirmed and clarified as she has grown.  Our little two-year-old still has a mind of her own, but now that she can talk, we are all much happier.  She has clear ideas about what she wants and is persistent in her pursuit of of her goals. "Re-direct" has not been as helpful or effective a parenting dictum for our second time through toddler-hood.  I've found that making rules and expectations very clear and leaving a bit of room for negotiation seems to work for us.  A few months ago I told her it was time to go downstairs, but she was not done playing with blocks and said, "No, I'm buildin' my towah, mama."  I was so delighted she had used a complete sentence, I let her finish her tower and when I said it was time to go, she responded with her typical refrain, "Aw-right, mama."     

looking more like her daddy all the time 

Eliza's sense of humor has blossomed recently too.  Eliza has picked up knock-knock jokes from her brother and has made up her own about a bee (knock-knock, who's there, a bee, a bee who?, a bee MAMA!).  I was having a little conversation with her the other day about her class at school, and she was naming the kids in her class.  I would sometimes prompt her by asking, "Is there a Mallory in your class?" and she would say yes.  Then I asked, knowing that there was no kid with this name in her class, "Is there a BOB in your class?"  Eliza started this big belly laugh like I had never heard from her before.  "Bob in my class! Make me laugh, mama!"  We both had a good laugh.  

As she rides her horse around,
Eliza says, inexplicably, "glinka, glinka!" 

Liza's eagerness to learn and have fun, her keen social instincts, delight in music, and love for her brother have all made this girl such a joy to nurture this year.  When asked what he likes about Eliza Jane, Benjamin says, "she plays with me and she speaks really loud." Hmmm.  

ritual hot chocolate with granddad 

We had her birthday celebration in Sulphur Springs this year with JB's family, complete with helium balloons and purple cupcakes, both of which were requested consistently for the two weeks leading up to her birthday.  Eliza is becoming quite the little girl--we're thankful for her life every day!

good-bye until next time!  

with her new and beloved Madeline tea set 

a summer trip to homestead heritage for ice cream