Reading With My Son--Spidermania

Gabe has gotten really good at reading and it's been very enjoyable to read to him and him back to me. We've been able to have some great discussions this way. Even just to see him get excited about certain things in a book or a topic or what doesn't, is fun to see.

image source

At the library a few weeks ago he picked out a really cool book on spiders to bring home. Spidermania: Friends on the Web by Alexandra Siy. It has all sorts of electron micrography photos, zoomed in pictures of the spiders' parts. It explains various types of spiders, where they live, how they eat, and why they're important to our planet.

So don't squish a spider!

Reading With Gabe--Little House in the Big Woods

Source

It's been hard this year getting used to Gabe in full-time school. I'm a stay-at-home parent and I enjoy (most of the time) being home with him. Kindergarten was the time to ease into the whole school schedule with only half days. But here in Japan it's been all day.

I wanted to connect with him more in my own way. So I've been reading various books to him throughout the year. Life gets busy, especially with him in school all day so we don't get through as many books as I'd like but we've managed to read Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I loved the books as a kid and I enjoyed the TV series. It's been a great experience sitting down with him at night and reading. Gabe enjoyed Pa's tales and his songs. He even wanted me to sing some of them to him. There was only one I knew the tune to, though.

There are a lot of great children's fiction today but there are also so many that aren't. I've ordered a few chapter books for him from his school and they haven't been great. Just silly and that's OK. But I want him to know what really good literature is as well. And Little House in the Big Woods is that. With our modern conveniences it's so easy to forget that only 100 years ago we didn't have our modern appliances and ease of life. Wilder describes how everything was done and made. How did a family survive? Fascinating. A simple tale about Laura and her family in a year.

I look forward to reading the rest with him and I hope he enjoys it on his own one day.

Gabe's 5th Birthday! Minecraft Style!

Gabe demanded a Minecraft-themed birthday party for his big 5! I'm not a super crafty person so I had no idea how to go about it but thanks to Pinterest and a super crafty husband, we managed to make it happen!

Like I said, not the greatest in crafting skills, but the creeper cake was done with love ;)

Creeper Juice!

Add caption

The crafting table! Complete with sticks, slime balls, gold, fish, tnt, and potion of healing!

Minecraft spider!

He had so much fun with his friends!

Camping With Gabe--Mirror Lake

Some friends of ours invited camping for a quick one-niter! We threw together our camping stuff and headed up to the mountains Friday to Saturday. It's been hard getting out camping much with Gabe being so young but each summer he (and thus we) enjoy it more. This year he had friends to play with and a beautiful lake to dip his toes into!

It's always nice to get out into nature and relax by a campfire and eat junk. The only thing not so great is the sleeping...meaning I get none! Yay, to the Earth! So beautiful :)

Sundance Film Festival 2013

I live in Utah and I have never ever attended the Sundance Film Festival. It's literally less than two hours away from me, and it's really not too expensive if you want to make a day out of it and see 1 or 2 movies and maybe a bite to eat. So....I finally decided this year was the year! My hubby and I are seeing Austenland, a book-to-movie film by Shannon Hale. The film has been written and directed by the same people who did Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre (Jerusha and Jared Hess). While I know those films weren't everyone's favorite, they are two of mine. Napoleon Dynamite reminds me a lot of my own childhood--similar boredom, dresses, paneled walls, 70s green lamps, and crazy creatures in the backyard.

Austenland was not my favorite Austenesque book, but it had its moment,s and since it had a lot of potential, I'm hoping it will turn into a great homage to Austen and her characters, along with some funny romance.

My devoted husband is taking the day off, mom's watching our son, and we're heading up for the whole shpeel next Monday! I don't know if I'll see any celebrities, but I'll keep my eyes peeled. In any case, it's a date without our child. It'll be fun no matter what.

Gabe moment this week: He's potty training....and this is what he came up with while playing with his Tiggers:

Son's Surgery Update

The surgery went well and he's doing better each day, but it's been a tough weekend. He's been in a lot of pain and thus nausea, vomiting, the whole bit, not sleeping at night. But today he was almost back to his normal self with his sweet smiles and laughs and playing again. So we're on our way! Thank you again to all of you for your sweet thoughts and prayers on our behalf!