So my oldest, Amber (18), has decided that she is going to...ahem..."train" my son, Adam (11). His training includes Writing, and I'm not sure what else. I'm really excited that they're going to do this together. Amber is a writer and is really fabulous at teaching. She and Adam have a great Chemistry and he wants to learn from her. He really dislikes Writing but wants to write better so this will be perfect. I love that she is willing (and excited) to do this. I think they are going to do a couple of days a week. Can't wait to see what they come up with!

We have also been rediscovering the Library. We love the library but I have the unfortunate disorder that makes it impossible for me to return things on time which results in my paying fees. So, we kind of just forgot about going. James and I (and whoever else wants to on any given day) have started going again and I love to see him discover the library. He really enjoys it. James has a passion for everything Robotic and we've been checking out book after book on that topic. It's pretty awesome.

I think we're going to join our local indoor pool, as well. We thought it would be a good fall/winter thing to do together and would be great for James with his sensory challenges.

The Summer is wrapping up but I love that we enjoy the WHOLE season at home and that we haven't had to abruptly put a stop to the fun. We're getting in our last days of swimming, hiking, and exploring. This weekend we're camping out in our backyard, just for fun. We're going to sleep outside, have bonfires, roast marshmallows, tie knots, explore, and learn lots, I'm sure. Life is good!

We love painting rocks!!!

James

James (almost 4) has suddenly become very interested and inquisitive. Well, he's always been curious and stuff, but I feel like he's entering this new phase of really wanting to learn about the world around him, as far as soaking in information, facts, etc. James has some delays, so this is happening for him a little later then for a lot of kids...he's on his own schedule...but what a joy to see.

Currently he's very interested in bugs and robots. The robot thing has been an obsession for awhile. Almost daily I'm taping things onto a piece of paper which is taped around his arm, to create lasers and guys and mechanical things to make him a robot. It's wonderful. James has always had a hugely active and intense imagination. He gets into character and he IS that character. He's not just pretending, he becomes the character and is that where ever we go for that time. He is very often a robot....he talks like a robot, holds his arms stiff, etc. So cute. He's also become very interested in bugs, in part because of the loud presence of Cicadas this summer. They are deafening and the other day he found the discarded shell of one...thus began his interest. We've hiked and hunted for Cicadas, played with them, gotten books on bugs, and most recently made a house out of a box for his Cicadas. He is proudly telling everyone about exoskeletons and how delicate they are. He is scouring the books we went and got at the library, full of bugs and big colorful pictures.

It's a joy. I'm really loving his litte brain and having the privelege to witness his growth and learning.