Faster than I can type

The kids seem to be changing faster than I can type! J can now crawl well (and fast!) both on his belly and on his hands and knees. He can stand on his own for short periods of time and doesn't seem freaked out when he realizes he is doing it. He has little fear and tumbles some from the chances he takes cruising between objects he can barely reach. To my astonishment he made it from one end of the great room to the other. He is pulling up on everything, preferring to stand than sit.

He also has his first ouchie. :( Last night he fell and hit his face just below his left eye on the edge of a wooden toy. He cried, of course, but quickly recovered. He seems to be pretty tough.

J LOVES baths (his or Bug's) taking full advantage of every opportunity to splash.

Bug's birthday party over the weekend went really well. She demonstrated excellent manners (with only a little coaching). Among her favorite gifts from the grandparents was a short-sleeved nightgown. It is pink with white polka dots and reminds her of Minnie Mouse. Short sleeves in general are her favorite--she'd wear them all year long if I'd let her--and nightgowns are her favorite pjs, so putting the two together is top flight for her. Another favorite gift was a Disney princess scooter. She has been riding it all over the house, from the kitchen to the bathroom, etc. Hubby took her last night to get a helmet (she chose the pink Barbie one because it came with a bicycle bell), so she is now garage/driveway ready.

We have begun making a family trip to the library each Saturday morning. I'm now checking out half educational books and half "just for fun" ones. Some of the non-fiction ones are a bit dry and others are a bit too advanced/long for her attention span, but we read one today called "I Fall Down" about gravity. Each page guided us through simple experiments to reinforce a concept. Bug was SOOO into it. She begged the rest of the day to "do more gravity." Trying to get her to learn to write letters is like pulling teeth, although she likes (and breezes through) the rest of the preschool workbook pages. But the experience we shared today was so much fun for both of us that I'm encouraged about our ability to be successful with and enjoy home education. Science IS fun. Math IS fun. I believe she will discover that if we can continue learning and applying simultaneously.