Like Riding a Bike

After playing at a friend's house, who was riding a two wheeler, the Caboose decided it was time for him to learn.

Not long after we went out to start practicing.
Before long all the neighbor kids came over to cheer him on. They would clap for him, and explain what to do, and line up on the street encouraging him to "see if you can go THIS far!"

By the second night he was able to go the length of the street.

Learning to read and ride a two-wheeler all in the same summer? My baby is evaporating before my eyes!

And he couldn't be more proud of himself.

Pepsi Light

The Denver Nugget's home court is the Pepsi Center. It's pretty fabulous; great music, live action on the jumbotron, a scoreboard with loud buzzers, etc.

Big Boy #1 has managed to create a miniature version of the Pepsi Center in the basement. I call it the Pepsi Light Center, or the diet Pepsi Center.

One of the best parts of a game at the Pepsi Center is the live video shots on the jumbotron. Big Boy #1 found a bunch of old equipment in the basement and hooked it all up so that it showed the kids live, as they were playing. Then, he created a PowerPoint presentation for the game opening introductions which highlights each player. It is really incredible.

One of my favorite parts of any game in the Pepsi Center is the great music. So BB#1 set up my old stereo to play all kinds of great sports themed music. He also figured out how to get his iPod to play on my old system and then found an app for his iPod that lets him play only the chorus of crowd-thrilling, popular tunes.

The latest addition to the Pepsi Light Center is this scoreboard. It took a lot of mowing, but BB#1 saved up his money and bought this way cool scoreboard. It buzzes when the clock ticks down and everything.


The final touch was when Big Boy #1 set up a bunch of lights around the basement and hooked them all together on one switch, which he flashes on and off during the opening introductions.

It's quite the set up and the boys just love it. They had some friends over earlier this week and they all seemed to think the basement was pretty cool. I'm beginning to wonder if this kid may have a future in sports broadcasting. I know Diamond would love some free tickets!

First Day

The kids have already been in school for a couple of weeks now. YES, they started the FIRST week of August. (Seriously? I feel so ripped off! I want more summer with my kids!)

I only captured one picture of BB#2 before he took off with his other 5th grade buddies.

And here is Big Boy #2 on the first day of seventh grade.

But the real story this year is that the Caboose started kindergarten. Of all my kids, he is the most ready. He has been to the school countless times, knows so many of the other kids from church, and has been progressing academically. He was BEYOND excited to start school.

But ME??? Well, that's a slightly different story. I was doing just fine, seeing him off and waving goodbye as he walked through the classroom door. But then just as I was about to turn and head home, Big Boy #1 decided to sneak a peek through the glass window to the classroom. How could I resist?

I peeked through the window to admire how darling the Caboose was as he put away his backpack and got into his chair. So CUTE! And wouldn't I be a bad parent if I didn't take a picture or two through the glass???

I admit it may be a tad too much, but he's my baaabbyy!

One of My Favorite Things

One of my very favorite parts of being a mom is watching my kids learn to read. There is something magical about hearing "cccc-aaaa-ttt, CAT!" and it makes me swoon just a bit. I love watching the world open up as they begin to see words around them and discover the joy of reading.

This summer the Caboose has entered that world. And we owe it all to these little jars of pennies.


When I was a little girl, my parents paid me a penny a page to read. I vividly remember sitting at the kitchen table, reading Hop on Pop and deliberately dropping a shiny penny into a custard dish page after page. While we didn't adopt that strategy with the first two, this summer we started paying the Caboose one cent for every page he read. He has been so motivated to read and earn some cash that over the summer he would pour over simple beginner books for hours on end with those little jars of pennies tucked in next to him. We have gradually introduced more complex books and it has been amazing to see him growing as a reader!

I LOVE reading, and seeing that love blossom in my kids is absolutely a highlight of being a mom. Love it!