Bing!!

We spent all of last week with our family in various stages of recovery from a nasty flu virus.  Walker got the worst of it, at one point running a fever of 104 degrees!!  Thank goodness for Advil and for a little boy who loves a good bath even if it is a cool one.  I was feeling a little stir crazy and weary of having one sick child after another clinging to my leg, waist or arm so I ran to the library one night while Allan entertained our lethargic and grumpy little ones.  I intended to search the shelves for a new book for myself but as usual spent the hour looking in the children's section for new Cds, games, DVDs and books for the kids.  I found this little gem amidst the countless children's Cds that are often overlooked and left unused. 

 

I couldn't wait to listen to the Mother Goose classic, particularly because it was told by Bing Crosby.  The next morning I put the kids in the living room with some books and cozy blankets in the hopes that I could get a few things done while they listened to this cool crooner.  Bing Crosby's voice followed me through the house as I tidied and cleaned and eventually lured me to the living room where Lillian and Walker were playing and reading quietly.  They seemed to be lulled by Bing's soothing voice and it afforded me a few blissful moments of peace and quiet.

This is a little long but it only takes a couple of minutes to realize why the kids were so inclined to sit quietly and listen.

Look at those eyes!!

Emma got sick and recovered long before any of us and after a field trip to the hospital she was well equipped to fight off the germs that her baby brother and sister were harbouring.

Book Worms

Even before I became a mom I hoped that I would be able to foster a love of books and literature in my children.  In the evenings leading up to Emma's birth, while Allan worked late into the evening, I would read some of my most loved story books, and some new ones provided by my little sister Haley, to my sweet baby that I could feel kick and move inside my tummy.  Allan and I began reading to her when she was only weeks old and our efforts seemed to pay off as she grew older and began to be more interested in her books than she was in any of her toys.

Once she was big enough to get around without any help I could almost always find her near our bookcase surrounded by her books.  At the young age of one she would spend hours on our laps listening to children's books and sitting silently by herself looking at them.

She continues to love having books read to her and now that she is learning how to read herself she is excited when she recognizes words that are familiar to her.  I was thrilled this past month when we received her report card and her teacher said that she "demonstrates a love of literature". 

I spent months trying to find a chapter book that Emma would enjoy and after striking out several times with books like The Rainbow Fairies, that made me feel less intelligent with each sentence, and The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, that was a little long and wordy for Emma, we finally found this book...

t.

I loved it as a little girl but loved it more still as I read it to my little girl.  She identified so closely with quirky Ramona and enjoyed listening to all of her kindergarten adventures.  We quickly finished that one and have moved onto Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. 

Because of Emma's instant love for all things literature I anticipated that as long as Allan and I continued the same reading practices with our next child that we would achieve the same results.  I started to become anxious when Walker arrived and would scream and squirm whenever I tried to read to him.  He was far more interested in his trucks and cars than he ever was in any of the books that we supplied him with.  Fortunately, countless trips to the library taught me that the content of the book was very important to Walker.  The books had to have trucks, trains, monsters, dinosaurs or super heroes in them in order to capture and hold his attention.  Now he will happily snuggle up and read with us as long as the book has the above requirements.  That is why I was so happy when I found one of Allan's old treasures while cleaning out the basement the other day.

Walker would have spent all night listening to the stories of the Cowboys of Moo Mesa if I let him.

Easter in Kamloops Cont'd

Easter Morning

Notice that in all of the pictures Walker's mouth is full of candy?!

Easter Outfits

 The Babies

 Baby Jimmer

The Cousins

 

 Ava!!

Walker playing lacrosse with Brendan, they even had a little lacrosse stick that was the perfect size for Walker

 

The kids have asked me everyday since we came home when we will be going back. 

I hope it will be soon!!

 

Easter in Kamloops

The last time we were in Kamloops was a week before Emma was born so we were excited to return and show the kids Allan's old stomping ground.  They were very excited to see Auntie Theresa, Allan's oldest sister, and her family.  Walker was especially thrilled to get to spend some time with "his boys" Brendan and Jarrod.  Even though they are 13 and 10 respectively they played so well with their little cousins.  We had such a wonderful weekend and the weather was absolutely beautiful.  Theresa kept the kids busy nearly every second that we were there and made me and Allan old news. 

Time with Theresa

Theresa and Jarrod

Wildlife Reserve

The cousins at the Wildlife Reserve after the chocolate Easter egg hunt

Too much excitement for our sweet baby

The Playground

Egg Decorating

Football with Daddy

The kids spent hours playing football in the yard or "mini sticks" and nerf guns in the basement with Allan.  There's nothing that we love more than days full of uninterrupted time with Daddy!

Well, I have posted about 30 pictures and I haven't even made it to Easter morning yet  More to come tomorrow.