Dashing

Do not ask how I ended up poring over a list of Popular Hipster Baby Names (and just for the record, we are not having another baby now nor do I consider myself a hipster), but I found this description of the name Dashiell very endearing.  At least for our little red-headed ball of energy and charm, Dash is indeed the perfect nickname.

Dashing, no?

Underwear

Ella is trying very hard to potty train Dash and so the two of them spend a lot of time sitting on their pottys together (her on the big one, him on a little one close by).  Whenever Dash uses his potty, Ella races upstairs to get him a pair of underwear to wear around the house.  She has also made a potty chart for him which is filling up rapidly with stickers.  And most of all, she never forgets to ask for a chocolate chip after he goes potty (one for the student, and one for the teacher, of course).  Josh and I can't seem to get it together to really solidify this potty process so it's kind of haphazard and we haven't made the leap to wearing underwear outside the house yet, but to the credit of both the teacher and the student, Dash is wearing underwear at home a lot on some days, can often tell us when he needs to go before it happens, and is just generally excited about the process.  An added bonus is the time the kids spend in their underwear and nothing else, just hanging around the house, doing their kid thing. Here they are at the art table earlier this week:

101%

As we suspected, Ella surpassed the goal for the entire summer for the library summer reading program by the end of week 1.

Summer Reading Program, Day 1

This is going to sound like a bragging post.  Maybe it is, a little bit.  But it's also amazement and surprise and genuine WOW.

Today was the kick-off of our county library's summer reading program.  Kids sign up for the program and are asked to track the number of minutes they read this summer.  There are prizes for every 100 minutes of reading done with the top prize being 600 minutes for the official t-shirt. It will not surprise anyone that I loved the summer reading programs at my hometown library as a kid.  

Ella heard about our program on one of her visits to the library with her wonderful nanny a few weeks ago.  She has read and reread the brochure outlining the program and the various levels and prizes many times since she brought it home.  She has, rather hopefully, asked me several times whether I am sure that the grand prize of a Kindle Fire (to be given away by drawing a name from all the kids who complete the program) is really in fact going to be given to only one kid.  

So today we went over to the big kickoff event to register her.  It was too hot to enjoy the bouncy house (never a good idea in a sunny parking lot on a 90 degree day), and she was lukewarm when I asked her if she wanted to register for her own library card (we did it anyway).  We did a few crafts and came home.

As eh as she was at the event, I was a little surprised by how pumped she was when we got home to start logging her reading time.  We read together for 16 minutes before nap.  We took turns reading pages in one of the Magic Treehouse books, and not only was she reading the words very smoothly, she was expressive and seemed to really understand how to use different tones of voice and intonations.  It was really kind of amazing to hear.  She read for 30 more minutes during her "nap" time, and she and Josh read together for another 10 minutes before bed.  I logged her 56 minutes dutifully and sat down at 8:00 with Josh to watch a movie.  At 8:25, Ella called downstairs to tell us she was done reading and was going to sleep.  I made a note to add another 25 minutes.  Seconds later, she yelled down to say she was not in fact done reading and to keep timing her.  At 8:50, she finally said she was done for the night.

So I just logged 106 minutes of reading for her for today.  The library counter says she has reached 17% of the 600 minute goal.  On Day 1.  There are 55 more days to go.  And I wouldn't call this an unusual reading day for her.  I am so proud.  And so happy that she loves to read so much.  And I'm just a little nervous that the library people will think we are lying fools when our not-yet-kindergartner blows the top off of the program goals.

More Dash style

He insisted on wearing this scrap of fabric in his hair to go to the grocery store.

Fierce and fiercer

Today the kids and I went to the North Carolina Zoo with 3 other sets of mamas and kiddos to celebrate the end of school and to enjoy a rare day together with our best pals with no camp, no swim lessons, and no vacations.  We promised the kids we'd let them ride the carousel and they were all SO excited to pick out their animals to ride.  Dash picked a lion and man did he love roaring at it.

Fierce

Fiercer

Reading girls

By the time we make it through dinner, bath, pjs, teeth brushing, and stories, I am usually ready to turn off my Mommy-ing for the night.  Ella however wants to be with me, often right next to me.  We have found a good solution, though, which is to cuddle up and read together.  It's a sweet and relaxing time with my girl.