The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs by Betty G. Birney

Eben McAllister doesn't see what's so great about the tiny town where he lives.  He would much rather travel to exotic and faraway places where wondrous sightings are just waiting to be visited.  Eben's father agrees to send Eben to Colorado on his first faraway adventure if first he can find what is special about his own hometown.  So Eben begins to look for the seven wonders of sassafras springs and finds many surprising treasures just outside his own back door.

If Little House on the Prairie married the Antiques Roadshow and had a baby, this book would be that baby.  It tells a sweet story, it has a good message, and the writing is decent, but it's a little dull and overly sentimental.  I'm not exactly sure why it was chosen for the Battle of the Books list.  It's not a book that will excite many students.  In fact, I would say this is a book only a reader would love.  Unless your child has already solidified an intrinsic joy for reading, I wouldn't recommend this one.

Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

I absolutely loved The Time Traveler's Wife so it was without hesitation that I ordered Audrey Niffenegger's newest book, Her Fearful Symmetry.  And, unlike many other books that I get, this one didn't sit around for a long time.  I was excited to begin it!

Her Fearful Symmetry tells the story of American twin sisters, Julia and Valentina, who inherit an apartment in London from their aunt Elspeth when she passes away.  From the beginning, it is clear that Julia and Valentina are inseparable, yet have differing ideas about how to live their life.  With excitement and trepidation, the twins decide to travel to London and move into their aunt's apartment.  As they develop relationships with the other tenants, Julia and Valentina begin to learn about the aunt they never knew, and slowly their own lives begin to travel down different paths, causing confusion and chaos for their relationship.

This book is beautifully written.  Like The Time Traveler's Wife, Her Fearful Symmetry contains strong elements of magic and the book is moody and somber.   Unlike The Time Traveler's Wife, Her Fearful Symmetry is a ghost story that left me feeling anxious and disconcerted.  I couldn't quite relate to the characters in the book but I was completely intrigued trying to sort out their motives.  The uneasiness I felt after closing the last page stuck with me for days, and I have to give Niffenegger a lot of credit for that.  I admire an author whose work sticks with me long after I close the last page.  She is, without a doubt, an extremely effective writer. 

Oh, and the ending... I never saw it coming.

Summer Highlights

I haven't been blogging much lately.

This summer has had a blanket of sadness covering it, and the blogging break (although unexpected) seemed appropriate.

But there have been many bright and happy moments this summer and as I look ahead to returning to work in a couple of weeks I want to remember those moments too.  Here are some highlights...

We've made a lot of progress on the house this summer (updates on that to come) and, as a result, were able to get some new roommates moved in downstairs!

roomies

In an act of maturity that surpasses his 14 months, Jackson has decided to take full control of the fate of his baby chompers and is successfully brushing all five teeth every night before bed.  We are very proud!

we take brushing our teeth very seriously around here

This summer we have enjoyed (at least twice every week) walking to the Drive In for ice cream.  Jack is developing quite the taste for it, much like his daddy.  His favorite so far?  The hot fudge sundae.  And Jack likes the banana split!

ice cream at the drive in

We were so excited to have our dear friends Nate and Liz visit us all the way from Nicaragua!  We had a terrific time with them.  Our only complaint was that the visit was way too short!

Jack had his first trip to the pool this summer thanks to his friends, Evan, Elise, and Kyle!  Jack really seemed to like the water (for short periods of time) and didn't even complain that Mom had accidentally bought the bright pink girl floatie rather than the dark blue boy one. 

jack at the pool

One of my personal bright spots of the summer was getting bookshelves for our library and finally unpacking some of my books.  After being in storage for two years, it was a satisfying feeling to have them on display and so easy for me to get to.  The rest of my plans for the library include a bookshelf for my kids' books, a window seat, and a desk for the corner with more bookshelves above it.  All in good time...

ahhh, this makes my heart feel good

One of my favorite summer time activities has been meeting Erin and Ben at the park!  Erin and I often spend much of the time monitoring our own little guys.  This means Erin is chasing Ben all over the place while I am making sure my much less mobile 14-month-old isn't putting bark/sand/grass into his mouth in between picking it up and letting it trickle down into his eyes.  Somehow we manage to share book recommendations and child updates in between! 

 

Of course, I've had lots of time to do my absolute favorite thing this summer... hang out with Nathan and Jack!  

hanging around the house

building lots of towers

going on fun outings (downtown at pancake breakfast)

cruising around in the car with the windows rolled down and the wind blowing through our hair

We hope you are having a good summer!  I will be updating more regularly again.  Thanks for sticking with me during the lull!

Jack is Talking!

About 3 weeks ago, I made a list of the words Jack was saying.   And then I forgot to post it.  So, at the age of 14 months, Jack was able to correctly say (and understand the meaning of) the following words:

The first ten words:
dada
mama
moon
book
please
hydrant  (we have one on the corner in front of our house and he fascinated by it!)
mess
help
nose
bottle or milk (I can't remember which one came first)

The rest:
snack
walk
ball
cat (and when you asked him what a cat says, he'd say "meow")
dog (and when you asked him what a dog says, he'd say "ruff")
nap
blueberries
milk/bottle
truck
bird
knee
mouse
tower
bubble
yogurt
Adam
Lauren (or "Nanoo")
up
out
pacifier
teeth
bike
remote
shoes
keys
and the phrase "I don't know"

In the time that has passed, Jack has learned many more words.  He's learning them so fast that it is hard to keep up!  Some of them are:
more
down
tree
stick
"no, no!" (my favorite is when he says this one as he is doing something he knows he is not supposed to do)
and he can tell us what a cow says (moo)  and what a sheep says (baa)
I am sure there are more....

He says many more words by repeating them after we say them but he has not produced them on his own yet.  Some of those words are:
cute
smart
nice
couch
bed
flower
trash
rocks
chair
markers
puzzle

Isaac

 

Please continue to pray for Isaac.  Yesterday, his tumor was removed successfully but it was malignant.  Once he heals from brain surgery, he will have to start cancer treatments.  Isaac is 5 years old.  

I grew up with Isaac's mom, Sarah.  For most of my elementary years, I called her my best friend.  I can only imagine the absolute and utter helplessness and all-consuming worry she must be feeling right now, especially since this, specifically, was a fear of hers.  As a new mom, I worry for my child all the time.  Even obsessively.  And, despite always thinking the worst might happen, I cannot imagine this.  And so my heart aches for Sarah.

I have lit a candle in my home for Isaac.  I am thinking about and praying for him and his family all the time.  But, I feel helpless at this distance and so I am doing the only thing I can.  I ask for your prayers.  As another  blogging friend of Sarah's wrote..."the more people pulling for this little boy the better."

And, if you want, you can follow Isaac's story by clicking here and leave a comment including the place where you are from.  This way, Sarah, Rob, Jonah, Eli, and Isaac will know that the prayers are being lifted up from all over.

Thank you.

Please Pray

Please pray for my friend, Sarah, and her family.  Sarah's 5-year-old son, Isaac, is having surgery on Monday morning to remove a tumor from his brain. 

Jack Having a Snack in His Walker

Basement Bathroom

With some help from his dad, Nathan has spent this first week of my summer getting the bathroom in the basement ready for use...

(self-leveling underlayment)

The tile is in place!  Now, the bathroom just needs to be grouted and a toilet installed, and then it will be finished!!