Fun times!

Last Friday night we met the Johnsons at Valleyfair for dinner and rides. The kids had a great time together and I had fun with April and Burt (Masud was working).

Lyla loves rides and so do Josie and Sophia. Burt and April, not so much. I took the. Girls on the balloons, the scrambler, and the tilter. They had a blast! Saturday we went back to Valleyfair with Masud for some more fun. Sunday was Father's Day. The kids and I took our usual trip to the park, but it was already hot even at 10 am. But the time we had lunch with mom and dad and got to the zoo, it was stifling. Amir actually wore Lyla's pony hat for a while. Masud created some shade for Lyla. What a great dad! We didn't stay long because of the heat and the crowd. Instead, we came home and watched Yu-Gi-Oh. Lyla has been staying home with Masud during the day and it's one of their new shows to watch together. Masud and I both fell asleep watching. Amir was in his crib asleep and Lyla watched tv after the DVD ended. Bonding is bonding, right?

Monday night was a beautiful night to be out, so it was back to Valleyfair. We had dinner and did the up front stuff. We were only going to do a couple rides, but after riding the northern lights and the tilter a couple times, we tried the antique cars ... Five times in a row. Both kids loved it and there was no line! Amir was a. Little thirsty afterward. He came up with this convenient system all on his own. Note that we only have the umbrella stroller. Lyla walked all over the park all night! Her stamina is really improving! We have started only taking the big stroller on longer trips or when we know both kids will need a ride. 

Amir has been sleeping a lot lately and he's a bottomless pit when it comes to food. He must be growing! He's also getting more teeth. His top molars are working their way in and he's got three bottom teeth now. The fourth will be in soon. He is walking longer and longer distances too and we are amazed at the things he can do. This week he climbed the red play side all by himself and sat down at the top and waved at me. He was so proud! He can also climb onto the couch and stand on his tiptoes to see if there are any snacks on top of the table.

 He is very into books lately and reads to himself often. His favorites are The Best Mouse Cookie, How Do Dinosaurs Love Their Dogs? and Why Do Cats Purr? It's fun to see him get excited about books and even understand the stories. Tonight he tried to snuggle up to the cats in the purring book. It's a non-fiction book of Lyla's,  but he just loves kitties!

Which brings me to another new development: talking. Two word phrases, people. I can't believe it. Tonight he said, "kitty book!" Last night it was, "Come on!" He also said his name for the first time on 

Sunday. I tried to take a bear mom and dad gave him on Sunday and he said, "Mine! Amir!" We hear "mine" more and more often. He's officially a toddler! 

He can also uncap markers, which totally blows me away since it's still a skill with which Lyla struggles. It's totally easy for him and markers are a new favorite toy. They're colorful, tasty, and they belong to Lyla. What could be better?!

Lyla is loving being off for the summer and being home with her dad!  Since Masud will be home most of the summer, Lyla I'd going to stay home instead of going to Faye's. It was tough to pull her out, but between vacations and swimming and everything else, we went for it. She'll go back in the school year for before and after, but once first grade is over, she'll be done with daycare. 

Crazy! She really is growing up SO fast!

She's rocking out her homework books and loves to read lately. Today we went to the library to sign up for summer reading and she picked out a bunch of things to read. She read me two while we were there and another on the way home! She really likes reading to Amir and has started to like reading to herself (still out loud, which is awesome because I love hearing her). I haven't pushed reading because I figure she will learn it in school and I would rather foster her natural math skills and scientific spirit. Between the two kids, I think we'll be reading a lot more by the end of the summer. 

Other big news today was that www got to enjoy the fruits of our gardening labor! We picked the one radish we planted. It was tiny, but we were excited. Lyla popped it in her mouth and crunched it up!  She liked it, but was still asking a few minutes later when her mouth would cool off. Spicy!

The bedtime routine has been pretty lax now that Lyla doesn't have to get up in the morning. Amir has been active outside at Faye's and asked to take a nap shortly after getting home tonight. He actually signed that he was all done, then rubbed his eyes and said something reminiscent of blankie while he signed please (a new one!). I got his blankie, put him in his bed and her was out for an hour! He didn't want to go to bed  at bedtime, of course, but it's summer! Who needs sleep? Oh wait, mom still has to work ...

"Hey Mom, I'm still awake and throwing all of my animals out of my bed!" Crazy boy! 

Scan tomorrow for Lyla. She is excited as usual,  thought she did say she was nervous about eating a lot tonight at dinner so she wouldn't be hungry tomorrow. She ate her usual two helpings of taco meat and then had a snack before bed. 

Love these kiddos and the summer fun we're having!  Our family time has been truly awesome and we're enjoying the fun things about being a kid. Did I mention Lyla can do the spinning log roller all by herself now? She'll be in Ninja Warrior in no time!