Already?!

Today is a very special day at my house. Today is the day my only son turns 7 years old. I can't believe he's already 7! He's had a very busy year this year and has accomplished so much. I think in honor of his 7th birthday, I'll list 7 accomplishments he's made over the past year.

1. He was at the top of his 1st grade class, reading well above his grade level and testing for entry into the challenge program. His vocabulary is impressive. He is one smart boy.

2. He improved his soccer skills playing for a second season. He still loves being goalie best, but he's no longer afraid to go after the ball when he's playing other positions.

3. He tried his hand at t-ball and picked it up pretty quickly. His coach was impressed at how much he improved over the season.

4. He taught himself to ride a bike.

5. He adapted quickly and well to wearing glasses and patching his weak eye.

6. He learned how to be a "boy" even with the constant female influences around him.

7. He has a highly developed sense of humor and loves to make people laugh.

Now for my favorite thing about this boy that I love:

Tyler is by far the most considerate and caring child I know. He worries about how others are feeling, makes sure everyone is included, and is willing to sacrifice what he wants to make sure everyone else is happy.

Happy Birthday buddy. I love you!

He did it too!!

Inspired by Becca's success at riding her bike without training wheels, we finally convinced Tyler it would be ok for him to take his off as well. We were going to do it on Monday, then we thought we might be able to squeeze it in tomorrow, then Becca asked why not do it right now? So we did.

And that was the end of that.

Seriously. His wheels came off and he was off. No hesitation, no need for instruction, not even any real wobbling. I don't know why we didn't take these off long ago. He sure didn't need them. So now Tyler can say he taught himself how to ride a bike without training wheels. And the look on his face was priceless. He was so proud of himself.

What a fantastic way to start summer break!

As he put his bike away, he said to himself, "I had a great night." Me too, Tyler. Me too.

For far too long I've been jealous of all the book clubs everyone else seems to be involved in. I've wanted to be a part of a book club for years. There was talk of organizing one as part of a Relief Society Enrichment group, but the Stake President shot down that idea. We were told in no uncertain terms a book club would not be allowed in any form as a church affiliated program. There have been a few times I've known women to try to set one up with women from church, but not within the organization of the church, but they never got off the ground. So when I got a call from my friend Kelly last week saying she was starting a book club and would I be interested in coming to the first planning meeting, I jumped at the chance! And it looks like we're actually going to be able to make this one work!

We started slowly, discussing books we like, the types of books we want to read (it's going to be hard to come to any kind of consensus on books in this group), and when we want to meet. There were 8 of us, with 4 others who wanted to come but couldn't make the first meeting. We determined when we were going to meet, assigned months for meetings, and picked our first book. It was decided that the person who is hosting will provide a list of 3-4 books before their month and there will be a vote on which of those books to read next. Not a bad system for the short term, but I was hoping for a list that we could have a few months ahead of time, or even more.

Our library has a list of 50 books that they have book club kits for. It includes 15 copies of the book plus other material to facilitate a book club meeting about the book. Our first book happened to be a book on this list! Hopefully we can actually get the kit. In looking at the list, the book I'd planned on doing for my month wasn't on it, but there are books on it I'd love to do for my month. I'm seriously considering Life of Pi.

But back to the now. Our first book is Pope Joan. Two women came with that book on their list of possible books, and it got votes from 6 of the women there. I was the only one who'd actually read it, but it seemed to interest everyone. The only problem is our first real meeting to discuss the book is the day I come home from Texas! I'm going to miss our first book discussion! I've read the book before so it's not a really big deal, but I was looking forward to discussing the book with others who have read it. I'll just have to try really hard to not miss any other meetings.

I am so excited to finally be a part of a book club that looks like it'll actually get off the ground. The women involved are diverse and interesting and intelligent. We probably won't agree on much, but it won't ever be boring.

She did it!

Becca came home last night from the neighbor's house totally excited. She'd been riding Austin's bike with no training wheels! She was insistent her training wheels had to be taken off immediately so she could ride her very own two wheeler. So this afternoon I gave in.

In the cold and the rain she got on that bike and showed me her stuff. She can actually do it. She has a little trouble getting started, and she doesn't yet have the balance to turn, but once she's going, she can ride a straight line as long as her road lasts. She even knows how to slow and stop without tipping over.

She did have a couple minor falls while we were out, but it was because she got scared, not because she didn't know what she was doing. Do kids just pick this up naturally? I sure didn't teach her!

Now if only we can get Tyler to give up his training wheels. :P

(Picture to come when I remember to take a picture...)