Reading Lessons

The boys have been flying through their reading lessons. Nathan is on Lesson #63 and Zachary on Lesson #55. Nathan is ahead because it took Zach awhile before he decided he wanted to do them. With a little persuasion and a lot of bribery, he decided it would be best to do them too. So what is their reward? A train ride on Thomas the Tank Engine. He is coming to Santa Cruz in late July and early August. Zach asked me why he has to finish reading lessons to go on Thomas. His reasoning was all the other kids going didn't have to do reading lessons first. Wow, what a smart kid! But unfortunately for him, I have never given into "the other kids are doing it or not doing it." We never would want our kids to model themselves after "the other kids."

My whole point in this blog is not to brag about how great my boys are doing with reading. My purpose of this blog is to praise my daughter Erin. She is going to be a great mom and teacher one day. With trying to get through 100 lessons with each boy in a very short period of time, I am overwhelmed. Each lesson takes anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes. To finish before kindergarten, Zach needs to do about 1 1/2 lessons each day. So Erin has saved me. She takes over and does reading lessons with them also. We sometimes have two reading lessons going at once. It can be a very frustrating job teaching them, but she shows so much patience. I won't name any names, but if one of my children were to teach them, I am sure he would become easily frustrated and just starting giving them the answers just to get the lesson over with.

Erin is a great help to me and I can't imagine having twins without her. When she has her triplets (which she is asking for-be careful what you wish for) I guess I will have to come live with her to pay her back for all the help she has given me. Thanks for being my daughter and I love you!

Saves time

A few weeks ago we noticed that Nathan would go to bed in pajamas but before he fell asleep he would change into his clothes for the next day. He wouldn't say anything, we just noticed when we would go in to check on him before we went to bed. Now he must have converted Zachary to this practice. I guess they feel that they can save valuable playtime if they don't have to change in the morning. I don't understand how they can possibly be comfortable sleeping in jeans but as long as they are sleeping and not waking me up in the middle of the night, I don't care what they sleep in!

Bike Ride

I bought myself a new bike last night. Mario got me one for Christmas a couple years ago. I think he paid around $30 for it on clearance. The chain fell off after about 2 uses. I guess you get what you pay for!

All week I have been researching new bikes for Mario. With gas prices at $4.50, he now rides his 8 year old bike with gears that don't work to school everyday. Fortunately it is only 2 miles away and he can glide down the big hills. But on the way home, he has to go up those big hills. In my eyes, that is a huge problem. But for Mario who has 3 boys to send on missions and four kids to send to college, spending money is a hard for him (especially when it is for himself.) He thinks he can make this old bike work. I tried to take it to a bike shop and ask them how much it would cost to repair. Basically every component on the bike (besides the frame) needs to be replaced. Needless to say, that would be more than we paid for this bike 8 years ago. I decided I wanted to get Mario a new bike for Father's Day and his birthday. See if its a gift, he has to accept it and not complain. But after researching and talking to friends who are real bikers, they said I need to spend a few hundred dollars at least to get him a decent bike. I have been researching and have found nothing yet. Most nicer bikes start at $300 and go up to thousands of dollars. I had no idea.

I decided that I didn't need an expensive bike for myself so, I went to Target last night and bought myself a $150 Schwinn bike. A friend has one like it and is happy with it. I took it for a 12 mile bike ride today and found myself hating the bike and wanting a $300 bike like the ones I have been researching. I don't know if I can justify spending so much money on a bike but I was thinking of all the gas I could save by riding my bike all around Monterey especially when the twins start school in August. Monterey is the perfect place for riding bikes. It has miles and miles of beautiful bike trails that run along the beach. So for Father's day, I may buy myself a good bike. Mario says he's ok with that. See how he doesn't mind if I spend money, he just doesn't like to spend it on himself. Maybe I will give him my Target bike. It has to be better than his old bike. Good thing he just got a big raise when he pinned on Major!

Preschool Graduation

Today my boys graduated from preschool. I was a little sad, but surprisingly, I didn't cry. We pulled Eric and Erin out of school so that they could be there to support their little brothers.

I can't believe the boys will be starting kindergarten in 2 months. What will I do with those 6 1/2 hours Monday thru Friday all by myself?

Back in California

We had a great trip to Florida, but it is nice to be home. I missed Mario, Eric, and Erin. It was nice to come home to a clean home. That was really my only requirement for my return. I don't want to come home to a mess! But, it only took about 30 seconds to destroy the house after we walked through the front door. The twins opened up their goody bags from the Los Angeles airport USO and dumped them everywhere. Then Eric and Erin came home with all their school stuff everywhere. Mario had to leave for class soon after us getting home. So my vacation was officially over. Back to housework, cooking, and cleaning.

Our flight left 7 am in the morning from Tampa. That means we would have had to leave Port Charlotte at 3:30 or 4 am in the morning. So I decided to get a room at the Marriott (with my good military discount)in the airport. That was great walking out of the hotel and right into the airport. I didn't have to wake the twins up until 5:15. So Sunday night, one of my best friends, Krista Amberg (now Rosales)came to visit me in the hotel. She brought her little boy, Alex who is three years old today. He and my boys had a great time tearing my hotel room apart. It was so nice to visit with an old friend and catch up on old times.

The boys did well on the trip. It was a long flight from Tampa to LA. Then in LA we had a 3 hour layover. It was nice that they have a USO for us to hang out in. They have tons of free snacks and drinks, a kids' room to play in, tv's, and internet. They really take care of the military. Then we had a 45 minute flight from LA to Monterey. Zach slept for that trip. Too bad he didn't sleep on the 4 1/2 hour flight. But I was grateful for his nap. I didn't have to worry about him kicking the seat in front of him for a whole 45 mintues! Nathan refused to nap and watched DVD's for most of the trip.

I told Mario that he gets to take Nathan and Zachary on a vacation and I will stay home with Eric and Erin next time. When Mario goes to visit Abuela, he usually takes one of the twins, but I think he should try a plane ride with both of them! What do you think?