STEM start

Dylan, age 3.5 years: "I made a satellite." (!) I asked Jason, "What on earth does he know about satellites?!"

He said, "Shoot, this morning he asked me if Saturn was a planet and if it was hot or cold!"

Someone's going to the Pacific Science center soon.

Everything old is new

Dylan, trying on Halloween costume, mesmerized by "new" gadget: analog radio. He's not alone:

Analogue radio listeners in the UK resisting switch to digital, new survey suggests.
http://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/sep/25/radio-listeners-resist-digital

Summer! Finally

Wallingford festival!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter! Dylan celebrated by getting as close to heaven as he could climb.

We tried to meet our in-laws but went to the wrong church. Any Easter service is better than none. Can I get an amen?

What Saturdays are for

Lovely Saturday: final school visit for Ava, errands, and leisurely afternoon of story time, trains, and dress up.
I'm so accustomed to being on the run on weekends that I feel guilty sometimes when I let go of the schedule or the "should dos'" and just enjoy being with everyone without a task list.
Turns out when I do, the kids enjoy it too. Must remember to do this actively instead of by default. This article backs up my thinking: The Benefits of Family Downtime. Now go forth and do nothing!

Say what?

Dylan had his speech therapy follow up this week for tests to make sure his expressive language is still increasing as it should.

Standard range for his age is a score between 85 and 115. He got 123 and the therapist says he knows some concepts that usually don't come until ages 5 to 7. Perhaps like noting that without its blanket, the bear "is naked."