In the books...

Well, week one of summer is already in the books, and I already feel so refreshed.  It was a productive week, and a fun week, with a lot of silliness thrown in.

We started the summer learning ticket system again, which the kids were really excited about this year.  In fact, whereas last year, Cortlan hardly banked any tickets (he would earn just enough to use for the TV shows he wanted to watch), this year, he has caught on to the idea that he can earn more to do more things.  And now that he is a reader, he has a whole new way to earn tickets.  In the first week, they were able to earn enough to get a movie and ice cream.  We will see how things continue.

Speaking of reading, Everly is picking up on reading at a surprising pace.  Her interest in doing what her brother can do is so high, it is amazing.  Yesterday, she read to me Buzz! Said the Bee, Cookie's Week, and two beginning reader books based on the nursery rhymes Hickory, Dickory, Doc and The Cow Jumped Over the Moon, all with very little help from me.  It is exciting to see her excitement in learning both reading and math.

Between the four of us, we had several appointments, including an allergist appointment for Cortlan.  Lucky him, he began allergy shots this week.  His allergies have been so bad, we are hopeful that these shots will help in the long run and he won't need to be on three medications per day (that are already losing some effectiveness).

We went to the zoo with friends, which was awesome.  Seeing the elephants get a bath was a highlight, and watching the polar bears play under water was awesome.

We also went ice skating for the first time, thanks to a friend who is taking lessons and invited Cortlan as his buddy for "bring a buddy day."  We stayed after the lesson for a bit so Everly could get a chance to try it out, too.  The experience was comical to say the least, but the kids would love to go back again some day.

As I always try to do during the first week, I did get my windows and screens cleaned, thanks in part to my kids, who did pretty well with the whole teamwork thing.

We are excited to see what the rest of summer has in store.  I am certain we will get a few more items checked off of Cortlan's bucket list.

Someone else said it better...

You know what's awesome?

Falling asleep to a good book...

...and being able to read it on your own.

My, how much has changed this year.

A different perspective

Years ago, there was a ride called the Rotor at a local amusement park.  While on this ride, which was similar to a circular room on the inside, it would feel as though you were being pushed into the wall by some mysterious force as the room rotated around.  So great was this apparent force that you could turn yourself completely upside down and still be "stuck" to the wall.  While inside this room, it was hard to explain what you were feeling in any other way aside from that there was something pushing you into the wall.

However, if you were to remove yourself from the situation and find yourself with a bird's eye view, you would see something very different happening.  In fact, you would see that the people in the ride are not being pushed into the wall at all, but rather, the wall is simply causing the people to change direction.  The wall is keeping the people from doing what they would otherwise be doing - that is, traveling in a straight line.  The wall is exerting an inward force on the riders.  The sense of being pushed into the wall is a matter of perspective.  In reality, the riders' inertia carries them in a straight line, and without the wall pushing them inward, that is exactly where they would be going.  Imagine if the wall suddenly gave way.

Sometimes, when you are in a situation, fully immersed, it is hard - impossible, even - to see what is really going on. Sometimes, it takes an outside perspective, a bird's eye view, to really clarify what is happening.

Sometimes, your inertia is carrying you forward, and the wall is there, thankfully, to change your direction.