The History of Camile and Books

{a novel in and of itself}

In first grade I started learning phonics and sight words and I remember thinking that I would never learn how to read - it seemed way too hard! We read from the "Sun Up" books about the characters Buffy and Mac and I can still remember one of my sight word lists from that book:

          "sun, up, the, was, Buffy, Mac, good, morning, and, went, in, to"

Well, I did learn how to read and have been a book worm ever since. I remember in second grade bringing home the book "Charlotte's Web" by E.B. White and reading a few sentences to my Mom - I was so excited because I could read with "expression". I learned to love reading so much my Mom says that it was like pulling teeth to get me to put down a book and play with friends sometimes. Some of my favorite books in elementary school were Jack Weyland's LDS fiction novels. Looking back, those were probably way too mature for me, but I loved them. My Mom got me a new Jack Weyland book for my birthday one year and she even had Jack Weyland sign it - so cool! (I didn't know that he was a physics professor at Ricks College where my Mom was going to school at the time.)



Several years later, as a BYU-I student myself, I took a child development class and a children's literature class. Because of those (and my own love of reading) I was very motivated to read a lot to my future kids. Well, Carly came and I started reading to her before she could even sit up. And before she knew how to crawl, I would sit her down next to the basket of books and toys and she would pick up a book and reach it out to me saying "uhh uhh uhh" (just begging to be read to). For the first few years of her life we would spend a couple hours a day reading books - (sometimes after reading "Night Noises" for the one thousandth time I would regret having taught her to love books so much) :). But, it has paid off and I always think of this poem:

"You may have tangible wealth untold;

Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold.

Richer than I you can never be --

I had a Mother who read to me."
The Reading Mother by Strickland Gillilan

Even though I have not been as dedicated with reading to Ellie and Aubree, I still try to make it a daily happening and they have each inherited a love of books also. I can't wait until Aubree's old enough so we can read "Little Women" together and "Anne of Green Gables" and "Les Miserables" (abridged probably), "Persuasion", "The Goose Girl",  "Jane Eyre" and so many others! We do read a bedtime story to them each night and it usually is a novel, but I'm saving the aforesaid favorites for when Aubree can appreciate them too. So far, we've read:

A Little Princess

*The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

The Family Under the Bridge by Natalie Carlson

Heidi by Johanna Spyri

Nellie's Promise by Valerie Tripp

The Trumpet of the Swan E.B. White

Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

Eight Cousins Louisa May Alcott

More Perfect than the Moon by Patricia Maclachlan

*The Middle Moffat by Eleanor Estes

Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes

Castle in the Attic by Elizabeth Winthrop

Battle for the Castle by Elizabeth Winthrop

and in the middle of Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin



*Our two favorites so far

Another reason I love this bedtime tradition - I choose the books they read and usually read the first few chapters, but because Aaron is the one to usually lay in bed with them at night, it is him that ends up reading most of the book to them. I love this because, although Aaron is a great reader, he has never been a fan of reading novels for pleasure, and has thought it a waste of time. (Could this be due to the fact that the house falls to shambles and our girls look like orphans when I'm reading a good book?). So, not only am I introducing my girls to the wonderful world of books, but my husband also!

 

The girls on the top bunk, Aubree doing her own thing on the ground,
and Aaron sitting on a little kiddie chair reading the book.

p.s. Some of my most favorite reads (aside from the ones I can't wait to read when Aubree is older):

The Hiding Place by Corrie TenBoom

The Education of Little Tree by Forrest Carter

Laddie by Gene Stratton-Porter

Daddy Long Legs by Jean Webster

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (love/hate relationship with that book)

Too much info.

Aubree - 7 1/2 months old. height: 25" (10%), weight: 16.5 lbs (25%), head circ. (75%). She takes after her sisters...(and her Daddy) :) She's getting so big so quickly, time just keeps going faster and faster for me. She'll be crawling pretty soon, but it seems like she should only be 3 months old. I can't even describe how much joy she brings into our home! I think the more kids you have the more you enjoy the baby stage. Preschoolers can sometimes be such a handful and kinda' sassy sometimes, but I never have to worry about Aubree throwing a tantrum (on purpose) or hitting me (to be mean) or saying she'll never play with me again. The worst a baby can do is nothing compared to a 5- or 3-year old!
Ellise - 3 1/2 years. And she is very aware of how she looks too - she brushes her long, beautiful, blonde hair about six times a day and is very picky about what she wears (which is usually a dress or a skirt). I think it's hard for her to be the second child (especially since her big sister has such a dominant personality). So, we have a lot of crying and whining from her, which drives me crazy, but my Mom keeps telling me that she's just trying to figure out how to be seen and heard. We still try to have her take a nap every day (but it usually only happens about 4 days a week). I asked Ellie what she wanted me to say about her on our blog and she said "I love you" - she is a very sensitive and loving person.


Carly - 5 years. People ask us all the time if Carly and Ellie are twins (Carly is only 1 1/2 inches taller than Ellie), which used to really bug Carly, but now she thinks it's funny that they always trick people! Her and Ellie have been getting along pretty well lately (only fighting 30% of the time instead of 60%), I just love to see them playing well together and make-believing with each other - they are so creative! Carly is definitely a leader - she is very good at directing all the other kids (neighbors and friends) when they play house (even if she is supposed to be the baby in the game). I asked Carly what she wanted me to say about her on our blog - "That I'm really nice" - well, she gets an "E" for effort. She really does try, but she takes after her Mom...(not a whole lot of natural patience). I've said this before, but she is just a very passionate girl. Aaron hopes that when she's older she gets called as the R.S. "Passionate" service leader (his version of compassionate service leader I guess) - ha ha!! She asks some of the most interesting questions - she is so curious and eager to learn.
hair-brushing train

Me - I'm not one of those superwomen who can keep up on a blog and be a good mother, wife, housekeeper, enrichment leader, etc. all at the same time. I'm really trying to work on my organizational skills! So, I've been blogging less and watching movies less and going to bed earlier and waking up at 6am (a few days a week) to go walking and read my scriptures (I realized that I need to start my days off better). The biggest reason I decided to start walking is because I usually go through every day feeling tired and in a fog. And I'm sick of feeling so worn out and having to miss out on motherhood because of it. I want my girls to have memories of me playing with them and being cheerful and excited about life. (As I said earlier "I'm trying".) Most people I talk to who do exercise say they can tell a difference in their energy level, so I'm hoping it works for me. Another reason I've started walking is because I've been blessed with a healthy body, and up to this point I've just taken that for granted, so I want to do something to show that I'm grateful to have a healthy body. I know walking isn't a big deal, but it's a starting point.


Aaron - Still has a job which is seriously a blessing (and a miracle considering how slow things are at his firm and how many landscape architects are out of jobs right now). But, it's still likely that he could lose his job at any time. I just wonder when things will pick back up again. It's interesting to think about where the future might take us! Aaron's been studying for the last two tests in the licensing exam and he takes the tests this weekend. I'm thinking he'll pass and then he will be official! He's also been getting really excited for his big hunt in two weeks with his cousin Terrance. Right now Aaron is carrying Aubree on his shoulders and supervising the other kids outside - such a good Daddy. (Sorry, no picture of Aaron - I just realized that Aaron and I need to actually include ourselves in some of the pictures.)

p.s. Another movie recommendation that I forgot about: BBC's Little Dorrit (based on the novel by Charles Dickens). Very highly recommend it - both Aaron and I really liked it! Sometimes BBC movies aren't very good with the acting and look low budget, but not this one. Seriously, WAY good acting, awesome story, very well made.

Recommendations

These are two movies that we have watched in the past few months and really enjoyed. They are both the inspirational and motivational type (not LDS though). I also read the book "Gifted Hands: the Ben Carson Story" and loved it even more than the movie (of course).

Catching up

I put Ellie's hair in braids the night before - she has such beautiful hair!

Sad, but true...this is one of the only Thanksgiving pictures that I took over the whole break. Uncle Josh let the kids ride in the back of their Hummer! We were in Rexburg this year for Thanksgiving and had a lot of fun...and fighting (lots of little cousins who think they're in charge).

Franci and Holly (Aaron's sisters) and I went to the movie Fireproof. We had no idea what the movie would be about, but we really enjoyed it.

These are the gingerbread houses that Carly and Ellie made (they were originally decorated with candy - but Carly and Ellie thought the candy would be better to eat)

A Bow Holder
I got this idea from my friend Brandy - (she does all sorts of fun homemade projects)! I made this one for my sis-in-law and I still need to make one for myself. (The picture to the right is what I have been using as a bow holder for the last year or so - I like Brandy's idea much better!)

So, one of the reasons I haven't been blogging lately is because I've been sick for the last week and a half - not fun (head cold and the stomach flu). I think I'm pretty much better now though! So, this is a picture of Aaron and the girls hanging out (watching Robin Hood) while Mommy rests.



Aaron also took the girls to a work Christmas Party for kids while I was sick. They got to sit on Santa's lap. One nice thing about not having TV commercials...

Santa: What would you girls like for Christmas this year?
Carly: A rubber ducky...a pink one!
Ellie: A pink rubber ducky!
(That should make Christmas shopping pretty easy on Santa's wallet!)

Aside from taking care of the girls and me while I've been sick, Aaron has been studying for his licensing exams - pretty intense. He's such a hard worker, I sure hope he does well. One of these days I'm going to post some pictures of what Aaron has been doing at work - he's kind of their in-house landscape artist. I just need his help downloading and stuff.

What Mom's can't live without

(This post was inspired by you, Courtney)

I need some suggestions on carseats. I hated the carseat I had with Carly and Ellie, so I dumped it as soon as Ellie went to a forward-facing carseat. Are Gracos pretty good? They seem to have good reviews and are decently priced too.

Also, what would you suggest as far as baby slings and carriers?

A couple things that I think are a must:

-Lansinoh lanolin cream - I even used it for a couple weeks before I had Ellie which saved me a lot of pain afterwards.

-A nursing cover (Bebe au lait, Hooter Hiders, etc). I didn't have one of these with Carly and Ellie, but I'm definitely going to have one (or a few) for this time.

You would think I already know about everything that I would need or want after doing this twice already, but I seem to find out about a lot of things after they would have done me some good. So, is there anything else that you just can't live without or have heard that a Mommy shouldn't live without?

I recommend...

"The Education of Little Tree". Such a touching book - I would be laughing one moment and bawling the next. We read it for our ward's book club last month.

A few of my favorite parts:

Granma said you couldn't love something you didn't understand; nor could you love people, or God, if you didn't understand the people and God. Granpa and Granma had an understanding, and so they had a love. Granma said the understanding run deeper as the years went by, and she reckined it would get beyond anything mortal folks could think upon or explain.

[After their dog died...] Granpa said when I got old, I would remember ol'Ringer, and I would like it--to remember. He said it was a funny thing, but when you got old and remembered them you loved, you only remembered the good, never the bad, which proved the bad didn't count nohow.

...When you come on something that is good, first thing to do is share it with whoever you can find; that way, the good spreads out to where no telling it will go. Which is right.

So, now I'm sharing this good book with you...if you like this sort of thing.

p.s. What have you read lately that you really enjoyed? (If you want to know some of my other favorite books, look at my link in the side column)

p.p.s. I still haven't decided about the Twilight series... Since I already read the first book I think I will still watch the movie. (Are they making a movie for each book - or just doing one movie for all?)

The Twilight Series...

So, I'm trying to decide if it's worth it to have my home fall apart and have my husband and children neglected while I read these books. (I have a disorder where I can't focus or concentrate on ANYTHING else, no matter how important, when I'm reading a novel.) OR, should I just wait for the movie? (Although, movies are rarely ever as good as the books.)

A couple of years ago I read the first book...or most of it. I wasn't that impressed (I can't even remember exactly what it was that bugged me about it). So, when all the other books started coming out and everyone started going crazy over them I just thought it was...well, crazy. But, lately I have read on so many people's blogs (and heard in person) about how awesome these books are. Now I'm starting to think I'm the weird one.

So, for those of you who have read it, do you think it's worth it?

And for those of you who haven't read it, why haven't you?

*Update 4-20-2012, I chose not to read the books and don't regret it. I have watched some of the movies and am not that impressed with them either. But we can all be friends still :)