The Boy Who Changed the World

The Boy Who Changed the World by Andy Andrews is a fantastic children's book. It is a true story that teaches children that everything they do matters. It begins by telling the story of Norman Borlaug who grew up to create a variety of corn that was planted in other countries and saved over 2 billion people from starvation. As you move through the book you are introduced to individuals who had major impact in the previous individual's life. Demonstrating that we all have impact and can make a difference in the world.

I sat with my 4 and 2 year olds reading through this book for the first time. They were so incredibly captivated by the illustrations. It is colorful and beautifully illustrated. At the end of the book, when I asked their favorite thing, both said that the pictures were their favorite.

Another part of the book that they liked were the transitions in between the "boys" who changed the world. I was impressed with the concept behind the book. It would be excellent for elementary school aged children -- great for a book report! And it would be so fun to look a little more in depth to each character through some research. This book is an excellent tool for educating and inspiring children.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Words I don't ever want to forget

Tony and were talking the other day about how as the kids get older they will stop saying their funny little phrases that we love. I thought it would be fun to jot down as many as we can remember so that we would have it forever documented before our memories wear out. Here's the list so far...

• pall nailish (Kaiya's word for nail polish still to-date)
• cash tran (Kaiya's word for trash can every once in awhile still)
• What me tinkin' in my bain? (a phrase Kaiya said from about 21 months - 2.5 years old)
• ting! ting! (Kaleb's request to Daddy each night for a song before bed.)
• Allah (what Kaiya called Kaleb for the first 10 months of his life.)
• Yai-yah (what Kaiya called herself from about 13 months-2.5 yrs. old. It had many different meanings, depending on how she would enunciate it.)
• I so escited! (Kaiya)
• bramember (Kaiya -- remember)
• openmeal (Kaiya's word for oatmeal - still to-date)
• Oh Bappy! (what Kaiya would call Money Bags)

Those are a lot of Kaiya. I'm sure Kaleb has more... just gonna have to think on it. To be continued...

Sunday walk on the Greenway.

Mimi and Papa take the kids bike riding really often. Kaiya's gotten to be quite the little speedster on her bike. Balancing fairly well for her age - might just lose the training wheels sooner than I would have expected.

This kid is about the cutest thing you have ever seen on his little trike w/ his helmet and those little legs pedaling as fast as he can. He just has a hard time keeping up with Kaiya!

Little Mechanics

The kids had fun on Sunday "working" on the car with Papa. Big things to do like fill up the antifreeze and messy stuff like that. It was fun sitting on the swing watching them use their tools to do the work. They thought they were big stuff. I hope they learn a few things... mechanics are expensive -- might be nice to have one in the family. :)

I love my blue-eyed babies. And what about Kaiya's haircut! :) I don't think I had posted a picture of that yet. She has a friend that she wanted her hair to be like so we made the big cut. She was pretty cute about -- very concerned about what Daddy would think, since she knows that Daddy likes his girls to have long hair. And then the day after it was cut she looked in the mirror with a very serious expression and asked if I thought it grew any overnight. It's been a good summer cut and she loves that I don't make her pull it back much.

Back to Blogging. Serious this time.

I've said it before... but I have really let this blogging thing go. My main excuse is that my digital camera has been broken for nearly a year. And after my most recent call to Canon technical services support line I decided to bury the camera. Minimum service charge for the camera is $150. Now... we used some Christmas bonus money from back in the day to purchase the camera five years ago -- and it wasn't cheap. But $150 minimum to get it fixed! Not a chance. They don't even manufacture the camera anymore. Less than a week after I made the decision to start shopping for a new camera, I saw an ad in a Staples ad for a Kodak Easy Share w/ a 10x optical zoom for $99. I had kissed all my dreams of a zoom over 4-5x goodbye because they just weren't in my price range. So I ordered it right away.Let's be honest -- a picture-less blog is just no fun. So I'm ba-a-ack!

Good night. Sleep Tight.

Last night I went in to check on the kids before I went to bed and noticed that Kaiya was practically falling off of the bed. When I looked closer, this is what I saw. :)

I assure you... this is not how we put them to bed. Sneaky little boogers.