This and that

Earlier this week Marky was asked to sing at a luncheon where his choir director spoke on the history of boys choirs.  The director asked Marc, "Can I sit you at a table with older people and you be nice and use complete sentences?"  :)  Marc said yes and had a nice lunch. 

He and another chorister sang.  Marky sang "Walking in the Air," and his friend sang "How Great Thou Art."

BB was in town for a doctor's visit on Tuesday and went to lunch with Julia and I as the boys were in art class. 

While Julia went to her art class, BB and I went shopping with the boys.  BB was going to buy a framed picture of sheep, but Charlie insisted he needed it for his "woom!"  :)  So now my little shepherd has a picture of sheep in his room, along with the sheep figurines, sheep mobile, and tons of stuffed animal sheep. 

School is going very well right now.  The older two are studying the middle ages and I am just loving it.   We are reading several books about the same events.  That's my favorite way to learn- each book has a different angle and focus.  I am really enjoying Famous Men of the Middle Ages.  We alternate between it, Founders of Freedom, Old World's Gifts to the New and a few others.

Charlie gets the "I love schoolwork" award.  He is flying through his work and is the most eager student.  When he gets done he sits and listens to me teach Tucker.  Usually he works a puzzle or reads a book.  Today he did the human body. 

I asked where the two missing pieces of the puzzle were and he kept saying, "In Daddy's winter car." 
I kept asking him to repeat and he would slowly and clearly say, "In Daddy's Win-ter car."  I asked Julia to translate and she said, "oh- we bought this puzzle in D.C. and dropped it in the RENTAL car."  :)  When R's and L's don't come easy it's twicky business.  I did a little quiz on body parts and Charliebear did great. 

This afternoon we went to the science center to see the new "Going Places" exhibit.  Everyone had fun.

Everyone loves touching the sting rays and sharks.  :)

There's my sweet little Tuckerman.  This little guy doesn't sit still or stop thinking.  It's so hard for him to listen to me read stories and even harder for him to narrate back.  His brain is thinking about planets or flags or Star Wars or who knows what?!  We have discovered he does much better if he reads it himself- he is sort of "forced" to pay attention.   So that's what we do for shorter passages. 

When I want to read long passages I have him sit with me and I read and then stop at random spots for him to read, which makes him follow along and pay more attention.  He is then great at answering questions and understanding the passage.  I'm always learning how each child is completely different and needs to be taught differently.  I so enjoy these days with my sweeties.