In Other News...

I gave Jack the first Harry Potter book for his birthday. I read it to the boys, and we watched the movie. I told Jack that if he wanted to read more Harry Potter, he would have to do it on his own. The Easter bunny brought Jack the second book last weekend. This has pretty much been my interaction with Jack since. His teacher had to send home a note asking that I keep the book at home. Ha! Apparently it is hard to concentrate on school when you have a good book to read. Fortunately, the latest report I heard this morning was that he only has two chapters left to read. 

Aunt Kathy and Uncle Kevin sent the boys new pajamas for Easter. I mistakenly placed Luke's shirt in Jack's pajama drawer yesterday. When Luke came out of the shower and saw Jack wearing his shirt, he rectified the situation quickly! 

Over Spring Break, Ross and Nick taught the boys how to play Chess. The Easter Bunny brought Jack a really cool teaching set. Each piece shows the moves the piece can make. It's been awesome for me because I had only played Chess a few times with my dad and didn't really know the legal moves. The kids and I have been playing a lot. They also like to play each other. 

Center For Puppetry Arts

Last weekend, we went to The Center For Puppetry Arts to watch their performance of Pete the Cat. It was so good! The music, puppets, and story were all incredible. We also toured the puppetry museum and built a Pete the Cat puppet. This was a place that I was really glad John found. We look forward to going back to watch Charlotte's Web soon (and after we finish reading the book).

Atlanta History Center

 A week after chaperoning the kindergarten trip to the barn, I chaperoned the second grade fieldtrip to The Atlanta History Center where the kids learned about Georgia's Cherokee Indians. The kids had a chat with Sequoyah's daughter, Ayokeh. I was pretty proud of Jack when the tour guide asked the kids if they knew what Sequoyah is remembered for and he responded that Sequoyah developed the Cherokee alphabet. The kid's brain is a vault. After the chat with Ayokeh, we walked along our very own trail of tears. Each student got to go into their cabin and choose one item to take with them before they were relocated; this was the same experience many Cherokee had at the beginning of their relocation. Throughout the walk, there was illness, death, and starvation. The experience reminded me of a game we played when I was in school, Oregon Trail. After the trail, we watched a short video on Native American stereotypes before studying artifacts. It was neat that the kids got to actually touch tools and clothing from history. The curator had it set up where students studied Native American life before encountering the white people and after. The kids were supposed to look at what changed in the Cherokee's culture. I really enjoyed this fieldtrip, and so did Jack.

The Art Barn

I chaperoned Luke's kindergarten fieldtrip to The Art Barn. You'd think a farm girl from Minnesota wouldn't have much to learn, but I left the trip with new knowledge. Roosters have a wattle under their chin, and its job is to regulate the rooster's temperature. Who knew? 

Spring Break

We enjoyed a visit from the Perlicks while our family and theirs were both on Spring Break. The dads took the kids mountain biking while Erin and I did a little shopping. We went to a trampoline park (twice) because it was a rainy few days. Ross and Nick taught the boys how to play chess, and they've been playing a lot ever since. It's always fun to watch the kids play together and spend some time with good friends.

Knoxville Visit

Both of the boys are turning into good older cousins. They've had lots of good examples on the Thorn side. When we went to visit Ensley, Annie, and Shane a couple weeks ago, both of the boys were down on the floor playing with Ensley. She's just the sweetest thing. I'm glad they are enjoying her as much as I do.