Updates

We went to the coast again last week.  We had to, for work.  Poor us.  So put upon. Pictures forthcoming.

Keilana is recognizing more sight words every day (without much help from me, I'm ashamed to say--been a real slacker lately with this whole teaching and parenting thing), and is sounding words out a little faster now.  She's remembering more combination sounds like "ch" and "sh" and "oo".  I took her swimming in the hotel pool while we were at the beach and the clingy, terrified, stubborn creature that was in the pool with me a week earlier had magically been transformed into a confident, happy "Let me try!" eager 5 year old.  She would jump out away from the steps and swim back.  She needs to get her head above water a little more efficiently to get more air, but other than that she's got the basic mechanics of swimming down now and is happy to try over and over and over and over.  Amazing change!  I'm so glad she's finally swimming.

Dylan seems to have caught on to the concept of "sounding it out" from watching Keilana and I, as he has tried it a few times now (for example, attempting to sound out "compact" in the parking garage at the hotel:) ).  As I mentioned, he's a bit of a freak and knew all his ABC's (recognized all the individual letters and knew the sound they made) by last summer--when he was 2 1/2.  I'm going to make serious efforts to teach him to read this fall when Keilana starts school.  I'll be working extra hard with her, too, since she will be doing her schooling primarily in Spanish and I want her English reading and writing skills to keep pace.  Dylan has been a big helper with the baby lately.  He seems to be more interested in her the longer she's around and now likes to play peek-a-boo and try and get her to follow him up the stairs.

And follow she does!  Kylie has officially hit the menace stage.  She can crawl up the stairs by herself now--a development I'm just thrilled about :(  Particularly since one of her favorite new activities is crawling to the top, giggling and cooing for a few minutes over her accomplishment and then screaming at me to come get her.  This wouldn't be such a problem (with the other two, I'd just leave them there mad a few times and they'd figure out not to go upstairs without me), except that if I don't go get her, one of her siblings will, so she always wins.  She pulls herself to a stand easily on just about anything (including, if she's in the mood, the wall) and this last week or so has started letting go and standing unassisted for 2-5 seconds at a time. I'd be surprised if she isn't walking pretty well by Halloween.  We shall see.  Her personality has blossomed this last couple of weeks, too.  She's more willing to let other people hold her without burying her shy little face, and was even flirting with Beto during Priesthood this week.  So now everyone else is starting to see the smiley, talkative and charming Kylie that we know so well at home.  She hasn't been sleeping well the last couple of weeks, as she is cutting her two front teeth, but the lack of sleep hasn't affected her mood much (other than wanting to be held and carried a lot).

Doug busy as a bee slaving away to finish the slot car track over at McDermont, but its almost there.  That place is really starting to hop, and I'm grateful to finally be able to take advantage of it myself.

School starts in about three weeks, and we'll be sending our oldest child to kindergarten--such a strange thought.  But we're looking forward to this next phase.  Mostly because I know Keilana's going to love it!