A glimpse of future family life

It's 330 on Sunday and I am changing out the laundry on the porch and Lupe and Liam are playing together in the Playhouse. We are fixing up our porch and yard to make them more fun and enjoyable spaces. Liam can crawl and also walk now, wobbly but walking. The driveway is blocked off with a gate so that the kids can go back and forth between our yard and their grandparents yard next door. And I feel like it is the beginning of a phase of parenting and childhood that I've been looking forward to. Need doing chores and the kids playing on their out. It seems so boring and simple yet it feels like a definite turning point in the family life.
Last night we had friends over for a barbecue in the backyard and the kids played (except Liam who stayed in my lap the whole time). Simple simple pleasures that make life good.

I'm sure many of you with more than one kid have had a similar experience: the first kid is well documented and the second kid comes along and you become too busy for all those fun details and traditions.
Well I am starting something that is not a new idea but I hope that I can remember to do it every year. Interviews on the first and last day of school and a self-portrait. I know that in just a couple of years I will look back on the kindergarten one and feel all warm and fuzzy inside

He's going to learn to read

At our most recent evaluation in the bay area we were finally told that he is ready to start learning words. Written words. I am really excited. And it's awesome because I can actually teach Lupe and Liam at the same time. Every week we will learn five new high interest words and review the previous weeks words. Lupe is on the Spanish side at Pacheco so at school she will first learn to read and write in Spanish. But I think I can compliment that here at home by learning to read in English.
Here is a picture of Liam and his first five words.
Before long Lupe and Liam will be conducting the story hour at the library!