Last week I met with Caleb's teacher for his second report card conference (Larry was out of town). He continues to do very well in school. He's now reading above the level he should be at by the end of the year. His writing is average; his teacher says he tends to rush and does better when he doesn't, so we're working on that. His teacher also says he's a role model in class. We're extremely proud.
Caleb lost another tooth last week, the third in just over two weeks (and a total of five). He looks a bit like a jack-o-lantern now, and he's getting quite rich off the Tooth Fairy. Here's a favorite story of mine: After he lost his third tooth, he told me that his school friend said that his (Caleb's) mother was the Tooth Fairy and he (Caleb) wanted to know if that was true. I hemmed and hawed a bit and finally said that it was. Apparently he was just testing me, because he said, "No you're not Mommy!" I was glad he didn't believe me.
Alana had a growth spurt recently and has actually grown out of some of her pants. She had a second haircut today. She's somewhat over her obsession with Dora the Explorer, though she still likes her a lot; for good or ill, she's more likely to ask to watch the things that Caleb likes -- Spiderman and Star Wars and Scooby Doo. She still copies everything that Caleb's doing -- recently we had dinner at a restaurant where Larry knew the manager, who came over to the table to say Hi. He shook Caleb's hand and of course was a bit surprised when Alana stuck her hand out, insisting on her own handshake.
Here's a closeup shot of Alana that Larry took:
Alana coloring in the hotel room in Syracuse:
Caleb's current gap-tooth smile:
The battle that Caleb set up in the hotel room with available items:
