old friends, new friends and the end of 100 lessons

 Our dear friends from college came to visit!  Mike and Heather Young.  They live in Idaho and we haven't seen them since we moved to Oregon.  While apart though, we've kept up on each others blogs and so it didn't feel like we'd been apart as long as we have!  They came to visit because they had a wedding to go to Saturday and we watched their kiddo's.

 Here's cute little Stella.  Note the awesome snowman in the background - yes I'm proud of it.  The kids loved collecting water our of the drain pipe shown above.  that drain is a favorite toy all year.  in the summer they use it like a drive through window.  A favorite thing to order is pizza (which is weird because you usually don't order that through a drive through).

 It was fun to have a boy to sled with.  Noah went up and down the sledding hill a million times.  Anna sort of wooses out.  Noah is about 6 months older than anna.  They had a good time playing, watching curious George, doing puzzles and running around.  amazingly enough, stella and Julia didn't fight.  Maybe they are both Diva enough they knew not to mess with eachother.  Who knows, but it was fun having two cute little two year olds around all day.

 here's anna having a bit of a fit because I won't pull her up the hill again.  You can do it ANNA!

 Noah.  It got a bit slippery!

 Julia hates outside so I stopped even trying.

 Stella and Anna.  When they sat down for this picture anna said "I think we are friends"  They were fun company to have Saturday.  (ps in the morning mike and rich went cross country skiing up millcreek canyon - its awesome having the canyon right here).

 This morning we FINISHED THE READING LESSON BOOK!

 We did all 100 lessons!  I would not say it was easy at first.  We've done it everyday, but started in September (ie we repeated many lessons).  But we worked through it and Anna loved it.  She would wake up every morning asking to do her reading lesson.  I have no idea what grade level she is reading at and she does a lot of guessing and still makes mistakes with vowels.  But she's doing really well - especially for a 3 year old!  I love to sit down with her and read - but anymore she doesn't want me to read!!  She wants to do it herself!!  I have to tell her at night that I get to read at least one of the books she chooses......she's still a slow reader....so if she read them all it would take all night.   The other day Anna told me "Mom, God sent me to earth because I LOVE TO READ."  What a wonderful gift God has given to anna.  I pray everyday that I can help Anna find ways to use the talents God has given her and that I can guide her to become the person God wants her to be.  She's such a good girl, I don't want to mess that up!

 

Anna wanted to take a picture of me with the book.  I thought it was appropriate since I was there for all 100 lessons too.  I'm trying to decide what to do now for reading lessons.  Lately she's really into the illustrated book of Mormon, so we'll probably do that every morning.

 

Here is some video of her last reading lesson!  I want to remember what it was like.  Way to go Anna!  I wonder when Julia will want to start!  Probably good to start with talking first!