It's all secret, but good.

Yes, yes, yes, I'm a delinquent blogger and have neglected to update on a regular basis. Stuff like that is bound to happen when you are all caught up in days that lasso you and drag you away from all your domestic and computer hopes and dreams. What can I tell you that will give you reason to oooh and ahhh about laundry and errands and kids dental appointments and endless school pick-ups and drop offs. I can regale you with the excitement I felt at going through closets and cupboards and drawers throughout the house and reducing and reorganizing. Seriously, I was on a bona fide high when I brought the hidden and chaotic places of my house to the light of neat organization, with boxes and boxes of stuff going to the ARC (or garbage can.) I know with certainty that you will not share my enthusiasm for closet cleaning, but just know that I was so happy for the two weeks I toiled in the dark corners of my house.

There was also a little fun going on, like watching our local CHL team and raise money for Special Olympics at the same time. We attended the team's jersey aution after the game. The older three kids stayed awake for it, but Will didn't have the constitution to handle the rigours of auction combat. What was especially a treat for us was the realization that most of this Colorado team was from Ontario, Canada. We, of course, wanted a jersey from a good ol' Ontario boy. Here is the one we ended up with:

Well. most of it anyways, and this player is Nick Harlof, from Kitchener, just a stone's throw from where Mark went to University (relatively speaking). Notice the S.O. logo on the sleeves? We'll be proud to hang that somewhere in the house. Mark dreams of his own hockey memento themed pub in the basement one day....

Will did so great at the dentist the other day, even managing to sit still for x-rays. I didn't think that would happen, but he surprised me. Here he is listening to the hygienist explain what was going to happen with the x-ray machine. It turns out that Will is missing two adult teeth. This may be good in the long-run, as this is going to help alleviate some inevitable crowding.

What I am most excited about of late is the reading program Will is participating in through the research study at Denver University. He qualified for the study and we just finished the two weekend sessions of training for "group B" parent participants. What we are doing is a big, fat secret as I am not allowed to discuss our approach. This is to ensure the validity of the results at the end of 10 months, just in case any parents from the other two participant groups happen to be a reader here.

So, while I cannot discuss our reading strategy, I can comment on how Will has changed after only three full weeks of our new style reading times. Will is suddenly talking more, and vocally sharing his observations and discoveries. Take today for example, he spotted a tractor at the side of the road. The conversation went like this.

"Mom, look. A tractor."

"Yes, I see the tractor too."

"Tractors are for hay"

"Yes, tractors bring in the hay from the field"

"To the barn"

"yes"

"Horses"

"Yes, horses are in the barn."

"Cows"

"Yes, cows are there too."

"Mom. look, a volcano!"

"What? Where?"

"Right there!" (he was actually pointing forward to an upcoming bridge that seemed to have a peak due to it's arc.) I then said that I hoped it wasn't a volcano because then all the cars were driving into it.

Anyway, Will has become significantly more verbal, even without prompts. He is also expanding on ideas on his own. He used an adjective for the first time when, walking into my closet while I was dressing he pointed to my belly button and exclaimed "That's a funny hole". I was so struck by his complete comment, I didn't concentrate too much on his obvious gift of humour.

While I can't discuss technique at this time, I can share my new found obsession with picture books that are appropriate for this type of reading. You are already aware that I have a deep regard for children's literature, but the unique requirements for this project have given me the chance to hunt high and low for some good material. Here are some books that Will and I like to spend time reading:

The one thing all the above books have in common is very engaging illustrations. That is what I have been looking for in a book and I have come across a few great ones that feature such rich and diverse pictures. I am eagerly acquiring a nice collection of "Group B" friendly titles. Some day in the future when, by chance, a few free moments land here, I will talk about the above books and more too.