Summer Break has begun!

From the moment that James realized that the public school kids that live around us were out of school for the summer, he decided that HE was also out of school for the summer! I seconded the motion. It was a good time to take a break. We still have our house on the market and it feels like we are living in limbo. I try to keep the house presentable in case we have a showing request. Half of our life is packed away in boxes sitting in a storage unit an hour away. I miss the family pictures and all the things that make a house a home. We talk about moving often. James has to ask about all the things we will take with us.

James: Can I take all my toys?
Me: Yes.
James: What about the TV?
Me: Yes.
James: Are we taking your bed? Because I like your bed.
Me: Yes, we are taking everything with us.
James: Are we taking the bathtub?
Me: No.
James: But we need a bathtub? How will I take a bath?!?
Me: The new house will have a bathtub. It's a part of the house so we won't take it. We take all the things that belong to us.
James: What about Sadie and Dixie and Sparky?
Me: Of course!

And it goes on and on until I tell him that I can't answer any more questions.

So, in my mind, I have deemed this summer "The summer of PLAY" for James. He has already had so much outdoor time that I know Charlotte Mason would be proud! I have even skipped a few days of napping so he could play to his heart's content. He has fallin' in love with the outdoors again. No more asking to play on the computer or asking to play with my phone or his Leapfrog Leap Pad or his Dad's phone. He'd rather be outside. Even when he learned yesterday that he would not be getting an Xbox 360 for his birthday, he was not too upset. Oh he still wants one but he learned this after we spent some time in Walmart trying out bicycles with training wheels. :) He wanted to take it home right then and there but his birthday isn't for a couple more weeks.

James and his cousin Billy 

He asked me the other day what grade he would be in next year. I told him that he would be doing Kindergarten and that we would be learning how to write and read and talk more about numbers. He would learn how to tell time and count his money. We have decided to start giving him a weekly allowance when he turns 5. He said he would save his money to buy an Xbox 360. I like the way he thinks. And if he does save up enough money to buy one, I will let him. What a great lesson for him to learn!

So. It's the Summer of Play. And when it rains, it'll be a summer of movies. We have The Amazing Spiderman to look forward to. And our Netflix queue is long. We just watched Charlotte's Web. James wanted to see it over and over and over. He was truly saddened that Charlotte dies. It was touching. I was tucking him into bed one night and I asked him, "What is your favorite part of the movie or what do you think of the most about the movie?" He said, "Charlotte." And his little chin quivered as he said it and his eyes got a little teary. He asked, "Isn't it so sad that Charlotte dies?" "Yes, it is sweetheart but what happens when she dies? What does Wilbur do for her?. He replied, "He saves her babies." "That's right. Charlotte was a very good friend and Wilbur was a good friend right back to her." I had to stop then because I was getting teary-eyed and I didn't want James to see me cry. I wanted to smile and remind him how wonderful and powerful friendship is. The story has made an impression for sure. Even the other day, he was going to meet a new friend named RJ and he said, "Great name!". That's what Wilbur always said when he met a new friend. Being James' mom is pretty amazing.