Make Your Own Discoveries

Tobias likes a PBS Kids show called “Dinosaur Train”. To my knowledge there are about 40 episodes containing two stories each about a species of dinosaurs. After each story Dr. Scott the Paleontologists comes on. He tells you about the dinosaur in the story and he always waves goodbye saying: “So remember, go outside, get into nature, and make your own discoveries!”. Tobias loves that and this past vacation in Crete we were out walking to a ruin when Tobias said: “We did good listening to Dr. Scott, Papa, we are making our own discoveries!”. Yes, Tobias is a real explorer .

Why am I telling you this? Well, because yesterday we did just that… It was a nice day so, we went outside, got into nature, and made our own discoveries… We discovered several kinds of trees, nuts, bushed, and mushrooms, like the one in this picture…

Besides all these discoveries, Tobias’ favorite thing in the forest is playing baseball with a stick and some acorns or pine cones… It amazes me how well he can hit those things.

Well, in short: we had a very nice afternoon yesterday!

Computer Talking

This is really a post for my Dutch readers... Tobias has always been a language boy. He is improving soooo fast in reading. Some of the teaching materials are on the computer. He does not seem to like that so much which surprises me, because at home he wants to play on the computer all the time. The teacher thought it might be because of two reasons:

1. He has to use a computer in another classroom

2. He has a hard time finding all the letters on the keyboard

I am sure that the first one is the primary reason, but just to be sure I thought I'd try to address the second reason too. So, tonight, I we talked without using our mouths :-). We chatted on the computer... and he LOVED it! Tobias was upstairs in the office, I was downstairs on the couch. He typed very slow but he did quite an interesting and an extremely cute job spelling though :-). I most definitely want to save that so I thought I'd put it on my blog...

He loved it so much that before we went to bed he told me he wants to do it again tomorrow :-).

Here is our chat:

7:03 PM

me: hallo tobias

7:04 PM

hallo tobias

7:05 PM

Tobias: hallo papa

7:06 PM

me: goed zo! vind je dit leuk?

Tobias: ja

7:07 PM

me: okee. kun je het goed lezen?

7:08 PM

Tobias: ja

me: hoe heet jij?

7:09 PM

Tobias: tobias

me: ik heet Tobias

Tobias: oo

me: wat vind jij leuk op school?

7:10 PM

Tobias: taal

me: oo, en wat nog meer?

7:11 PM

Tobias: rekenen

me: hoeveel is drie plus twee?

Tobias: 5

7:12 PM

me: goed gedaan.

Hoe heet jouw juf?

Tobias: eva

me: wie staat er achter jou?

7:13 PM

Tobias: mama

me: dat dacht ik al.

Ze helpt je toch niet?

Tobias: wel

7:14 PM

me: Dat is gemeen!

Vind je tiepen leuk?

Tobias: ja

me: je kunt het al goed hoor!

7:15 PM

Wat is je favoriete dier?

7:16 PM

Tobias: ch

me: wat is een ch?

7:20 PM

Tobias: wat ben je tog vor een oen papa

me: Een oen?

waarom?

6 minutes

7:26 PM

Tobias: ik wou sieta schrijven

me: dat is goed.

7:27 PM

In het echt schrijf je: cheetah

Het is eigenlijk een engels woord

Ik weet een raadsel

Wil je het horen?

7:28 PM

Tobias: ja papa

me: het is groen en het heeft een mes.

7:29 PM

Tobias: ik weet het niet

me: een snijboon

7:32 PM

Tobias: dad bustaat tog heelumaal niet

7:33 PM

me: Ja hoor. Echt wel. Ik weet er nog een. Wil je die ook horen?

Tobias: ja

me: Het is geel en het staat.

7:35 PM

Tobias: vaanieu vlaa

me: Nee, nog een keer...

7:37 PM

Tobias: dan weet ik het wir niet

me: Een stanaan

7:39 PM

Tobias: dad bustaat tog niet

me: Nee, dat bestaat niet.

Nog een?

7:41 PM

Tobias: ja maar niet zoo moelek

me: okee. de laatste. deze weet je denk ik.

het is bruin en het stinkt.

7:42 PM

Tobias: poep

me: Nee

wel bijna

7:44 PM

Tobias: een stnk sok

me: nee.... een DROL!!!

7:45 PM

Mag ik jou straks op bed leggen?

7:50 PM

Tobias: ja maar ik wil nog eeven dor praate mag dad?

me: ja dat mag. wil je straks nog wel een boekje lezen?

Tobias: ja

me: welk boek?

7:52 PM

Tobias: suup er dofje

me: oo leuk. dat doen we!

7:53 PM

die huisje boompje beestje met raaf en zijn geld, was die heel leuk?

Tobias: okee

7:54 PM

me: wil je samen naar een huisje boompje beestje kijken?

Tobias: ja

me: die van dat geld?

7:55 PM

of een andere?

7:56 PM

klik maar op de blauwe letters: http://player.omroep.nl/?aflID=13128402

7:57 PM

Tobias: ik snap er niks van

me: ik kom eraan.

For news on Tobias' sister Lorelei visit: Lorelei Michelle

Carnival

Every year, not long after the start of the new school year, the Carnival is in town. It started yesterday. Lisa went after school yesterday, and today it was my turn. I am not a big fan of carnivals, the noise, the people, the food, the junk stuff you can “win”, or anything like that. I am a big fan of my kids though, especially with the joy in their eyes and the smiles on their faces. Basically all the carnival stuff is rather worthless, but those lovely babies are priceless!!! (and makes it all worth it).

It is funny to see what they like. Apparently Lorelei is kind of a thrill seeker going on a rollercoaster-type-thing and wanting to go again where Tobias didn’t even want to go at all. I did not go on that rollercoaster-type-thing today. I think I wrote about this last year, but two years ago I took Tobias on a ride he was too young for at the time, and I have a feeling he might be traumatized for life…

What was absolutely adorable though, was the two of them in a car on the car-merry-go-round. I would expect Tobias to have outgrown it by now, but apparently not, because they went on there twice… I have often written about the fact that I (desperately?) want to hold on to that kind of cuteness, so, I am not complaining, just enjoying!