January 18

Today we needed to get out to the store.
So we invited Daddy to breakfast - he didn't have to work until noon, and we headed to a neighborhood cafe (Over the Counter Cafe) for breakfast. After we took him to work, I asked Trev if he'd like to go see Sea Monsters 3D - we've been talking about going to see it for a few months - finally! - we were going!
First we had an hour or so to pass, so we went to do some serious shopping at Costco.
The children both found books that they were very excited about (as always) - a Pooh sticker book for Madd, and Trev found a Wild Animal one that includes birds, bugs, reptiles and amphibians, and dinosaurs; the Mama found two that she liked - an Atlas, and a DK Smithsonian book on Reptiles and Amphibians - which is totally cool and similar to the Audabon books - which we collect, but don't have a reptiles one.
So - Sea Monsters! And just in time, too. As usual.
We have debated for a few months on getting a duo membership for Trev and I (Maddie is free).
Finally today we decided to do it - The Secret of the Cardboard Rocket is playing again, and in the beginning of Feb begins The Human Body - which we definitely want to see. Additionally, the matinee price went up to $6 instead of $5, so we only need to go four times during the year to make it worth our money. Definitely doable!
The movie was awesome, and Trev is still talking about it, of course.
We are eager to go back and see it again. We always sit in the front row - Madd has plenty of room to walk around, and we don't have to worry about yelling in people's ears things like "Woh! look at that Xifactinus!!!" :) Which we inevitably always do.
After that we were off to the natural market - both children picked up little carts to drive

Before we left the house this morning we had a monumental occurrence.
We were getting ready, and Trev was reading his little pocket dinosaur book that our friends Steph and Emmett gave us. He likes to thumb through his books looking for creatures that lived in a particular time period. Today the preferred time was the Cretaceous.
"What period was this one?"
"Mmm, Jurassic."
When was this one?"
"Uh, Jurassic."
"Why are these all Jurassic?" Getting frustrated. "What about this one?"
Me: "What does it say, Bud? Look at the words." Just a suggestion.
He does.
"It says.... 'Late Cretaceous'!"
Blink.
Blink again.
Oh, my.
"Does it? Well, there you go. You read it, Bud. Congratulations."
"And this one says 'Late Jurassic'!"
I'll be damned.
Eric and I were ready to (we didn't) do a Hallelujah dance - with whoops and stomps and great leaps - Trev thought we were insane - and was the only reasonable one about the whole thing.
But it was amazing.
It's not the very first time - he reads little words - no sight words - and he's getting familiar with others, too (mostly names of prehistoric creatures), but this moment was just as important and monumental as the few others that we've experienced. It's a remarkable and special and magical thing when your child starts to read.
There are stages, of course, and they come sometimes few and far between, perhaps especially so when one doesn't sit down with lessons. But it's an awesome thing to witness.
You just wanna cry, honest to God.
He is a brilliant, amazing boy.

[grin]