Summer Reading Challenge

Our library is doing an adult summer reading program during the month of July.  There are nine prompts to choose from and as you finish one you submit an entry that will put you in drawings for prizes. There are small drawings every week and then a big one on July 31st.  You can only enter and entry for each prompt once. I thought this would be a good way for me to branch out a little bit, plus I like prizes.   Here are the prompts: 1. Reread a book you loved as a child. 2. Tackle the classic you "cliff-noted" in high school. 3. Discover a book of poetry and read some aloud. 4. Read a book written the year you were born. 5. Hoosier connection: read something about Bloomington or Indiana or by a Hoosier author. 6. Choose an author or the setting of a book that is foreign to you. 7. Play opposite day: Try nonfiction if you usually choose fiction or vice versa. 8. Spend an aimless hour exploring the Main Library, Ellettsville Library or Bookmobile or wandering the website. And/or ask a librarian to show you a reader's advisory database. 9. Find a book about an exercise or diet you have never tried and try it. (gluten free? tex-mex? yoga? chair exercises?) Here are the ones I've done so far: 1. Reread a book you loved as a child. The Boxcar Children  by Gertrude Chandler Warner I loved this book, and the rest of the series, when I was younger.  There was just something about it that would fire up my imagination; it was the ultimate way to play house.  Sometimes I would pretend our bunk bed was a boxcar that I was living in.  It was fun to read it again and remember how much I loved it when I was younger. 6. Choose an author or the setting of a book that is foreign to you. Sofia Petrovna by Lydia Chukovskaya This is a story based on the experiences of the author and her friends and family during the Great Purge in Russia during the late 1930s.  Sofia Petrovna works in a publishing house as a typist when various acquaintances and other workers disapear and are accused to being traitors to the Communist party.  Sofia's son is taken and she spends her days standing in long lines at the prosecutors office hoping to hear any news of him.  It was fascinating and heartbreaking to read what kind of experiences people in the Soviet Union went through, all the uncertainty when what you believed in all the sudden doesn't make any sense and takes your family away.

Christmas in June

Ponies at Wheeler Farm with Aunt Leah

For our Christmas gift this past Christmas Ryan's parents said they would fly the four of us out for a visit to see our families.  We opted to taken them up on it after the end of the semester when there was a little less craziness and nicer weather, well the weather wasn't as nice as we thought it would be but it was a great time all the same. Since it was our first time being back since we moved to Indiana we had a lot of visits to make with family and good friends, and of course some of our favorite places.  We'd been hyping thing up with Lauren for months hoping that see would be excited to see a bunch of fun things, like the Hogle Zoo, Wheeler Farm, Temple Square, BYU (that wasn't for Lauren that was for Ryan and I). We wanted to check out some more things but figured we were trying too hard, all Lauren really wanted to do was play at grandma's house with toys, chase balls in the grass, and follow grandma's cat. Lauren did get to have her birthday party while we were out there, which she has been looking forward to and talking about for months.  Every time we talked about going to Utah she would talk about her party with cupcakes and do a little dance.  So we had a party with cupcakes and even some balloons, which are always a big hit with her.

Supervising the sheep

   We had a great time being out there with our families again and the girls were great little travelers.  We even got through airport security ok with us and all our loads of bags, car seats, stroller, and other miscellaneous whatever.  One sad travel event though, we suffered a little casualty on the way back coming through the airport, our beloved Piggy.  I'll have to write about that in another post though.

   Thank you Woolsey Mom and Dad for the great Christmas present!  It was a great trip!

 

Who knew these were at Wheeler Farm?

This is what Rachel did everywhere we went

I think Lauren wanted to see the temple more than anything else.  She
was so excited to touch it and see the big Angel Moroni on top.

The zoo was supposed to be really fun but thanks to the new
animatronic dinosaurs she spent the whole time fearing for her life.

Making cupcakes with Grandma Merkley

Attempt at family picture

Typical shot of the girls, Rachel crying and Lauren is mad because
Rachel is touching her.

 

Lauren's new birthday outfit of choice.
Thanks Sarah, Steven, and Jacqui!

Lauren and her birthday loot