This Is the Summer in which...

 ...we have two sons who are accomplished independent readers, and scenes like this are common in our home.

It's no surprise that Josiah has spent countless hours of his summer devouring books since he's been quite a bookworm for several years; but when I see David quietly curled up with a book, I remember how, just last summer, the books he read were done with me at his side, sitting on the couch with him, listening to his words, helping with the hard ones, correcting pronunciation, etc.  But now, he goes to the shelf, picks a book, plops down on the couch, reads it all by himself, then proudly jumps up to mark another one off his chart for the library summer reading program and to announce to me the latest book he's read.  He, by the way, is the first in our family to reach the goal of 25 books and fill up his chart; and he's excited about the fact that this year, the library will let readers start over, fill up another chart, and get more prizes!  :)

Some of David's favorites this summer are the Amelia Bedelia books, the Mr. Putter & Tabby ones, and the Henry & Mudge series.  He whips through them so fast that I'm left shaking my head and thinking, "We'd better get some longer books for him to read."  ;-)

Speaking of books...  On the morning of Independence Day, I asked Josiah if he could please read Happy Birthday, America to Tobin (and David, of course, came over to listen, too).

I figured that, rather than me trying to read it and having to stop because of getting all choked up, I'd just go ahead and let Josiah do the honors.  And you know what?  That boy didn't shed a single tear as he read.

How very stoic of him.  ;-)