Jamie and Liam Chew's Blog: 2009-09-29

2009-09-29 22:58 (Kristen) We said goodbye to our houseguest Lisa today, as she headed back to Japan to finish up her physical chemistry degree. It was lovely to have her around, and we'll miss her help. John drove Liam to Hakobune, where he read Sailor Moon books and may have done other things. He was singing Japanese kid songs to himself later in the afternoon, and doing not a bad job of remembering the words. He enjoyed having both parents around after John brought him home, I think. He was fairly grumpy about doing anything that didn't involve a DS for much of the day. Liam and I picked up Jamie and took him to the Second Cup for a snack, then bought a few groceries and came home. Jamie spent almost the whole evening doing homework, as John has told him that he can have Mario Party 8 when he finishes all his Japanese homework for the week. Jamie is now motivated. He did some reading for me tonight, but he was very tired, and so it was a litle painful at times. He had picked a book that was on the upper edge of his ability, and was adjusting to smaller type and more words. We made it halfway through, and agreed to finish reading it tomorrow. He's doing very well, but needs lots of encouragement. Liam is insisting that help be supplied at select parts of Kirby's Squeak Squad, especially any part that has a "boss battle," and is starting to speak sternly and with irritation at the screen when things go badly. Uh oh.

I forgot to mention earlier that my aunt dropped by with my cousin Jeff tonight to drop off a late birthday present for Liam. The boys were just about to get into the bath, which was fortuitous, as the present was a Viking ship bath toy with two Vikings (from the show Yo Gabba Gabba). Liam, on questioning, figured out that he was the last person with a birthday, and that the present was for him. Auntie Millie was on the receiving end of a big Liam smile and cry of delight, which was (as always) awesome to see. Jamie too was happy to see her, and it was a lovely surprise upon which to end the day.