Follow up to Summer Reading Adventures

I mentioned here that I wanted to get the kids the next book in the series, and it came today.  

Poor Eli was telling me that he coughed too much to sleep at naptime and he didn't have any books left to read (because it's been a few days since we went to the library).  

He was so happy when I told him that Tunnel of Gold might have arrived in today's mail.  I even let him open the package with his trusty little green Swiss Army Knife.

Since Brianna is at camp, he gets to read this one first, before anyone else.  

I have a feeling he'll be done with it before she comes home on Saturday.  

Jack and I are 4 chapters into Badge of Honor, and his huge, expressive eyes lit up when I told him that we could read Tunnel of Gold together, too, when we're done with the first one.

It's been a really special time for the two of us to share together every night, and I can tell he enjoys it as much as I do.  He's been practicing, and he can now read aloud the first 3 sentences of the first chapter without any helps at all!  He's proud of himself.  

And I am so proud of him!

He's always struggled with both speech and reading, so this is huge.  Yes, he's 9, and this "should" be no big deal, but it's taken him re-reading these with less helps each night since we started the book.  Now our "policy" (that he created) is for him to read the first 2ish sentences of the chapter, and for me to read the rest.  

I'll take it.  

  We're faaaaaallling!  Spare a click for us?