5 years + 8 months

I have often felt like a human dictionary this month.  Emily is always asking what different words mean.  Sometimes the answer is easy, sometimes I'm at a loss.  I certainly have a deeper appreciation for dictionary writers!  The funniest incident occurred earlier this month involving a sing-along song from a Thomas the Train DVD.   After Emily had been singing the songs for 3 weeks, she was asking the definition of several words.  After a while she said, "How can 'harm' and 'calm' rhyme?"  Then I had try to explain how if you're British (as the singers of the song are), 'harm' and 'calm' actually do rhyme. :o)

Along with singing the Thomas songs--especially the one about the engine named Emily--Emily has developed a slightly annoying habit of constantly humming the songs and other tunes.  Humming is okay until you have heard the same song four times in a row or she's supposed to be eating her lunch, or your head just plain hurts as it echos around the bathroom during bath time.  She also has a high-pitched screech that is usually used to yell at Lincoln when they are playing trains or other activities.  She can go from humming to screeching back to humming in a split second.

One big project Emily has been working on this summer is beginning to learn Spanish.  She showed great interest in different countries and languages at the end of the school year.  She's also in the critical age window where her brain is more receptive and able to pick up on intonation and pronunciation.  We decided to purchase the Rosetta Stone program to use on our computer.  Emily spends about an hour a few times a week working on the lessons--usually while I'm laying down with Lincoln for a nap after lunch.  She is enjoying the program and often tries to use words or phrases in Spanish when she can.  I have also done some of the lessons, but I'm starting to fall behind from where she's at.  The two years of Spanish I took in high school have carried me thus far, but I'm afraid she's going to pass me up very soon!  Once school starts in the fall, we hope to use contacts through the school to try and find a Spanish-speaking family in town that might be interested in doing play dates to continue to practice in a natural environment.