Orren loves to read.

Orren looks forward all week to Fridays because after we pick up Erin from school, we go to the park, and then to the library. We do that so that we don't have to drive all the way across town to go home after school, and then drive right back across town to take her to dance. It saves us a bundle in gas (to the tune of $32 a month!) to just hang out for an hour at the park and the library, let Erin change into her dance clothes at the library, and go from there. Of course, it's tons of fun for the kids, too. Erin isn't too big on the playground anymore, and always begs the whole time to go inside and get books, but Orren loves the playground, so we always stay out there for half an hour and then go inside for half an hour more. We choose out books, then sit down and read them while Chai nurses, and then we check out the books we particularly liked, and Erin gets a few chapter books of her own.

An interesting side effect of this is that this boy, who has always loved books, has actually taken an even greater interest. He has begun to "read" to baby Chai, meaning he'll pick up a book he knows well (No, David!, or Green Eggs and Ham, or something like that) and tell the story to Chai as he turns the pages. He gets it pretty much right with what pages he's on. It's adorable.

I always am amazed when Orren does this stuff, and think he must be very advanced, because Erin never did any of this. All of it is so new. For all I know, every kid Orren's age, other than those who have delays, do this stuff. It's still cool to see, though. Orren is such an interesting little person.

By the way, he is very much looking forward to his birthday (we're throwing him a party in early December before all our friends go home on leave for the holidays). For presents, he asked for "books, tractor, truck, and surprise".