Excuse Me While I Brag...

I normally don't like to brag about our kids, but I was so impressed by Nina this evening that I just have to share it. Many of you have probably observed the same thing and felt the same way with your kids, but I was just so proud of her that I had to ask her to "read" her book again while I got the video camera. Here she is reading a book she got this Christmas called Olivia and the Missing Toy. We probably read this book once or twice a day, so when she remembered it so well, I was very surprised. I'll include the text of the book, so you can "read along" while you listen.

One day Olivia was riding a camel in Egypt...when her mother woke her up. "Time to get up, sweetie-pie. Remember, you have soccer this morning." Olivia's uniform comes in a really unattractive green. "Mommy, can you make me a red soccer shirt like this one? Please?..." "But then you'll look different from everyone else on the team," explained her mother. "That's the point." When Olivia came home from practice, her mother was working on the shirt. "Is it done yet?" she asked. "Not yet," said her mother. Olivia waited, and watied, and watied, till she was too exhausted to wait any longer. So she went out to play with the cat. "Look, darling, it's all done!" said her mother. But something was missing. "Wait a second," said Olivia. "Where's my toy? Where's my toy? It was right there on the bed. I just put it there. I remember exactly. That's my best toy. I need it now! Somebody took my best toy!" Olivia looked everywhere - under the rug, under the sofa, under the cat. She asked her little brother, Ian, "What did you do with my toy?" She asked her baby brother, William, "What did you do with my toy?" "Gooo goo gaa gaaa." That night, and it was a dark and stormy night, Olivia was practicing her piano when she heard an awful sound. The sound got louder and louder. It was horrible, and it was coming from behind the door. So, of course, Olivia went inside. And that's when she saw it. It was the dog! And he'd chewed her toy to bits. "Mommy, Daddy, Mommy, Daddy! It was Perry!" cried Olivia. "He took my best toy and chewed it to bits, and now it's wrecked." "I'm sorry, sweetie-pie," said her mother, "but doggies like to chew. And he didn't know it was your toy." "My best toy." "Don't worry, " said Olivia's father. "Tommow we'll go get you the very best toy in the whole world." "Oh, thank you, Daddy. I love you more than anyone." Still it was Olivia's best toy. So, she fixed it, adding a bow for extra beauty. All better. Only books about cats tonight, Mommy." But even Olivia couldn't stay mad forever.