Wilbur and Charlotte

Beth and I spent the last 6 weeks reading the book "Charlotte's Web". Most afternoons, when Amy and Erin go down for naps, Beth and I cuddle up together on the couch, to read another chapter. We missed a few days due to the chaos of the holidays, but we finally finished the book last night. It was the first chapter book that we enjoyed together, and I look forward to reading many more long books with her.

So today, we headed off to the local movie theater to see if the movie "Charlotte's Web" lived up to the book we just completed. How strange it felt to have only one little girl riding with me in the van! We chatted the whole way there about our favorite parts of the book, and talked about what we thought each character would look like in the movie. As we pulled into the parking lot, she was unbuckling her seat belt before the car even came to a complete stop, because she just could not wait to get inside the theater.

After paying more-money-than-I-ever-could-have-imagined for two matinee movie tickets, we purchased popcorn that cost almost as much as a dinner at a decent restaurant. We then headed to the theater and chose the "perfect" seats. What fun it was to spend this special time with Beth! I had to laugh a bit when she would loudly proclaim, "That didn't happen in the book", each time something differed slightly from the story we had read together. I was shocked to discover tears in my eyes when Charlotte died, and I had to sternly remind myself that it was only a spider, and a fictitious one at that!

We spent the ride home discussing how the movie differed from the book, and whether we preferred the original story or the movie adaptation. We agreed that some of the changes did add to the fun of the movie, and all-in-all we decided that it was a wonderfully made film.

Meanwhile, Amy was enjoying some special time with Daddy, while Erin napped. They made popcorn and cuddled up to enjoy some stories together. Sometimes it's so easy to just think of Beth, Amy and Erin as "the girls", so we think it's important to spend time with them individually, and make sure that they each feel very special.

Beth and Amy are rarely apart from each other (with the exception of school two mornings a week). So I did have to laugh when, on the way home from the movie, Beth piped up from the back seat, "Boy, we've been away for so long that I am starting to forget what Amy and Erin look like. We better get home fast, so I can see them again. They're probably starting to forget me, too. I can't wait to see them and tell them about the movie!"

And Amy couldn't wait to see Beth, too.