While raking 400 pounds of leaves...

....this afternoon Alex and I had this conversation:

Mom?

Yes.

I think I need to read to you again.

Really? Why?

I took my AR test.

Oh. How was it?

Bad. I did bad. 

Oh?

I got one out of ten.

Oh. Did you bring home a new AR book?

Yes.

Okay. Then we'll start tonight?

Yes. 

As I smile to myself and he goes in to start his homework.

See why I needed him to take that AR test?? He has been refusing to read out loud to me (because "only babies read out loud" and he's big you know?) for the past couple of months yet when  I quiz him on what he's been reading to himself, he seems to be getting the jest of it. I just knew he needed more help.I knew these books were over his head and yet I hate to be the baddie and tell him he can't read them. Thank you AR test!  I knew it!! Score one for me! And now wish me luck. Thirty minutes a day of reading with my 12 year old. 

Tonight's book? 

In his journal today:

I am going to read with my mom and we are going to have a great time.

(We can always have hope...right?)

And for his extra sentence

My mom rack (raked) the live's (leaves) and now she smell's (smells) like live's (leaves).

True. I was complaining that I smelled like leaves after coming in from filling BOTH garbage can's and a large garbage sack of leaves. And yet.....there are still leaves all over our yard!