Avi - 3/31/2017

Avilene ate oatmeal for breakfast: I held out the cranberries.  For lunch she ate some of everything: tilapia, whole wheat elbow noodles, green beans, and applesauce.  (I checked and the applesauce is not citrus or acidic.)

A note from yesterday afternoon:  Avilene had finished her snack and was one of the first ones done.  She headed right across the Play room for Reid's special blanket.  Ha!  Kenzie spotted her and told Reid (who was still eating) that "Avi took your big blanket!"  Reid said, "I'll handle it."  Haha!

These first two pictures are also from yesterday afternoon.  Hudson had been pulling Avi in the wagon and he was doing a pretty good job too!!  When Riley said she'd pull it Hudson happily got in the wagon to join Avi.  In the process of getting in he managed to smack Avi on the side of the head with his foot.  She didn't even flinch!!  (And, like a typical boy, he didn't even notice!)  She is so tough!!  Baby Nora is watching from the sidelines with a big grin.

Here are some pictures from this morning's activities.  This first picture was right after breakfast and Sophie was having a little strategy meeting with the girls!  Next picture; Lauralea had some time to hang out with the kids and read to them.  As soon as she was done and left for work the kids were immediately asking, "read read read."  Just like they hadn't read for a long time!!  Ha!  Which is awesome!  LOVE reading to them!!  And the last picture: We did some more painting today, this time with a brush.  Or at least it started with a brush.  (Sophie lasted for 10 seconds before she asked, "Can I use my hands?"  Avi was having fun with it!  (Assumption made from how she approached the task!  Ha!)  (I just noticed that Avi is not in the reading picture!!  haha!!  She was there moments earlier!!)

 

Avi - 3/30/2017

Avilene ate whole wheat bagel and peaches for breakfast.  For lunch she ate homemade pizza - boughten crust so I guess that's not entirely accurate - with hamburger, sausage, red peppers, olives, pineapple, and tomato sauce.  And she ate a bowl of pineapple on the side.

Nora were here when Avi arrived and she was happy to see her friend.  When I told Avi to go to the window to wave bye at Mommy she wouldn't go until I took Nora with us!  :)  Avi has been interacting more and more with Nora every day.  Some of that is probably because Nora is getting more mobile every day as well!  When Hudson arrived his Daddy was asking Avi to give him "5" and holding out his hand.  Avi kept getting closer and closer and finally she gave him five.  :)

I took these first 2 pictures right after all three of these kids were here.  Hudson and Avilene were focused on playing with the dinosaurs and Baby Nora is crawling into the middle of the fun.  The 2nd picture is a closer view of what they are doing in the 1st picture as well; "feeding the dinosaurs!!"  This activity has been passed down for several years by the more "seasoned" Little Treasures  attendees.  Silly kids.

Lauralea read to the kids and sang songs to them before she left.  Here's what you don't see in the last picture:  Hudson was furiously yelling at Avi for reading HIS book; "London Bridge is Falling Down."  He was screaming; "MY falling down, MY falling down..." and howling.  Avi hadn't taken the book from him; he'd just noticed she had it.  She doesn't appear to be too concerned!  We also did some stickers at Art Time.  Avi did pretty good with it considering it was her first time.  A few times they were stuck to her fingers and it was pretty funny.  I'd peel the paper off the sticker and let her apply it to her sheet of paper.

Avi - 3/29/2017

Avilene ate whole wheat toast and grapes for breakfast.  For lunch she ate some of everything: pork roast, biscuit, vegetable mix (carrots, potatoes, brussel sprouts), and fruit salad.

As soon as Avi was done waving bye to Daddy at the window she grabbed a book and loudly said, "read read read."  We finished that one and read it two or three more times.  I told her to "go get another book."  She hops right down and races over to grab another one.  Love the language development!!  :)  I managed to get this cute picture of her taking time to read on her own before she jumped up and took off!!

Reid went to the bathroom and was gone for several minutes taking care of business and when he returned he accusingly looked at everyone in the room and inquired of the young group:  "Did anyone barf in my chair!?!"  Haha! The voice of an experienced Daycare attendee!!

Baby Nora was squealing enthusiastically when Avilene arrived.  It was so cute.  Two or three different times Avi sat down with some toys and interacted with Nora.  She was being silly when I took this picture.  As you can see she was lifting her foot and Nora was laughing and loving it!

Avi put this hat on several different times this morning and was looking in the mirror and running around the room.  I took this picture when she was looking for something to see out the window.

Avi - 3/28/2017

Avilene ate whole wheat english muffin and dried plums for breakfast.  For lunch she had bites of chicken with stir fry vegetables, ate bites of rice, and ate oranges.

Here's a picture from yesterday afternoon when Bode walked here with Kenzie and Riley.  (Baby Nora was sleeping.)  The Daycare kids were thrilled because they hadn't seen any of them for over a week because of Spring Break!  (Reid is on his knees in case you think he shrunk or the others grew quickly!!)

Hudson does not like being on the changing table - too high - so I change him on the floor.  Well of course Avi has that all figured out and when I tell Hudson I'm gonna change him Avi races for the spectator section and secures a front row seat!  Today she was sitting there waiting for us to arrive and get started!!  Hudson said, "Stay back!"  Haha!

Here are some pictures from this morning's activities.  This first picture is actually her reflection in the mirror.  Little cutie!!  They did lots of jumping and playing on the mattress and scrambling in and out of the igloo.  Hudson was counting, "1 2 3 4 5" and then charging into the igloo.  Reid was sleeping in the chair again, but that didn't stop Avi from spinning the chair several times.  Good job Avi!!  Also, at Art Time this was the first time Avi did some finger-painting.  She seemed to enjoy it and had to trouble making some beautiful art!!  :)

Avi - 3/27/2017

Avilene ate cheerios and banana for breakfast.  For lunch she ate bites of taco salad (with hamburger, lettuce, spinach, tomato, olives - ate her avocados separately), ate pita bread, and cantaloupe.  At meals Hudson always tells me when he's done - frequently it's when he's heard Sophie say she's done! At breakfast he said, "I done Gary, I done."  Avi said, "done Yary, done Yary."  :)

They were all at the window waving bye to Sophie's Daddy Pat and Avi kept waving after Pat was gone.  Sophie grabbed her arm and said, "He's gone Avilene."  Ha!  Then Avi was bringing me her favorite book and saying, "read read read."  I told Reid she was saying his name!

This first picture is from last Friday, but I'm posting it because it was so cute and funny.  Reid was wearing his Crocs and he was flipping his Croc high in the air (with his leg) and it would go sailing. Then Avi would retrieve it and they'd do it again.  :)

Here are 4 pictures from this morning's activities.  Lauralea was leaving for work and I was slow grabbing the camera on this first picture.  When I first looked over there Avi was laying on the floor like a puppy hugging Lauralea's ankles!  It was so funny and cute!

Sophie was reading books to Hudson and Avilene and in the 2nd reading picture it looks like Sophie and Avi are discussing the book.  "Well good point!  I never thought about it from that perspective." The last picture cracks me up!  Reid had momentarily abandoned his chair and Avi took advantage.  Reid told me this was his mad face.  :)  Avi knew he wanted up there and boy was she ever up for the challenge!!  Ha!!  She stayed there for probably 20 minutes or more!!  Never moved until Lunch time!  Which was just fine because Reid spends LOTS of time in the chair and it's for everyone!  It was nice because he was awake and actually played this morning!!

Avi - 3/24/2017

Avilene ate some of her breakfast: brown rice and raisins.  For lunch she ate broiled salmon, dinner roll, corn on the cob (again), and mangoes.

The most important news first - haha - Lauralea watched Avi for a minute while I ran downstairs and when I went around the corner she said my name: "airy, airy, airy"  Beautiful!  Ha!  So of course we had to experiment with it several more times!!  :)

I'm always telling Lauralea how cool it is that even though Avi is such a busy little girl, she will frequently take time from her busy schedule to stop and study whatever interests her!  I guess it strikes me because it's such a stark contrast to her constant movement!  Love it!  In the 1st picture she surrounded herself with her favorite toys and favorite book.  And of course she was bringing the books to me frequently.  "read read read"

 

These next 2 pictures may look strangely familiar!!  Ha!  Avi was rocking Reid's chair from the back side and then later from the front!  And he never even twitched any of the times she was rocking it - which happens to be one of her favorite activities!!

She tried on these hats and I suggested she go look in the mirror.  She immediately checked it out.  Later, she was playing with the hats again and had one pulled down over her eyes.  She made it across the room to the gate to say, "hi hi hi" to Lauralea.

Avi - 3/23/2017

Avilene ate whole wheat english muffin, scrambled eggs, and oranges for breakfast.  For lunch she ate some of everything: baked chicken combo (with cabbage, apple, chicken), whole wheat tortilla, corn on the cob, and baked cinnamon apples.

Lauralea covered for me this morning from 9:00 - 10:00 while I applied for a Passport.  (Canada - June Vacation) She read lots of books for Avilene; especially Avi's "favorite" book in this set.  Lauralea said she read that to Avi probably 10 times and I'd already read it to her 3 times before breakfast.  There is a cat in that book and Avi said, "itty, itty."  :)

I took this first picture yesterday afternoon when Avi was putting on one of the hats and being silly!   Also from yesterday afternoon; we were playing outside and Avi was racing around and playing on the slide.  I told Sophie that Avi was a little "maniac."  Sophie said, "Just like her Mom?"  LOL!!  Oh man, I roared!!  Sorry, I just report what I hear!!  :)

It's pretty slow around here this morning!  Except for Avilene!  I'd never describe her as slow!!  The only ones here are Baby Nora, Avilene, and Reid and here's a picture of what Reid looked like all morning!  He didn't want to lay on his nap mat, but this is where he laid for 3 hours and slept!!  Those Spring Break Road Trips are brutal!!  Haha!!  Avilene had no problem finding lots to do and examine!  I've mentioned this before, but I love how she'll take a toy (bottom picture) and examine it thoroughly!! She held this toy for probably 15 minutes or more.  She'd pack it around, examine it, pack it around, look at it some more, etc.....

Avi - 3/22/2017

Avilene ate french toast and strawberries for breakfast.  For lunch she ate bites of stew (hamburger, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts, peppers) ate crackers, and tropical fruit.  I had Baby Nora in another highchair at breakfast and I'd given her a few kix cereal to self-feed.  Avi pointed at those and pointed at her own tray to very plainly say; "Hey! Put some of those right here!!"  :)

This first picture is from outside play yesterday afternoon.  Baby Nora was a bit fussy so I put her in the wagon to give her a ride and Avilene wanted to pull and push the wagon.  She moved the wagon around and that kept the Baby happy.

Avilene was the first one here this morning - Hudson is hanging out with his Grandma the rest of the week - and she likes racing around having all the attention!!  I took this picture when she was peeking around the corner at Lauralea.  (You can see Lauralea sitting at the dining table.  Avi was only peeking with one eye and Lauralea was loving how cute it was!!

Avi kept bringing me her favorite book in this set and saying, "read read read."  She brought that same book to me probably 10 times this morning.  Uhhh...there are more books in the book rack Avilene! She doesn't care - this is the favorite!!  She and Sophie also did some marking on coffee filters at Art Time and we sprayed water on them to watch the colors run.

Here are a couple more pictures from the morning activities.  Sophie was making Avi another Birthday cake with the cones and ice-cream and singing "Happy Birthday" to her.  And the girls watched the street cleaner at work as well.

 

Avi - 3/21/2017

Avilene ate flat bread and two servings of grapes for breakfast.  For lunch she ate most of everything: ground beef, whole wheat elbow noodles, peas, and applesauce.

She was standing beside Hudson this morning and said, "Bubba Bubba."  Very clear and plain.  Hudson started chanting, "Bubba Bubba Bubba."  Ha!  (I already told Daddy Andy this, but I'll Blog it anyhow.)  Yesterday during Story Time Avi decided to go play.  She soon returned to the couch where we were still reading and stood in front of Hudson and started saying, "mine mine mine."  Just practicing I guess.  :)  Neither she or he had anything in their hands.

I was showing Avilene how to use this "viewfinder" camera or whatever it's called.  There are several different animals to look at.  I'm not sure if she actually saw any animals (her expression never changed and she never uttered a sound), but she obviously got the concept of how to look in it!!

I thought it was so cute how long Avi was watching these crows outside this morning.  They were on the power pole, power line, on the road, the grass, the fence, on the neighbor's roof, etc....  She watched them for several minutes!  She squealed one of the times they flew.

 

Here's a picture of the girls hanging out in the igloo!!  This was "Nora's maiden voyage" into that place!  Sophie obviously didn't want Nora to leave because when she started to crawl out Sophie grabbed her by the belt loop and hung on.  Ha!

Avi - 3/20/2017

Avilene ate some kix cereal and ate mixed fruit for breakfast.  For lunch she ate turkey burger on bun with tomato and lettuce, and ate cherry-berry mix.

I always tell the kids what I'm doing if I have to leave the room for a moment.  The poopy diaper can is on the patio (behind closed doors) so I go out there frequently.  Today when I came back inside Avi yelled, "HI!!" quite exuberantly!  Like I'd been gone for an hour instead of 20 seconds!  So cute.  I say, "I'm taking the poopy diaper out to the garbage and Reid always says, "Who cares!?"  Haha!  Speaking of Reid he is gone on a Family road trip and will be back on Thursday.  The Cline Family will be gone all week as well.

We did a toy, book, and puzzle exchange this weekend and the kids were very busy all morning.  Avi was charging around for a minute or two and then she noticed the different toys and immediately started exploring.  I took this picture of Avi, Hudson, and Nora all wanting to play with the same toy.  I have multiples of almost everything and there are 2 more of these little "pianos" in the room.  But it's always more inviting when someone else is playing with it!!

Here are a couple more pictures of Avi from this morning!  She was watching Hudson wear one of these hats so I flopped this one on her head and she surprised me by wearing it for 2 or 3 minutes.  And sprinting around the room.  Speaking of sprinting, after watching her outside last week I was impressed with how she could run across the yard and rarely fall.  In the last picture she was perched on the blue balance beam, then she'd slide off onto the floor and crawl back up to do it again.

Avi - 3/17/2017

Avilene ate oatmeal and two servings of baked apples with sugar and cinnamon.  For lunch she ate some of everything: roast beef, dinner roll, vegetables (potatoes, carrots, brussel sprouts), and apricots.

This first picture is from yesterday afternoon and it's been dry and warm enough for the kids to get some outside time in the afternoon.  Kenzie and Riley were pulling Avi in the wagon and as you can see they had every ball they could find packed around her.  Avi started pitching the balls out of the wagon and that kept the big girls busy!!  Today: Kenzie was here all morning and so the activity level was amped up several degrees!  :)  She was very sweet and included the littlest ones in her activities.

Here are a couple pictures of Avilene just doing her own thing and entertaining herself!  She covered herself with this blanket and then tried strolling around a bit.  Ha!  I love the next picture where she's getting up close and personal with that little girl in the mirror.  Sophie was doing the same thing and giving herself kisses.  So cute.

I noticed when I was looking at everyone's pictures how often Avilene is in the picture!  She is interested in everything and loves being close to the action!  The last picture is a good example of this.  Kenzie and Reid were giving each other rides and look how Avi is watching.  So cute and so typical of what she likes to do.

Avi - 3/16/2017

Avilene ate scrambled eggs and baked sweet potatoes for breakfast.  For lunch she ate pulled pork sandwich, drank two servings of tomato soup, and ate half of her cantaloupe serving.  She loves tomato soup and tomato juice.  I was holding the straw for her and she was sucking so hard I could feel the sides of the straw curving inward!  Ha!  Oh, by the way Molly!  Those little ponytails were adorable and they almost lasted until breakfast!  :)

Reid was trying to sleep in the chair again, but he wasn't successful today!  I told Avi to go over and hug his head and she walked right over and leaned against him.  She is sure understanding language! This is probably my favorite Infant/Toddler developmental stage.  They are taking in a staggering amount of information on a daily basis!  And now learning and absorbing language as well!!

Here are a couple pictures from Avi's work, play, and general antics this morning!!  She has frequently been getting on the floor beside Nora and just hanging out with her.  Sometimes she will take her a toy, talk to her, or play with her own toy beside Nora.  I think it's so cute.  She loves her Nora and Nora adores her too!

I built a legos structure again today for Hudson and Avi to play with and disassemble.  Hudson was not a happy camper this morning so I was working hard to find some way to get him to engage in some play.  When Daddy Andy dropped off Avilene I was telling him that Hudson's Mommy had to wake him up this morning.  Hudson heard me talking about it and he started howling again.  Oops! Mistake on my part!  Sorry Hudson!

Avi - 3/15/2017

Avilene ate two servings of whole wheat toast and ate mangoes for breakfast.  For lunch she ate several bites of meat with sauce on whole wheat spaghetti noodles, couple bites of spaghetti squash, and ate fruit salad.

First thing this morning after Avilene arrived and Baby Nora was taking a nap Avi and Hudson were standing facing each other having what appeared to be a "rehearsal" or "practice session" as they prepped for the day. They were looking at each other and saying, "Mine mine mine....."  Ha!  Avi's "mine" sounds like "my my my."  Neither one had a toy, just standing empty handed saying, "mine." Thanks to Hudson that phrase is chanted frequently.  :)

This first picture is from yesterday afternoon when Avi was just lounging on the couch and grinning hugely!  Little Cutie!  2nd picture - You're getting pretty brave Avi!!  She was really concentrating and being very careful; moving slowly.  Good job Avilene!

We read lots of books, sang songs, and did some "dot painting" at Art Time.  In the 3rd picture - I was trying to catch it when Baby Nora had her feet on Avi's head, but it didn't last too long.  Avi just kept playing with her toy and acted like she didn't even notice.  The last picture I took during Dot Painting and Avilene had lots of fun with that.  She watched how Hudson and Sophie were doing it and she just started banging her paints down like a pro.  "Finally, some painting that requires less finesse!" :) Sophie was also organizing a party for them.  "Come on Bubba and Avi; it's a Party!!  I make cake and get candles.  Avi get flowers!"  I guess Hudson could just show up!!