Avi - 2/28/2018

Avilene ate half of her french toast and ate strawberries for breakfast.  For lunch she ate paleo stew with ground beef, carrots, green beans, cauliflower, and broccoli.  She also ate several saltines and ate her tropical fruit.

I took this first picture yesterday afternoon when Avi was lining up these stuffed animals.  I liked how hard she was working to get them all organized and lined up just how she wanted them!  Lauralea would be so proud of you Avi!!  Haha!

This first picture from this morning is Avilene working at building a "sidewalk."  Atley helped her some and those two did it all.  Then later Avi was "bunny hopping" across the "sidewalk" and Atley was following her lead.  Avi could make it across there in about three hops!  She continues to impress me with her coordination; just like she has since she started walking and then basically running in the same week!  Haha!

Next picture: Avi crawled up here and sat at the sink with her butt in the bowl and then announced, "I'm going potty."  And I thought the book was a nice accessory too!  Well done Avi!  :)  Actually she did end up just sitting there for several minutes and when she got down she told me she was poopy!

This last picture - Atley and Avi having more fun times.  Usually it's Atley pushing the chair around and around for Nora, but this time it's obviously Avi pushing.  They were laughing and having a good time.  I really enjoy how these two girls play together!  They have lots of fun and rarely have conflict.

Avi - 2/27/2018

Avilene ate waffle and grapes for breakfast.  For lunch she ate three servings of baked chicken, ate whole grain tortillas, corn, and baked cinnamon apples.  Every morning about breakfast time Avi asks if "Kenzie and RiRi coming after school Gary?"  Yes they are.  Also at breakfast she found a grape I hadn't cut in half (it was a very small one) and said, "Hey Gary!  You didn't cut this one!"  Ha!  Then I caught a piece of news from the 2 year old rumor mill at the meal table as well!!  "Kimmy and Grandpa John are gonna get married!"  :)

Well I managed to post three pictures with Avilene and you can't see her face in any of the three! Ha! That was not by design, but just how it turned out!  In this first picture she had joined Atley and Nora playing in the igloo.  They were taking turns with one or two of them staying in the igloo and the other one running around and peeking in.  I love the laughter!

This next picture cracks me up!  Probably 30 minutes after breakfast Hudson decided it was time to clean up the toys.  Why are you picking up all the toys?  He said they needed to clean up because they had to go to soccer.  Ha!  So he and Avi worked real hard to get it all cleaned up.  I was monitoring this pretty closely because the agenda of a two year old is frequently not the same agenda of the next two year old!!  Haha!  (We might have to go do art if this causes conflict.)

I took this last picture when Hudson and Avi were playing in the chair and that was their car going to soccer.  I must bring attention to the fact that you can see Avi's foot in the picture; just in case you think Avi may not actually be in the chair!  :)

Avi - 2/26/2018

Avilene ate kix cereal and two servings of mixed fruit for breakfast.  For lunch she ate turkey burger, whole wheat hamburger bun, bite or two of salad with lettuce, tomato, and ranch dressing; she also ate avocado, and cherries.

We did a toy, book, and puzzle exchange this weekend and the kids were very busy all morning.  Avi experimented with lots of things and I took this first picture when she was playing with the pop-up toys that play different songs.  She was also thrilled to have some new puzzles to work on and she picked the hardest one to do first!  (2nd picture.)  But she worked hard and got all 26 pieces of the alphabet in the right spots.  Nice job Avi.

We were getting ready for Story Time and Hudson spotted our neighbor shoveling snow off his sidewalk; "There's big Willy!"  (You can see him across the street at the top of the picture.)  Nora, Atley, and Avi (left to right) ran to the window to wave at him.  Like I've mentioned several times He loves it when the kids wave at him!  :)  As long as they keep banging on the window he'll stand there and wave.  Ha!

I love how much Avi talks and when she was putting on the dress-up clothes (picture below) she said, "I'm gonna wear this to the carousel!!"  Haha!!  I asked about Svea and Avilene said, "She's good.  She wake up; Momma feed her.  We go on walk; in stroller."  :)

Avi - 2/23/2018

Avilene ate half of oatmeal and ate baked cinnamon apples for breakfast.  For lunch she ate half of hamburger stew with meat, green beans, carrots, potatoes, and tomatoes.  She ate apricots and half of whole wheat dinner roll.

I was teasing Hudson this morning and he seemed slightly offended when I told him the noise level had increased exponentially this morning compared to the rest of the week when he was gone.  Haha! It wasn't JUST his incessant talking, but the others were also excited to have him back.  Avilene was the last one here and Daddy Andy heard the uproar, just wished me luck and took off!  :)  Lauralea seemed relieved to be heading out the door as well!  Haha!!

Just out of the blue this morning Avi said, "Daddy dump me in the snow.  I cry.  Momma gave me hug."  Haha!  She's not letting it go Daddy!!  :)  Therapy will help.  Just a joke!!

The first picture is a silly one that Kenzie took yesterday afternoon.  Kenzie, Riley, Avi, and Atley thought it was hilarious to put a tutu on my head and of course this was a big game for 20 minutes!  :)  I took the 2nd picture yesterday when I was changing Nora's diaper.  Avi was standing on a couple of blocks and was making the "I love you" sign with her left hand.  It was pretty stinking cute.  You know what!?  I have to put up with a LOT of cuteness every day!!  :)

This is the story behind the last picture: Kenzie and Riley are frequently doing "puppet shows" for the kids and the kids will sit attentively watching the show.  They use the stuffed animals as their "puppets."  Hudson piled up all the stuffed animals this morning (see picture) and announced that he was "gonna do a puppet show for you guys!"  (The show never got off the ground!  He spent all his energy trying to get his audience to SIT!!  With minimal success! Ha!)

Avi - 2/22/2018

Avilene ate most of breakfast: french toast (with syrup) and dried plums.  For lunch she ate everything and it was a plate full of food!  Shrimp, brown rice (large serving), stir fry vegetables, and raspberries.

Avi was playing with Baby Linnea and she said, "I'm gonna be her mommy."  She went and got the baby some toys.  Then she said, "no, that's Becca."  Wow, good job Avi.  Then she added, "and Eric." She sees Eric way more often than Becca so it surprised me when she said her name.  :)

First Lauralea, then Sophie Boyle, now Avilene!  What's the common denominator?  They all finish my sentences!  I said, "I'm gonna go check on the"..... I must have hesitated because Avi finished it; "rice."  haha!  Yup, the rice.  Lauralea says I get distracted too easily so she has to finish my sentences!  Personally, I just think it's a trait of highly intelligent and intuitive females, but I'm biased!  :)  Actually I'll take all the help I can get and I appreciate it Avi!

We had a fun morning playing, working hard, reading books, and doing some coloring on coffee filters at art.  It was fun watching the three girls (Hudson will be back tomorrow) do "copy-cat play" running back-n-forth across the room, weaving in and out of pillows, from the gate to the mirror. If one falls down (intentional or unintentional) then the next one has to fall down too.  Here are some pictures from Avi's morning;  Hooking lots of legos flowers together.  In the 2nd picture Avi was pushing the chair around and around.  And she was jabbering the entire time as well!  Primarily about "mom take me to the carousel."  :)  In the last picture Avi is playing with the little babies in their little strollers, with the doll bottle very close by!

Avi - 2/21/2018

Avi was not here for breakfast.  For lunch she ate a large serving of ground beef with marinara sauce on whole wheat spaghetti noodles, ate squash, and a large serving of fruit salad.

Lauralea covered for me again this morning for an hour and I took these two pictures of them reading after I returned.  They were reading about heads - touch your head - then about yawning!  Haha!  Pretty cute.  Atley apparently thought the yawning thing was hilarious because she was roaring like crazy like you can see in the 2nd picture.  :)

Avi wearing her "hoodie" again.  This cracks me up!  I think this sweater is adorable, but the large collar offers some opportunity for variation!!  Avi's Blog is going to be short and sweet today!  I returned shortly before Lunch and no notes!!  :)

Avi - 2/20/2018

Avilene ate whole wheat bagel bites and two servings of grapes for breakfast.  For lunch she ate pulled pork, whole wheat toast, peas, and two servings of watermelon.

The Blog is short on notes today because I had my yearly physical this morning.  (Forgot to mention it earlier - sorry!  I'm also seeing a foot doctor tomorrow morning so Lauralea will be helping out tomorrow as well.  Nothing serious with the foot!)  Lauralea covered for me and took a couple of pictures and I took a couple as well, but I never ask her to take notes while I'm gone.  She does a LOT for the Daycare already and I don't want to push my luck too far!!  Haha!!  By the way, my physical and blood tests were all fine so I'm good for the foreseeable future taking care of these wonderful little people!!  :)

Lauralea took this first picture when Atley and Avilene were spinning and Avi was calling it "hula hoop."  :)  Hudson isn't here today and these two girls play together amazingly well.  Not that they don't when he's here, but it just adds a different dynamic to the group and he likes to have Avi join his games and dramatic play.  In the 2nd picture Avi was experimenting several times with plugging her ears and making sounds.  She was watching herself do that in the mirror when I took the picture.  The last picture I took after I got back from the doctor and she was being silly on the mattress and had her eyes closed and pretending to sleep.  She loved it because I was laughing at her antics!  :)  Look at that wonderful face.  So cute.

Avi - 2/16/2018

Avilene ate whole grain cream of wheat cereal and dried plums for breakfast.  For lunch she ate baked beef kabobs with meat, zucchini, peppers, and mushrooms.  She ate a large serving of brown rice and ate her pineapple.  While the kids were eating their cream of wheat I was encouraging them to "keep your face over your bowl" and "hold your bowl with this (left) hand."  They've heard those phrases many many times!!  Hudson chimed in with this zinger: "That's part of the deal!!"  Reminded me of a car salesman!!  Ha!

First, I just want to remind everyone that Little Treasures is closed on Monday February 19th for Presidents Day.  Lauralea and I are headed to Billings tomorrow to see our Grandkids and probably their parents!  (Jokes!  That's a Grandparent joke!)  Blogs will resume on Tuesday!

I took this first picture of Avi yesterday afternoon.  She started doing this last week - when the steps are turned over to make a slide she likes to jump from the top to the floor.  She can clear it, but just barely and she's smart enough to basically spread her legs for the landing so she straddles it if she doesn't get the distance.  I say that's a pretty good "long jump" for a two year old.  :)

Here are some pictures from this morning: it's a milestone day at Little Treasures for Nora!  She will now step off the yellow part of the balance beam onto the mattress.  (She's the one on the left.)  The 2nd picture: Hudson asked Avi, "You want a piggy-back ride?"  Haha!  I grabbed the camera wondering what this might look like!!  :)  In the last picture Baby Linnea has a handful of Avi's hair. Avi was ok with it, but I think it surprised her a bit.  I noticed she didn't go back for a 2nd dose of that!  Haha!

Avi - 2/15/2018

Avilene ate lots of waffles and ate fruit salad for breakfast.  For lunch she had a bite or two of shepherd's pie (with hamburger, potatoes, green beans, carrots), ate her whole grain tortilla, and her cherries.

This first picture is one that Kenzie took yesterday afternoon.  All the kids were watching it snow and squealing - thanks to encouragement from Kenzie and Riley.  :)  So when they were done watching it snow we read the "Jingle Bells" book!  :)  (From left: Hudson, Atley, Avilene, Nora.)

Here are some pictures from this morning's activities:  Everyone LOVES baby Linnea!  It's no wonder why!  She is such a mellow and sweet baby, always has a smile for everyone, and loves the attention of the kids!  She is so much fun for all of us!  This is Atley and Avi greeting her this morning.  In the following picture Lauralea was introducing the kids to her monkey!  (She's been using it as a prop for a class she is teaching.)  After Lauralea left Avi was playing with one of the stuffed animals in the exact same way Lauralea had been using her monkey.  :)

In the last picture Atley and Avilene were listening to the music on their iPods!  I have such a modern Daycare!!  (Haha! I know, I know, I use that joke all the time!!  It's a 10 cent version of the iPod!)  We also did dot painting at Art Time.

Avi - 2/14/2018

Avilene ate french toast (with syrup) and strawberries for breakfast.  For lunch she ate half (it was a large serving) of the Whole 30 sweet potato chili (haha - actually it's awesome) with hamburger, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, peppers, sweet potatoes, and spices.  (The Whole 30 food program does not include beans.)  She also ate dinner roll and ate tropical fruit.  When Hudson started eating the "chili" he said, "This is delicious!!"  :)  I agree.  It helps when at least one child likes something; it usually encourages the other kids to give it a try as well!

Atley was reading a book and singing loudly like she does and started singing, "Itsy bitsy spider..." You may not recognize lots of Atley's words, but she sings (loudly!) on tune so it's easy to identify the songs.  Avi was obviously listening because at just the right moment Avi sang out loud; "And knocked (washed) the spider out!!"  Haha!  Made me laugh!  Good job singing Atley and good job joining in Avilene!

Here are a couple pictures from this morning's activities; Hudson and Avi had a large pile of pillows stacked up on the couch and then they were "hiding" behind them from the other kids.  :)  The 2nd picture; We did some more painting this morning; except this time we put tape down for the first letter to their name and we'll pull it up when the paint dries this afternoon.

Avi was starting to build with the blocks when I took the picture below.  I just wanted to get a picture when she was busy doing something (not "posing") so you could see the tutu she wore all morning! And she was wearing dress-up shoes several times too.  And they were even ones other than the ONLY pair Nora will wear!  Avi knows those are the only ones Nora will wear and she loves grabbing them and watching Nora's reaction - and believe me Nora has some major reactions!  Ha!

Avi - 2/13/2018

Avilene ate toasted whole wheat english muffin and two servings of grapes for breakfast.  For lunch she ate bites of pork chop meat, ate whole wheat bread, bites of roasted vegetables (carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes), and two servings of applesauce.

I took this first picture yesterday afternoon when Avi was wearing the chef's hat because no one had wore them in this toy exchange yet.  Then this morning they were wearing them again several different times.  But I still like this picture the best.

Here are some more pictures from this morning's activities; Avi and Hudson were playing with these little people and calling them the "grinch."  Ha!  In the following picture Avilene was playing in the toy shelf with some more little people in this toy set.  I think she was doing this to keep them away from Nora.  Anyhow, I decided to get the camera about the same time she was done so I asked her if she'd do it again so I could take a picture.  She totally cooperated and crawled back in there, but within a second or two she asked; "Now can I get out!?!"  LOL!!  It was so funny and cute!  Thank you Avi!  She's such a little trooper!

In this last picture Hudson was trying to get Nora to join him and Avi in holding hands and jumping on the mattress together.  After they were done jumping Hudson asked, "Does anyone want to give me a hug!?"  Avi was very sweet and went and gave him a hug.  At least he had one response!  Ha! Moments later Hudson made a sweeping motion with his hand and said, "These are all my people."  Haha!  Cracked me up!

Avi - 2/12/2018

Avilene ate chex cereal and two servings of peaches for breakfast.  For lunch she ate hamburger, whole wheat hamburger bun, taste of salad with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and ranch dressing, ate avocado, and two bites of oranges.

Everyone is here today!!  Wow!  First time since February 1st!  Hopefully we can keep this going now.  There are still lots of runny noses, sneezing and coughing, but I think they're all getting better.  I spend so much time washing my hands!!  Haha!  Wipe noses, wash hands!  Change diapers, wash hands!  Get sneezed on...oh well, skip the hand washing!  10:00am and my hands already look like prunes!  (Not that I really care!  I'm just filling Blog space!  Ha!)

Everyone was so happy to see Baby Linnea!  She is such a doll and grins at everyone!  It's no wonder why we all enjoy her so much!!  In the first picture Nora and Avilene were vying for Baby's attention while the Baby grinned at the camera!

I took the 2nd picture when Avi, Atley and Hudson were playing in the igloo together.  (On the left side of the picture you can see Nora's feet on the side of the igloo!)  I had to be pretty quick because Avi and Atley don't sit still too often!  Moments after I took the picture Atley was out of there!  :)

We read lots of stories, Avi and Hudson did lots of puzzles, and I took this last picture when Avilene was building with some legos.  I love watching Avi experiment with the puzzles and legos; she'll work at this sort of thing for long periods of time.  She has great attention span and can stay right on task.  Nice work Avi!!

Avi - 2/9/2018

Avilene ate several bites of oatmeal and dried cranberries for breakfast.  For lunch she ate most of tilapia, large servings of whole wheat elbow noodles, most of green beans, and a large serving of applesauce.  At breakfast Nora was saying, "oh oh, oh oh!!!"  What?  She'd spotted some oatmeal on Avi's bib.  Haha!  Thank you Nora.  Then at the lunch table Avi was asking me something and I said, "Hey, are you trying to trick me?"  She pulled back her bib and replied, "My trick-or-treat shirt!"  Good association Avi!  I love that!  (She's wearing a halloween shirt, but I wasn't thinking of that when I asked the question.)

These first pictures are from yesterday afternoon!  The kids had so much fun outside and it was great! The temperature was about 50 degrees, but we still bundled up good because that breeze was very cool.  A little different from today!!  Snow and 15 degrees when I got up this morning!!  Avi played with the steering wheel on the big climber and kept saying, "I'm driving!"  In the 2nd picture Hudson was pulling her up and down the sidewalk.  In the 3rd picture Nora was sitting in the wagon yelling and pointing to the wagon handle; "Someone get over here and pull this wagon around for me!!"  Ha!  (Just an FYI for those of you who don't know Nora; she doesn't talk.  She yells and points!)  She cracks me up!  So Avi eventually made it over there, examined the door, but never did pull her!  :)

We had fun reading books this morning, painting at Art Time, and generally just experimenting with how life works at this age!  :)  Hudson was at the window yelling, "Hey Gary!  Big Willy getting his mail!"  So Avi, Hudson, and Nora all ran and stood at the window banging on it and waving to our neighbor!  Willy LOVES it when the kids wave at him.  So cute.  Then I took this last picture when Nora and Avi were experimenting with various stances and watching themselves in the mirror.

Avi - 2/8/2018

Avilene ate most of whole wheat bagel serving and three servings of peaches for breakfast.  For lunch she ate ham and sausage pizza with whole wheat pizza crust, tomato sauce, olives, peppers, mushrooms, and pineapple.  She ate a serving of pineapple on the side as well.

In the first picture; First activity of the morning; Nora was kind of beside herself with excitement to be practicing puzzle pieces again!  Avi was being a great helper and assistant for me!  She would point to where the piece needed to go and then if Nora couldn't get it Avi would help put it in the right spot.  Nora found it was much easier to just immediately hand it to Avi; "Here, you do it!!"

Linnea and Atley are still out today so it's just Nora, Avi, and Hudson here until the after-school kids arrive.  Hudson was making an announcement this morning, but Nora didn't care or even realize that she was included.  :)  "It's past your bedtime guys!"  Avi yells; "NO!!"  Hudson said, "You have one more minute!"  Avi yells; "NO!"  Haha!  Now what are you gonna do Hudson!?  :)  Later, Hudson had built an impressive tower with the big blocks and said, "Its' the baby's home!"  So I asked, "What baby?"  He answered, "Svea."  Oh man, Avi was vigorously shaking her head "no" and responded immediately by yelling; "NO!"  And of course it escalated from there!  Wow! I won't ask that question again!  haha!

Here are a couple more pictures from this morning's activities;  In the first picture Avi is putting on every bracelet she can find.  That's some serious bling right there Avilene!  :)  In the last picture Hudson and Avi were going to "Jackson's house" again.  I asked Hudson if he'd ever been to Jackson's house and he said, "yes."  I asked Avi when Hudson was there and she said, "Last summer." How cute is that?  :)

Avi - 2/7/2018

Avilene ate whole wheat toast and grapes for breakfast.  For lunch she ate pork roast, whole grain tortillas, bites of vegetables (potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots), and ate fruit salad.

This first picture is kind of silly, but Nora was SO excited when she spotted all the birds!  She was pointing and squealing and I had to hustle over to see what she was all worked up about!!  :)  The kids can see the top of this tree by standing in the middle of the room, looking out the smaller window and over the top of the neighbor's house. Hudson and Avi came to see what we were looking at too of course!  I counted about 20 crows!

Hudson had finished breakfast quickly and Avi heard him doing some puzzles.  She could hardly wait to get out there and join him!  "I'm done!!"  Lauralea watched Avi work on some puzzles and said, "Wow! You're good at doing puzzles!"  Yup, I told you that!  She's a puzzle wizard!  :)

Atley and Linnea are both gone today - not feeling well.  Avi and Hudson were doing fine, but quick to argue and I blame some of that on still feeling kind of crummy!  Their arguing basically peaked when Avi said, "I'm poopy!"  And Hudson said, "I'll change Avi!"  She started howling, "No No, No!"  I'm changing you Avi.  Just like we always do!  Bubba is just being goofy!  :)

In the last picture we'd just opened a new box of bigger coffee filters from amazon.com so we had to do some coloring on them and spraying water on them.  The kids were already done and I told them I wanted to get a picture so I asked them to sit down and point at their favorite spot to color.  So that's what they're doing in the picture.  :)  Thanks for cooperating!!