Avi - 1/31/2020

Avilene ate two servings of brown rice and ate a few raisins for breakfast.  For lunch she ate two servings of Alaskan salmon patty, most of whole wheat dinner roll, no cauliflower, and ate mangoes.

I was feeding Baby Miles and Linnea got on the couch and started feeding her "baby" too.  I asked Avilene to take a picture for me and she did a good job with it.  I Posted the picture on Linnea's Blog today.  Apparently Avilene has a lot of practice taking pictures.  Haha.

First two pictures - Our new package of hot wheels arrived last evening so I had Avi open them for us this morning.  Atley is gone today so Avi was the only one playing with them. Which she liked!!  (Infants and Toddlers tend to chew the wheels off the Hot Wheels and then you have a choke-able.)  In the second picture notice how Avi has lined up 5 cars in front of the ramp toy - those are the cars that passed the test of quality and are good racers.  :)

Next picture: Doing some more art with the Valentine's Day supplies.  Last picture; I set up this activity for Avi to enjoy.  Here's what happens frequently - I start a sentence and pause - Avilene jumps on that and immediately finishes the sentence for me!!  So I set up this activity and said, "I'm gonna...." (pause) She finishes  with; "take a picture."  LOL!  Ok, why not!?!  So enjoy the last picture.

Avi - 1/30/2020

Avilene ate whole wheat English muffin and two servings of mandarin oranges for breakfast.  For lunch she ate ground beef, whole wheat elbow noodles, two servings of peas, and two servings of applesauce.

First picture; We got out some Valentine's art for the girls to use and they were all over that! So you can check the top of Avi's cubby to see what she made.  Following picture: Three girls riding their horses after breakfast.  This may look like a simple picture, but dang it took five minutes of me just standing there waiting for all three of them to get on their horses at the same time.  The primary problem was Avi's concern about Svea's horse not having a "head!!"  See the yellow block on Avi's horse; well that's the head!  :) Svea's horse is missing it's head and Svea didn't want one!!  :)

Next picture: Here's Avi pointing at "Woody's" hiding spot!  Avilene thought it was pretty funny that I hid Woody standing on his head in the potty in the doll house.  :)  I thought it was funny myself!!

Atley brought four of her own little cars today and she and Avi were playing with them along with the little car ramp.  (UPS is gonna deliver some new matchbox cars today so we have a new shipment coming!! Ha!)  How did we survive before Amazon!?!  :)

Avi - 1/29/2020

Avi had no French toast and ate two servings of strawberries for breakfast.  For lunch she ate Paleo stew with meat, sweet potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, carrots, and tomatoes.  She had three servings of saltines, and ate a large serving of tropical fruit.

(Background on this note: Atley has passed on several items of clothing to Linnea.)  Atley was watching me put dry clothes on Linnea and said, "I gave her those clothes."  Avilene said, "Why don't you give me some clothes!?!"  Atley said, "Because I don't have any."  Avi (always quick with a solution) said, "Well, go to the clothes store tomorrow then!!"  LOL!!  Man that was funny!!

This first picture is left over from yesterday afternoon.  Look closely at this photo and know there is an interesting story behind it!!  Previously - before I took this picture - Avilene had "saved" Svea when some blocks fell over.  I saw it happen and she really did a good job of protecting Sister and I was commending her for quick reactions and concern for Svea.  SO, she proceeded to have some practice sessions "saving" Svea!!  Haha!!  She'd stack the blocks tall like you see, coax Svea into position, give the tower a slight push, and leap to the rescue!!  Over and over, probably 10 times.

Next picture: Atley and Avi searching for the hidden Airplane and Woody.  So far, they haven't grown weary of the daily hiding game.  IF I did it as much as they ask me to, then I'm sure they'd quickly get tired of it!!  Haha!  We hide it two times a day maximum.  Last picture: More playing with the big blocks today.  It's always interesting how they will go a few weeks and never touch something (blocks) and then play with them every day for several days.  I guess I shouldn't be too surprised; we adults basically do the same thing!!

Avi - 1/28/2020

Avilene had no waffles and ate three servings of grapes for breakfast.  For lunch she ate bites of chicken, ate whole wheat tortillas, corn, and apple slices.  We ran out of time and didn't get to the baked cinnamon apples, so we had apple slices instead.  They nailed that immediately; "Hey! Why are we having it like this?"  They totally know what goes with every meal!!  Haha!!

First picture: Left over from yesterday afternoon.  You probably already saw what I posted on Svea's Blog about Avi "growling" at Callahan to get a reaction from him!!  Following picture:  This is a new Preschool activity that I recently acquired.  There are lots of alphabet pieces and you find the ones that make the word that matches the picture.  These pieces are also two - sided so there are actually 16 words in all.  Avi and Atley can identify the alphabet, but it's primarily using the "capital" letter.  This game is using "small" letters too so that will help them identify those as well.

Next picture: Searching for Woody!!  Avi looked and looked and was begging for hints.  Even after all of that - I did everything but point at it to help her - she still said, "That was easy!!"  Haha!  Whatever you say Avi!!

Last picture:  This picture (I've posted it previously) is from one of the books we read at Story Time.  Avilene looked at this and asked, "Hey Gary, do you still have this suit!?!"  LOL!!  I said, "Yes, but I'm not going to go put it on!!"  Hahaha!

Avi - 1/27/2020

Avilene ate kix cereal and two servings of mixed fruit for breakfast.  For lunch she ate half of ground turkey, half of whole wheat hamburger bun, half of tomatoes, no avocado, and ate cherries.  At breakfast she and Atley were having a conversation about skiing.  Avi was talking about skiing past "A dead statue mountain goat."  Huh?  "He was staring at us."  "Was he real?" Atley asked.  Avi said, "No, he was fake."  I'm curious about some clarification on this story.  :)

Random announcement last Friday afternoon from Avilene:  "Gary, I am NEVER going to the hospital again!!"  "Well," I started to say and she immediately interrupted me!  "No no no no no no!!!!!"  (It sounded like one word!  Ha!)  I tried again, "Well,"  Interrupted immediately, "Duck duck Moose."  She was reading what was on my shirt.  Man that hit my funny bone.  Change the subject!!

Another funny Avi-ism this morning.  During story time everyone was picking their favorite animal from a page with lots of choices.  So I pointed at the Gorilla.  And then thumped on my chest.  Avi said, "They punch on their bosoms."  LOL!!

First picture:  Avi had eaten her cereal at breakfast and I took this picture after she'd drank most of the milk too.  But she drank some and then was telling me what it was - "I am making a moon."  (It was a "half moon" before she drank some more.)  She was saying moon; "moo-in" with 2 syllables and I couldn't figure out what she meant.  She never gets frustrated and just keeps talking until I get it.  Very cool.  She said, "That thing we see at night."  I love how she can do that!!  Smart girl.

Looking for "Woody."  Nope, he's not under the cozy corner.  Playing with lego trucks and food toys. We did a toy exchange and she and Atley spent most of the morning in the Daycare Room.  There is still more new stuff waiting to be explored in the Preschool Room.

Avi - 1/24/2020

Avilene ate oatmeal and (SOFT) baked cinnamon apples for breakfast.  :)  For lunch she ate bites of hamburger stew with meat, tomatoes, green beans, and carrots.  Also, she ate whole wheat dinner roll and ate apricots.

First picture: Lauralea was hanging out with Baby Miles and Avi said, "Hey Lauralea!!  Do you know why his poop is yellowish; because he only drinks Momma's breastmilk!!"  Then Atley said, "You need to tell him a story."  So Lauralea told him a story!!  Look how much Miles was interested in the story!!  Haha!!  Then in the following picture Lauralea and Avilene were doing some Preschool PingPong!!  :)

This note isn't about Avilene, but I thought you might like to hear Atley's random morning announcement:  "Power-lines are not safe to put in your mouth; they are dangerous!!"  Thank you Atley!  That's very true.  So with that in mind I'll refrain from my instinctual urge to shinny up a power pole and start gnawing on the wire!!"  Ha!!

Following picture; Lauralea hid the airplane and Woody in a more challenging spot because the girls kept saying how easy it was to find.  Ha!  They're searching.  Last picture; I said, "Why don't you guys go see if you can help Miles get more calm."  Nothing like goofy faces to calm down the baby.  Thanks Avi and Atley.

Avi - 1/17/2020

Avilene ate a large serving of cream of wheat cereal (or as Atley called it; "I want more cream of Weed!" Haha) and several dried plums for breakfast.  For lunch she ate a couple bites of chicken, broccoli, riced cauliflower casserole. Also with green chiles and lots of yummy spices.  She ate whole wheat toast and pineapple.

Avilene was talking about her "Chapstick."  She said, "My Mom found that."  I said, "Oh really. Where? In the street?"  Avi giggled and said, "You are cuckoo!! Did you know that?!?"  Haha!  She's heard that a few hundred times!!

I've been hiding Woody and Airplane in more difficult spots and they've been nailing it.  So today I told them I was gonna hide it in the hardest spot ever.  I put them in my pants pocket.  Yes, I know, that was a dirty trick.  But I gave them hints like; "Ok, Woody and Airplane just left the room.  Ok, now they are back in the room."  Avi said, "How do you know that!?!"  When I showed them what was in my pocket Avilene said, "Don't EVER hide them there again!!"  haha

This first picture is left over from yesterday afternoon.  These three were just laying here for a few short moments and I thought it was cute.  (Atley's neck looks super comfortable!!)  Look how Svea is cuddled so close to big Sister.  Avilene is such a good big Sister to Svea.  I love it.  Last picture: Avi playing with the Doll House and accessories.

Avi - 1/16/2020

Avilene chose to not eat any breakfast.  For lunch she ate bites of meatloaf, ate whole wheat tortillas, sweet potatoes, and cherries.  

This first picture is left over from yesterday afternoon.  Avi had only been awake a few moments when I took this picture.  She usually wants to snuggle, but yesterday she chose to play "ping pong." But as you can see from the picture she chose the approach that requires the least amount of energy. Haha!!  Even though I've been shortening her naps she's still been in a good mood when she gets up.  

Following picture; Every time I take a picture like this I always make mention of the fact that I seldom get a picture with almost everyone in it.  (Where everyone is busy!)  Miles was sleeping, but here are the 5 other kids.  They were all dancing to the music and Avi was the only one who noticed I was taking a picture.

Next picture: Avilene was searching for that "Woody" guy.  He was hiding in a purse and she actually turned the purse upside down (without looking inside), but he didn't fall out.  So of course she didn't bother to look further.  I'm making it a little more challenging all the time.  They are pros at searching and finding!!  Last picture - Of course Avi wanted me to take a picture after she got water in all the little holes.  "Can you take a picture of this Gary? I got water in every one of these!"

Avi - 1/15/2020

Avilene chose not to eat any breakfast.  She made up for it at lunch; She ate two big servings of Whole 30 Chili with meat, peppers, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and spices.  She also ate her dinner roll and three servings of pineapple/mango mix.

Well as you probably expected Avi kept her pajamas on all morning and she's now taking a nap with them.  She grinned all over when I told her at nap time; "Hey you have on your pajamas and you're ready for bed."

First two pictures: Avi and Atley were taking turns playing with the dance (or actually a numbers) game.  You ought to ask Avilene to demonstrate this for you and see how quick she can do the numbers.  At first it was challenging, but now she has it mastered!!  Second picture: Looking for the airplane and woody!!  (Avi is almost sitting on it.)

Next picture; Avi played some more "solitary" ping-pong.  She was impressing Lauralea demonstrating her hand-eye coordination!  In the following picture Avi built something with the legos and wanted me to "take a picture!!"  Every thing she accomplishes - she asks if I want to take a picture.

Last picture; This is so impressive!!  She said, "I want to do this one by myself."  And she did.  I didn't do any pieces and she worked very very hard.  I think she was pretty tired by the end of it.  I saw her studying the picture on the box to identify one of the pieces.  That's a great strategy Avi. When I took this picture she said, "I only have 14 pieces left!!"  And she was right!!  The finished puzzle is in the entry way on the washer so she can show whoever is picking her up.

Avi - 1/14/2020

Avilene ate bites of whole wheat English muffin and three serving of grapes for breakfast.  For lunch she ate pork chops, two servings of whole wheat toast, ate beets, and three servings of applesauce.

At Lunch Atley told Avi and I, "Last night I played with a big fire fire."  Avi was as confused as me!!  Haha.  "Huh!?  I don't know what that means?"  Atley said, "I don't know either."  Haha.

First picture from Avi's morning.  Playing ping-pong with self.  :)  It's actually pretty fun and great practice for the hand-eye coordination!!  And Avi is pretty stinking good at it already!!

Avi searched for the hidden Woody 3 times this morning.  She also worked hard at building a nice structure with the legos.  And she pestered me to take a picture of it.  I was actually gonna, but I was busy with lunch and forgot.  Ha!  Next two pictures - Avi and Atley were busy with the big Doll House and then with the Car Ramp.

Avi - 1/13/2020

Avilene ate several bites of whole grain Chex cereal and three servings of peaches for breakfast.  For lunch she ate ground beef, whole wheat hamburger bun, ate tomatoes, avocados, and three servings of mandarin oranges.  Before breakfast Avilene's eyes were "watering" and I thought she was crying.  I asked, "Would you like to snuggle?"  This was how she told me they were just watering and she wasn't crying;  "The tears are coming down by themselves."  So cute.

Then Avi was telling me about spending the night at "Nina's house."  She kept talking about "Dennis" and I just assumed that might be Nina's Boyfriend.  Avi said something about "playing at night and sleeping in the morning."  Haha!!  Finally I realized she was talking about a cat!!  LOL!!

Callahan screamed and Avilene said, "That is NOT acceptable!!"  Probably 10 seconds later she said, "Hey Gary! What does acceptable mean?!?"  Hahaha!  She cracks me up.  (She's obviously repeating something I may or may not have said.  You can decide.)

Every two weeks I start the Blogs this way:  We did toy, book, and puzzle exchange this weekend so everything is new and different and the kids always stay super busy on Toy Exchange Monday.  Or as Atley calls it; "New Toy Monday!!"  :)  So here's pictures of Avi with some new stuff!!  Dance game, car ramp, and in the third picture it's actually a NEW puzzle.  48 piece "Frozen" puzzle and we did it together.  I took the picture when we were done and Avilene was counting to make sure there were actually 48 pieces.  When I left she was at number "40-11."  Haha.  Last picture;  This is a new activity I just got and it's basically a Preschool version of pingpong!  :)  The orange ball is on the end of a wire and the kids hit it back and forth with their paddles.

Avi - 1/10/2020

Avilene ate oatmeal and dried cranberries for breakfast.  For lunch she ate tilapia, whole wheat elbow noodles, green beans, and three servings of applesauce.  The meal time conversations lately (between Avi and Atley) have been focused mostly on rhyming words.  "Cute, loot, toot, shoot."  That's pretty good Avi and at this point I don't bother to point out one (cute) that's just "close."  Haha!  More; "Lime, slime."  (Those two were Atley's words.)  Haha.

Do you ever wonder what the kids are talking about when they're at the window waving at you!?!  Here's what it was today; Atley saw Momma Molly driving around the corner and said, "Your Mom's car is dirty."  Avi said, "Do you know what that car is called?"  "No."  Avi said, "A minivan."  And they're just standing there waving (actually pounding on the window) while talking.  :)

This first picture makes me laugh.  This is how Avi raises the level of difficulty when working with some puzzles.  She wraps her leg around the highchair leg.  Haha.  Silly kid.  The second picture is left over from yesterday afternoon when the kids were making tall towers with the blocks.  Note how Avi is perched on top of one pile.  She used this vantage point to sling out orders where to start new towers.  :)

Next picture:  Reading books with Atley.  Last picture was super cute and interesting!!  She wanted me to let Svea use this "electric" drawing board.  No, we're gonna keep this in the Preschool Room for the Big Kids.  So a few minutes later I asked Avi what she was drawing.  She said, "Sad Svea." That's a pretty cool way to express your feelings Avi.  (Totally reminds me of my oldest Granddaughter.  She used to always do that!  If she didn't like your answer, she'd go to her room and later come out with your judgement papers written for you!!  She's older now and saves time by immediately expressing herself!!  haha!)

Avi - 1/9/2020

Avilene ate toasted whole wheat bagel and two servings of peaches for breakfast.  For lunch she ate hamburger and sausage pizza with meat, peppers, olives, pineapple, and tomato sauce.  She ate whole wheat pizza crust (we cut it up and serve it on the side), and more pineapple.

Atley just randomly said, "It's the 18th."  Avi looked at me and then (with skepticism) asked, "Gary, Is Linnea going to Disneyland today!?!"  Nope.  She's leaving on the 18th.  :)  I was impressed that Avilene remembered the date Linnea is leaving.  We haven't been talking about it!!  Of course Avi is Super impressed that Linnea is going!!  Ha!

This first picture is left over from yesterday afternoon.  The big kids were running wild so I went over and started building with the legos and the kids immediately joined me.  I continued for a few minutes and then just backed away and this is what always happens.  They were engaged with the toys for several minutes.  It works every time.  Cal came over too and was hanging out inside the legos drawer to be close to the action!!  Ha!

Next picture: I think I hid Avi's "Woody" and Atley's "Airplane" 3 or 4 times this morning.  They were having a blast searching.  Sometimes it's an easy search and sometimes more challenging; like the one in the picture.  Woody is inside of Avi's pillowcase, directly in front of her, and Atley's airplane is in the same location at her pillow.  When they finally found them Avi said, "That was easy!"  Haha!

Last picture: Avi said, "Hey Gary!!  Look what I made!"  And she was peeking through the hole in her legos creation.  As you are probably aware of Avi will say, "Take a picture" after every single thing she builds or draws, and during every little maneuver she does.  "Watch me hop!"  "Did you get a picture?!?"  Ha!

Avi - 1/8/2020

Avilene ate whole wheat toast and three servings of grapes for breakfast.  For lunch she ate several bites of pork roast, ate whole wheat tortillas, roasted potatoes, and two servings of fruit salad.

Avi will frequently request books from the special rack and it takes a few weeks to work through that many books.  It always surprises and impresses me how they can remember the names of the books or at least something about them!  Avi said, "I wanna read the Truth Book."  The name of that particular Scholastic Book is "I tell the truth!"  It is a great little book about "honesty."

First picture:  Atley and Linnea are riding while the Nelson girls do the work!!  Haha!  The funny part about all of this was Avi yelling to "Alexa" at the same time she was going around and around.  "Hey Alexa! Play Rainbow Rainbow!!"  And on and on.  Of course Atley too was requesting songs and I told her I didn't want to listen to "Frosty the Snowman" and "Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer" again all day.  Haha.  And she did a good job selecting a variety of songs.

So speaking of "Alexa" Avi requests a song and then always asks me; "Do you like this one?"  For example; I think she said, "Walkie Talkie" or something like that!!  Haha!!  "Do you like this one!?" Well Avi, for one thing, I prefer songs where I can understand the words!!  Consequently, the more hearing loss I have, the slower I like my songs!!  Haha!!

Here are a couple of pictures from Avilene's morning just in case you think she stood and yelled at Alexa all day!!  :)  What do you see Avi?  "Your mailbox!"  Last picture; Atley doing a puzzle while Avi worked with a different type of building block.