Avi - 4/302020

Avilene ate three servings of blueberry bagel and three servings of peaches for breakfast.  For lunch she ate 3 bites of pork roast, ate whole wheat dinner roll, ate all her slices of orange and red peppers, and two servings of pineapple.  Here's a note from lunch that Avi was involved in: Atley said, "I'm done!" and she had over half a plate full of food.  "Ok that's fine, but did you have a bite of your peppers?"  She said, "Yes, but I don't really like vegetables." I said, "Well we eat vegetables because they help us be healthy!"  Then, just being silly I said, "And help us not get the coronavirus!!"  Atley said, You have to wear a mask!"  I said, "Yes and eat your vegetables."  She began eating those peppers and ate everything!!  Haha.  It helped that Avi pitched in with her 10 cents worth and was yapping on and on about how we need to eat vegetables.  :)

The three oldest girls, usually just Atley and Avi, are having frequent discussions about who is the oldest.  We have the Birthday Poster and we make frequent reference to it.  Anyhow, this morning after much discussion Avi finally said, "I was born before you!?"  Atley asked, "Why?!?"  Avi said, "I don't know, ask Gary!!"  Haha.  I said, "Ask your Mothers."  :)

FIrst 2 pictures are left over from yesterday afternoon.  First picture: The only hat I had left was this knit cap, but Avi wanted to wear it.  Hottest day of the year so far, but who cares!  Besides, it goes well with her ski socks!!  :)  However, Daddy Andy may want to avert his eyes so he doesn't see the beautiful Black & Yellow!  :)  In the second picture;  Avi and Nora were the only ones awake and we were in the swivel chair doing some selfies in the mirror.  :)

Last picture: Avilene has her wrist band around her foot.  She said, "Hey Gary, I put this on my foot so I don't get it dirty."  Haha.  "Ok Avilene, but I must inform you that the floor is one of the dirtiest places in the house."  :)  She almost immediately removed it from her foot.  :)

Avi - 4/29/2020

Avilene ate three servings of whole wheat toast and two servings of grapes for breakfast.  For lunch she had bite of chicken - the menu called for pork roast, but I was late getting it ready - no whole wheat tortillas, ate a large serving of carrots, and a large serving of fruit salad.

Avi was expounding to Nora and Atley about the "wonderfulness" of Dairy Queen in general and the "Dilly Bar" in particular.  Haha!!  I'm just assuming she knows what she's talking about, but I have no idea because I don't partake in those sinful delights!!  :)

This first picture is left over from yesterday afternoon.  Avilene was giving this box elder bug rides up and down the slide.  Sometimes he'd hit the ground and try to scamper off, but Avi was there to nail him.  You're gonna have to be faster than that to get away from her!!  :)

Next picture: Avi dinking around with her breakfast as usual.  She has eaten her grapes and is working on her toast.  She was bending it in and out.  What are you doing?!?  She said, "This is a trampoline."  Haha.  I appreciate your creativity, but actually it's your toast so just eat it and don't play with it.  Next picture: The carpet layers were here this morning and finished two downstairs bedrooms.  The kids said "HI" every time they walked in and out of the house.  Atley and Avi were looking out the window and Atley said, "Hey! Where did that fixer boy go!?!"  Haha.  Who?!?  "You know, the carpet guy!"  Haha.

Last picture: I have 2 tablets and we rotate each day for whoever has to wait.  As you can see today it's Avi's turn to wait.  And so far, this is how they "wait!"  Very anxiously while watching the screen as someone works!  Like I've mentioned several times, they get 20 minutes daily, but that's a long time for a kid to just sit and wait like that.

Avi - 4/28/2020

Avilene ate two servings of whole wheat English muffin and ate dried plums for breakfast.  For lunch she ate a large serving of chicken stir fry with meat and vegetables, bites of brown rice, and two servings of mandarin oranges.  At breakfast Avi and Atley were trying to do "knock knock" jokes. Which they do in a similar manner to playing hide and seek; no logical ending, but very entertaining for me!!

Warning: Minimally gross.  :)  Yesterday Svea picked a scab she had on her foot.  It was a small one, but it's ALWAYS bugged me to watch people pick their scabs!!  Yuk!  Anyhow, I was concerned it would bleed.  Avi, on the other hand was concerned it was lost and she was lamenting that she couldn't add it to her lovely trove of treasures.  Haha.

The first picture is from yesterday afternoon.  I like to show afternoon pictures frequently because otherwise you're only seeing 2 - 3 hours of their day, depending on how early they arrive each morning.  Atley and Avi were pounding nails in the wind.  It was pretty gusty as it blew Atley's hood up and you can see strands of Avi's hair standing on end!

Next picture; Avilene was busy with the binoculars.  Have you spotted big Willy yet Avi?!?  "no."  Avi said, "I'm kinda looking for some dandelions!!  Haha.  In the second picture Avi is busy with the binoculars again:  Atley and Nora were in the igloo with the entrance darkened.  Avi has the binoculars and was apparently trying to spy on them!

Last picture: Avi is at work on another coloring project.  I never talk about them coloring "in the lines," but Atley and Nora have been watching Avi because today Atley said, "Gary, I really like coloring in the lines."  And she was working hard at it.  Thank you Avi for setting a good example.

Avi - 4/27/2020

Avilene ate two servings of cheerios and ate banana for breakfast.  For lunch she ate ground beef, whole wheat pita bread, avocado, two servings of olives, and ate strawberries.

This first picture is left over from Friday afternoon (in case one of you missed it) when Jerry (and Aidan) were here doing some magic.  It was actually much better than I was expecting as he had about 6 little tricks he'd purchased.  It was sweet of him to come by and entertain us.  Atley and Avilene especially enjoyed it the most.   Nora liked it once I was there to protect her.  Ha.  Especially when he was up close to the window like in the first picture.

This picture is also left over from Friday afternoon.  The girl LOVES searching!!  I was going to say "for bugs," but really she LOVES searching in general.  So cute.  Except she wants to take everything home.  For some reason this end of the house is a haven for bugs; the box elder bugs especially love it here.  Which means Avi LOVES this spot too.  :)

Nora and Avi were playing hide and seek.  Ha!  Nora is counting and Avi is hiding under the blanket. Then they traded spots.  (Svea was "hiding" across the room at this same time and I posted a picture on her Blog.)  Last picture; Svea and Avi doing the "up high, down low, too slow" thing!!  :)

Avi - 4/24/2020

Avilene ate brown rice and bites of raisins for breakfast.  For lunch she ate three servings of salmon, ate whole wheat dinner roll, one big bite of riced cauliflower, and two servings of mangoes.  She is always willing to at least try a bite and she really doesn't care for the cauliflower, but continues to give it a test.

Yesterday just before snack Avi asked, "What are we having?"  Homemade Trail Mix.  (Kix cereal, Cheerios, Whole Wheat Chex, and Raisins.)  We mix up big bags of it and have enough for several snacks.  Avi said, "I don't want the trail mix.  I'll just take the Kix Cereal."  LOL!!  "Nice try Avi, but that's not gonna happen."  She knew the answer and before I even finished she yelled; "OK FINE!!"  Haha.  However our ongoing rule is this: if they eat the mix, then for second servings they always get to choose more mix or just ONE ingredient.  So she wanted to skip step one.  :)  (The genius switch is never off!!)

Here's a picture of one page Avi colored (with markers and colored pencils) yesterday.  She did two of these yesterday and a couple of small pieces.  This is wonderful coloring for a young 4 year old. However, the part that impresses me the most is the fact that this takes lots of time and concentration to complete.  And especially considering the fact that Avilene is a busy busy girl with a high powered motor that runs in overdrive!!  She does lots of different activities here at Preschool where she exercises lots of time and focus staying on task.

Next picture: The kids are working on a "Thank You" poster that we made for "Jerry and Aiden" and we've already hung it up in the window.  So at 2:30 they are coming and will set up a table and do a "magic show" outside of our big window.  Now I'm using the term "magic" pretty loosely because they are not magicians, nor have they ever done a magic show.  Haha!  (Actually the more simple and silly the better for this age group!)  They were in our Program when Aiden was a baby and he's now in Junior High.  Aiden said, "I did NOT sign up for this."  But Dad says he's coming so we'll see.

Last picture: The kids worked hard and long on the poster.  So what did Avilene do when they were done?  She wanted to do another picture.  Wow, ok fine with me!!  By the way, she worked on the poster for several minutes after Atley and Nora were done.  So most of Avi's morning was used doing Art Work.

Avi - 4/23/2020

Avilene ate two servings of whole wheat English muffin and three servings of mandarin oranges for breakfast.  For lunch she ate ground beef, whole wheat elbow noodles, peas, and two servings of applesauce.  At lunch Atley said, "We can stomp our feet because Lauralea isn't here!!"  Haha.  Since Lauralea has been working from home (in the basement) we've had to be a bit quieter in the Preschool area during the numerous "Zoom Meetings!!"  She had to go to Plains this morning.

The breakfast conversation this morning started out with "beds" because Atley got a new bed and she was sharing the good news.  And then it went in this direction:  At some point Avi felt the need to enlighten Nora and said, "You get one when you are grown up!"  Nora said, "I'm already growing up!!"  Avi said, "No you're not."  Nora said, "Mom said I was growing big!!"  Avi said, "My Mom said she didn't want me to grow anymore!"  Atley said, "My Mom and Dad said I need to quit growing too!!"  Haha.

This first picture is left over from yesterday afternoon when Atley, Avi, and Svea were building with our outside blocks.  I was getting a kick out of watching Avilene build because she was doing it all "one-handed!"  Notice her left hand is shut tightly because she's not about to release her treasures of several dead bugs.  Haha.  She said, "I need to save this to show Mom!!"  I said, "Well that will not be easy!"  Yup, about 10 minutes later Atley stumbled backwards right over the top of it all.

Picture: Snuggling with Gary and telling all about her head hurting.  She said, "I can do a backwards somersault now!!  Do you want to see it!?!"  Well of course.  Then she remembered that's how she hurt her head at home.  Haha.  So she went to plan B.  "Hey Gary, do you want to watch me do a headstand without saying owie!?!?"  Hahaha.  Sure.  She said, "I've never tried it with my head hurting."  Well, give it a shot!!  She cracks me up!  I love this picture.

Avi - 4/22/2020

Avilene ate half of her French toast and two servings of strawberries for breakfast.  For lunch she ate a large serving of paleo stew with meat, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, tomatoes, carrots, and sweet potatoes.  She ate saltines and three servings of tropical fruit.  Avilene made an announcement at breakfast.  "Sometimes my Dad makes M & M cookies with chocolate chips!!" Nora yelled; "ARE YOU SERIOUS!?!?"  Haha.

Speaking of meal time announcements, yesterday at snack Avilene apparently decided it was time for Atley and Nora to come to grips with their own mortality!!  "Hey! You know what!?!?  When you die the skin comes off and kinda looks like a skeleton!!"  Ha!!  That was old news for Atley and she wasn't fazed at all; "I saw a skeleton trick-or-treating!!"  :)

Yesterday we cleaned up toys and were headed outside.  Avi was wearing 2 bracelets and I said, "Those have to stay in the Play Room."  She responded, "But Atley said I could take them home." Haha.  "Well guess what!?! Atley is not in charge around here and these are my toys and you guys play with them and they stay here."  Avi said, "Why do YOU own them?!?"  LOL!!  "Because Lauralea said I could!!"  :)   (Lauralea is my trump card!!  Haha!)

Pictures:  Nora and Avi have Atley completely covered on the couch.  Next; Doing a puzzle and I like this puzzle because it's helps a lot with number recognition and sequencing the numbers.  Third picture: This is so impressive how HARD she worked and did this with dot paints.  Last picture; they are yelling at the garbage man to wave at them.  LOL.

Avi - 4/21/2020

Avilene ate two servings of waffles and two servings of grapes for breakfast.  For lunch she ate chicken, two servings of whole wheat tortillas, ate corn, and apple bites.

The first 3 pictures are left over from yesterday afternoon.  The kids always yell at Mike the neighbor when he gets home.  "Mike's home! Mike's home!"  Well yesterday was no different except both parents and both children had arrived in the car.  The neighbors were busy and not too interested in what the kids were yelling.  That did not deter Atley and Avi who were yelling at the SAME time and it was SO funny to me!!  Here's what they were yelling over and over and the neighbors had no clue what they were saying or talking about!!  "I have a dog named Lexi!!"  "I have a cat named Melvin!"  "I have a dog named Lexi!!"  "I have a cat named Melvin!!"  Loud and repetitive!!  :)

Next picture: Nora is on the left wing, Svea on the tail, Atley is busy operating the controls, Avi on the right wing.  Apparently it's a wild ride.  Check out the air under Avi's butt.  :)  Following picture: "Surfing in the USA!!"  "Hey Alexa, Play Beach Boys music."  Yup, we've done that several times.

Last picture: All the girls, but especially Avi and Atley, have been pretty interested in finding bugs this Spring!  So I went above the garage and found an insect poster I knew was there and the kids were identifying bugs that they are familiar with.

Avi - 4/20/2020

Avilene ate a large serving of kix cereal and two servings of mixed fruit for breakfast.  For lunch she ate ground turkey, whole wheat hamburger bun, avocado, tomato, and two servings of cherries.

Everyday, somedays it's several times per day, the kids ask "What are we eating!?!"  I usually tell them and then from that point on the standard answer is "food."  So here's an example of conversation at Daycare/Preschool!!  Atley; "What kind of food are we having for lunch?"  Me; "Good food." Atley'; "What kind of good food?"  Me; "Good All-American Food!!"  Atley; "I live in American!" Ha!  Avi; "I don't!! I live in Montana!"  Me; "Guess what kids?!?  Montana is a State IN America!"  Nora; "My Dad has a State!"  Me - very impressed; "Oh really!?!  He's doing better than I even imagined!!  Where is his State?"  Nora; "On his computer!"  Haha.

This first picture is left over from Friday afternoon when Avi, Atley, and Nora were pounding some nails.  (Hey, this is our life skills class.)  As I've mentioned before this wood is very soft and perfect for this activity.  Avi has moved her grip back on the handle slightly and is swinging with a fair amount of accuracy and able to drive the nails with a few hits.  Nicely done Avi!  (Hey Molly: This skill will make Avilene very attractive to a Hutterite Man (some have relocated to Sanders County) someday!!  Just kidding!  Please don't lecture me!!)  :)

We (primarily Sylvie) did a toy, book, and puzzle, exchange in the Daycare Room and Preschool Room and Avi was busy just like everyone else.  First picture;  Those battery-powered cars work SO much better on the hardwood floors!!  Next picture; Tablets in this toy exchange!!  Just a reminder; I do a time limit of 20 minutes total per day.  I love the next activity and Avi is good at it.  The container is metal and the shapes are magnetic.  There are lots of different patterns to follow and I like this owl with the graduation cap!  Last picture; Avi engaged with dry erase activity.

 

Avi - 4/17/2020

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

At the breakfast table Avi said, "I know why I am 4 before Svea."  Why?  "Because I was born before her."  Very true.  She was also concerned after arrival because Daddy was sitting in his pickup with an important phone call and she grew tired of waiting at the window.  However, Atley was done with breakfast so Avi positioned her at the window and said, "When you see him coming you tell me!!"  And then Avi was free to start eating breakfast.

First two pictures are from outside yesterday.  All four girls are in the geo-climber with lots of those high-priced Dollar Store noodles.  :)  Second picture:  Miles was getting rides up and down the sidewalk from  Atley, Avi, and sister Nora and they were taking turns.  Except Nora was accompanying Atley and Avi to make sure they did it the correct way!!  Haha!!  I told Atley; "You're doing a GOOD job pushing the stroller."  Avi said, "WELL I can do it with my Eyes shut!!"  Haha.  And for further emphasis she added; "And I will show you!!"

Last 2 pictures;  this is just a little silly game we set up.  They each have 2 little purple foam rectangles and they are squeezing them with one hand between the index finger and their thumb (look at Avi in the 2nd picture and she is holding her's with perfect shooting form. Ha!) and "shooting" it at the basket on the floor.  They are supposed to stay behind the orange tape on the floor.  (Purple and orange.  That's the colors the kids told me so if it's wrong take it up with them. Ha!)  Last picture: Nora still has ONE foot behind the orange tape, but as you can see she was trying to gain a large advantage.  Haha.

Avi - 4/16/2020

Avi chose not to eat breakfast.  For lunch she ate three servings of shrimp, ate brown rice, ate stir fry vegetables, and three servings of raspberries.

Avi was walking across the Daycare Room and all of a sudden got this frustrated look and pumping her fists straight down like she does.  She was mumbling to no one in particular, but wanted everyone to know of her frustration.  She said, "I REALLY wanted to wear my tennis shoes today, but I couldn't find them!!  I REALLY wanted them!!"  I said, "Oh, so what did you wear?"  She walked over to the gate to look in her cubby and got a silly expression on her face.  She answered, "My tennis shoes. I forgot I found them."  Hahahaha.

First three pictures are left over from yesterday afternoon.  Avi has figured out she can move her chair across the room by just pumping her legs similar to pumping in a swing.  :)  More activities; The early stages of learning about "fractions."  :)  Using little clothes pin and clamps on a silk scarf.  And playing with the bead sorter and following patterns.

Last picture; They spent lots of time this morning building with the big legos blocks.  In this picture Nora has the doll blanket ready and Avi said, "We have to block the shine."  What does that even mean?!?  Avi said, "You know! Sunshine!!"  Aha!!  :)

Avi - 4/15/2020

Avilene ate two servings of whole wheat toast and ate mangoes for breakfast.  For lunch she ate two servings of ground beef with marinara sauce on whole wheat elbow noodles (oops, cooked the wrong noodles last night- should have been spaghetti noodles), bite of cauliflower (Svea ate Avi's cauliflower for her second serving), and ate fruit salad.

First picture;  All 4 girls played in and around the swivel/rocker chair for probably an hour.  Svea is not in the picture, but Avi is buried under some pillows and doll blankets.  They were playing like they were traveling and riding on an airplane.

Next picture; Avi was sitting there thumping her feet on the shelves and waiting for me to notice.  And this was the big cheesy grin I got when I happened to look at her.  I think she was expecting me to ask her to stop with the annoying thumping.  Haha.

Next picture: Avi was working real hard to follow the "road" with the erasable marker.  Check out the finished work on the opposite page.  That's very impressive.  When I was taking this picture she started on the closest page, but see how she is "dotting" it instead of just making lines.  Always experimenting, always trying something different.  She will be a delightful student when she gets to school!!  Last picture: Drawing shapes and cutting them out.  Hey Avi, good work using those scissors in an appropriate way today!  Haha.

Avi - 4/14/2020

Avilene had no blueberry bagel and she ate three servings of grapes for breakfast.  For lunch she ate pulled pork, two servings of whole wheat toast, ate peas, and strawberries.

The kids were at the window waving and Svea was grumbling and starting to cry about something.  Avi was the only one who had a clue what that was about!!  Avi told Nora, "She's whining because she thinks your dad is driving her dad's truck!!  Except my dad's truck is dirty!!"  Haha.

This first picture is leftover from yesterday afternoon.  I asked Nora about her picture and she said, "I drew a picture of Avi."  Oh, very interesting.  Avi, on the other hand was not impressed.  Haha.  Why don't you like it Avi?  She said, "Because it's NOT like me."  Ha!!  (Ok, maybe not the chicken legs and tail feathers, but everything else is perfect!!)

Next picture; Playing hide-n-seek.  Nora worked hard to get Avi all covered up.  (If you look close on the lower right you'll see some stripes from Avi's pajamas.)  The funny part about this; In typical Toddler/Preschool fashion after Nora was done covering Avi she then went and joined Atley who was counting.  And just like that Nora was now one of the "seekers."  Haha.

Last picture: Avilene was hovering (think: ravenous vulture) beside Atley while Atley worked on this tray.  I asked, "Avi, why don't you get an activity for yourself?"  She said, "I'm waiting for that one!!"  (pointing at the one Atley was working on.) Well of course.  We only have at least 50 or more activities to choose from, but you need that one.  :)  And she just couldn't help offering a multitude of opinions, directions, and assumptions about Atley's work and progress!!  Ha!

Avi - 4/13/2020

Avilene ate bran cereal and some raisins for breakfast.  For lunch she ate bites of chicken, whole wheat pita bread, ate avocado, cucumbers, and two servings of pears.

First picture;  Avi was just getting started with an Art Paper, but I took this picture because every day for the past 2 or 3 weeks the first thing she does is put ONE little round sticker on her paper.  "Why do you do that?"  Avi said, "So you don't run out."  Haha.  Aww..that's very sweet and very cute.  But I really can afford to get more little stickers.  Second picture: We are playing a "Farmyard Bingo" game and everyone had a great time with it.  Side note; My sister calls bingo at a nursing home, I call bingo here.  :)

Next picture: Avilene was on the couch with her head covered up like you see in the picture and then she was wanting me to snuggle her.  "Hey Gary, will you snuggle me?"  Then Svea was snuggling me on the other side and that picture is in Svea's Blog.  :)  Last picture;  This was really cute.  Avi measuring Baby Miles.  "Avilene asked, "How big is he Gary?"  Just look at the numbers on the tape measure and you tell me how big he is.  :)

Last picture: Avi still has the doll blankets wrapped around her head, but that's not stopping her from standing on her head.  Ha.  I sent a video to Momma Molly to show her what Avi was really doing here!!  She was trying to go up & down in this position and it was hilarious.  She was actually doing real well at it and she loved it because it was making me laugh.