Avi - 10/28/2020

Avilene had no French toast and ate three servings of strawberries for breakfast.  For lunch she ate two large servings of Whole 30 Chili with meat, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, tomato sauce, and lots of spices.  She ate whole wheat dinner roll and ate tropical fruit.  

First three pictures;  Avilene hanging out with Miles.  Well I really think Miles likes Avilene and likes hanging out with her, but there are times she pursues him so vigorously that he barely has a choice!!  Haha.  No, I know kids well enough to know that when he gets tired of her constantly beside him or touching him, he'll have NO problem telling her to backoff!!  Haha.  And she adores him so much!!

I took this next picture before breakfast.  These girls have been doing so much free drawing with markers and colored pencils!!  I know I've mentioned this a lot and I post pictures of it continually, but I love it and I think it's so beneficial for them in many ways.  So here's a bonus for you all in this picture:  Zoom in on the digital frame and you can see a "selfie" Nora did probably 1 - 2 years ago.  A great shot of her nostrils!!!  Haha.  Following picture:  One of Avi's pictures she did this morning;  "Gary, this is an Alien." Following picture:  Avi and Atley were loving it because they had on the same socks this morning.  It was unique for them and they kept talking about it, so we took a picture.  

Avi - 10/27/2020

I've gotten a couple of questions about Program closure dates for the Holidays ahead.  So here's a reminder of those dates:  

      November 26 & 27     Thanksgiving

     December 24 & 25.    Christmas

Also, A reminder for closure dates in January 2021.

      January 1

      January 4th - 8th.

Avi ate two servings of whole wheat English muffin and ate grapes for breakfast.  For lunch she ate bite of pork roast, ate whole wheat toast, most of beets, and ate applesauce.  

Here's a note left over from last Friday.  Avi noticed the bandaids on each of my shoulders and I told her one was a flu shot and the other was a pneumonia vaccine.  She probably asked me about them 4 or 5 times during the day.  Last time she asked I said, "You guess. What are they?"  Avi said, "One was a flu shot and the other for kindergarten!!"  Haha.  Yup that's it.

First picture:  Look at the expression on Cal's face.  He's very focused on Avi's tattoos and he looks to be a bit concerned as well.  

Next two pictures with Miles.  Avi loves interacting with the little people.  First picture; She kept sticking her foot in his personal space coaxing him to pull off her sock and he finally did.  Haha.  I like the second picture here;  Even when Miles is totally absorbed in something else she's still trying to get him to interact with her!!  Miles was very focused on the barn and Avi was determined to get his attention with one of the tractors.  You can see the little green tractor half way between Avi and Miles.  She cracks me up.  

Last picture:  Everyone is doing their version of the Macarena!  :)  Miles and Callahan don't have a clue what's going on, but they're sure enjoying the fun and the rowdiness!  

Avi - 10/23/2020

Avilene ate oatmeal and several bites of dried cranberries for breakfast.  For lunch she ate two big servings of tilapia, ate whole wheat elbow noodles, green beans, and applesauce.  Meal time conversation: Nora said, "Hey everybody! I can touch the ceiling!"  WHAT!!  You can touch the ceiling!?!  Everyone was so impressed and speechless!!  Then Nora said, "Yes, on my bunkbed!"  LOL!!  

First picture;  Avilene worked so hard yesterday afternoon building this marble maze.  It's NOT easy and definitely designed for older kids.  I don't like it very much; topples over too easy and the kids never get a chance to play with marbles.  But anyhow, Avi likes it and worked hard to get to this point.  She watched Lauralea do it and Lauralea took a picture so she'd have a pattern to look at.  

Next picture:  As I've been mentioning Avilene plays with the babies every chance she gets.  She was scampering across the room with him when I took this picture.  Miles has got to the point where he can motor pretty fast across the floor.  No need to walk when I can go this fast!!  :)  Look at Nora in the picture; now that's classic Nora.  She's studying the situation and keeping a close eye on it all.  Haha.  

I really thought this first picture Avi did today was great!!  I wrote on there what she told me so you could see it.  "Two witches on a broom."  "They're gonna run into each other!"  Haha.  Well done Avilene.  Last picture:  Lauralea had drawn a picture of a tree with branches, people and a dog underneath as well. (Stick people and stick dogs.  Haha.)  The girls were gluing leaves to the picture and then they tried to recreate the same thing on their own paper.  Avi created her own and did a great job.  She glued leaves to the head of one of her people and then basically covered that person with leaves.  And leaves on the dog's head too. That was very creative Avilene.  

Avi -10/22/2020

Avilene ate two servings of blueberry bagel and ate peaches for breakfast.  For lunch she ate a large serving of hamburger and sausage pizza, with whole wheat pizza crust, tomato sauce, peppers, pineapple, and olives.  She also ate pineapple on the side.  

First picture:  I took this picture shortly after Avi and Svea arrived.  Avi frequently plays with the two boys before she does anything else.  She was sliding the red phone across the floor and then crawling with Miles to go retrieve it.  I encouraged her to let him grab it first some of the time to keep his interest in the game.  

I basically said about the same thing in Svea's Blog, but I'll repeat part of it here:  We started a segment today - and we're gonna do it every Thursday morning going forward - and we're calling it "Science with Lauralea."  Today Lauralea did two different "experiments" that were fun and simple and perfect for this age group.  (Designed for Preschool Age)  This picture is different than the experiment I posted in Svea's Blog.  This experiment was basically about the temperature of water.  In the picture Atley is putting one hand in cold water, one hand in warm water.  Then we had them put their hands in the blue bowl and see if "one side" of the water in that bowl is "colder."  They all said the same thing; the side with their hand that was in the cold water.  :)

Last picture:  We tried this once before, but the marble maze didn't work that well and was kind of a dud. Lauralea found another marble maze at a garage sale, but it too is not easy to assemble and this age group had it "disassembled within 37.43 seconds after we got it together.  So we'll see.  :)

Avi - 10/21/2020

Avilene ate half of whole wheat toast and ate her grapes for breakfast.  For lunch she ate pork roast, two servings of whole wheat tortillas, ate carrots, and fruit salad. 

This first picture is left over from yesterday afternoon after snack.  Avilene was doing an art picture - drawing and using stickers.  And she wanted Cal to watch her.  "What color do you want me to use Cal!?" The stickers are shapes so she was quizzing Cal on his shapes.  Haha.  "Is this a square or a rectangle?"  Cal would say whatever was the last thing she'd said.  She was thrilled when he'd get it right and appalled when he'd get it wrong.  Haha.  When I took this picture he was ready to leave and she was trying to coax him into staying longer.  She said, "Hey Cal, I can crunch stuff up into a ball."  LOL!  That will do it Avi; dazzle him with your tricks. Following picture;  First thing this morning.  She's got you cornered again Cal!!  Haha.  I couldn't hear what kind of tricks she was trying to dazzle him with today!!

Next picture:  Avilene realized she was without her hat and she was frantically - yes frantically - looking for it!!  "Where's my hat!?!"  "Where's the hat!?!"  "Have you seen my hat!?!"  Atley said, "What hat?"  LOL!!  Now that was funny!!  Avi looked at Atley like she'd lost her mind!!  "You Know!!  My hat!!"  (The one that rarely leaves my head!!)  She had just located it when I took the picture.  

Last picture:  The three big girls - and Cal - were at the window waving at the garbage worker.  The kids love watching the garbage trucks, but it's not as fun now that there is only the driver in the truck.  Before there was at least one worker and usually two and they'd frequently notice the kids and wave at them.  Now the company just uses the driver and the automatic arms lift and empty the containers.  But the kids still yell and get excited when they see the big trucks.  

Avi - 10/20/2020

Avilene ate whole wheat English muffin and half of dried plums for breakfast.  For lunch she ate several bites of chicken with stir fry vegetables, all of her brown rice, and ate mandarin oranges.  Their breakfast conversation was ALL about healthy foods and they offered many numerous and humorous insights!! Nora had the best one in my opinion;  "If you don't eat healthy foods your body will NEVER grow again."

First picture;  I took this very shortly after breakfast.  This was the first activity Avi was involved with this morning.  They had all the doll blankets, pillows, stuffed animals, and dress-up clothes piled around and under them.  I think Nora was pretending to eat the banana, but I like how Avi is studying her.  Haha. 

Next picture;  The four girls are all so busy creating their own papers.  Avi was using the "shape" stickers and making shapes with them.  "Shapes with the shape stickers."  I wrote on one where she said, "Gary! This is an arrow."  And it was a good one.  

Last picture: At the doll house with Atley and Nora; although Nora is out of the picture to the right.  At times their play is so much more complex then it was even six months ago.  Meaning; they create scenarios of interactions and they go on and on with conversations.  It's super interesting and fun to watch. There is also lots of bickering, but that's part of them growing and learning how to socialize and communicate in a healthy (hopefully - ha.) and productive way.  

Avi - 10/16/2020

Avilene ate brown rice and raisins for breakfast.  For lunch she ate half of her meatloaf, ate whole wheat dinner roll, 2 bites of riced cauliflower, and ate her mangoes.  

First picture:  I want to make a few comments about all the "free drawing" the three big girls have been doing.  I want to remind ALL of us (including myself) of a few of the benefits the girls are getting from doing this.  One thing that kind of amazes me is the fact that the more I offer it, the more they do!  I think yesterday Atley took home over 20 sheets of paper.  Sometimes we may think in terms of "wasted paper" (please recycle), but the process is what is important and they are learning SO much from this.  I believe it expands their minds and strengthens their cognitive development.  The creativity is pretty obvious, but there is also "problem solving" for example.  "How do I draw this to make it look the way I want to?"  They are learning a lot about spatial awareness in terms of "what goes where."  There is self expression in a non-verbal way.  In the picture below I asked Avi questions about her picture and she told me the dark colored triangle shape is a "painting."  And of course there are lots of "skeletons." In the bottom picture to the right of the skeleton is a "human."

Next picture:  I love this picture of the kids waving bye to Momma Emily this morning.  Why? Because I love how Avilene is "pointing" at Miles so Emily will notice him; just in case you miss him!!  The kids do that frequently when parents arrive whether we're inside or outside.  They point at the child and say, "There he/she is!!"  (Just in case you're confused and try to take the wrong child!)

Last picture:  Avi is showing Cal her creation she just made.  And here's what the conversation sounded like;  "Look what I made Cal! Do you like it!?! Yes or no."  Cal of course said the last word she'd said, "No."  Oh man, that made me laugh.  Avi was appalled!!! She whirled around to look and me and said, "HE SAID NO!!"  So she went to show it to Miles and see if he had an opinion.  :)  And maybe an opinion that would be more acceptable to her.

Avi - 10/15/2020

Avilene ate whole wheat cinnamon/raisin muffin and ate mandarin oranges for breakfast.  For lunch she ate two servings of salmon, ate whole wheat elbow noodles, peas, and applesauce.   

This first picture is left over from yesterday afternoon  and I love Avi's creativity.  She said, "Hey Gary! I'm making a 4."  Yes you are!  And it's a very good 4!!  Nicely done Avi!!

Next picture:  All four girls in the cozy corner.  Nora was actually sitting on Atley and Atley was bouncing her up and down.  You can see Atley's face and she was cracking up laughing.  Following picture:  Some more of Avi's creativity.  She cut out the paper pieces and then used some tape to hook her bracelets together.  

Last picture:  Lauralea was introducing the three big girls to an electronic game she found at a Yard Sale. Each one gets the four circles to place on the floor.  Then as the music plays you watch to see which color to stand on and which leg to use.  They had lots of fun with it.  But as you can tell by the picture nobody was watching to see what color to stand on or which leg to use!!  Haha.  It goes pretty fast so it's hard to keep up.  I'm making that judgment just from watching Lauralea do it.  Haha.  (That's a joke; don't tell her I said that!!)  Atley didn't have socks on so she started seeing how high she could lift her foot with the circle stuck to her foot!!  LOL!  Avi's bike helmet was NOT a help in this game.  Haha.  

Avi - 10/14/2020

Avilene ate a bite of French toast and three servings of watermelon for breakfast.  For lunch she ate Hearty Paleo Stew with meat, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, green beans, carrots, and tomatoes.  She ate saltines, and two servings of tropical fruit.   

It was an exciting morning for everyone; Atley is back and the energy level is back to very high - just below explosion level - and the volume is also high.  Haha.  First picture:  Avi is at the bottom of the picture, Nora top left, Atley in the middle, and Svea top right.  Nora said, "I just love slumber parties."  Svea was yelling at them to all quiet down so they could go to sleep. (She was yelling for quietness and was by far the most noisy one!! Ha.)

Next picture:  We (actually it was Lauralea who found them at a yard sale) got lots of new accessories to use with the play dough and the kids had a blast with them.  Avi especially enjoyed the new pieces; check out the action figure she made with the mold she was using.  Very cool Avi!!

Nextt picture:  The three big girls were doing some gluing.  (Look how close Avi's right elbow is to the glue.)  We (ok, Lauralea did this too!!) sorted the beads into fall colors and the girls had fun gluing those.  I offered to help Lauralea sort beads, but I also reminded her I'm still color blind.  Haha.  Last picture: Avilene used her own creativity to make the letters of her name with the tape.  Good work Avi!!

Avi - 10/13/2020

Avilene ate two servings of waffle and ate grapes for breakfast.  For lunch she ate chicken, whole wheat tortillas, corn, and three servings of baked cinnamon apples.   

The first thing Avilene did this morning was hug and play with Cal and Miles.  She really loves the babies and it's so evident when she doesn't see them for a couple of days.  They are the first ones she wants to interact with.  First picture: She's hugging Miles and she said, "Hey Gary! I'm giving Miles love and he's not even screaming."  Hahaha!  

Next picture;  Avi wanted me to take a picture as soon as she got on the soccer shoes, soccer shirt, and I put the headband over her hat.  :)  Following picture:  She was trying to get some soccer shoes on Callahan, but not having much luck.    

Next picture:  Avi, Nora, and Cal in the cozy corner.  Avi was looking at this little board book and she recognized how small it is.  "Hey Gary! This book only has 5 pages."  Yup, it's for the littlest ones.  Last picture:  This was a new book we read during story time.  It has a great story about these frogs that fight all day, every day.  At the end of the book I asked, "What can we learn from this book?"  Avi said, "To swim."  LOL!!  That cracked me up.  I'll ask the same question next time and see if she remembers.  In defense of Avi, she was very distracted because Cal was sitting beside her and she was pestering him much more than he was pestering her.  :)

Avi - 10/09/2020

Avilene ate oatmeal and a large serving of baked cinnamon apples.  For lunch she ate a large serving of hamburger stew with meat, carrots, green beans, potatoes, and tomatoes.  She ate two servings of whole wheat dinner roll and ate apricots.   

First picture:  I'm not sure what was going on here, but it was very "secretive."  Haha.  Nora was whispering something in Avi's ear.  They both had on their sunglasses and had their flashlights too.  Second picture:  Avi said, "Hey look Gary!  I touched the top!!"  Wow, you sure did!  You're growing too fast Avilene!!  (Hold that pose while I grab the camera!!  Ha!)

Next picture:  Avi is giving Miles a "pep talk" and trying to get him to do something.  Can you guess?  Look at the blocks for a hint.  Avi knows the rules and she's following the rules; You cannot help the babies get onto the chair, couch, mattress, blue balance beam, yellow bench at the window, etc etc...until they can do it themselves. My reasoning is this; if they can get up by themselves they can figure out how to get down.  So she's put the blocks in front of the chair and is trying to coax him to use them. However Miles is actually able to get in the chair by himself now!!  :)  I've said this before, but Avi is wonderful with the babies.  She loves them, listens to my words when I ask her to do something different with the babies, and they love and and respond to her!!  Last picture:  Look at the detail in Avi's paper.  More and more detailed all the time.  I love it.  

Avi - 10/08/2020

Avilene ate a bite of French toast and a bite of dried plums for breakfast.  For lunch she ate two servings of pulled pork, two servings of whole wheat noodles, ate peas, and ate strawberries.  

In this first picture from yesterday afternoon Avilene was playing catch with Callahan.  He bent over to pick up the ball, but got totally distracted by some dirt in the grass.  Haha.  Second picture:  Look who Avi is playing with again this morning.  She loves Cal and he loves her because she plays with him and pays attention to him.  Adorable.  He was loving pushing the chair around and around.  

Next picture:  Avi cutting out some more continuous pieces of the paper.  And she has them piled on her cubby.  You're welcome.  Haha.  (And she's doing lots more of them while I'm doing these Blogs!)  Next picture:  I love your Art work Avilene!!  Here's what she told me about her picture;  The person on the left is "Daddy playing frisbee with me."  The person on the right? "That's me."  "And that's a picture on my shirt."  Nice work Avilene.

Last picture:  How cute is this!?!?  Avilene was bouncing and jumping up and down to entertain Miles and it was working.  :)  Look at his big smile and Avi has an absolutely adorable smile on her face as well.  I think this is the best picture ever of Avi.