Avi - 12/31/2020

Avilene said "Nope" for breakfast.  (French Toast and Dried Plums)  For lunch she ate two servings of pulled pork, ate whole wheat toast, peas, and ate strawberries/mangoes.  

Today's theme was "Water."  And we did lots of activities and experiments with water; at least 6.  Here are some examples;  First picture is "Capillary Action" (Haha) and it's an experiment that takes time so the kids are watching the changes through the day.  Those are folded paper towels connecting the bottles together.  Second picture: "Surface Tension." The alcohol pushes the water away.  (It's rubbing alcohol in case someone thinks I'm dipping into my stash. I will not waste that on Science Experiments! Ha)

Next two pictures:  We did lots of "Predicting" today.  The kids LOVED this activity!!  Will it SINK or will it FLOAT?  We even did a chart that you see in the following picture and kept track of their guesses. We had almost 25 items.  It was so much fun.  In the next picture the Pomegranate floated!!

Avi - 12/30/2020

Avilene ate whole wheat toast and mangoes for breakfast.  For lunch she ate three large servings of ground beef with marinara sauce on whole wheat spaghetti noodles, one bite of cauliflower, and ate fruit salad. 

This first picture is left over from yesterday afternoon and the big girls were throwing snow into the air and saying, "It's snowing! It's snowing!!"  The snow was cold and powdery and you can see some above Avi's head.

Next picture: Avi and Atley in the Preschool Room reading some books.  Sometimes they like to look at books by themselves and some times together like you see in the picture.  It's fun to listen to them talk about what they are looking at or listen to them read.  Following picture;  Setting up the "Avalanche Game" to have some fun.   

Next picture: Avilene doing some sequencing activities.  She's a whiz that these cognitive games and uses great 5 year old logic.  Her brain processor is running at high speeds and she smokes through these games. Haha.  Last picture;  Avilene was enjoying playing with Miles.  She'd drum on the wall in the cozy corner and he'd drum on the wall.  She loved that he'd copy what she did.

Avi - 12/29/2020

Avilene ate two servings of blueberry bagel and two servings of grapes for breakfast.  For lunch she ate three servings of shrimp, no brown rice, ate stir fry vegetables, and three servings of raspberries.   

This first picture is left over from yesterday afternoon when Avi was watching herself in the mirror while singing along to "Summer of 69" and she was totally into it!!  :)  The following picture is also left over from yesterday afternoon when everyone was rocking to Macarena.  Or at least they were trying to follow Avi's lead.  Miles, on the other hand, was just trying to stay upright!!  Haha.  Good work Miles. 

Next picture;  Avi was playing with her buddy and she'd just finished peeling off his socks for him.  Ha. Following picture:  Avilene was laughing hard watching Miles play with a doctor toy - like a syringe thing for giving a shot.  Except Miles was inserting it into his nose.  I loved watching Avilene laugh at him!  (I grabbed it from him after I got the picture!!  Ha.)

Last picture: I got this new game for the kids called "Avalanche." You use a spinner to see what color of fruit you pick out and try to avoid creating an "avalanche."  As we were playing the game Atley said, "Make sure you don't get a lava lamp!!"  Avi said, "No, it's an avalanche." Atley said, "Oh that's right!" Haha.  All three girls said they enjoyed the game a lot.

Avi - 12/28/2020

Avilene ate some bran cereal and no raisins for breakfast.  For lunch she ate chicken, whole wheat pita bread, cucumbers, no avocado, and ate a couple bites of pears.  Lunch conversation: This isn't about Avi or Svea, but it's funny.  Nora was certain that Atley's piece of pita bread was bigger than her's.  Nora said, "Why does Atley get a bigger piece?"  Before I could answer Atley said, "Because I have a bigger mouth!"  Haha.  Then Atley opened her mouth, leaned across the table and said, "Do you want to measure them?!?"  Hahah.  What a goof. 

This first picture is a bit staged, but it was so cute when I turned around and Avi was snuggling this stuffed kitty.  She had the sweetest and most content expression.  (And it pretty much looked just like the picture below.)  She got a bit embarrassed when she saw me watching her, but she likes to have her picture taken so she cooperated with me.  :)

Next picture:  Avi was actually doing this hanging upside-down for Miles.  He was to the left of the picture, but she was playing with him and having fun with him.  Avi was managing to lift herself off the floor doing what you see in the picture. 

Last picture;  Avilene asked me for some "cardboard" and I found some thin pieces in the recycle bin that they could cut with their scissors.  And of course everyone wanted some cardboard.  

Avi - 12/23/2020

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, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, peppers, and lots of spices.  She ate whole wheat dinner roll and tropical fruit.  

Wednesday morning "Science with Lauralea" before Breakfast.  :)  Two experiments this morning: Christmas Lava Lamps and Making Slime.  (You can see more slime and read more about it in Svea's Blog.)  First picture:  Making the Lamps and the Ingredients for the Lava Lamps were Water, Food Coloring, Vegetable Oil, and Alka-Seltzer. The kids got a kick out of this.  You know what's gonna happen when the Alka-Seltzer hits the water.  In the second picture you can see some of the results of that.  Third picture:  Avi and Atley playing with the slime we made.  Atley said hers was a "spider web."

Next picture;  Avi and Atley working on decorating their Christmas Trees.  I love this last picture:  Avilene working on a puzzle and she said, "I'm doing this one upside-down."  Haha.  And she did.  That was pretty cool; finding ways to challenge herself!!  You're awesome Avi.

Avi - 12/22/2020

Avilene ate two servings of whole wheat English muffin and ate grapes for breakfast.  For lunch she ate half of her pork roast, ate whole wheat toast, half of beets, and ate applesauce.   

I asked Avi to tell Lauralea what was "new" in their family yesterday and she totally knew exactly what I was talking about.  She told Lauralea and said that her "cousin's name is Georgia."  So I said, "tell Lauralea what Georgia's middle name is."  Avi thought about that for a few moments and said, "Sanks."  Hahaha!!  And I didn't correct her either!!  :)

First picture:  Avi's first activity this morning was making this "sunset" and some person in her picture.  Second picture; Looking through the Preschool Activity exchange she grabbed a tape measure and was gonna measure Miles.  It's hard to measure when they're moving!!

Two pictures of her art work.  She said, "Hey Gary, Look at my airplane."  Then moments later; "Hey Gary, look at my polar bear."  Good work Avi.  Last picture:  Avi was cutting tape for everyone else and Atley was assisting her.  That's Svea's hand at the bottom of the picture waiting for the tape she ordered. (I do have more colors than that, but we are using these colors through the Christmas Holiday Season.)

Avi - 12/18/2020

Avilene ate oatmeal and no dried cranberries for breakfast.  For lunch she ate tilapia, two servings of whole wheat elbow noodles, green beans, and applesauce.  I've got a note left over from Snack on Wednesday.  We were having Tomato Juice and Saltines.  Avi was looking at the juice can and spelling "T-O-M-A-T-O,"  I asked, "What does that spell?"  Avi said, "Orange Juice."  That made me laugh.  She got a silly look on her face and said, "Noooo, tomato juice."  So cute.  

Nora was sitting beside me on the couch examining the house; slowly looking at the ceiling and the walls.  Finally she said, "Did you buy this house?"  Haha.  "Why yes, we sure did.  A long time ago actually; over 24 years."  Then I added, "Your Mommy was probably a kid when we bought this house."  Nora's eyes got BIG.  Haha.  Avi was listening and said, "Well my Mom is (380) three-eighty."  LOL!!  I quickly grabbed my phone; that's Blog material right there!!  :)

These first two pictures are left over from yesterday afternoon.  This first one is so creative!!  Good job Avilene.  As you can see she used these "Jenga" blocks to create her own name.  No input from me; I just turned around and here it was.  She's always impressing me with something.  The second picture shows some of the sequencing she's doing.  There are three different sets here, but the bottom one has 8 pictures and she just smoked through those!!  And some of the differences are fairly subtle.  

Next picture;  I rarely have them "line-up" for a picture, but I wasn't having any luck getting them together any other way.  I wanted you to see three in matching pajamas.  And Avilene in her "special" pajamas as well.  I believe we have Atley's Nana to thank for these!!  (I wasn't in the loop, but I think that's correct!! Hahaha!! There are lots of loops I don't need or want to be in!!  :)  Last picture:  Doing some gluing at Art; making decorations.  

Avi - 12/17/2020

Avilene ate blueberry bagel and ate peaches for breakfast.  For lunch she ate three large servings of hamburger & sausage pizza with the meats, peppers, olives, pineapple, and tomato sauce.  We serve the whole wheat pizza crust on the side and she ate that, and she ate pineapple on the side too.  She always loves how we do the pizza.  

(Some of the following will be a repeat from what you read in Svea's Blog.)  "Science with Lauralea" has become quite the hit with the 4 oldest kids!!  That's all they talk about every Thursday morning (and frequently during the week) before we begin.  Lauralea had to run get something before we started and Nora said, "Don't take too long!"  Haha.  Last picture:  We did 3 experiments this morning and the theme was "Chemical Reactions" with a Christmas bent.  This first one was just for them to observe.  "Bobbing Jingle Bells" using a soft drink that was carbonated.  We probably put a dozen "Christmas" jingle bells in the container in the middle of the table and when the liquid hit they all rose to the top, then descended to the bottom and then one and sometimes more would suddenly rise to the top. Then back to the bottom.  Repeat and repeat.  It continued for an hour and then we put in fresh liquid and they started all over again. 

Second Experiment:  We called this "Crystal Growing" and it's starting to work as I'm doing the Blog. It said about 3 hours so the kids can frequently watch to see it develop.  They twirled pipe cleaners around a marker to make them curl.  Then we put Borax in the glass and added boiling water (no, the children were not in danger) and stirred while the Borax dissolved.  Then we put the pipe cleaners in the glasses and now we wait to see if it works.  :)

Last picture: The one below was "Peppermint Oobleck."  Basically water and cornstarch and the crushed peppermint candy just for smell.  Water and Cornstarch together make a solid and a liquid both.  Crazy.  For example when it's sitting still in Avi or Atley's bowls it looks liquid, but I could hit it with my fist and NOT splatter.  Haha.  I think Lauralea and I were having as much fun as the kids with this one.

Avi - 12/16/2020

Avilene ate half of whole wheat toast and ate grapes for breakfast.  For lunch she ate pork roast, whole wheat tortillas, bites of carrot/potato vegetable mix, and ate a large serving of fruit salad.  

First picture:  These four girls were sitting on the couch listening to Alexa tell them a "spooky story" at Avi's request.  I love how Nora is leaning back into Avi snuggling and Avi has her arm around Nora.  Avi asked if I wanted a picture of them snuggling.  :)  Atley is stretched out beside them barely on the couch.  Haha.  Following picture.  Avi doing some creative stuff at Art Time.  She said this is a "guy fishing in a big lake."  

Ok, now that I've figured out how to do "unlisted videos" on Youtube, I will occasionally put a link to one here in the Blog.  It's only 4 seconds long, but fun on the mattress.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnXlwL3mHCI

I LOVE this last picture!!  It makes my heart purr.  Miles is participating in a precious love with Lauralea. But I also LOVE Avi's expression here as well.  She adores Miles and she's totally enjoying and appreciating what's happening here.  Look closely at her expression!!  I love it when a child can enjoy just watching like this.  

Avi - 12/15/2020

Avilene ate two servings of whole wheat English muffin and no dried plums for breakfast.  For lunch she ate chicken, two servings of brown rice, ate most of stir fry vegetables, and ate mandarin oranges.  

This first picture is left over from Friday afternoon.  Atley is feeding Miles his cottage cheese and Avilene is feeding Callahan.  Miles has his mouth open wide, but still keeping an eye on Cal.  Haha.  So cute.  I know the three families of the three older girls already know this, but I like reminders and I hope you do too;  The big girls LOVE to be helpers!!  And this is a big help to me too - I'm free to take a picture!!  Avi enjoyed doing this a LOT.

Next picture:  Avi asked me to draw her a Christmas Tree so I just did a triangle with a stump and she's doing the rest.  Putting the glue lines on and the tiny beads for decorations.  Following picture:  She also asked me to draw her a stocking and again I did an outline and she filled it in with her creative ideas.  She'll ask me for assistance like that; then if I don't do it the way she's got it pictured in her head she'll just look at it for a while and I know "this one isn't gonna fly."

Last picture;  Enjoying the comfort and quietness of the new library area.  Haha.  Maybe comfortable, but definitely not quiet.  

Avi - 12/11/2020

Avilene ate brown rice and no raisins for breakfast.  For lunch she ate three servings of salmon, ate whole wheat dinner roll, no riced cauliflower, and ate mangoes.

Yesterday we (Lauralea doing the videoing) videoed the kids doing 3 separate Christmas songs.  This weekend I'm planning on trying to Post these on an "Unlisted You Tube" video.  No one can see it except those you give the link to.  Does anyone have any objections to this or know of any reason I shouldn't use that format?  No names are given in the video; it's just 3 songs.

This first picture is left over from yesterday afternoon.  Avilene did a great job recreating the different faces of the "feelings" poster.  She was trying hard to hold her paper just right for me to take a picture and she had the most serious expression.  So I kept saying, "You're a cutie, you're a cutie."  And she started grinning.  :)

Next picture:  Ok, you have to guess!  What the heck are these 3 girls doing?  A.) They all fell asleep. B.)  Meditation.  C.)  Smelling the table.  D.)  Hiding their eyes for a game.  E.)  All of the above.  Haha.  So here's the answer, but I'm not gonna use the letter in case someone is trying to cheat!!  :)  I'd just finished wiping the table after breakfast and they were all anxiously awaiting the Art you see in the picture below. Nora said, "This smells so good!!"  Haha.  Whatever Nora.  Silly kid.  So they were all having a sniff and it was unanimous - the table smelled marvelous.

Last picture:  all 4 girls were working hard at this Art Project and having a good time.  These Christmas Trees are made of felt and we glued some decorations on them and had some stickers that work on the felt!!  So if they're dry by pick-up time the kids can take them home.  

Avi - 12/10/2020

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

So the highlight of Thursday mornings is "Science with Lauralea."  The first experiment was Preschool introduction to electricity.  :)  I love it.  Power source is the 9-volt battery, conductor is the wire carrying the power to the lights.  We used 2 mini lights and Lauralea gave each of the 3 big girls those items and asked if they could make the lights come on.  Essentially no instructions and Avi figured it out in less than a minute.  And the others followed her lead.  Super exciting for the girls.  

Activity number 2:  Two baking trays covered with aluminum foil and each girl chose a Christmas cookie cutter.  They layered the bottom of the cookie cutter with beads (most were plastic) and put them in the oven at 400 degrees.  That sure smelled good.  Haha.  Not.  Look in the picture of the girls plugging their noses.  So we'll see how the "Christmas Tree Ornaments" come out.  :)  Because of what we were using Svea was convinced it would be something to eat.  Haha.  She asked, "Can I eat my cookie?"

Avi - 12/09/2020

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

This first picture is leftover from yesterday afternoon when Avi was standing on the airplane and making it teeter-totter by herself.  :)  I love how balanced this toy is; and it's well constructed and even the smallest kids can make it teeter-totter.  Second picture:  This is the very first thing Avi did this morning; making an ornament for her tree at home she said.

Last three pictures:  The three big girls had lots of fun doing our Snowman project.  And I was impressed with how well they listened and followed my instructions.  (I know it's early to say this and I know I'm biased, but ALL three of these girls are gonna shine at Kindergarten!!)  First we glued eyes, mouth, nose, buttons, and then they used their paint brushes and put glue within the lines.  (I only helped by painting glue on the face around the buttons.)  Nora and Atley cut out mittens and Avi made a hat for the Snowman.  We used paper towel tubes for his arms.  If it's dry you'll see it tonight, if not, then tomorrow night!!  Good job girls.  I only included this last picture here in Avi's Blog so I could brag about the Snowman's hat she made.  I got a book and put it in front of her and showed her a picture.  Isn't this an awesome hat or what!?!  :)  She drew it, cut it, and glued it all by herself.