Avi - 04/30/2021

Avilene ate oatmeal and bites of baked cinnamon apples for breakfast. For lunch she ate most of hamburger stew with meat, carrots, tomatoes, green beans, and potatoes. She ate whole wheat dinner roll, and a bite of fruit cocktail. 

We do "Science with Lauralea;" so I'm thinking of "History with Gary." :) Using music/songs. We've listened to this song many times; "Battle of New Orleans" and I was curious if they could answer some questions! 1. Does anybody know what happened in 1814? Atley said, "We took a little trip!" (Line of the song.) 2. Where did we go? Avi said, "New Orleans." 3. Who was our leader? Colonel.....? Avi said, "Jackson!" 4. Who were we fighting? Avi said, "British." So there you have it! History using music. :)

Yesterday when Linnea came to visit Avi had a blast playing with Anders, Linnea's brother who is also signed up to enter Kindergarten this fall. He enjoys playing rough too and they were pounding and chasing each other with the noodles. :)

Speaking of yesterday here are a couple of random pictures I have leftover. First picture: Simply too cool for words. :) You're rocking it Avi!! Second picture: "Hey Gary! Look at this! You wanna picture!?! Oh of course!! That's pretty creative Avi. She appears to be heading for the Kentucky Derby!!

Next picture: Initially Avi was in the chair with Miles and Callahan was providing the power! Then Avi coaxed Cal into the chair and she was running around and around as fast as her legs could go. If you zoom in on both of the boys it's pretty cute. Following picture: Avi was coloring her own picture to match the puzzle she just finished. Last picture: Avi likes to pick up Svea this way, but she found out Atley was not nearly as easy to maneuver!! Haha. 

Avi - 04/29/2021

No breakfast today! "I'm not eating!!" Stinking French toast and dried plums. :) She made up for it at lunch!! WOW!! Three servings of pulled pork, two servings or whole wheat toast, two servings of peas, and three servings of strawberries.  

First picture: I like the basketball player. Good work Avi!! (From yesterday.)

Today's "Science with Lauralea" theme is "Popcorn." We recently talked about "explosions" and about "absorption" and we witnessed both of those in action today. Popcorn kernels have moisture or drop of water so when it's heated to a certain temperature it blows up through the starchy shell. Think about the first person who experimented with a kernel. They probably tossed it into a fire and something popped and the rest is history. Haha. When you're making and eating Popcorn you use all 5 of your senses; see it, hear it, touch it, taste it, and smell it. Out first experiment involved putting a cup of salt in a jar, then a quarter cup of popcorn and stirring it up. Then when you shake it all the kernels rise to the top. Activity 2 - "We're gonna pop some popcorn!!" Lots of cheering and excitement!! Ha! And they didn't get bored watching because it all happened pretty quickly! We used four different ways to make popcorn: Two microwave options; in a bowl and in a paper sack. Stovetop. Gary's Stir Crazy Popper!! Then it was time for some taste-testing!! (In 4th picture below.) 

Next picture: We had this glass FULL of water and 3 of the same glasses full of popcorn. Can you fit all three glasses of popcorn into this glass of water!?! The picture shows the answer is YES. The popcorn has air in it and works similar to a sponge. (Not as well if it's absorbed a bunch of oil when cooking.) Last picture: We dissolved baking soda in the water and then put in the popcorn kernels. Then we added vinegar and watched the kernels go up AND down. Actually quite fascinating! 

Avi - 04/28/2021

Avilene ate whole wheat toast and two servings of mangoes for breakfast. For lunch she ate 2 large servings of ground beef with marinara sauce on 2 large servings of whole wheat spaghetti noodles, ate a small serving of cauliflower, and two servings of fruit salad.

First picture; As soon as they were done waving to Daddy Andy at the window Avi put her cap on Miles' head and it was pretty cute. This is Avi's new cap - and she's pretty fond of her hats anyhow - and she wanted it right back. To Avi's surprise (did not surprise Cal and Gary - haha) Miles did not want to take it off and he started screaming. Oh man, that hit my funny bone!! Avi learned another lesson about Miles' tendencies!! 

Next picture: Cal was reading books on the couch and Avi crawled up next to him - she was actually waiting for me to start Story Time - but he quickly engaged her in what he was reading. "Humpty Dumpty." Avi said, "No Cal, that is not Humpty Dumpty." (She was right.) He obviously pretty much ignored her because then he started singing it. Haha. (It was "The Cow Jumped Over the Moon.")

Last picture: All 4 girls are in this picture and they were playing with the battery powered cars on the hardwood floors. As you can see in the picture Avi decided to add another dimension to their game; a human bridge. She's always thinking of something different to do! Always! Doing things the "normal way" - whatever that means - is boring. Haha.

Avi - 04/27/2021

Avilene had two servings of blueberry bagel and ate grapes for breakfast. For lunch she ate two servings of shrimp, no brown rice, ate broccoli, and three servings of raspberries. She's not a fan of broccoli, but she was willing to eat it to get more shrimp and raspberries. I put lots of butter and salt on the broccoli and I think that helped her consume it!! :)  

I'm gonna post this message here and then you'll probably see it 2 or 3 more times in the next two weeks. (Or until you tell me you read it! Ha!) There will NOT be any Blogs the week of May 10th. Lauralea is blessing me by keeping Little Treasures open that week so I can go to Louisiana. I'm flying out on May 8th and home on May 15th. Thank you SO much Lauralea!

This first picture is left over from outside yesterday afternoon. Avi, Svea, and Cal were the only kids left and Avi was still "hiding" eggs for the little people. You can see Cal sprinting past the hidden eggs. Ha. Maybe he was helping hide them from Svea. :)

Next picture: Thank you Momma Molly for the wooden train set. Atley and Nora played with this for a LONG this morning; before and after breakfast. I had to get a picture of Avi in here too because she wasn't interested in it at home. Atley and Nora had it pretty much arranged the way they wanted it before Avi arrived. 

Next picture: Here are the three oldest girls playing the "Ladybug Game." They are starting to understand the different rules and they're doing GREAT taking turns. Avi works hard at keeping the game flowing! :) After they were done I read a long story for them that goes with the game. I'd never even looked at that paper before; I just thought it was part of the rules. They all loved the story of the Ladybugs getting lost in the storm and finding their way home. Svea said, "I'm afraid of praying mantis!" Last picture: That is Miles wrapped up inside Avi's blanket. He shows no inclination of claustrophobia!! Ha.

Avi - 04/26/2021

Avilene ate most of bran cereal and ate 1 raisin for breakfast. For lunch she ate chicken, toasted whole wheat pita bread, ate cucumbers, avocado, and three servings of pears.

I want to mention that I (and Lauralea when she's around) have been working hard to help the three big girls use acceptable and appropriate ways to solve problems and disputes. This is obviously an ongoing challenge, but I think they're making some progress. Avi usually just tries to boss everyone around, but she has been listening and learning to back off at times too. 

All of Avi's pictures are in the Preschool Room doing games and activities. We did a toy, puzzle, and book exchange, but you can see in the first picture they were playing the same "feelings matching game." Did you notice Avi has no matches? Well she said she didn't want to play this round, just be an observer. Ha! You know how that went! Guess who was immediately in charge and trying to control the table. Following picture: Another matching game, but this one was pretty hard. They're all bears and they have subtle differences in the skin color and it's hard to find matches! Even for those not color blind!! Ha. 

Next picture: Nice job of working hard and getting these shapes all balanced on your boat Avi. Last picture: A nice challenging 48 piece puzzle and Avi nailed it by herself. Good work again, Avi. 

Avi - 04/23/2021

Avi ate a large bowl of cream of wheat cereal and ate 2 nibbles of dried plums for breakfast. For lunch she ate chicken, two servings of brown rice, ate bite of broccoli, and ate pineapple. At lunch the big girls were giving each other simple tips for a better life. Haha. For example Nora had this to offer; "when I sniff a lot it makes my ears unplugged!" And she followed it up with a demonstration. :)

This picture is left over from yesterday afternoon and Avi was working on the shapes puzzles again. She enjoys this activity and does it frequently. And of course she asks for me to take a picture. I'm especially happy to do a picture when it's something like this that's she's working hard at and is very engaged!!

Next picture: Everyone, including the boys, did some "dot painting" today. It's been awhile since the kids asked for dot paints at art time. 

Last picture: Not too much to say about this picture except that it was cute how Avi went to the Daycare Room and was playing with these younger toys and Miles was eager to join her. And of course that's the primary reason she kept playing with them. She loves that kid. 

Avi - 04/22/2021

Avilene had no waffle ("ate one at home") and ate three servings of fruit salad for breakfast. For lunch she ate ground turkey, whole wheat tortillas, sweet potatoes, and three servings of cherries. 

This first picture is left over from yesterday afternoon when Avi was working on a puzzle. Atley said, "It's a massage and Avi says it feels good." :) Maybe they're in a puzzle competition and Atley is trying to relax her puzzle partner. :) 

Note before we get into the Science pictures; Lauralea left immediately for Plains when she was done with this; dealing with an aging Parents situation. So this was a bit shorter than usual and nothing to take home, but the kids had a blast. Ha! (Pun intended!!) Theme for Science with Lauralea today was "eruptions." Basically two experiments; The first one was "elephant's toothpaste" and the kids loved that title. It was a mixture of yeast, water, hydrogen peroxide, dish soap, and food coloring. So this experiment ended up being a dud, but as you can see by the first picture Lauralea made her own eruption!! Haha. (I think the yeast may have been too old.) The second experiment involved four bottles of soda and the kids guessed which one would produce the best eruption using mentos!! "root beer, orange, cola, 7-up." Lauralea made a paper funnel and used that for funneling several mentos into the bottle and getting back quickly. The best part of the morning: Lauralea's funnel got too wet so she tried to use her hand and she got wet!! The kids roared and laughed! They thought that was the greatest thing ever. Hahaha.

Avi - 04/21/2021

No French toast for Avi of course - she ate three servings of strawberries for breakfast. For lunch she ate two large servings of Whole 30 Chili with meat, peppers, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, tomato sauce, and with delicious seasonings. She ate whole wheat dinner roll and tropical fruit.

Meal times are always busy and even though I'm only a few feet away if I'm in the kitchen I frequently can NOT tell their voices apart. "I want more!" Who said that? The standard answer is; "I did!" :) That is NOT helpful!! Today as I was putting food on their Lunch plates someone asked, "What are we having for lunch?!?" I said, "Ask Avi; she will know!" The Problem; Apparently it was Avi who asked the question!! Haha. That sure made me laugh! Avi didn't really see any humor in it (which made it funnier of course) until she heard me talking into my "notes" app for Blog Time and she was grinning big time. I thought for sure it was Nora asking the question!

First picture - All 6 kids were watching the Street Sweeper, but only 4 were at the window. Atley and Nora were watching from the couch. The driver didn't notice the kids waving - which is probably good; he's focused on his job. Ha. However, the Garbage Truck driver waved at them this morning. 

Next picture: The kids had fun with some new stickers I got. Eyes, hair, nose, lips. And then as you can see they colored their faces and dressed them up pretty good. I think they're very interesting!! They also did another paper that was all food stickers which they got a big kick out of. Last picture: Avi doing what Avi loves to do: Maul someone. Haha. Svea is her prime target of course and it actually surprises me a little bit that Svea puts up with it for long periods of time!! However, Svea loves her sis and loves that attention from sis and they have a good time. 

Avi - 04/20/2021

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

First picture: Avi was on the couch under her blanket coaxing Miles to join her and he did. At least he got his head under the blanket. So cute. And he stayed there with her for a few minutes. It's so cute how Avi gives him loves and then kisses on the cheek when he's heading to bed too. Every day.

Next picture: The four girls playing a "feelings matching game" again. They all got matches in this first game. About the time I took the picture Svea was saying, "I really really really need another match!" Ha. And she actually did get another one before the game was over. :) Next picture: Avi showing me her "castle" creation this morning. 

Last picture: We made a "castle" and covered it with a blanket. Five kids were under there and the first frantic phrase I heard; "Hey!! I don't have any room!!" Ha. And of course Cal could not resist joining the fun time. Ha.

Avi - 04/19/2021

Avilene ate no chex cereal and ate two servings of peaches for breakfast. For lunch she ate two servings of ground beef, nibble of toasted whole wheat sandwich thin, ate avocado, tomato, and two servings of mandarin oranges.  

First picture; From Friday afternoon. I got some bottles of bubbles and the kids had a blast running and chasing all over the yard! They started asking for bubbles in February!! Ha. We almost drained an entire large bottle on Friday because all of us were having so much fun. 

This next picture is one I took on Saturday (just for fun) and then saved to have the kids guess at what it looks like to them. The 3 oldest kids had great guesses; Svea said, "Mowana." Haha. No idea what that may have meant! So Avi said, "Pink snakes." Atley said, "Pink meat." Nora said, "Puzzle." Good guessing! That is some of the coolest bacon swirls you'll ever see. Haha. Sugar Free bacon of course.  :) Which is not easy to find in our fair city.

Next picture; This was pretty cute, but the timing of it was even cuter. Avi said, "Hey Gary! I have a Superman T-shirt on under here." At the same time Svea was saying, "Hey Gary, look at my baby." She had it wrapped and snuggled so sweetly. Quite the contrast between the Nelson girls. (You'll see a picture of Svea showing her baby to Nora in Svea's Blog.) Last picture: Avi working hard on a puzzle.

Avi-04/16/2021

Avilene arrived probably an hour before Lunch so her Blog will be short. For lunch she ate Tilapia, two servings of whole wheat elbow noodles, ate green beans, and ate a large serving of applesauce.  

Picture from today - Avilene worked hard at her Art picture this morning and she went back to an old favorite; The Christmas Tree!! :) She even asked me to do a little Star on the top just like she did everyday during the past Christmas Season! Ha. Here's the part I like best; what she's doing up in the right-hand corner! A very very small Santa in his sleigh and the reindeer of course. Why so small? "Because they are so far away." Of course. My favorite part; See all the little "dots" everywhere?!? "Those are elves." Nice.

Avi - 04/15/2021

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

This first picture is left over from yesterday afternoon. Avi and Atley like to work together and drag the kids around on the parachute. At this time Svea was the only other one here so it worked pretty good! You better hang on Svea. When they turned corners Svea kind of got rolled up like a burrito. :)

Thursday; Science with Lauralea!! Today's theme is "stuff that dissolves." So what does "dissolve" mean? No answers, so we had to define that first. We had several cups with water and everyone tried something different and stirred. I think this is most of them: flour, sugar, corn starch, salt, Himalayan pink salt, toothpaste, yeast, creamer, brown sugar, instant coffee, granulated onion, tea, cinnamon, crushed animal crackers, baking soda, and arrowroot powder. Whew!! That's a lot of stuff!! Ha. About half of these items were soluble. 

Next we did an experiment with Vinegar. Vinegar is basically an acid, but a safe acid. So we tried an experiment that will take some time to see the results! Two different cups with vinegar; into one cup we put a "sea shell." Into the other cup we put "egg shell." We had a boiled egg and the kids remembered how to determine if an egg is boiled or not. "Spin it" they said. Good job of remembering!! 

Last two pictures; We did another bottle full of water and sparkles that they chose. This was basically not relevant to the dissolving experiments, but they enjoy having something to take home. :)

Avi - 04/14/2021

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

First picture: This is from yesterday afternoon when Atley and Avi were doing an activity following patterns of color and sequencing on this game I made. They've done it before, but not for a long time. I always find it interesting how they'll do something they like - over and over until they're tired of it - and then maybe not come back to it for weeks or months.  Svea was watching with interest while the big girls were at work.

Next picture; The kids put the tunnel in front of the igloo and covered the entrance with the cozy corner carpet. As usual Atley was the "Worker Bee" even though it just looks like she's laying there at the moment of the picture. Svea and Atley were the only ones not in the igloo when I took the picture. 

Last picture; Avi surrounded herself with supplies before beginning work on her art piece. She worked hard on this for a long time and came up with a pretty cool piece out of her creative mind. And you get a bonus here; Svea is in the picture too working on coloring a "Fancy Nancy" picture.

Avi - 04/13/2021

Avilene ate raisin cinnamon English muffin and no dried plums for breakfast. For lunch she ate chicken, brown rice, broccoli, and two servings of mandarin oranges. 

This first note is actually left over from yesterday afternoon when I was snuggling Avi. She said, "Hey! Don't get your pokey stuff on my face!" (whiskers) LOL!! That sure made me laugh. 

Avi saw my shopping list - at least 6 items - on the refrigerator and said, "You wrote bubbles up there; it's the only one that starts with a B." (I'd told her yesterday I'd put bubbles on my list.) I told her there were three "b's" in that word. I'll buy some when I go shopping. She said, "That (buy) starts with a "b" too." I'm gonna put that in your Blog. She said, "That (blog) starts with a "B" too. Here's an idea: Maybe skip Kindergarten and go straight to 1st Grade. :)

This first picture is from yesterday afternoon and Avi asked if I'd take a picture of this for her Blog. She likes this activity; basically a puzzle using shapes and colors. Good work Avi.

Here's the context for this next picture: Avi was done with breakfast and everyone was present including Cal who was still in his highchair eating. Avi asked me; "Hey Gary! Is Callahan gonna be here today?"  I said, "Hey Avi! I wanna introduce you to someone! This is Callahan!" (As I was taking the picture.) Last picture; Avi and Atley at the Doll House. I've mentioned this before, but they'll frequently play a game here that they call "delivery." Avi was kind of a wild delivery person and I said she needed to be a little more gentle with the packages so she didn't damage them. Ha. (Side note: I worked a Holiday Season at UPS one year and I can say it really doesn't help much to write "fragile" on a package.)