Avi - 12/11/2019

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

Atley and Avi are at the age where they occasionally make "competition" out of everything.  "I win! I win!"  This morning Atley was running across the room and told Avi, "Do NOT follow me."  Then Atley made it to the window and said, "You lose."  Geez.  Silly kids.  Well that's one way to ensure you "win" - just eliminate the competition.  Side note: At this age I don't really encourage or discourage competition.  They are learning it somewhere (even though they really don't understand it fully) and I just work on their social/emotional skills; treating each other with fairness and kindness.

This first picture is leftover from yesterday afternoon and Avi mastered this puzzle.  And wanted me to take a picture of course.  :)  Following picture: Avi and Atley playing the "Sequence Game" again.  Notice how Atley is slipping her arm under Avi's arm to select another card off the stack while Avi is still in the middle of her turn.  :)

Lauralea was just finishing up with Avi's testing and it was fun to watch.  First picture;  She had to count the items in each pile and put a corresponding number with each pile.  Nailed it!!  :)  Second picture; Sequencing skills activities.  These four cards are four steps in building a snowman and she has to arrange them in proper order.  Nailed it.  :)  I like the last picture.  She had no clue how to attach a paperclip to the paper.  Lauralea showed her one time and she did every other one.  Nailed it!!  Quick learner!

Avi - 12/10/2019

Avilene ate a bite of whole wheat English muffin and ate dried plums for breakfast.  For lunch she ate the chicken out of the chicken stir fry, ate brown rice, and ate mandarin oranges.

This first picture is from yesterday afternoon.  We can see this yard of goodies (across the street and down a couple of houses) from our Daycare window as long as the neighbors don't block the view with their motorhome.  :)  So after Baby Miles left yesterday we went for a walk and had a close-up look.  They loved it.  Two or three times I'd point something out and ask if they liked it.  Avi said, "I like all of it!"

Next picture: Lauralea doing some testing with Avilene this morning.  So I'll first mention this here and that will help remind us to talk about it.  I think Lauralea is basically ready with Avi's Developmental evaluation.  As I've mentioned Lauralea is gonna do them once per year around the children's birthday.  However, this is a busy time of year for everyone so this week I'll give you some available dates and see if we can squeeze one in before Christmas or early in January.  And then looking ahead to January it will be time for Svea's too.

Last picture: Atley working on puzzles and Avi keeping an eye on her progress.  Avi did some puzzles of her own, played with the cameras, talked Atley into playing the Sequence Game, and several more Preschool activities.

Avi - 12/9/2019

Avilene ate three servings of cheerios and ate banana for breakfast.  For lunch she ate half of ground beef, ate whole wheat pita bread, avocado, a couple bites of tomatoes, and ate a large serving of strawberries.  At the Lunch table Atley said, "Gary, my breath hurts."  What?!?  I knew I'd heard her correctly, but I needed some clarification!  Haha.  "Show me where you hurt."  So she pointed to the inside of her mouth.  Avi, of course, felt the need to jump into the conversation!  (With a high level of accusation implied) Avi asked, "Have you been licking your lips!?!?"  LOL!  All around underneath Avilene's bottom lip it's shiny red from licking.  So I'm assuming she's heard that question a few times!!  :)

Well we did a toy, book, and puzzle exchange (or as Atley calls it; "new toy Monday") this weekend and the kids were busy all morning.  First picture: Avilene was doing a "search and find" book similar to the one she had here from home.  Second picture: Avi is learning how to use one of the new "kid cameras" I got for them to play with.

 

Next picture: I set up this game for Avi and Atley and took this picture as they were getting started.  This is a game called "Sequence" that we've played several times and they are capable of playing it themselves and taking turns drawing the cards.  Last picture: Avi was working on putting the cards away after their game.  But this was not as easy as you may think!!  :)  She had to arrange them in a particular order with the outside of the cards all "right-side up."  Well done Avilene.  Lauralea would be super proud of you!!  :)  She had picked up all the blue pieces earlier and wanted me to pick up the green ones.  "Gary, will you pick the green ones up?"  "Why?"  She answered, "So I don't have to. I'm tired."  LOL.  I'm so sorry, but you're almost done.  :)  (Atley had wandered off long before this - "I'm done" - and Avi continued playing the game by herself.)

Avi - 12/6/2019

Avilene ate two servings of brown rice and ate raisins for breakfast.  For lunch she ate three servings of pollack fish (she ate a LOT of fish), whole wheat dinner roll, riced cauliflower, and mangoes.

This week I've hidden "Woody"  every morning and Avi searches for it when she first arrives.  It makes me laugh because she and Atley both immediately go to the last spot they saw it; the place it was hiding yesterday.  Not gonna hide it in the same spot 2 days in a row.  :)  And even though I tell them that, they still go.

So this first picture is left over from yesterday afternoon.  The kids all had a flashlight and we turned out the lights (as it was getting dark in the late afternoon) and they had fun with that.  Linnea is on the right, standing on the blue balance beam.  Atley is blinding herself in the far corner, Avi on the left looking for spiders on the ceiling, and Svea is shining her light on the mattress in front of herself.  Second picture: Avi helping keep Miles happy while I warm up his bottle.  Good job Avilene!

Next picture: I took this picture of Avi just sitting at the table talking to Lauralea.  Avi had just went potty and washed her hands and said she wanted to sit, not touch any toys, and that way NOT have to wash her hands again before breakfast.  LOL!  Ok, but it's gonna be around 15 minutes.  And she said right there for 15 minutes so she wouldn't have to go to ALL that trouble washing.  Last picture: Avi in the middle and Svea and Linnea on each side of her pretending to be napping.  Svea is getting into the mood by sucking her thumb.  :)

Avi - 12/5/2019

Avilene ate half of whole wheat English muffin and ate mandarin oranges for breakfast.  For lunch she ate ground beef, large serving of whole wheat elbow noodles, ate peas, and three servings of applesauce.  At breakfast she said, "Your mandarin oranges are different than mine (at home)."  I wasn't sure what she meant by that until I drank the juice and it was not sweet.  No sugar (or any sweetener) in these.

Just an FYI, Avilene has been chewing on her fingernails again; a lot.  I remind her frequently, but it totally feels like nagging because she'll stop momentarily and then resume gnawing.  I said, "Hey Avi, please stop chewing your fingernails."  She was trying to stop and a minute later she said, "I just wanna bite something!"  :)

This first picture is from yesterday afternoon.  Avilene really likes the babies and is very sweet to them.  As you well know she's a busy busy little girl, but she'll occasionally stop to say hi or interact with Callahan or Miles.  So I asked her if she'd like to hold Miles and let me take a picture.

Next picture; Avi and Atley worked on puzzles several times this morning.  They are really enjoying these and I'm gonna keep getting more of these challenging puzzles.  Nice job girls!!  As a side note Avi has been enjoying looking for Woody this week.  I've just been hiding him once a day and then he goes "bye bye" until the next morning.  She and Atley (airplane) have both enjoyed it a lot.  Last picture;  Avi asked if we could snuggle, which doesn't mean calm snuggling, but she likes sitting on my lap.  So we were doing selfies and she was doing fake laughs and asking if I took a picture.  "Did you get a picture of that one!?!"  :)

Avi - 12/4/2019

Avilene ate a bite of French toast and three servings of strawberries for breakfast.  For lunch she ate a large serving of "hearty paleo stew" with meat, carrots, green beans, tomatoes, cauliflower, and broccoli.  She also ate crackers and three servings of tropical fruit.

This first picture is left over from yesterday afternoon.  Svea and Avi were giving each other lots of loves and affection.  It's so cute to watch them play together.

I've mentioned several times how I read a sentence in a book and leave the end word or words blank.  The kids never cease to amaze me how many stories and songs they retain!!  We were reading "Saturday Night at the Dinosaur Stomp."  I read, "The party went on - it was so outrageous, they stayed up well past the late _______."  Avi nailed it: "Cretaceous."  :)  Again, it's been weeks since she heard this story.  And she pronounced it perfectly.

More pictures; Avilene was super busy this morning; doing LOTS of activities in the Preschool all morning.  I love it when she's in that mode!!  Focused and working hard!!  In this picture she was cutting out shapes and drawing.  Last picture:  This activity involves counting and matching.  There are 10 apples on the tree and she has to count the seeds in the apple and find that number.  She did this successfully and found 1 - 10.  She was proud of herself and wanted me to take a picture of the finished product - except I was feeding Miles.  I told her I had this picture and I would explain the process in the Blog.  :)

Avi - 12/3/2019

Avilene had no waffle and ate two servings of grapes for breakfast.  For lunch she ate two servings of chicken, ate whole wheat tortilla, three servings of corn, and no apple slices.  At breakfast Atley was telling Avi about "Daddy is at the desert!"  Avilene was confused!  Haha!  "What?!?"  Atley said, "Yes, pokey cactus."  Ha!  So I told Avi that Brad was in Arizona on a business trip, but they do have deserts and  cactus in Arizona.  I rarely step into their breakfast conversation, but I wanted Avi to know Atley's story had a basis of truth.  :)

First picture; Avi was trying to find "Woody" and I'd just given her a hint!  "If you stand right here you can see him!!"  She didn't spot him, but found him after some more hints.  I'm testing how "hard or easy" to hide their toys.  I want it to be challenging, but also for them to be successful!  Second picture: Two times this morning Avilene stopped and talked to Miles.  In this picture she got him a legos and asked, "Do you want one of these?"  Haha.  So cute.  Then after I took the picture she took his hand and was trying to wrap his fingers around the toy.

Next picture: We put some new "rulers" out (along with the tape measures) for the Preschool kids to play with.  I was showing them how to measure "short things" with a ruler and then also to use them in drawing.  So I made a rectangle, square, and two triangles for examples.  (See paper on table.)  Avi said, "I'm gonna make a really cool thing!"  Last picture: Avi working at tracing some alphabet letters on the erasable board.