Avi - 2/6/2020

Avilene ate toasted whole wheat bagel and two servings of peaches for breakfast.  For lunch she ate hamburger and sausage pizza with meat, tomato sauce, broccoli, pineapple, and peppers.  We cook this separate and serve whole wheat pizza crust on the side.  She also ate two servings of pineapple on the side.

I told Momma Molly this story, but I'm gonna post it here too.  Yesterday afternoon Avi was relentlessly gnawing on her fingers and fingernails!!  I said, "You are REALLY chewing them hard and continuous!  Are you scared of something!?!"  Avilene responded loudly and adamantly!!!  "Not even a bit!!!"  LOL!!  I roared.

First picture: The kids played with this fort they built for a long time this morning.  They'd actually built it yesterday and then did some "modifications" today.  A few minutes later Avi went for a water break and then informed me; "Gary, water helps our bodies stay fresh and healthy!!"  She was obviously thinking about taking showers as well as drinking it!!  :)

Next picture; Avi doing a favorite activity: Playing with Sister Svea.  Here's what I posted in Ca's Journal: He's intently watching the Nelson girls!!  Hey, I like the sound of that!  That will make Daddy Andy nervous in the years ahead!!  I know; I think I'm funny!  :)  Last picture: There were little dots all over the black part of that paper that Avi was meticulously filling in.  Nice work!

Avi - 2/5/2020

Avilene ate two servings of whole wheat toast and two servings of grapes for breakfast.  For lunch she ate pork roast, whole wheat tortillas, two servings of carrots, and ate a large serving of fruit salad.   At lunch Atley said, "I have frozen fruit snacks."  I eventually realized - when Linnea and Svea started singing "Let it Go" - that the frozen fruit snacks had nothing to do with the refrigerator or freezer!!  Haha!!

When the kids were waving to Momma Molly this morning Atley was making the same comment she's been making for the last several weeks!!  When Molly came around the corner Atley said, "That's a dirty van!!"  Avi of course needed to make a correction!  "A dirty Minivan!!"  No arguments from Atley.  She said, "A dirty Minivan."  Haha.

First picture: Here's Avilene playing with the car game at the table.  She had a "barricade" right in front of her so the cars wouldn't fly off the table.  Next picture; Well she's wearing her hardhat, vest, and work boots.  Notice her pant legs are pulled up.  She said she has a bruise on one leg and the pants irritate the bruise.  And the other pant leg has to match!!  :)  I've already posted the last picture in Svea's Blog.  You can go read about the picture there.  It was a super cute moment of big sister to the rescue!!

Avi - 2/4/2020

Avilene ate toasted whole wheat English muffin and most of dried plums for breakfast.  For lunch she ate chicken stir fry with meat and lots of vegetables, ate brown rice, and three servings of mandarin oranges.

Shortly before Lunch Cal was at the big gate shaking it.  (I don't let them do that because I want the gate to last a few more years. Ha!)  But it was interesting to listen to Avi and Atley try to get him to stop.  Here are a few samples of what I heard!  "Don't shake the gate!!"  "Cal! Listen to me!!"  "No means no!!"  "Listen to my words!!"  "Gary! Cal is shaking the gate!!"  "Cal, stop shaking the gate!!"  Here's what I say, but I didn't hear them use it: "Hold the gate still!!"  And I go over and help them hold it still!  :)  Avi and Atley were just yelling from a distance!!  :)

This first picture is from yesterday afternoon.  You've heard this before, but I like to get all 5 or 6 kids in the same picture!  Doesn't happen every day!  The girls were in the middle of a construction project.  All 4 girls had contributed to stacking these blocks.  Svea and Linnea were the ones who actually started it.

Next picture: Looking for that "Woody" guy again.  When Avi is struggling to find him she'll call out his name over and over.  :)  And she was doing that this morning.  He's actually hiding in the wooden box I built directly in front of her; in the second compartment.  She likes it when I tell her she's getting "warmer" or getting "colder."  Last picture; When I took this picture she was just getting started on doing another "snowman" piece.  She has done a LOT of these this season!  She also did another Valentine paper as well.  She's been doing LOTS of detail in her art and working very hard.  I love how much effort she puts forth!!

Avi - 2/3/2020

Avilene ate two servings of cheerios and ate banana for breakfast.  For lunch she ate bites of ground beef, ate whole wheat pita bread, olives, bites of avocado, and two servings of strawberries.  At lunch I was singing a song about "outer space."  Atley said, "We have a friend in space; someone from our neighborhood."  Haha.  (That's funny even if it's true.)  Avi said, "NO!!!  You have to be an astronaut! And you have to go on a rocket to get there!!"  :)

First picture: I mentioned this in Svea's Blog, but here is the picture.  I had a phone appointment with an insurance agent so Lauralea was reading to the kids for me.  Svea kept playing, but was listening.  If you've not yet read Svea's Blog you can check there to see what she told Lauralea during a story.

I know this isn't news to you, but anything Avilene builds (next picture), draws (following picture), or even just plays (third picture with the magnets) with she thinks it should be documented with a picture.  "Did you take a picture Gary?"  Do you want to take a picture Gary?"  Maybe she'll be like a lady I know - posts 5 - 50 pictures a day on Facebook.  Haha!

This last picture of the water bottles; pretty fascinating right!?!  Haha.  Linnea asked for water and then something was bugging her, but I couldn't understand what she was saying!!  Something about "Svea, Svea, Svea."  When Avi saw the water bottles she immediately spotted it and told me the blue cap goes on Svea's bottle. (My cleaning person switched it yesterday - not Sylvie - ha!)  Ok, now it all made sense.  Side note; I was just being silly and drew mustaches on the kid's faces on the water bottle.  (You can see Svea's face.)

Avi - 1/31/2020

Avilene ate two servings of brown rice and ate a few raisins for breakfast.  For lunch she ate two servings of Alaskan salmon patty, most of whole wheat dinner roll, no cauliflower, and ate mangoes.

I was feeding Baby Miles and Linnea got on the couch and started feeding her "baby" too.  I asked Avilene to take a picture for me and she did a good job with it.  I Posted the picture on Linnea's Blog today.  Apparently Avilene has a lot of practice taking pictures.  Haha.

First two pictures - Our new package of hot wheels arrived last evening so I had Avi open them for us this morning.  Atley is gone today so Avi was the only one playing with them. Which she liked!!  (Infants and Toddlers tend to chew the wheels off the Hot Wheels and then you have a choke-able.)  In the second picture notice how Avi has lined up 5 cars in front of the ramp toy - those are the cars that passed the test of quality and are good racers.  :)

Next picture: Doing some more art with the Valentine's Day supplies.  Last picture; I set up this activity for Avi to enjoy.  Here's what happens frequently - I start a sentence and pause - Avilene jumps on that and immediately finishes the sentence for me!!  So I set up this activity and said, "I'm gonna...." (pause) She finishes  with; "take a picture."  LOL!  Ok, why not!?!  So enjoy the last picture.

Avi - 1/30/2020

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

First picture; We got out some Valentine's art for the girls to use and they were all over that! So you can check the top of Avi's cubby to see what she made.  Following picture: Three girls riding their horses after breakfast.  This may look like a simple picture, but dang it took five minutes of me just standing there waiting for all three of them to get on their horses at the same time.  The primary problem was Avi's concern about Svea's horse not having a "head!!"  See the yellow block on Avi's horse; well that's the head!  :) Svea's horse is missing it's head and Svea didn't want one!!  :)

Next picture: Here's Avi pointing at "Woody's" hiding spot!  Avilene thought it was pretty funny that I hid Woody standing on his head in the potty in the doll house.  :)  I thought it was funny myself!!

Atley brought four of her own little cars today and she and Avi were playing with them along with the little car ramp.  (UPS is gonna deliver some new matchbox cars today so we have a new shipment coming!! Ha!)  How did we survive before Amazon!?!  :)

Avi - 1/29/2020

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

(Background on this note: Atley has passed on several items of clothing to Linnea.)  Atley was watching me put dry clothes on Linnea and said, "I gave her those clothes."  Avilene said, "Why don't you give me some clothes!?!"  Atley said, "Because I don't have any."  Avi (always quick with a solution) said, "Well, go to the clothes store tomorrow then!!"  LOL!!  Man that was funny!!

This first picture is left over from yesterday afternoon.  Look closely at this photo and know there is an interesting story behind it!!  Previously - before I took this picture - Avilene had "saved" Svea when some blocks fell over.  I saw it happen and she really did a good job of protecting Sister and I was commending her for quick reactions and concern for Svea.  SO, she proceeded to have some practice sessions "saving" Svea!!  Haha!!  She'd stack the blocks tall like you see, coax Svea into position, give the tower a slight push, and leap to the rescue!!  Over and over, probably 10 times.

Next picture: Atley and Avi searching for the hidden Airplane and Woody.  So far, they haven't grown weary of the daily hiding game.  IF I did it as much as they ask me to, then I'm sure they'd quickly get tired of it!!  Haha!  We hide it two times a day maximum.  Last picture: More playing with the big blocks today.  It's always interesting how they will go a few weeks and never touch something (blocks) and then play with them every day for several days.  I guess I shouldn't be too surprised; we adults basically do the same thing!!