Ava

When did you get this big?! Ava recently hit the 4 month mark!

Someday, Ava may not like all this attention, but right now, she loves it! 

Ready for a ride?  Ava also has a banana sticker on her pants in this picture…because she wanted it of course. She’s also demonstrating her awesome abs.  She can hang out with her head in the air like this for hours.  I sense a workout video series in her future, entitled something like “Awesome Abs, Baby!”

Sophia’s ready to do Ava’s hair.

And I don’t really know why…

Three Trees Art and Easter ideas

Last week I finally acquiesced and pulled out the paint.  Shudder.  I challenged the kids to cover every inch of the paper and to use colors that they might see in the sky so that we could do this project connected with The Three Trees.  Both kids had a great time.  Sometimes the clean-up from paint is worth the experience.  Sometimes not. 

By the way, we read both Angela Elwell Hunt’s The Tale of the Three Trees and Elena Pasquali’s The Three Trees.  I’d recommend either as good tools to engage your kids’ thinking about who Jesus is and what he came to do.  I liked Hunt’s text a bit better, but the illustrations in Pasquali’s book (done by Sophie Windham) gave the kids a lot more to engage with. 

Both of those books were way easier to read than Jan Pienowski’s Easter, which solely uses the KJV as its text.  The illustrations make the book worth it, but I am very glad I don’t have to rely on the KJV everyday.  It was definitely a book I paraphrased as we went through the pages.  The illustrations are all done as silhouettes, showing key characters in the events surrounding Easter.  I’m amazed at how much emotion and drama can be conveyed with “simple” silhouettes. 

I guess this is turning into more of a book review than I meant.  Quality Easter books can be difficult to find.  Most of the time, we rely on our Bible storybooks or simply read a section from the actual Bible.

We’ve started the resurrection eggs again this year.  Caleb is hard at work trying to remember from last year what comes next.  Sophia is learning several of the characters and events for the first time.  I also printed off a simplified map to trace where all the events take place since there are so many scene changes.  As I was doing that I came across this interactive map from Google Earth and the ESV. I found it pretty helpful.   

And just to keep things real:

Cars

I’m really surprised matchbox cars don’t come with increased insurance premiums.

Fire Station Tour

Thanks for the tour, Fireman Nate!  My kids are currently saving sick people, putting out fires, and reading maps so they know where to go.

“And this is the tool we use to poke holes in the ceiling.”

Book Blog and Book Suggestion

Several times in the past few weeks, I’ve thought of recommending a picture book, but then I realized I should just share the blog where I heard about it.  I don’t even remember how I came across the blog, but my kids certainly benefit when I check her site and reserve books at the library.  So often, I’m overwhelmed by the sheer number of books in the children’s section, many of them not all that great, some too long for my kids, some too easy.  Anyway, if you’re looking for some great book suggestions for toddlers through elementary ages, check out Orange Marmelade. It’s full of book reviews, and most of the books we’ve checked out as a result of her recommendation, we’ve loved!

On another note, how do you keep track of the books you love?  We love to re-read good picture books, but so often I forget which ones we’ve loved.  I’m considering using a site like Goodreads, but it seems like an extra step that I don’t have time for right now.  Any other suggestions? 

And now, for the book suggestion I promised.  I love when a picture book engages everyone reading it, including parents.  The Spider and the Fly is one that gives the kids and parents plenty to look at and think about as they read.  The text is based on an old poem by Mary Howitt.  While you can easily find the text itself online, you’d be missing out on the excellent illustrations done by Tony DeTerrlizzi.  The illustrations begin telling the story even before the title page, and the level of detail gives more to discover on each reading. Young readers will think it’s a story about a spider catching a fly; more mature readers will easily recognize the moral lesson.

This is also one of those books that makes me want to teach in the classroom again.  If I ever do end up in the classroom again, pictures books may become part of my regular curriculum.  :)

carrots

Someday I am sure I will miss meals when a single carrot stick can be a straw, juice extractor, sick girl, and a candle, but today...would you just eat your carrot?

Dreams

We started reading The Three Trees for preschool yesterday.  I’m going to try to do three weeks of Easter-related content.  Anyway, I quizzed the kids on what their dreams were.  I got a kick out of their answers.

Caleb

• Today: I want to play with my new, strong puzzle.
• This week: I want a free day when I can do whatever I want.
• When I am 5: I want to swim in a swimming pool.
• When I am big: I want to be a daddy and play with my kids.  I want to be an artist and draw books…with my kids.

Sophia

• Today: I want to swim in a hotel.
• This week: I want to go swimming.
• When I am 3: I want to go to the dentist.
• When I am big: I want to hold Ava.  I want to do the silverware job. (Currently Caleb’s chore is putting away the silverware.  Evidently, Sophia has schemes of taking over.)

The Three Little Pigs

This past week we read The Three Little Pigs for preschool and had quite a bit of fun, so I thought I’d share some pictures.  We used this version by Paul Galdone as well as several retellings.  The kids loved The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig by Eugene Trivizas and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury as well as The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! by Jon Scieszka and illustrated by Lane Smith.

We did lots of literacy and retelling activities, but the most fun was trying to build our own houses and seeing if the big bad wolf (the hair dryer—thanks, pinterest!) would blow them down.

Day 1—Toothpicks and marshmallows.

Day 2—fuzzy sticks and pony beads. Sophia decided to make a person instead of a house. Caleb had a sprawling mansion without a lot of height until he figured out how to make an arch.

Day 3—Paper and paper clips.  Oops, no pictures.

Day 4—Duplos.  The fan acted as the big bad wolf.

Day 5—Toothpicks and marshmallows again.  Caleb had been dreaming up toothpick house plans all week, so he experienced some frustration when it didn’t turn out the way he wanted.

A little helper

Three little pigs meal: Pigs in a blanket, carrot stick house, apple brick house with chimney, haystacks for dessert. 

Ava

Sophia

Block builder.  The best big sister.  Hair stylin’. Scissor-sticker-glue stick-marker crafter. Book lover.  Pretend mommy. Fiercely independent.  Silly.  Generous and forgiving. 

We are blessed to have Sophia around!

Me: How about 2 pigtails today? 
Sophia: No… maybe 5? 
Me: Ok, 3. 
Sophia: 3… and a headband?

Aria the horse (not to be confused with Aria our friend) receives excellent treatment in the care of Mommy Sophia. 

Language Learning

The way we learn language absolutely amazes me.

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Caleb: Our “Memory” game has a sophagus!

What do you mean?

It says “eee” at the end because of the –y.

Oh, you mean suffix, not esophagus. 

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As Caleb was practicing –th suffixes, he said, “Oh I didn’t know that.  I thought it was maf.”  I think I’ll miss it when Caleb actually starts saying “math.”   

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One member of our family has been trying to help Caleb learn to say beginning “s” blends by asking him to say “speeding ticket” and such.  Funny thing is, he’s actually catching on, but also overcompensating.  Several weeks ago Caleb asked for more “speas please.” 

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How many times do I think I have everything figured out only to find that that I absolutely do not! There’s more to learn, more to discover!