Preschool Week 3!

On Tuesday we took a field trip to the Naval Aviation Museum, which was a lot of fun! Click here to see pictures from that trip! On Thursday we had our regular Preschool class. We reviewed the calendar, the letter A, the letter B, circles, sorting by color, and added the letter C. We had a great time digging through a box full of things that started with the letter C. We also used a catapult to lay siege to the backyard! The kids really enjoyed that!!


For snack we had letter C cookies, crackers, cheese, celery, cauliflower, carrots, and cucumbers, quite a spread! We also colored letter C coloring pages with crayons, colored pencils, and markers. We made cereal necklaces out of Fruit Loops after sorting them by color! We played with toy boats in the water table and read a story about boats! We also placed stickers of cars, planes, boats, and trains on a picture! The kids had a wonderful time!


Today, our Preschool group took a field trip to the West Florida Railroad Museum . David got to come too, since he was off work (he took all of the pictures). The kids had a lot of fun!!! Jessica particularly enjoyed climbing in and out of all the cars!


Both kids (some of our group stayed home sick) loved riding in the child-sized train!!




Jessica's friend particularly enjoyed the model train they had set up!


The other teacher (who had to stay home) sent a snack of grapes and railroad cookies! She baked sugar cookies with a popsicle stick in them and then iced them to look like railroad crossing signs!

Isn't this a great picture??? It seems very artsy to me! Oh and Jessica accessorized herself this morning! She felt the hat just completed the ensemble! I find it simply amazing how well she can match clothes!

It is a small museum, but it is free and a great outing for kids!

Spring Has Sprung.....Diapers!!!!

I am not sure what this says about me, but I was totally excited to strip all of our cloth diapers and hang them on the line to dry outside!

Only the covers are pictured....don't they look so cheerful??

I have done both line drying and dryer drying, and I have to say, line drying is definitely best for your diapers. However, I have heard an occasional tumble in the dryer can reset your waterproof layer from time to time as it breaks down!

My Babies

We have been taking it easy around here the last few days, but I wanted to share a few pictures and brief update! Jessica got a package in the mail Monday from my parents (I believe the last of her birthday extravaganza will be trickling in later this week)! She was very impressed with the Cinderella costume and pink converse tennis shoes. In fact, she felt they went together just perfectly!!

If only I could get her to keep the headband on all the time, we could see her pretty eyes!

Forget glass slippers! Give me some pink converse!

Today, our preschool group took a field trip to the Naval Aviation Museum. Jessica had a wonderful time climbing on the play aircraft carrier!! She learned to say "airplane" and "A-bomb!" Her daddy is so proud!

Don't worry. I know what I'm doing!

Now let's see....I think I can fly this one too...

Mommy and Jessica's best-friends!

Having fun on the aircraft carrier....of course Jessica is driving!

Everyone enjoyed the aircraft carrier; however, surprise, surprise, Jessica spent the rest of the time continuously climbing up and down the net!!

Now THAT'S how you take a nap!!

I also got to hear John's heartbeat today. I ended up going to the doctor today without an appointment due to some recent trouble with spotting. The good news is that everything is fine. The down side is that since I carry so low and just the way things are, I'm just going to have to put up with it! On the bright side, the doctor did say I could continue all of my normal activities in spite of the spotting! At least we only have 4 more months to go! It's hard to believe we still have 4 more whole months, but I know it will fly by! I am hoping to get around to making some more baby things this week as well as starting some spring dresses for Jessica in the near future. I will be glad when my energy levels return to normal once John is born!

Birthday Bash!

Today we had Jessica's 2 year old birthday party! It was my first time throwing a kid's birthday party! Amazingly it turned out just fine! However, I am really glad to be done with Christmas and Birthdays for a while!!! The cake had to have minor surgery after being defrosted. The party favors I came up with were little flower pots, with a few pea seeds, and a bag of dirt. I thought they turned out pretty cute! (It was very economical, and they didn't end up going home with a bag of junk!) Here are some pictures from her big day!

Jessica really enjoyed unwrapping all of the presents!

She got lots of cute dress-up clothes: a doctor costume, a care bear costume, a superwoman costume, and a holiday barbie costume!

Unwrapping one of her presents with a friend!

She also got a cute summer outfit and a couple books! We had to try on the new clothes immediately!

Then we had to put on our new doctor's coat! (It says "Dr. Bodkin!")

All of the kids got in on the act and started digging through the dress-up basket!

Jessica had to find some matching shoes!

The cake after minor surgery. It still ended up looking pretty good!

Singing Happy Birthday to Jessica!

The kids were all about to come out of their chairs when I cut the cake!!

The cake definitely met with approval!

Preschool Week 2!

David and I had decided about a year ago that we wanted to provide preschool for our children at home. One of the biggest factors that played into this decision was the expense of sending your child to preschool. We both hate the idea of paying someone else to do something we could do ourselves! Besides, we usually get a better quality product when we do something ourselves because we are personally invested! The other big factor that played into this decision was that by doing preschool at home you are able to tailor to your child's needs. We were also very fortunate to meet other parents with toddlers in the area, particularly parents with toddlers who had different strengths from our toddler! Not only are the kids getting lots of practice with academic and social skills, but they are also learning about areas they do not excel in as much by watching each other! I also like the fact that we have the opportunity to have siblings in class together. There seems to be a more open dynamic when brothers and sisters are involved!

I forgot to take pictures during preschool again so these are from free time right after preschool. Next time I WILL remember to take pictures!!!

Today, we started out going over our calendar and talking about how it feels outside in January (I think that is a bit of a lost cause as we are wearing t-shirts again!). Next we reviewed the letter A and introduced the letter B. We went through a box of things that start with B: a picture of a baby, a book about beavers, a blanket with a bear on it, a button, a ball, a bag, a toy bed, a Bible, a toy boat, a bowl, a book about bugs, and a book about the Wheels on the Bus. Next we had a snack of apples, bananas, and letter A and B cookies! We put bug, balloon, and letter B stickers on a letter B coloring sheet, and then we went outside and played with a bucket of dried beans and bubbles!

Jessica's best-friend enjoying some puzzle time! (Jessica didn't really sit still long enough for me to get a descent shot of her!)

For the second half, we came back inside and talked about things that go in the air. The kids loved sticking the airplanes and helicopters in the sky! (Once again Jessica felt all things that go should be in the sky! I think we may have a buddying aerospace engineer on our hands!!) We plan to laminate this poster and the pieces so they can be used next year with stick on velcro! Next we read a story about things that go. Then we made airplanes out of foam, colored them with washable markers, and flew them around the room while singing flying songs! Finally, we sorted blocks by color and built an entire town!! I wish I had gotten a picture of Jessica's skyscraper! It really did look like a skyscraper! We had a wonderful time at preschool today! It is amazing to see the kids really excel at things they love and slowly catch bits and pieces of things they find less interesting!

Update

The post Boys versus Girls has been permanently removed. While I appreciate everyone's interest in the topic, I find that it is taking more time to review and respond to comments than I have to give at this time. I really feel that while open discussion is important, this particular discussion would best be had on a message board that is set up for monitoring posts frequently.

Concerning the topic of circumcision there are many different opinions and many different research articles out there on both sides of the issue. Some of these are based in fact. Some are not. In the United States, it remains a subject that is open for further study and debate as even the American Academy of Pediatrics will not recommend for or against it. Even our legal system is not completely decided on who can legally request the procedure.

Obviously any decision concerning your child should never be taken lightly. Each parent should learn as much as they can and make an informed decision. In our case (as I said before), we have already made our decision to have the procedure done. Religiously and culturally it is a decision we both feel very comfortable with, and we would have only considered making a change if overwhelming evidence had forced organizations like the AAP to retract their current recommendations on the subject. That being said I have gone to great lengths to make sure that I am 100% informed about how and when this can be done to make it easiest on John.

I am sure that there are many people out there who will not understand this decision; however, I will not be accepting any comments on this subject in the future because I do not have the time to regulate and respond to them properly, while caring for my family. There are many message boards out there should you feel the need to continue this discussion further. Thank you again for your comments and interest!

Happy Birthday Jessica!

Jessica, today you turn 2 years old! It is hard to believe you have grown into such a big girl! I find it incredible how much has changed in such a short period of time!! You are now 100% mobile!! You run, climb ladders (and other things), tumble, hang from a jungle gym, swim several feet on your own, and sort of jump! You have almost no fear! You have a budding vocabulary. The words you use the most are please and thank you. You are a very sweet child! It is very obvious that you care about others around you, especially small children and babies. You also have a certain exuberance for life!! There is nothing more exciting than experiencing something with you! You make the ordinary seem extraordinary! You laugh great big laughs out of pure enjoyment! You have a knack for anything procedural or mechanical. You are completely potty trained around the house, even though you still don't say very much! When Daddy is fixing something, you come running, screwdriver in hand! You also love to help around the house. You help me make your oatmeal in the mornings. You love to empty the dishwasher and are very good about putting things away. You will also get your own snack from the fruit bowl on the table and eat it without me having to cut it up for you! You are a very good eater! You eat almost anything!! When you go down for a nap, you insist on having a Bible story and praying. When you go to bed at night, you "rough house" with your Daddy using the bunk-bed as your jungle gym!! You love to give hugs and kisses, and if your Daddy tries to kiss you on the check, you will put your hands on both his cheeks and turn his head so you can kiss him on the mouth! You love playing outside, accessorizing, your baby, taking everything apart, the cat, balls, bubbles, tools, and Veggie Tales! Today we did some of your favorite things! Here are some pictures from our day:






I always thought my life was pretty complete; however, once you were born, I realized just how much we had been missing!! You bring joy to everyone around you! May you fill the world with sweetness and joy as you (slowly!!!!!) grow into the woman you were made to be!