tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89119876726614386392024-03-13T09:25:20.267-07:00Learning TogetherKatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05960950786462948625noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8911987672661438639.post-17324872121041230102012-09-14T17:34:00.000-07:002012-09-14T17:34:01.039-07:00First Two Weeks of School<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;">
<br /><div style="text-align: left;">
It's been a long time since I updated this blog, but now that we're homeschooling full-time, I wanted to post some pictures of what we're doing and give an idea of what we're doing all day long. However, I think I need to offer a disclaimer: Unless you're actually related to Henry and Elizabeth, this post (and in fact, this entire blog) may be a little too detailed. So, consider yourself warned! </div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
It's been great first two weeks of kindergarten homeschool. We've gotten into a pleasant flow to the days, spending about 2 or so hours a day on what might be considered "official" school. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
One of the highlights of the day is definitely the half hour or so Henry and I spend on math each afternoon while Elizabeth naps. (Math, of course, is the one subject I insist we do uninterrupted.) It's such a joy to have a student who enjoys math as much as his teacher. I love the curriculum we're using (<a href="http://rightstartmath.com/">RightStart</a>, for anyone who cares) and it's so fun to see Henry just absorb the information like a sponge. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Our other highlight has been the <a href="http://fiarhq.com/fiveinarow.info/index.html">Five in a Row</a> curriculum. Each week, I choose a book from the guide and we reread the book each day of the week, paying attention to a different aspect of the book each day. So, this week, we read<i> Night of the Moonjellies</i>, a gorgeous book about a boy who helps his grandmother at her hot dog stand on the New England coast and then goes to see bioluminescent jellyfish later that night. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
So, in conjunction with the book, we watched video of jellyfish, read about sea creatures, experimented with pastels, found New England on a map, and created our own hot dog stand for dinner. It's a little haphazard for a logical, sequential person like myself, but I love the novelty and spark that it injects into our days. </div>
<br />
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWkOZP-wkHG4A30l55E1z88RG7DRcEqtMOznkgyzTHSuUy42gb652wmhyV5si5zDgnfFx7fhyphenhyphenxUgpjbZFOn3q8NQ4fXjROqezAWa5XQHtVwg1bJj8Bhp7ki_xuguoSQUtuufh7_G886FQ/s1600/DSC03190.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWkOZP-wkHG4A30l55E1z88RG7DRcEqtMOznkgyzTHSuUy42gb652wmhyV5si5zDgnfFx7fhyphenhyphenxUgpjbZFOn3q8NQ4fXjROqezAWa5XQHtVwg1bJj8Bhp7ki_xuguoSQUtuufh7_G886FQ/s320/DSC03190.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Experimenting with pastels</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiByjlCjqhlfr9jia0U0nqDFeqE_OfSpehv80zDNA06nvPdcx5SpWra3qEfZZTUQQLJggsNvtu4u3wJ-0wr5qPSBdcdE0rL37ssFGxYBVao55ZdQmxNkdFgACNJUs8T6WqlM95IMwrxdW8/s320/DSC03194.JPG" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiydoAQ-QQcwZj4S6UL1MgWvaiiAasb0btJf9sTH0S8IQj14nrsviWypCxp4R13WZZkGJJ3HQAwsF4WLF2j1d7IpgiRAg0abCKUnTvFOrgfoFuZE0-7An6Va5lRD-nZE59p6iklSzk6S6I/s1600/DSC03196.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiydoAQ-QQcwZj4S6UL1MgWvaiiAasb0btJf9sTH0S8IQj14nrsviWypCxp4R13WZZkGJJ3HQAwsF4WLF2j1d7IpgiRAg0abCKUnTvFOrgfoFuZE0-7An6Va5lRD-nZE59p6iklSzk6S6I/s320/DSC03196.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Henry's Pastel Creations</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh7yxNBymJEOfGKQhwkn9mL8QjKaYetWpHHYZZvWt8WP-Y8tWOwuS-tvM-_eRE1M5q-6HeJzjA132cUH-N1eEfVhANQPS_5-CpIK1sCz74XhZN-cHUrag1wpzbyX7asNtL1QIv4kc0SIc/s1600/DSC03210.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh7yxNBymJEOfGKQhwkn9mL8QjKaYetWpHHYZZvWt8WP-Y8tWOwuS-tvM-_eRE1M5q-6HeJzjA132cUH-N1eEfVhANQPS_5-CpIK1sCz74XhZN-cHUrag1wpzbyX7asNtL1QIv4kc0SIc/s320/DSC03210.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The menu for the hot dog stand. All the items are from the book, but Henry chose the prices (and used his toy cash register to ring up Greg's "purchase.") Onion rings were kind of pricy!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx9e_MKeVWUEUyFvrxjpch1q-PXXYlOBhbwLRpkplMQo0dd0IANDxxH2acIqaz8SL6ohgnGTThD4nAOYtKJW4HtYpachPTICifj5gc8H9oWuaK94qf62UtzgP_hzzM_iX2UgcCMu2hE2o/s1600/DSC03205.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx9e_MKeVWUEUyFvrxjpch1q-PXXYlOBhbwLRpkplMQo0dd0IANDxxH2acIqaz8SL6ohgnGTThD4nAOYtKJW4HtYpachPTICifj5gc8H9oWuaK94qf62UtzgP_hzzM_iX2UgcCMu2hE2o/s320/DSC03205.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying our greasy feast.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKNaNHhZh4_CaiROhIvfA8zbhkMkBB0flXrbxUQHKwKaTlNouY4MFRPrfXRzy5PYn_qDp_NWFuu4xR90Nr7fvrxQQqDeC9tNLPrmg85o9mZA4dEMV_2hvnR6yZ21SvA9sM2qAAjSDMQ3Y/s1600/DSC03209.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKNaNHhZh4_CaiROhIvfA8zbhkMkBB0flXrbxUQHKwKaTlNouY4MFRPrfXRzy5PYn_qDp_NWFuu4xR90Nr7fvrxQQqDeC9tNLPrmg85o9mZA4dEMV_2hvnR6yZ21SvA9sM2qAAjSDMQ3Y/s320/DSC03209.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elizabeth enjoying her milkshake. </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: left;">
We also went on our first field trip with our homeschool field-trip co-op. Today, we had a tour of PetSmart and then had a picnic with a bunch of homeschool families afterward. I'm so grateful to get to be part of this co-op, thanks to my dear friend Sammy who's a few years ahead of me in homeschooling and decided to organize some families to have fun together this year. The pet store was a hoot--since we don't have pets, Henry didn't really understand everything pets need. Elizabeth was just delighted, especially by the dogs at the doggie day care. </div>
<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: left;">
Lastly, a few pictures of the past few weeks that were too cute not to share. </div>
<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;">
<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbKUD04rmCanbFOyRUWHvuj0b1B2vZXRewgkgtR5yWDUY4RqnOvl4pjDmkK2UXaw0i-h8VF-UCkijiUcRJExGR1SLt93T-wsfUwX5N25ZHhqTlKT8F-sj4Ghyphenhyphen6H0tW7cVBhAAqXeHj7VI/s1600/DSC03183.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbKUD04rmCanbFOyRUWHvuj0b1B2vZXRewgkgtR5yWDUY4RqnOvl4pjDmkK2UXaw0i-h8VF-UCkijiUcRJExGR1SLt93T-wsfUwX5N25ZHhqTlKT8F-sj4Ghyphenhyphen6H0tW7cVBhAAqXeHj7VI/s320/DSC03183.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elizabeth displaying all the loot that her doting big brother bought her at our neighbor's garage sale. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkjCNoVE1WybnvzfQe4wYcE2h482n4mk76mhVLPfRiLILk36RHXdJ8PJxwunyC4ibawsQNuaZwb1lbc22tuwIQVrDDr4e3tUmmVcleAwmNQc813YAH1GpVUpWi6x7DfpIAVauKNRsXHx8/s1600/DSC03200.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkjCNoVE1WybnvzfQe4wYcE2h482n4mk76mhVLPfRiLILk36RHXdJ8PJxwunyC4ibawsQNuaZwb1lbc22tuwIQVrDDr4e3tUmmVcleAwmNQc813YAH1GpVUpWi6x7DfpIAVauKNRsXHx8/s320/DSC03200.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elizabeth has discovered that she can do Duplos now, and was very pleased with herself for building such tall towers. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK1i4qSvvTVHBXW7YaWSFy1VrsSM4xCCf-uBxFreUN3xcaJMKbnGo2c4NSKRkz9a2fisYdHi6-7mDY1_fFK3mojCHh7rhrgabEQv3kgHo2w6dvt9Q_RmPdP4zsmb0oR-NhOGCzdeBYi4Y/s1600/DSC03204.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK1i4qSvvTVHBXW7YaWSFy1VrsSM4xCCf-uBxFreUN3xcaJMKbnGo2c4NSKRkz9a2fisYdHi6-7mDY1_fFK3mojCHh7rhrgabEQv3kgHo2w6dvt9Q_RmPdP4zsmb0oR-NhOGCzdeBYi4Y/s320/DSC03204.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How I found Henry after out field trip today. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="clear: both; text-align: CENTER;">
<a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img align="middle" alt="Posted by Picasa" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" style="-moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; border: 0px none; padding: 0px;" /></a></div>
Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05960950786462948625noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8911987672661438639.post-5351231653646845962011-02-22T17:08:00.000-08:002011-02-22T17:57:29.675-08:00FebruaryFebruary has been a month of keeping our heads above water. It seems that nearly every week has brought some distracting and preoccupying event, either tragic, mundane, or just simply weird.<br /><br />-The too-early death of my dear Aunt Louise the day before Elizabeth's baptism<br />-A trip to Milwaukee to spend time with my family and attend the memorial service<br />-My stupid cross-country skiing tailbone injury that kept me from accomplishing much of anything for several weeks<br />-The never-ending cold that began when Henry started preschool and seems to continue to be making the rounds in our family<br />-Elizabeth's pinkeye and ear infection, caused by the aforementioned cold<br />-Elizabeth's eczema, which may or may not be caused by food allergies, and may or may not be helped by the crazily expensive hypoallergenic formula we're now using<br />-Reading the details of an former friend's arrest for insider trading and subsequent betrayal of his best friend on the front page of the Wall Street Journal (I kid you not)<br /><br />Okay, so enough whining. On to the good stuff. <br /><br />Henry continues to love preschool two mornings a week. On his days home, we've been doing lots of speech practice and working through his Mighty Mind puzzles that he got for Christmas. He just reached the last puzzle and was very proud of himself. <br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/bhhZg3Ypal" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_jjAfJqYDZwc/TWAV9pkoQJI/AAAAAAAAHco/prkI49buMjA/s512/DSC01402.JPG"></a><br /><br />We both enjoy "doing science" together so much that I've been trying to do something science-related most afternoons. We played with siphons and pumps as a grand finale to our unit on exploring water. <br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/s2IvepRqb1" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_jjAfJqYDZwc/TWAVVhrUGSI/AAAAAAAAHZM/pA577TqlFRM/s512/DSC01318.JPG"></a><br /><br />And now we've moved onto simple machines. I had picked up a few pulleys last fall, and Henry has had a wonderful time playing with them. <br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/ru83MC4oLR" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_jjAfJqYDZwc/TWAV85OuUlI/AAAAAAAAHck/GLeLKVYkqc8/s512/DSC01400.JPG"></a><br /><br />For Henry, the best part of the pulleys was that he could act our scenes from Thomas the Tank Engine with them. It has been all about Thomas around here these days, since he finally managed to cajole us into reading him the 400-page complete Thomas collection. It's amazing how much you can read in a month when you do two stories twice a day. Here's Henry gazing adoringly at the book...which he should probably do now, since this book may need to be "lost" sometime soon, for his parents' sanity.<br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/ATmPcPL5Ad" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_jjAfJqYDZwc/TWAWVpnkrYI/AAAAAAAAHec/nJ6AO_pTrwQ/s512/DSC01444.JPG"></a><br /><br />Henry's also been building up a storm, and having lots of fun in our huge snow piles. <br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/fJDKri7Lih" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_jjAfJqYDZwc/TWAWJxZeBsI/AAAAAAAAHdg/LdQirLKuJ7U/s512/DSC01425.JPG"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/HYmhCuWOqJ" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_jjAfJqYDZwc/TWAV_8Txm1I/AAAAAAAAHc0/xlILY6fVrwU/s512/DSC01407.JPG"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/K6EXEHFRcC" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_jjAfJqYDZwc/TWAWKoEx82I/AAAAAAAAHds/okzVsjjXU88/s512/DSC01428.JPG"></a><br /><br />Elizabeth continues to be completely delightful, except for when she rolls onto her belly and gets stuck. (Although even then, the way she gets mad about it is pretty darn cute.) She finally has one tooth, and I just love her little one-toothed grins.<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/RjnZWi5chZ" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_jjAfJqYDZwc/TWAWTeftcgI/AAAAAAAAHeU/l7iogoStY7s/s512/DSC01442.JPG"></a><br /><br />She's a pretty good sport about going outside, as long as it's not too cold and we pull her around in the sled or stroller.<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/rWzSuZketu" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_jjAfJqYDZwc/TWAVxZWRFrI/AAAAAAAAHbk/Cp_MCNIwSd0/s512/DSC01374.JPG"></a><br /><br />All dressed up for her baptism:<br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/s3Ug6RYERC" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_jjAfJqYDZwc/TV3TdN62RtI/AAAAAAAAHac/V6o32YEjDd4/s512/DSC01348.JPG"></a><br /><br />She's also begun babbling this week. Listening to her sweet little voice just makes my heart melt. Lots of "bababalaalalalabamala" in the house these days. It's hard to believe that real words aren't many months away. <br /><br />And of course, the requisite messy-face pictures. Greg points out that almost all our pictures of Elizabeth are when she's eating, but how can I possibly resist?<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/R9M7esJofw" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_jjAfJqYDZwc/TWAV1oxROzI/AAAAAAAAHcA/_mFxc-i4Vbc/s512/DSC01382.JPG"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/P5L2Xsrlss" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_jjAfJqYDZwc/TWAVN1ovyuI/AAAAAAAAHYo/dWodOhToC-o/s512/DSC01306.JPG"></a><br /><br />And lastly, our little couch potatoes, watching TV together. <br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/Cg9PAg9Gvi" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_jjAfJqYDZwc/TV3TsIP4dVI/AAAAAAAAHVY/x-VogmgQe34/s512/DSC01352.JPG"></a>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05960950786462948625noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8911987672661438639.post-61326007368484692072011-01-22T11:42:00.000-08:002011-01-22T12:04:11.424-08:00JanuaryHenry began preschool a couple of weeks ago and is loving it. He especially seems to enjoy the wonderful pretend play set-ups (recently, they turned their reading loft into a bat cave and put tubes underneath so the kids could pretend to be burrowing animals!) He's very proud to show me his craft each day when he comes home and always reports what the snack was. <br /><br />Here he is on his first day of preschool: <br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/L7uRPaaprpKPME2ID-GI5w?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TTsyayClSmI/AAAAAAAAAXY/LfSlXmD8B6Q/s640/DSC01228.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a><br /><br />And here was his first craft, a polar bear covered with shaving cream and tissue paper. <br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/xm1sk7Fix9ZEEkZCmscegQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TTsyg_HolPI/AAAAAAAAAXw/lHSy6dNOzIw/s400/DSC01267.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a> <br /><br />We're still homeschooling the other three days of the week and have been working through a preschool critical thinking book. One new thing we've started is doing a simple science experiment every afternoon. Apparently I forgot to take any pictures of these, but we've been doing experiments with water--seeing how water becomes ice and steam, and seeing what kinds of substances dissolve. It's become something we both really look forward to in the afternoon. <br /><br />We've also been studying "Peter and the Wolf" (both listening to the music and reading the story) to prepare for a kids' concert by the symphony. The concert was this morning and was really excellent. Members of the local ballet danced the parts, and Henry was entranced to see the story come to life. The cutest part was when the wolf was threatening Peter, Henry would crouch down between the seats and peek out of the crack between seats. Here we are ready to go to the concert. (While it may look like Henry is chewing on a medicine dropper, he is actually playing the part of the bird on flute. :) )<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/IXI0QCbIfNVS55FjDYiFbg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TTsyua16aRI/AAAAAAAAAYY/n2TkqSauABc/s640/DSC01300.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a><br /><br />Henry loves his new Highlights magazine and followed the instructions to make a pizza with a face. <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/6WPC_OtSoRAtSw7zLkXE8g?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TTsyln_lO4I/AAAAAAAAAYA/xeRfaMulL7E/s640/DSC01278.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hCAgXZDVazv7qB1KoSk9fQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TTsym1YNwtI/AAAAAAAAAYE/60yt3vpi0QM/s288/DSC01280.JPG" height="216" width="288" /></a><br /><br />Other than that, Henry's imagination has taken fire. The house is constantly a disaster, but it's well worth it (mostly) to see him do so much wonderful pretending. Some recent days at our house: <br /><br />Note the fishing rod (that is, the crane), the store (that is, the white shoe rack) and the construction equipment (all the chairs in the dining room.)<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/2GvIiXXbRD5Uc3HFvNU_hw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TTsykrqBfKI/AAAAAAAAAX8/HDO9m5Q8gr8/s640/DSC01274.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a><br /><br />Here we have Henry's "drum set". My favorite part is Elizabeth's wind chime hanging from the closet door. At one point he moved the drum set and told me I needed to hammer a hook in the wall to hang the wind chime. I have to draw the line somewhere, right? :) <br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/pRMRBUPiVJ933NRIHSUSZg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TTsyoFwcxFI/AAAAAAAAAYI/gbMTlXnv0Eo/s640/DSC01284.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a><br /><br />And oh, the craft sticks. Why did I think it was a good idea to let him play with a box of one thousand craft sticks? <br /><br />Following the trail...<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/2t4stCp66Z7XFqLoMbmaZQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TTsypW1DyeI/AAAAAAAAAYM/JXhaXcdW7UI/s640/DSC01296.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a><br /><br />Still going...<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/x8tXtJRgCfoGYyo8yjJ0mw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TTsyrGBoheI/AAAAAAAAAYQ/eY9l2uTO9VQ/s640/DSC01297.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a><br /><br />Done!<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/YWUbAhPQLev0QugWyYAyKw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TTsysC-q7pI/AAAAAAAAAYU/joMw33rEfKo/s640/DSC01299.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a><br /><br />And I couldn't resist including this one. <br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/bD8GxqhGamyhMVAM_yIycQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TTsyjICRl6I/AAAAAAAAAX4/p5M8KRsekTA/s640/DSC01272.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a><br /><br />And of course, Elizabeth continues to be completely adorable. She's really playing with her hands now, and she's on the verge of sitting up. She's also begun devouring her rice cereal. <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/UpKByKSbkivG48aCDi0SHw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TTsycESeSYI/AAAAAAAAAXc/ctbt5pvUFwE/s640/DSC01236.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/gh7Y6o2r1gJiN-iOome0GA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TTsye6P4tEI/AAAAAAAAAXo/0odPIsXEDLU/s640/DSC01259.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/k6_ZX95jqqgewXD5bx7gOg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TTsyhizV_WI/AAAAAAAAAX0/hPbsmdRyld8/s640/DSC01270.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05960950786462948625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8911987672661438639.post-12973371332162272152010-12-18T10:40:00.000-08:002010-12-18T11:15:26.512-08:00December UpdateThe Christmas Pageant is over, and so I finally have the time to sit down and write a post. (Please forgive the crazy length of this post--I have a lot of catching up to do!)Coordinating the pageant was a lot of work, but the result was worth it. We had 360 people come for the Christmas dinner, and over 200 of them participated in the pageant. Someone forgot to turn on the oven(!) the afternoon of the pageant, so things didn't go entirely according to plan, but everything still came together. Henry was thrilled to get to be a shepherd boy in the pageant with his daddy and seemed impressed that his mommy was up on stage with a microphone telling everyone what to do! <br /><br />In between meetings and emails, we've managed to have a lot of family Christmas and winter fun. We had our first snow a couple of weeks ago and got Elizabeth outside to enjoy her first snowfall. <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/-qCbtI02Yyun69JfNDuM0w?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TQz8GZno1zI/AAAAAAAAATM/Sr4w-t3u7dc/s400/DSC00922.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><br /><br />The kids and I also went for an afternoon walk at a nearby nature center. Henry thought it was hilarious when he threw rocks in the pond and they skidded across the frozen surface. <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/9R_MWkAcOnZkjX57clckvQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TQz8H_Q2OHI/AAAAAAAAATQ/zB0D8-zC_74/s400/DSC00933.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a><br /><br />Elizabeth was pretty unimpressed. <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/uuLIIQJ26TI6mmAkQsyTxA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TQz8JZxUMXI/AAAAAAAAATU/gL78W8ecEL0/s400/DSC00934.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><br /><br />We've also been enjoying Advent together. It's delightful to watch Henry's anticipation as Christmas gets closer and closer. The Advent wreath and calendar have been a wonderful way for him to have a sense of the passage of time in December. <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/4ogWqbyt05O95VOTvPskUg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TQz8SSZzGKI/AAAAAAAAAT4/mQBKh6vkjmo/s400/DSC00992.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/WZueU0-SbytOXpVqtdbNZQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TQz8TeaLiwI/AAAAAAAAAT8/CG80zXncp6o/s400/DSC00997.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><br /><br />Making gingerbread cookies and decorating a (pre-made) gingerbread house: <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Zv2XwJeDLWUMcJlTOJQEmw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TQz8Q3c-YDI/AAAAAAAAAT0/Bjmt5eDiF48/s400/DSC00988.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/1UdEvmy-M9StdEIJAGuvGA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TQz8UNQMFAI/AAAAAAAAAUA/PmNGrNNmVAM/s400/DSC01004.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/mShphZ9J6Y-w9RceJKATIw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TQz8VOe20gI/AAAAAAAAAUE/V9aSb0ZGxQM/s400/DSC01014.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><br /><br />Decorating the tree:<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/y08EwwpvJGlaGMB3qzJd9Q?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TQz8KXcoYGI/AAAAAAAAATY/LEIoF2BFL8I/s400/DSC00951.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/2tSUuqI_53EFY64p9-in5A?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TQz8LkEgxwI/AAAAAAAAATc/lz1XDpRTxgQ/s400/DSC00956.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/b9RulE0lYbjsamPbNPXI8Q?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TQz8N746fuI/AAAAAAAAATk/DxGktBDPwBY/s400/DSC00961.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hVlaZ_uyOoIRec3ss8pu3g?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TQz8Oq9J79I/AAAAAAAAATs/hKkueSx-AfY/s400/DSC00958.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><br /><br /><br />In other Henry news, we've decided to have him start preschool two mornings per week after Christmas. I'll continue to homeschool him the other days, and we still intend to homeschool long term, but Greg and I have decided that he just needs a little more practice at not being the center of the universe. We've chosen a play preschool that a lot of our friends send their kids to (and in fact, our neighbor Quinn will be in his class). For me, it will be nice to have a couple mornings per week to focus on Elizabeth and to do the grocery-shopping with only one kid.<br /><br />We visited the preschool this past Thursday. Henry was a little tentative at first but eventually joined in the activities and enjoyed himself. He still seems a little anxious about it, but I expect he'll adjust quickly. <br /><br />Last, a few cute pictures of Elizabeth. She's beginning to roll more and her little laugh is the sweetest sound. We've also started to do a little solid food (gumming a banana and trying some rice cereal) but so far she's pretty skeptical. <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/NixM4gimfd0d3rDeTcmEdA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TQz8WdJe8DI/AAAAAAAAAUI/2ZXqKQ9TX2w/s400/DSC01015.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/mXvhvDpPn13J0WGpSdcZMQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TQz8XoDKR2I/AAAAAAAAAUQ/_YGx9_jwysc/s400/DSC01024.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/cnxEZKBZHOsrsZCQdzmM4A?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TQz8PjNzwvI/AAAAAAAAATw/rtNQ-MuMoek/s400/DSC00985.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/q-67SG5BB8MD-xMIRNGGaA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TQz8bbUjMqI/AAAAAAAAAUk/log-e01lPDA/s400/DSC00975.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><br /><br />Okay, maybe more than a few. There are just too many cute pictures to choose from.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/tdmhyFIWeMyssuYNpUOnsg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TQz8Y6Tnr3I/AAAAAAAAAUY/B3QvZrYcr_Q/s400/DSC01037.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/BfwGCAgGQ946T95cOd6FFw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TQz8ag4ZlgI/AAAAAAAAAUg/KY0BCrHUFzI/s400/DSC01017.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/NeTNHYcS-YOltcIi3VBr9Q?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TQz8Z4LTILI/AAAAAAAAAUc/rFDkpDb91kM/s400/DSC01043.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05960950786462948625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8911987672661438639.post-77231724810436907662010-11-21T17:27:00.000-08:002010-11-21T18:04:08.185-08:00All I want for Christmas...is a dishwasher basket and nail clippersWe're in countdown to Rhode Island mode here, marking off the days on the calendar and strategizing about how to keep Elizabeth from screeching for the entire plane flight. (She's a sweet baby, but very high-pitched when she's tired. Our neighbors on the plane may not like us much.) <br /><br />Henry can hardly wait to fly on a plane and see everyone. In fact, he was so excited last week that he decided it was time to pack. Here's what he squeezed into his tiny backpack. Note the compass and band-aids. Clearly he is well on his way to following in his father's footsteps as a Boy Scout. My personal favorite is the rattle for Elizabeth. <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/nzUjqcD_k2JfGNb7Uzk0Ug?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TOnGybbxrrI/AAAAAAAAASU/1ghc_Tlwj-Q/s640/DSC00891.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a><br /><br />Official school activities have taken a backseat to my lingering cold this week, but we did manage to make a foam turkey and watch the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and Mayflower specials a few times. <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/aYsvGIsj824rM5l9wNlU7w?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TOnG00rsuYI/AAAAAAAAASc/tnIHjhgAABw/s640/DSC00900.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a><br /><br />Lastly, there have been a few requests for Christmas lists for the kids. Henry's major playthings this week have been nail clippers and staplers...<br /><br />(Seriously.)<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Qgxu5rVfkYUBgFJoXgCg6Q?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TOnG0D7OpjI/AAAAAAAAASY/TcdQzXiAhD0/s640/DSC00892.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a><br /><br />...so you could apparently just shop for him in the nail care and office supply aisles at Walgreens. However, we do have an amazon wishlist if you're looking for some other ideas: http://www.amazon.com/wishlist/3PYX55MK0EJGF/ref=cm_wl_rlist_go<br /><br />Not to leave Elizabeth out, but we already have bins of baby toys, so I didn't make a list for her. She'll be moving up to 6-9 months size soon for clothes. <br /><br />Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05960950786462948625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8911987672661438639.post-12841473415604825092010-11-15T15:46:00.001-08:002010-11-15T16:15:09.116-08:00Countdown to Thanksgiving!We're counting down the days to Thanksgiving here--literally. Henry asks multiple time each day how long it is until we go to California, at which point we have to remind him that Grammy and Grandpa Snow live in Rhode Island. But regardless of what state we're going to, we're all excited to see the Snows and introduce Rick and Derek to Elizabeth next week. <br /><br />As part of our homeschooling, Henry's been learning about the story of Thanksgiving. He loves the books about Thanksgiving that I bought, and he's especially fascinated by the fact that he's related to one of the families that sailed on the Mayflower. (Greg recently confirmed the connection while playing around on ancestry.com.) Constance Hopkins (direct ancestor and eventual wife of Nicholas Snow) seems to have been singled out by children's book authors as a good Pilgrim protagonist, so strangely enough there are several books in which she is the star.<br /><br />But besides the history lesson, what's Thanksgiving without hand turkeys? Henry was quite intrigued by the hand turkeys in one of his bedtime books, so he and Greg had a father-son hand turkey time this weekend. <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/zqd8Q8A06klwvlPjTeJPiw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TOHFoW2cTDI/AAAAAAAAARY/TRp34AX6gko/s400/DSC00881.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/D4TdZ3mqFJkW8tr1GQ4-pQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TOHFpaJQFYI/AAAAAAAAARc/6m7Q83tmFYE/s640/DSC00879.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a><br /><br />We've also been discussing thankfulness. Henry and I made a special "thankful jar." At dinner, we write things that we're thankful for on slips of paper and put them in the jar. Most of the things are pretty mundane, but it's been sweet to have some time to focus on being thankful together as a family. <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/cFMSIj9YeBDaZg5iqsu7Fg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TOHFnrY5YgI/AAAAAAAAARU/DUxu3nvbC1A/s400/DSC00877.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/iHnurZKPvEJhXYOtRtHZlA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TOHFmh6iEmI/AAAAAAAAARQ/35GoMVJ9a_I/s400/DSC00876.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><br /><br />In addition to reading about Thanksgiving, we've also been learning about dinosaurs. Thanks to a PBS show on dinosaurs, Henry's become fascinated with them. It's amazing how much he's learned just from watching the show and reading a few books together. This morning he got creative with his two different dinosaur and fairy tale magnet sets, with these results: <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Z5txLADSvcEtnLGuuQlo-w?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TOHFj9mCruI/AAAAAAAAARE/xHq5-M9FbKY/s400/DSC00868.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/9qKIVAe7M8BNaoMnVsWDng?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TOHFlQ-cfzI/AAAAAAAAARI/qti8v6sfrZQ/s800/DSC00869.JPG" height="600" width="800" /></a><br /><br />He was quite proud of the fact that he'd thought to put the fish-like dinosaurs in the water!<br /><br />Other than that, we've been plugging along with some phonics and number games. We played some Candy Land this past week...<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/pUzwcn9IwUAbYRE-3yeilA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TOHFrvGNS4I/AAAAAAAAARo/oWLoFseKaNE/s400/DSC00847.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><br /><br />...and Henry built a "mall" out of his wooden blocks during his rest time. I always love going in at the end of rest time to see what he's created or pretended. <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/bkgh8VLutARHC_D9VLPwwA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TOHFqtU0hDI/AAAAAAAAARk/-WmTnf5XvZE/s400/DSC00843.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><br /><br />Elizabeth has her four-month check-up this week, so we can't wait to find out how much weight she's gained. She seems to be thriving, and she continues to be an amazing sleeper--nearly 14 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night! She's finally losing her baby hair. Here's a picture from last week when she still had most of it: <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/MtmgfrIMgKoU2fC3QxJXaQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TOHFp81xnwI/AAAAAAAAARg/Ce2Yf_bsl2M/s400/DSC00830.JPG" height="400" width="267" /></a><br /><br />And here's a picture from today. It's a little hard to see, but there's a lot less now! She may be bald as a bean by the time we land in Rhode Island. <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ZpZb5RNOe5i0e5j2TqkyXw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TOHFl6Wi5PI/AAAAAAAAARM/lR0cybLJHe8/s400/DSC00871.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><br /><br />And lastly, a great picture from this weekend.<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/2CBPVW49lJmw4TXxyzQwyg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TOHFjOLR_4I/AAAAAAAAARA/Im3pvE0ggAc/s400/DSC00863.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05960950786462948625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8911987672661438639.post-45352433082874789672010-10-31T17:00:00.000-07:002010-10-31T17:22:49.917-07:00Happy Halloween!Kids sure make Halloween more fun! Elizabeth had a brief (and grumpy) stint as a sweet pea before crashing for the night, and Henry had great fun trick-or-treating as a builder. Not a construction worker, not Bob the Builder, just "a builder", according to him. It took a little persuading to get him to wear Greg's running safety vest, but it really made the outfit!<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/wcVCq9UqOUldaDXhUtOO0w?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TM4DmmbJCLI/AAAAAAAAAPk/jZZQCM00RGo/s400/DSC00811.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Facy8_jeCUPVajbwJrDqCA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TM4DjweMOfI/AAAAAAAAAPc/ji1_Axo4DQk/s400/DSC00806.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a><br /><br />Henry only trick-or-treated on our block, but thanks to some generous neighbors, he still had quite a haul. Perhaps even more fun for him was passing out candy. Every time a kid came to the door, he'd sprint to the door and carefully put a piece in each bag, even pressing candy on the adults. <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/GNyjnYTzILtWUodl9EDpWg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TM4DnVReA9I/AAAAAAAAAPo/0NYNWuaJf2M/s400/DSC00815.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><br /><br />In other news, Elizabeth is continuing to do very well with a combination of nursing and formula. We're starting to get into the rhythm of making formula and washing bottles. <br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/qVtD11fmZ4w2jKHKFPbEOw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TM3_sAQh3QI/AAAAAAAAAPA/qKoMeegu6UM/s400/DSC00776.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/kate.snow/20101031?feat=embedwebsite">2010-10-31</a></td></tr></table><br /><br />School this week was pretty low-key as we got into our new feeding routine for Elizabeth, although we did do our usual workboxes and activities. Henry's been really enjoying this simple calendar that I made for him that shows our weekly activities. It's a lot of fun for him to be able to anticipate all of his activities during the week and to know what special events are coming up. <br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Wr0tcTb8Jw6A3Kbn60vlzA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TM4DiAG_-aI/AAAAAAAAAPY/wxtg-mtkxqw/s400/DSC00803.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/kate.snow/20101031?feat=embedwebsite">2010-10-31</a></td></tr></table><br /><br />One activity that I haven't mentioned on the blog yet is "Jesus Friends," the preschool program that meets at our church on Wednesday night. It seems to be Henry's favorite activity of the week. He loves being part of a group--he's in the orange group, as he reminds us regularly--and adores the puppet show and singing. I'm so glad we decided to have him go. It runs until 8:00, which is well past his bedtime, but his enthusiasm and the quality of the program makes it well worth it. Here he is showing off some of his Jesus friends crafts from this week: a stop sign to remind him to obey God, and a cloth collage based on an Old Testament prophecy where a coat is torn into pieces to symbolize the twelve tribes of Israel. <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/_0B8ap3R19cEd8TC3UYKiw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TM4HXLGvMKI/AAAAAAAAAQA/6DJb81rkNfQ/s400/DSC00795.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><br /><br />Lastly, a couple of pictures that are too cute not to share. Have a good week!<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/U9AIGvDWWw57evog-8DQ9Q?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TM3_sw7PVQI/AAAAAAAAAPE/raUrUts_Ado/s400/DSC00782.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/f1WboluTVuvS8lvgtU_6Zg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TM4DoD7nEXI/AAAAAAAAAPw/lPtc2MllwyE/s400/DSC00786.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05960950786462948625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8911987672661438639.post-54576895793937950492010-10-23T07:37:00.000-07:002010-10-26T17:03:58.905-07:00More fall funThings are starting to get back to normal after we discovered last week that Elizabeth didn't gain any weight for a month. So far, it looks like my milk supply isn't sufficient (and isn't improving), so we're now supplementing with formula. Thankfully, our dear little girl is gaining weight well now and is quickly progressing forward with some of the movement milestones that she hadn't reached yet. It's such a relief to see her more active after an anxious week. <br /><br />She's lifting up her head much more and even propping herself on her arms sometimes. <br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/lbC-yYjuDdyJw13zs1DdFg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TMdnzrWbBpI/AAAAAAAAAOY/sHdVMX0UIlM/s400/DSC00761.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/cVnzv1cg-FAKBaZgg00WuA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TMdn3SqgNLI/AAAAAAAAAOc/O_GaElJTV6U/s400/DSC00764.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><br /><br />And she's started to grab at toys and really examine them. <br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/7WEAQC0C0BkbONRQ8RBszQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TMdn4DJBgNI/AAAAAAAAAOg/FKfncEtNaRQ/s400/DSC00772.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><br /><br />Apparently we didn't get any good pictures of her smiling this past week, but she's been so sweet and smiley (and has much less fussy afternoons, now that her little stomach is full!) It's a joy to have our happy little baby back. <br /><br />In other news, we've had lots of fall fun here the past couple of weeks. <br />We had a great visit with Mom and Mike and enjoyed a beautiful weekend with them. We went to the nature center's fall festival (and didn't take enough pictures). Not only did we go for a horse-drawn wagon ride through the forest, we also saw a blacksmith, an owl presentation, made rope and apple cider, and got to eat caramel apples. <br /><br />Henry had lots of fun having Grandma and Grandpa to play with, especially when he got to play in the fall leaves with Grandpa. <br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/aRBKOdtfI7XklNB1Qm--LQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TMLww_B2fXI/AAAAAAAAANk/KmrGVv7DXMk/s400/DSC00748.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><br /><br />And Elizabeth enjoyed lots of extra cuddles. <br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hzAOysixt-_pliHWwBqzdw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TMLwu1aF8PI/AAAAAAAAANg/ceD9HB3W3XM/s400/DSC00741.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><br /><br />Henry loves making applesauce. <br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ENOKrJrRGyZ77OV6RrATnQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TMLwuEToI0I/AAAAAAAAANc/Yc5ALTzqACo/s400/DSC00732.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a> <br /><br />And we got crafty and made a fall leaves decoration for the dining room. <br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/iSl6nqKWGs-XP4WoP85hHg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TMLwseFQPFI/AAAAAAAAANU/FkMD7VI8cEc/s400/DSC00720.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/qbHIO2ZRW1Twf-qMU4R9Kw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TMLwsyj8KyI/AAAAAAAAANY/0MIN0l9n1-I/s400/DSC00736.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a><br /><br />We also did a family hike that was supposed to be an easy mile and a half--but Greg's GPS informed us that we actually walked over three miles. Henry was quite a trooper. <br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/bp8GGsqzTKrd919t_1FySA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TMLwopt4k0I/AAAAAAAAANI/zWfJNJ308yc/s400/DSC00712.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/E9w30zdECH2DyyHmPUn3Hg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TMLwnU_rPqI/AAAAAAAAANE/YDBpAswXGtw/s400/DSC00707.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Pjr_8GGMeyLLqNCTik6Jaw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TMLw0cEWrwI/AAAAAAAAANw/R0s112_GOOk/s400/DSC00713.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a><br /><br />And of course we've been doing some more "academic" things--but they're not nearly as fun to photograph! I did get a picture of one our school times just to give you the flavor of it. On this day, Henry's four workboxes contained a sheet on identifying similarities and differences, a workbook where he identified the beginning sound for some words, a speech game for practicing saying the letter "f", and colored rods to practice comparing lengths (although they eventually became a town of skyscrapers and trucks.) <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/D95pf0KdbB2nxuc-50fotg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TMLwqXus81I/AAAAAAAAANQ/P0Bio7kqHXU/s400/DSC00719.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/DPU1KNMeIY_3qmEF2ZRn8w?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TMLwpZR8ONI/AAAAAAAAANM/fSUF4kupuOo/s400/DSC00717.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05960950786462948625noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8911987672661438639.post-87097600263611973252010-10-08T11:07:00.000-07:002010-10-08T11:21:58.028-07:00A beautiful fall weekWe've had a week of glorious fall weather and have taken every opportunity to get outdoors and enjoy it. <br /><br />On Sunday afternoon we went to Meijer Gardens to catch the Artprize sculptures featured there. Before looking at the sculptures, we took a short walk through the wetland area there and came across a flock of swans. The contrast between them and the Chihuly glass art installation was breathtaking. <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/zj2cNhz5hXxFOCfQyZSrGQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TK9UPqnb3kI/AAAAAAAAALU/SmnvNdL0B64/s400/DSC00662.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/HVR2WUPu2mYPGQ88Q6cNNw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TK9USGVjPNI/AAAAAAAAALY/MoPUyAdUI-o/s400/DSC00663.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><br /><br />Henry enjoyed stopping at the mock farm and using the hand pump. <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/74ywH4tksebmf9JN0pJlNg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TK9UTKCinZI/AAAAAAAAALc/6jW8Qm3TflU/s400/DSC00665.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ATRYQEmy9DEG9bLuM1dwvA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TK9UU3oG-fI/AAAAAAAAALg/5UTH3634Y_c/s400/DSC00671.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/5-_PfEIf-HlAxjN0Zyqqog?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TK9UV2nwXlI/AAAAAAAAALk/MJNEJQamvQY/s400/DSC00673.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><br /><br />We had a zoo playdate with a neighbor on Monday. The boys enjoyed the animals, but the wooden train was the main attraction. <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/RWbJZ1Y7WBpPmNtCscrIMw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TK9UZJKzJdI/AAAAAAAAALs/1YVpN4VHjms/s400/DSC00683.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/KMkDY2XUvcnTZGhdYK2-3w?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TK9UWwZqDGI/AAAAAAAAALo/kfMg2QTGO2A/s400/DSC00675.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><br /><br />We also took advantage of the nice weather to do some outdoor science activities. Henry was quite excited about his new magnifying glass, but a three-year-old attention span doesn't exactly lend itself to much close observation. <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/8opzXIRE_jNioM02_jIVSQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TK9Ucq91gpI/AAAAAAAAAL4/BrX9yx3d4ls/s400/DSC00691.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><br /><br />We also took a walk to the Garfield nature center (which is next to the park). Henry loved climbing on fallen logs and stumps and squishing berries in between his fingers. After he commented that the squished berries looked like paint, it occurred to me that we could use them for an art project. So, we took a couple bunches home and Henry did some berry painting. <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/2rNaj2BXgAJRLQ_90ijIeA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TK9UebZVyuI/AAAAAAAAAL8/41iSLBkiSXI/s400/DSC00695.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><br /><br />You can see Elizabeth generally doesn't mind getting schlepped around to all our activities! She has been a bit fussy in the afternoons lately, but other than that continues to be very easy-going.<br /><br />During our at-home academics, Henry had a lot of fun playing with his number puzzles this week. He's become quite proficient at the numbers up to ten, both counting and recognizing the numerals. <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/xu-IhkV_2oq5ozbImxGcKA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TK9UbP8CJWI/AAAAAAAAAL0/MhpV2JtLXYA/s400/DSC00688.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a><br /><br />And he blew me away this week with his letter knowledge. I knew he knows the alphabet pretty well, but he was able to connect all of the lower-case letters with their upper-case match--and even draw the lines himself. <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/iNsgXi2EaaYcPQQ6f-zq5A?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TK9UZ8rrPrI/AAAAAAAAALw/JRV3jJJZAOU/s400/DSC00686.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05960950786462948625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8911987672661438639.post-32003449786157357942010-10-02T16:24:00.000-07:002010-10-02T16:47:21.038-07:00Week 4This week was pretty low-key, as I had a cold all week that kept me from having much energy. Our theme right now is all things fall, so we've been reading books about leaves, apples, pumpkins, etc. <br /><br />Making leaf rubbings was kind of a dud art project, but it did get Henry looking at the veins of the leaves. Cutting open crab apples and pine cones was a much bigger hit...<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/1p6HV0vDBnoRc7bi-BFmWg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TKfA2KXx7xI/AAAAAAAAAKY/zsRMwlb20xU/s400/DSC00592.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><br /><br />... and making apple pie was even better!<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/xLcsfL9YhZVV1llLoMJanQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TKfA5dZk0PI/AAAAAAAAAKk/FYvoPdO2AZM/s400/DSC00618.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><br /><br />Henry spends an hour each day having "rest time" in his room, when he gets to bring one toy to his room and play quietly for an hour. (Since he has mostly stopped napping, it helps us both to have a bit of a break in the middle of the day.) <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/thhRgHQCEBhq7DHOglHdog?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TKfA4neJ3NI/AAAAAAAAAKg/-rjDPhTmQYM/s400/DSC00609.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><br /><br />It seems like having this focused time has made his pretending more sophisticated, which has been very fun for Greg and I to observe. This week, he started using his little people to act out fairy tales. We did The Three Little Pigs and Goldilocks, as well as a book about some mice that get caught in a glass jar. <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/-dKnYp-Mo3cnXd9gw4YlKg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TKfA3vaOlxI/AAAAAAAAAKc/G6efmwFjBos/s400/DSC00597.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><br /><br />The real highlight of the week was the weekend, when Dad and Jane came to visit. We went downtown to Artprize on Friday afternoon and saw several of the highlights of the competition. (Although apparently we didn't take any pictures of the actual art.)<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/qNyB2fo8HLhfBZYJ4PAPaA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TKfA911h4wI/AAAAAAAAAKw/UVisOH15Wzk/s400/DSC00634.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><br /><br />While we were downtown, we of course had to stop for a carousel ride at the public museum. <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/03ZI-vg3rLvIkSGlDsdoHQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TKfA8K32I4I/AAAAAAAAAKs/62KzLT8OMTk/s400/DSC00629.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a><br /><br />Last, Henry began his music class this week. I had heard rave reviews of this music class from a friend but was still surprised by how excellently it was taught and by how much fun we had. The class is a mix of singing, dancing, and playing with simple instruments, and the instructor had Henry completely engaged before the end of the first song. The class is for kids up to age 4, so Henry's one of the bigger kids in the class. I think it will be good for him to be one of the "big kids" since he often is the little kid tagging along in our neighborhood. <br /><br />As part of the class fee, we received a CD of the songs we'll be singing. When I popped it into the CD player on the way home, Henry said, "Mom, this is the best DVD (CD) ever." When I asked why, he replied, "Because it has the songs from my music class." Pretty good endorsement!<br /><br />Elizabeth is holding up her head more and more, and devouring her fingers. Thankfully, being able to suck on her fists seems to help her soothe herself, and she's been continuing to sleep through the night. (Hallelujah!)<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/U89hYhn3TLv81KOqQMU7Iw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TKfA_O1pRUI/AAAAAAAAAK0/EHIVuUtEY1k/s400/DSC00644.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/gMJn2DW19kE3fAfuY5U8iw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TKfA6RVr-FI/AAAAAAAAAKo/mzh0FqN9AeQ/s400/DSC00622.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05960950786462948625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8911987672661438639.post-76725181004202993842010-09-24T15:02:00.001-07:002010-09-24T15:09:48.008-07:00Third weekWe had several fun and not-so-fun "firsts" this week:<br /><br />1. Henry's first play. He and Greg went to see a community theater production of Blue's Clues. Greg reports that Henry was entranced, and that the interactive format proved to be a perfect first theater experience for a three-year-old. Here's a picture of the two theater-goers.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/zFN96E_1IHU_3qDY7W_dfA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TJ0eDaWx3FI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/Alo2iQ-iIKY/s400/DSC00566.JPG" /></a><br /><br />2. Our first big power outage in Grand Rapids. Our power went out Tuesday night at 9 and didn't come on again until 2 PM the next afternoon. Fortunately, we didn't lose too much in the fridge or freezer. Henry thought it was all very exciting (especially getting to use flashlights) but sitting around in the gloom on Wednesday morning was not the most fun, although we livened things up by making food coloring and coffee filter fall leaves.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/R0wU2UamB7Gp8xb8DK9Z4w?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TJ0eFZPRhoI/AAAAAAAAAIY/_8yBF1L0aKQ/s400/DSC00573.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/lwzmqbjE1Df57RtVARe2lw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TJ0eGT3vIxI/AAAAAAAAAIc/qf8jZ7JVsAY/s400/DSC00575.JPG" /></a><br /><br />3. The other upside of the morning in the dark is that it inspired me to get to the Y and take Elizabeth to the child care center for the first time. It felt wonderful to finally be able to workout without a stroller (although I could no longer blame my slow pace on having to push the stroller!) Kids in the day care require an ID card, so we went early and got Elizabeth her very first Y card. Henry also had his picture re-taken, since his was from when he was six months old. Aren't these adorable?<br /><br />The new cards:<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/By5u8HuvXKOg4OeTJqaE2A?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TJ0eHXeU7fI/AAAAAAAAAJA/bEuM7IS0r6M/s400/DSC00578.JPG" /></a><br />Henry's old card:<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ACe2DzpSCpeNrya663X-Hg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TJ0eIPFqKbI/AAAAAAAAAJE/QtVOfoT3vqo/s400/DSC00583.JPG" /></a><br /><br />And, a couple other highlights of the week. Henry had a lot of fun playing with his magnetic pattern blocks. <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Aj3qBkMiRF6wIIdaQ0zLdA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TJ0eElQMEhI/AAAAAAAAAIU/H4UA0uC4I3I/s400/DSC00568.JPG" /></a><br /><br />We also played "store" during our school time for some stealth practice with counting and simple addition.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/86SSeB2xMLwqHfIzKStsjg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TJ0eI7LgvYI/AAAAAAAAAIo/7WKv4M2u2Hk/s400/DSC00585.JPG" /></a>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05960950786462948625noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8911987672661438639.post-27162173168601724792010-09-16T10:18:00.001-07:002010-09-17T16:31:45.874-07:00Week 2Phew! We had a busy daytime schedule this week. Friends over to play three mornings and one afternoon, a dentist appointment and pediatrician appointment, two church meetings, and Henry's first speech session. We've had a lot of fun, but I'm looking forward to less busyness next week.<br /><br />Henry's first speech session went great. His therapist seems very friendly and professional. They got right to work, learning the "snake sound" and practicing S's. Henry's homework was to read a book in which he calls for a dog named Spot before lifting the flaps in the book to look for Spot. Even in just a couple days, he's already making progress.<br /><br />All our playdates this week were lovely. Since our days seem to go better if Elizabeth gets a good solid nap in the morning, I've been making a point of inviting friends to come here (although this week's schedule got a little out of hand!) Henry's starting to play with his friends rather than just next to them.<br /><br />One of the highlights of school this week was "fishing" for magnetic materials in the rice bin.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/fRnOPx8cJ8FYZX-JcIlO4g?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TJP4D6TsOgI/AAAAAAAAAFY/7ql73fbhuS0/s400/DSC00539.JPG" /></a><br /><br />Henry and I also played Go Fish. Henry's still has a pretty hazy idea of what winning is all about, but we both enjoyed it.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Pe2NJuKEfraUGmviS5H1lQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TJP4I06w3bI/AAAAAAAAAFo/R8aPth1vk2M/s400/DSC00550.JPG" /></a><br /><br />Henry drew about magnets in his journal and I transcribed his words.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Qn-ClL17JFW22tg1FOtjEA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TJP4KrsAoNI/AAAAAAAAAFw/9ap-ak1N_N4/s400/DSC00554.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ty3FRQVAItCcZoF7HY1-2w?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TJP4MT25fUI/AAAAAAAAAF4/fPCCpY63EIg/s400/DSC00557.JPG" /></a><br /><br />And lastly--drumroll, please!--the results of Elizabeth's two-month-and-a-little-more check-up: 24.75" (greater than 95th percentile) and 11 lbs, 15 oz (75th percentile). She's beginning to hold up her head more easily, and is looking adorable in her hand-knit sweaters.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/tDf4q0CsoM2aQga-DGYs4g?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_18O9wggc7_M/TJP4EvJKkSI/AAAAAAAAAFc/vG8mU5POsFk/s400/DSC00543.JPG" /></a>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05960950786462948625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8911987672661438639.post-75584629118446799272010-09-15T08:14:00.000-07:002010-09-15T08:17:38.142-07:00First week of school<div style="text-align: left;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark/> <w:enableopentypekerning/> <w:dontflipmirrorindents/> <w:overridetablestylehps/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathpr> <m:mathfont val="Cambria Math"> <m:brkbin val="before"> <m:brkbinsub val="--"> <m:smallfrac val="off"> <m:dispdef/> <m:lmargin val="0"> <m:rmargin val="0"> <m:defjc val="centerGroup"> <m:wrapindent val="1440"> <m:intlim val="subSup"> <m:narylim val="undOvr"> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" defunhidewhenused="true" defsemihidden="true" defqformat="false" defpriority="99" latentstylecount="267"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="0" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Normal"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="heading 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 7"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 8"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 9"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 7"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 8"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 9"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="35" qformat="true" name="caption"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="10" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Title"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="1" name="Default Paragraph Font"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="11" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Subtitle"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="22" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Strong"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="20" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Emphasis"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="59" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Table Grid"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Placeholder Text"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="1" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="No Spacing"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Revision"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="34" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="List Paragraph"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="29" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Quote"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="30" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Intense Quote"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="19" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Subtle Emphasis"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="21" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Intense Emphasis"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="31" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Subtle Reference"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="32" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Intense Reference"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="33" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Book Title"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="37" name="Bibliography"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" qformat="true" name="TOC Heading"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">On Tuesday we had the official first day of school. It was a little anticlimactic, since it was so similar to what we do usually anyways. But, later that day, as Henry was playing with one our neighbor girls, she was telling him about her first day of kindergarten and said, "When you're bigger, you'll start school, too." Henry replied, "I started school today!" and seemed very proud to be included in such a "big kid" event. It made me glad that we started the same day the the other area schools begin.<br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/z80LnV4M8RKYHPhO1_d-CqVFZcgqCwNGrLJU_PT1TD0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0MdxUFb2fyZMq0NQ_r_vjt2SzkilPct8JPjLw1-gbTYPqROdQ4e-w7IMoaoeGGfGvhgDxY3yuW5vjecgvPCuXNE_s2Xv8zj1x5FgeNfO1ueTWKqtycWp3y6mLg4LD4QwxrrE0fE7LFZQ/s144/DSC00516.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/104733207052127471516/LearningTogether?authkey=Gv1sRgCKOTrOqu_s-Fdw&feat=embedwebsite">Learning Together</a></td></tr></table><br /><br />Our usual routine is to read books together on the couch for about twenty minutes and then do four short activities. Our focus for reading this week was books about fall and seasons.<br /><br />Henry was excited to find trains on his workbook labels on the first day of school. I put one activity in each box; I like how this system clearly defines what we're trying to accomplish each day, and it makes my planning much easier. Some of the workbox activities this week were drawing a first day of school picture, making his name from magnetic letters, sorting pictures that begin with the letters m and r, and using his fingers to tell how many colored blocks were hidden behind a card.<br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/8yh1cv4tohtKcI9M5XbeoKVFZcgqCwNGrLJU_PT1TD0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwKHSKRXg5icj-_jJUuaybj60ZFS9rnJYBUfm9o02jo6n54jVoWCeLjpzmDavNGJp5naPuGTqQ00wYlFgmBvqyGFeVSwxV6J0v0cDntSA_4UzUuSR3CP_YttNqB29IZhSbCYzB55F2yoI/s144/DSC00518.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/104733207052127471516/LearningTogether?authkey=Gv1sRgCKOTrOqu_s-Fdw&feat=embedwebsite">Learning Together</a></td></tr></table><br /><br /><br />Other school activities were lots of playing with magnets and rolling acorns around in a box to make a splatter paint picture.<br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/R95aUTvgm749Yo1OVsmTMKVFZcgqCwNGrLJU_PT1TD0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsburlPOnXeoa5F4a5Yt26eT_lGz4XNrngzN_Bj4KTDX_hWsmEtHVqyguKH2QsJZrPl-GW0EIOETs8oZIFECRpsXhEunge1P6W7iGgri5Y4S1BrIdouRyuFXwvxcr0OVXn1Zcw5pJoJZc/s144/DSC00524.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/104733207052127471516/LearningTogether?authkey=Gv1sRgCKOTrOqu_s-Fdw&feat=embedwebsite">Learning Together</a></td></tr></table><br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/EEgEMCGywm51inWyI_uPR6VFZcgqCwNGrLJU_PT1TD0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC11UM-86XAehJBmen3ry9YbisQHOOu361pxjlSLPPNC8alDCLktHRhi4RLX-5FylP1HLbxEvCUSWJQ56gHgfXMgyviLMaaQSjmefjrrohvK2cfLXZ2h-Gky2WPBZoBW7g2VNJUyNKxAU/s144/DSC00528.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/104733207052127471516/LearningTogether?authkey=Gv1sRgCKOTrOqu_s-Fdw&feat=embedwebsite">Learning Together</a></td></tr></table><br /><br />Some other highlights of the week for Henry were bike rides to the park, lots of playing with neighbors, and the beginning of regular Sunday School. Henry's also enjoying puzzles a lot, and he's amazed us with his progress. He can now do 24-piece puzzles independently and likes the challenge of 50-piece puzzles as long as he has a little help and encouragement. </span></p>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05960950786462948625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8911987672661438639.post-62804757850144384742010-09-15T08:03:00.000-07:002010-09-15T08:11:21.467-07:00Homeschool Presents<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark/> <w:enableopentypekerning/> <w:dontflipmirrorindents/> <w:overridetablestylehps/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathpr> <m:mathfont val="Cambria Math"> <m:brkbin val="before"> <m:brkbinsub val="--"> <m:smallfrac val="off"> <m:dispdef/> <m:lmargin val="0"> <m:rmargin val="0"> <m:defjc val="centerGroup"> <m:wrapindent val="1440"> <m:intlim val="subSup"> <m:narylim val="undOvr"> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" defunhidewhenused="true" defsemihidden="true" defqformat="false" defpriority="99" latentstylecount="267"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="0" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Normal"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="heading 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 7"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 8"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 9"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 7"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 8"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 9"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="35" qformat="true" name="caption"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="10" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Title"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="1" name="Default Paragraph Font"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="11" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Subtitle"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="22" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Strong"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="20" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Emphasis"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="59" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Table Grid"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Placeholder Text"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="1" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="No Spacing"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Revision"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="34" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="List Paragraph"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="29" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Quote"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="30" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Intense Quote"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="19" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Subtle Emphasis"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="21" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Intense Emphasis"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="31" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Subtle Reference"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="32" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Intense Reference"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="33" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Book Title"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="37" name="Bibliography"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" qformat="true" name="TOC Heading"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">On Monday, we got ready for the school year by opening homeschool presents. I figured that since I was buying all these homeschool books and toys anyway, we might as well make a ceremony out of giving them to Henry. So I wrapped them all up, and Henry had fun opening them all up (although he was less than excited to find some of the gift bags had workbooks in them.) A set of magnets and a new Thomas puzzle were much more exciting finds.<br /> <br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/DxUthmxGpYQ90F3__Ept_6VFZcgqCwNGrLJU_PT1TD0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXuJ3Pq4gCH245zc5d8fb5P2q-FJ00MFDI5OpmoqZpMgMqVGdDPhOBPhKMH1b7eAuCK03X_hTGRKe7v-q0oAHEDPgtl6HFH_o-eZZRsdsV2gJSin_1_KoUagBXdc4bR5B8VACfpaIijPQ/s144/DSC00492.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/104733207052127471516/LearningTogether?authkey=Gv1sRgCKOTrOqu_s-Fdw&feat=embedwebsite">Learning Together</a></td></tr></table></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/6N0Q7TiqOlnJYcXNMl5HR6VFZcgqCwNGrLJU_PT1TD0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic1ZDcFjbo7jICJ5upxnnoKMj5g1G55gexqP3qyFP6tw7hXFX8f0xeWM7C36IrpbIfYfX_o5hFcMl9eC9j_bwp86lQEUMtkTCiyejrItneo3ws2jWXlnEfJOhOJJpg46yexu2s35zXRK8/s144/DSC00504.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/104733207052127471516/LearningTogether?authkey=Gv1sRgCKOTrOqu_s-Fdw&feat=embedwebsite">Learning Together</a></td></tr></table><br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/nkuLzVLAZxwXyXCyitF1_6VFZcgqCwNGrLJU_PT1TD0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJo2NeVdc6Kk_sNl-G-xo3MmOepIpfuZbJE1GVVraBtSyNB4wIb8fLQipGQCHJCrQc_TZJxKf7XSMs_MlPV8ibOFHmKLHxNeNTvsTHSzLwUrYlWJ4ikYz6o9PJJsQmuQnpeax2gNyAUnw/s144/DSC00507.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/104733207052127471516/LearningTogether?authkey=Gv1sRgCKOTrOqu_s-Fdw&feat=embedwebsite">Learning Together</a></td></tr></table>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05960950786462948625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8911987672661438639.post-90513218086522544492010-09-12T12:10:00.000-07:002010-09-15T08:03:00.551-07:00A Beautiful Day for a Hike<div>We had a great first week of homeschooling. We started off the week with a wonderful hike at Blandford Nature Center on Sunday. Henry actually hiked two and a half miles, and Elizabeth happily slept in the front carrier the whole time. Henry is really into maps at the moment, so he got a kick out of carrying the map and looking at the posted maps.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Tjq11OrUZEM0CtdgpLGetx3TsDOteylpw-UeK0sFenkXSD-2X8cYcEjiia1vxINlXbBK5-0VdA15AHyxqSh8yTLnhRrBDvo25eup0r4j0K3sJigbVrUT4qKdSrJrI6PlHh9WNfeJeA8/s1600/DSC00459.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 240px; float: left; height: 320px; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516114020599141570" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Tjq11OrUZEM0CtdgpLGetx3TsDOteylpw-UeK0sFenkXSD-2X8cYcEjiia1vxINlXbBK5-0VdA15AHyxqSh8yTLnhRrBDvo25eup0r4j0K3sJigbVrUT4qKdSrJrI6PlHh9WNfeJeA8/s320/DSC00459.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU2GXqGfbBL9zEPiCXjND_63XjLCtEKAJCkb-8ameBpSDa2d_xz_3-8h03DiwkDn9C4V17Q3uWEkOjEqeq9u54AoU9J9B65uQdWlp3GXLv1gM6HK4ey36xKi72XS0AX7Sw_LYTiB9ghYQ/s1600/DSC00449.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU2GXqGfbBL9zEPiCXjND_63XjLCtEKAJCkb-8ameBpSDa2d_xz_3-8h03DiwkDn9C4V17Q3uWEkOjEqeq9u54AoU9J9B65uQdWlp3GXLv1gM6HK4ey36xKi72XS0AX7Sw_LYTiB9ghYQ/s320/DSC00449.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px;"><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcYWjByQs27tOhMA4dAYS7ypfvK5_aZD4fOK5HXvCZvcJDGb8xZNVuQpQbpd0EbZx0Ec2fVaVQJINWoV-VcsYsZ_RTdrID1-sc0cqxbAyJiMd2mvXyIDGnzaXxK3CnWp9esZBwUn-4PMA/s1600/DSC00468.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcYWjByQs27tOhMA4dAYS7ypfvK5_aZD4fOK5HXvCZvcJDGb8xZNVuQpQbpd0EbZx0Ec2fVaVQJINWoV-VcsYsZ_RTdrID1-sc0cqxbAyJiMd2mvXyIDGnzaXxK3CnWp9esZBwUn-4PMA/s320/DSC00468.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center; clear: both;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img style="border: 0px none; padding: 0px; background: none repeat scroll 0% 50% transparent;" alt="Posted by Picasa" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" align="middle" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /></div></div>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05960950786462948625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8911987672661438639.post-35487561392103538102010-09-05T10:18:00.000-07:002010-09-06T08:11:34.862-07:00The Homeschool PlanPlans are always subject to change, especially when a small baby is involved, but I can never resist making them. This year, our main goals for Henry are:<br /><br />-Encouraging his wonderful interest in the world around him. Last year, we dabbled in everything from the Statue of Liberty to musical instruments, and we'll continue to read voraciously and learn about the random topics he becomes fascinated with. I'll also encourage interest in seasonal topics and some science topics. Some activities planned for the fall: magnets, observing leaves change color, and trips to an apple orchard and pumpkin patch.<br /><br />-Read lots, especially classic picture books, fairy tales, nursery rhymes, and poetry.<br /><br />-Solidify his alphabet knowledge and practice pre-reading skills (like tracking word-for-word and taking apart the sounds in words) so that he'll have the skills necessary for learning to read when he gets interested.<br /><br />-More understandable speech, with the help of a speech therapists. The "L"s are finally appearing--now if he can learn "S"s and "F"s, we'll be able to understand him a lot more easily.<br /><br />-Practice basic number skills and critical thinking skills like sorting and comparing.<br /><br />-Have fun exploring art materials like paint and clay and practice fine motor skills like cutting, folding, and coloring.<br /><br />-Begin to memorize Bible verses and to see the connection between the Bible and daily life.<br /><br />-Enjoy playing with other kids and continue to develop social skills (especially not grabbing toys from other kids!)Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05960950786462948625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8911987672661438639.post-62450190470417084282010-09-05T10:14:00.000-07:002010-09-05T10:18:19.550-07:00Welcome!So, what's the purpose of this blog? Mainly to provide Henry and Elizabeth's doting grandparents, uncles, aunt , and other assorted admirers with a sneak peek of what we're up to each week.<br /><br />I make no promises about how often I'll be able to update--I do have a two-month-old after all!--but I'm hoping to post some pictures and write a little about Henry's preschool adventures each week.Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05960950786462948625noreply@blogger.com0