Making ornaments

A couple weeks ago we all sat down to make saltdough ornaments. I'm not sure who enjoyed it the most!






(Yes, J chose to sit in the high chair - not sure why.)

School Days - November Progress Report

There are times I worry that we are not doing enough "school", then I realize they are still speeding through our curriculum and we are about a quarter of the way through (I was planning on stretching it out over a year and a half to two years). All three girls are also learning so much right now, that I do not doubt they are getting a great education.

So, just to recap what we have been learning:
We have been reading about Moses and the Israelites in the wilderness. In our Thursday Bible Study, their lessons have conveniently followed similarly and today their story was of Joshua and Jericho. They have also learned 8-10 Bible verses so far.

In science we have watched plants grow from seeds, talked about flowers, discovered what happens if a leaf doesn't get sunlight and/or water, and talked some about photosynthesis.

Jael is adding and subtracting single digits in math. She has also figured out adding 3 numbers on her own and can figure out the missing number in a number sentence.
Tekla is counting items in a set, counting out items from a group and working on number recognition in math. She has also been matching like items.
Saoirse is learning to hold up fingers when Mommy starts our countdowns and is learning to put things away (kinda).

Jael is doing great at reading and likes to read to her sisters. She is a good speller and does very well when quizzed at the end of the week. Her handwriting is also very nice and she loves to write letters to people, and make lists for Mommy.
Tekla is starting to sound out 3 letter words and is now able to write her name very legibly (that darn k has been the hardest letter to learn though). She also likes to play Sight Word Bingo with Jael and match the word drawn to the word on her card.
Saoirse is enjoying emptying the bookshelves and pointing to various picture in the books. Her favorite book right now is a book about animals as she is learning many animal signs/noises. She is also learning that pages tear if you pull them just right.

Jael is loving ballet lessons on Tuesdays, and often practices her jumps and pointing all around the house.
Tekla is practicing jumping with 2 feet and running.
Saoirse I trying to learn to jump and loves to get on the trampoline and pump her arms up and down. Saoirse has also started dancing with her sisters, swaying, spinning and kicking her legs in the air.

We are currently reading Mary Poppins as a read aloud. Other books we have recently read include: Johnny Appleseed, The Hundred Dresses, The Last of the Great Wangdoodles, Elmer and his Dragon, Autumn with the Moodys, and a few others I can't remember right now.

Jael and Tekla are also learning to be great helpers. Since Mommy is starting to slow down more and more due to the coming addition, they have done more to help with laundry and cooking and enjoy being such "big kids". (Saoirse is still trying to figure out what is going on).

I'm sure I'm missing several things that they have learned recently, but I don't think I could list it all if I tried!

Next step in reading

The other night I had to tell the girls I was just too tiered to read. Jael asked if she could give it a try so I said sure. She read the first two pargraphs fairly well, before stoping. I told Daddy about it later and he decided to get her some chapter books of her own. He got her the first 8 Magic Tree house books and she dove right in. She was so excited that through the first chapter she kept running up to me to give reports about what is going on in the book. It is so great to see her excited about the books.

Creative writing - September

How to make a peanutbutter sandwich - By Jael
Take two peices of bread and take some peanutbutter with a knife. Spread the peanutbutter on one peice of bread. Put the other peice of bread on top. Eat it with your hands.


The day I was two inches tall - Tekla
I would eat tiny cereal. It is called Cheerios. I would eat with my hands.

*She informed me that if you are two inches tall you do not have allergies.

Diamond Mud

While we were at the diamond mind, there was an aspiring photographer who asked permission to take pictures of Jael and Tekla (Saoirse and I had already left). He just sent us the copies and I just had to share some!

Make a joyful noise?

Tekla started singing while upstairs in the bathroom. Then she continued as she came down. Then it continued. Daddy got the camera and it continued. Daddy stopped filming and it continued. It only stopped when Mommy started watching what Daddy had filmed.
If you look behind her you will also see the trampoline that we got the girls to help them burn extra energy when Mommy can't take them out. We have been amazed that this little one who had gross motor delays so early on can jump longer than her sisters(maybe not as hight but longer).

Crator of Diamonds State Park

(Text will come when I get the notebook out of the car:)

Ballarina Girl

Jael has been soooo excited to start ballet classes. She has a nice size class of 4 girls. After her first class, all she had to say is, "When do I get to go on stage?" Later she decided she wanted to wait till spring to make her stage debut instead of participating in the Nutcracker this winter.

Sorry for my slowness

I am going to attemt to catch up on the last month of things. I have fallen behind on many things due to morning sickness and just being so darn tierd. Please bare with me as I get us all caught up.

Creative writing 8/19/08

(Topic: Tell about a hobby.)

I like to dance. You stick your foot out and then you bend your knees. Then you jump very high. You spin around and then kick. That's all.

Tekla




(Topic: Retell a part of a story)

Once upon a time there was a little girl who was going to bring food to her grandma's house at the other end of the woods. Then she was going through the woods a wolf came. He was going to take a short cut through the woods to the little girls grandma's house. The wolf knocked on the door, and Little Red Ridinghood's grandma said, "Who is it?" The wolf said,"It's me, Little Red Ridinghood." And that was the end.

Jael

Other pictures from our trip

Out at Papa's Farm


Up at night at Grandma R's


Making puppies at Build-A-Bear


Trying on Mommy's Ballet costumes "you put your hand on the back of my chair."


Walking lessons


Hot baby at the family reunion - soaking up the attention.

Nelson Atkins Art Museum

After reading about different types of art we decided to go explore an Art Museum. We looked at colors, textures, form, lines and much much more.

Tekla - We saw a LION! statue
We saw two monsters; they were brown.
I saw people with 1,2,3,4,5 arms. (Shiva)
Tekla also told Grandma a creative and detailed story about a painting (a mountainscape).

Jael - Two statues looked mean and scary. (Same as Tekla's monsters)
There was a statue that was called "The Thinking" (The Thinker)
i drew a still life. A pot with flowers in it.

Saoirse - experimented with sound and echoes in all the big rooms!

Our other findings include:

Personal reflextion

Texture

Still life

Form

Mommy's Day Off

While on our month long sabatical to Grandmas' houses(while Daddy was gone on a work related trip), Grandma and Grandpa S treated me to a "Mommy's Day off" complete with a bubble bath in the jetted tub and nothing to do (except make rolls for dinner).
While I was enjoying the day off they took the girls to Martha Lafite Thompson Nature Sanctuary, follewd by a park, lunch then home for a quiet time.



Jael: We saw a bunch of ...
I caught some animals - green crickets
I got a leaf with eggs
I saw deer tracks on the sidewalk


Tekla: I saw the creek water
We picked no flowers (we know how hard that is for a 3yo)
We heard birds


Saoirse: poked Papa's head with a stick
walked on the overlook deck - and wanted off!

National Zoo (Take 1 and Take 2)

As our regular weekend outting with Daddy we decided to go to the National Zoo. Jael wanted to see the flamingos, Tekla wanted to see the giraffes, and Daddy wanted to see the gorillas. Unfortunately, everyone was too tired and short tempered to see much more than a few animals. We did see some zebras up close, got a short glimps of the pandas, and went to the bird house. In the aviary, a bird tried to atack the stroller but, Daddy our hero with steel toed boots, kept him away from little oneswho were very interested but worried. We did make it to see the flamingoes and that was the highlight we had to end on. By that time... It was just time to go.

Later in the week, some friends (Mommy and her 3 little girls) called and asked if we would like to go to the zoo with them. So we tried it again and were able to see many more animals! We saw lions and tigers, prarie dogs, seals, elephants, pigmy hippos, capybaras, apes, monkeys, lemurs, and even got to listen to a zoo keeper talk about a type of porcupine while it was being fed. Unfortunately, I forgot to take the camera and we forgot to recap our favorite points on the way home. Everyone was exhausted by the time we got home, and the next day was simply a day of recovery for both families (esp. the Mommies who had to push the strollers up the BIG hill). It was fun but I think we'll be going in cooler weather next time.

First Cut

I have been wanting to cut Saoirse's hair for some time, but was nervous about getting scissors near the perpetual motion machine. Well, last night I finnaly decided it was time for the annual girls' trim. I trimed just a little off Jael's hair and slightly more off Tekla's but neither is very noticable. Then it was time to grab the camera and see how even I could cut a moving target. (Ok the others moved too but not this much!) I ended up cuting over 2.5 in off the back and then tried to even up the front...and she wouldn't even stay still for the pictures.


Then Daddy trimed a couple inches off my hair but, again, it's not hardly noticable.

Updates to come

Alright, I know I'm behind by several weeks but I have some time today so we'll see which ones I can get done...after I do some dishes.

Lakeside Nature Center

Jael - "We went into a tunnel with a pictures of bugs and animals." "A turtle eating bugs and banana." "There was a snapping turtle that was laying on the bottom (of the tank) and when we were looking at other stuff it climbed up (to the surface). It was huge like a giant." "There were mice in a cage. They were brown and teeny tiny." "We saw flowers and saw a statue of the tortoise and the hare."

Tekla - "We saw a rabbit and a fox (Braier Fox and Breier Rabbit - she also told a story to go along with this but I cannot transcribe that quickly.)" "I saw owls outside in the net." "I saw a rabbit. It was black and white. It was eatting carrots and salad." "I read a book and did a puzzle."

Saoirse - Mommy read to me and I held a toy kitten. I walked (holding a hand) and played peek-a-boo with Grandma in the tunnel.

Little Cinderellas

While trying to get the house ready for Grandma I put my two little Cinderellas to work scrubbing the kitchen floor. On hands and knees with thier own personal floor scrubbing sponge, they slaved away while Mommy cleaned the rest of the house as quickly as she could (or at least tried to get the rest of the house clean...I don't think it will ever be fully clean as long as we live there.)

Go'in to the zoo, zoo, zoo!

Daddy and the girls went to the Columbus Zoo with Uncle N and Aunt M. They were hot, tired and hungry when it came time to recap, so all I can tell you is they had fun.