Rain Walk

 

 

Maddie had some difficulty with the wind.

 

Puddles!

 

Who is This Kid?

Ella is 3.  A few months back she started asking me when I would teach her to read.  I told her I'll teach her when she's a little older.  Well, she's kept up with expressing how much she wants me to teach her to read.  So today I started her on Hooked on Phonics Kindergarten.  I figured we'd have to go very slowly and that I'd have to do a lot of "bridge building" to make it 3-year-old accessible.  Well, without any help from me she completely flew through two pages of 3-letter words, and a story.  And she did it extraordinarily fast.  It startled me.  Not so much in a "whoo-hoo my kid's a genius!" sort of way.  But in a "who are you? how did you just do that when I never taught you? and what do you really do while I'm sleeping?" sort of way.  I'm a bit suspicious of the kid.  Not sure she's completely human.

Ballerinas

After watching Angelina Ballerina, the girls were inspired to put on their ballet clothes and dance.

^  Up to no good. 

 

 

 

Saying goodbye before Daddy left for a meeting.

 

Mouse by Maddie

 

One of Maddie's final projects in her art class at school (homeschool co-op) was to bring an object to class to draw on canvas.  She picked Mouse.  Maddie LOVES Mouse.  (He's the one from If you Give a Mouse a Cookie.)

It turned out so great!  I plan to frame it.  Mark and I are pleased with the academic level of Maddie's art class.  The kids learned about the elements of drawing, and are able to pick out shapes when looking at objects they want to draw.  It makes what seems like impossible things to draw less intimidating.

And I feel that it's about time that Mouse be honored.  He's special in Maddie's eyes.  He's been on countless road trips and overnight trips, stroller rides, bike rides, and has a special place in Maddie's bed at night.  Every night.  When I put Maddie to bed at night, if Mouse isn't tucked in too I hear a gasp followed by "Mouse!  Where's Mouse?!"  And I search the house then tuck Mouse in next to Maddie.

Here's a picture from back in the fall when  Maddie wanted a photo session with Mouse.

My lilac bush is in full bloom!

I wish it would stay this way all summer . . .

Officially Five and a Half

Translation: big and rambunctious and knows more than me on practically every topic. (Or so she thinks.)

Remember being a kid? How turning something-and-a-half was a BIG deal? And if anyone ever says your just the "something" you'd have to correct them? "I'm not 5! I'm 5-and-a-half!" (Like . . . get it right . . . puh-shaw.)

But she's still my sweetie.
She's a smart little thing.
Sometimes too smart to be able to chill like a kid should. She overthinks things and picks out illogical fallacies in them, and then is bothered by the way people word things because it isn't the most accurate way that it should have been expressed. The preteen years might be rough. But then her attention to detail will land her a high paying job like a surgeon or lawyer, right?

Spots

I say that if you are a ladybug and you enter the home of two little girls, and do not bother to hide yourself, you're just plain suicidal.

Introducing "Spots" (my children are not so creative with naming things) the ladybug who became a pet in our home for a few days.

Maddie was attached to this little bug. The girls kept it in a bug cage and got it out to "play" with it often. They'd talk to it, spray the cage with water so Spots could drink, and scream "Ah! It flew away!" when it would take flight, and chase it down and cage it up again. I told Mark that this was a flash forward to what it will be like when we get the girls a bird. He laughed in agreement.

So, how does the story of Spots end? Maddie brought him on a little road trip in the van and he flew away while she was holding him. Poor Spots. I guess that's what happens when kids only have fish for pets.

Ella, Bella, Bo-Bella, Banana, Fanna, Fo-Fella...

I love it when this little critter randomly dresses like a bee.

Daddy said something that tickled her fancy at a wedding reception last week. (Mother of the bride made tiny veils for all the little girls.)

(Messin' with photoshop effects.)