At naptime today, Emma Claire was having trouble winding down. She was in her closet trying to put on her rain boots and playing with her hats (stalling) while I sat in the glider trying to convince her to sit with me to read (without having to stand up myself). I did a total mom thing and said "Emma Claire, I'm going to count to 3...(really, what was I going to do then. I didn't have a plan in mind). Emma Claire responded by counting 1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10!!
She counted to 10! (and did it again later for Brad). Does that make her "advanced"? :-)
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Friday, November 6, 2009
Rock Stars Daily News - Week of Noveber 2
Monday, November 2 Emma Claire was very smiley today as she played with the farm animal toys, babies and making animal prints in the play dough.
Class Notes...
Happy Monday!
The Rock Stars had a great day!
We all seemed very excited to start our new Farm unit. We wasted no time dumping our old toys into the "washing bag" and making room for all our fun new farm toys! Some new additions to our room include two barns, farm animals, small tractors, farm books, wooden farm pieces, AND our Haunted House is now a barn! We had a lot of fun breaking in the new toys. Everyone joined in this morning on a fun new game titled "whose farm animal is the loudest when we bang it on the shelf?" I would have to say it was a 9 way tie :).
For art today, we painted sheep! We also had some real sheep wool to glue on, the wool was very different feeling, some of us were a little unsure if we wanted to touch it! But each sheep managed to at least have a small patch of wool to keep them warm!
We also did a small group activity today with the farm animals and play-doh! We made tracks in the play-doh, with the animals, we also made them shoes, hats and blankets. We thought it was very funny to see a pig wearing a play-doh hat! We all did a great job not eating the play-doh, we are finally catching on!
For circle time today we talked about how Rachel is gone, but will be back soon, and until she gets back, Teacher Crystal will be with us. I think they got the message. We also read "Chirping Chicks" and "Spot goes to the Farm". We of course sang Old MacDonald, and it must be pretty catchy because we were still singing it as we were playing outside!
We hope our Moms and Dads are having a great Monday too!
The Rock Stars had a great day!
We all seemed very excited to start our new Farm unit. We wasted no time dumping our old toys into the "washing bag" and making room for all our fun new farm toys! Some new additions to our room include two barns, farm animals, small tractors, farm books, wooden farm pieces, AND our Haunted House is now a barn! We had a lot of fun breaking in the new toys. Everyone joined in this morning on a fun new game titled "whose farm animal is the loudest when we bang it on the shelf?" I would have to say it was a 9 way tie :).
For art today, we painted sheep! We also had some real sheep wool to glue on, the wool was very different feeling, some of us were a little unsure if we wanted to touch it! But each sheep managed to at least have a small patch of wool to keep them warm!
We also did a small group activity today with the farm animals and play-doh! We made tracks in the play-doh, with the animals, we also made them shoes, hats and blankets. We thought it was very funny to see a pig wearing a play-doh hat! We all did a great job not eating the play-doh, we are finally catching on!
For circle time today we talked about how Rachel is gone, but will be back soon, and until she gets back, Teacher Crystal will be with us. I think they got the message. We also read "Chirping Chicks" and "Spot goes to the Farm". We of course sang Old MacDonald, and it must be pretty catchy because we were still singing it as we were playing outside!
We hope our Moms and Dads are having a great Monday too!
Tuesday, November 3
Emma Claire got her hands messy with "pigs in mud" at art today. She was in good spirits while playing with puppets in the book corner, sliding outside and being silly.
Class Notes...
Good Afternoon Rock Star Parents!
We had a great day today! This morning we added a few more farm items to our room, stuffed animals and dress up clothes! We were SO busy with the dress up clothes that I don't think we have even noticed the stuffed animals yet, maybe this afternoon. This morning we worked a lot on sharing! As there is only two play barns and 10 friends, sharing was an important concept today. We are getting better at using our words, I heard a lot of "help", "mine", "please" and the new class favorite "No!". It was a very vocal day for the Rock Stars.
For art today we made muddy pigs! Oink Oink! Teacher Crystal was not afraid of getting dirty today :) We used brown paint to make mud puddles on our paper, then we stuck little pigs into the mud so they would stick! We were fairly messy!
At circle time, we noticed again that Rachel was not here. We discussed how she is gone and will be gone tomorrow too! But she will be back! We worked on those animal noises again today with a few rounds of "old MacDonald had a farm". We are getting better, but our favorite verse is the "E-I-E-I OH" part. Our friend Miranda did us the honors of picking out the story today, she chose "Where is the Cake Now?" a picture book, where we had to look to see what happened to the cake! It was fun trying to spot it. We also read "Pop Up Farm" and saw many animals that live on the farm.
We had a fun and busy day, I think everyone is really enjoying the farm unit!
Good Afternoon Rock Star Parents!
We had a great day today! This morning we added a few more farm items to our room, stuffed animals and dress up clothes! We were SO busy with the dress up clothes that I don't think we have even noticed the stuffed animals yet, maybe this afternoon. This morning we worked a lot on sharing! As there is only two play barns and 10 friends, sharing was an important concept today. We are getting better at using our words, I heard a lot of "help", "mine", "please" and the new class favorite "No!". It was a very vocal day for the Rock Stars.
For art today we made muddy pigs! Oink Oink! Teacher Crystal was not afraid of getting dirty today :) We used brown paint to make mud puddles on our paper, then we stuck little pigs into the mud so they would stick! We were fairly messy!
At circle time, we noticed again that Rachel was not here. We discussed how she is gone and will be gone tomorrow too! But she will be back! We worked on those animal noises again today with a few rounds of "old MacDonald had a farm". We are getting better, but our favorite verse is the "E-I-E-I OH" part. Our friend Miranda did us the honors of picking out the story today, she chose "Where is the Cake Now?" a picture book, where we had to look to see what happened to the cake! It was fun trying to spot it. We also read "Pop Up Farm" and saw many animals that live on the farm.
We had a fun and busy day, I think everyone is really enjoying the farm unit!
Thursday, November 5
Emma Claire had a lot of fun trying on the farm animal hats and playing with the stuffed farm animals! She found all the sheep and had them sitting in her lap! she was petting them and being a good "mama sheep"!
Class Notes...
The Rock Stars had a great day! We had so much fun soaking in some sunshine and warm weather! We had a busy morning playing in the dramatic play area with the farmer hats and bandannas. Several of us took the little sheep for rides down the barn slide in the ice cream buckets. I think the sheep enjoyed it, none of them spilled out! We also had fun painting horses during our art time. The kids made some great black or brown horses. Then they got to add some yarn for a mane and a tail. I heard alot of "neighing" coming from the art table.
The trip to the library was a big success. We all had fun learning about the letter "G". Librarian Mary had all kinds of props that began with the letter "g". She had grapes, gum, a goat, a gorilla and grass. We also read "Don't say Boo to a Goose" and "Goodnight Gorilla". She told the story of "Three Billy Goats Gruff" as well and we all had fun pretending to tromp over the bridge. We sang the alphabet song, "Zip, Zip Your Zipper" and the "Library Rap".
At circle time we made sure to sing "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" and talk about all the different kinds of farm animals there are. We also made a little video to send to our friend, Ava C. We sang "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" and blew her kisses. We might have to make more, it was pretty fun!!!
I am so glad to be back and I think the kids missed me, I got a lot of hugs first thing this morning!
The trip to the library was a big success. We all had fun learning about the letter "G". Librarian Mary had all kinds of props that began with the letter "g". She had grapes, gum, a goat, a gorilla and grass. We also read "Don't say Boo to a Goose" and "Goodnight Gorilla". She told the story of "Three Billy Goats Gruff" as well and we all had fun pretending to tromp over the bridge. We sang the alphabet song, "Zip, Zip Your Zipper" and the "Library Rap".
At circle time we made sure to sing "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" and talk about all the different kinds of farm animals there are. We also made a little video to send to our friend, Ava C. We sang "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" and blew her kisses. We might have to make more, it was pretty fun!!!
I am so glad to be back and I think the kids missed me, I got a lot of hugs first thing this morning!
Halloween
Emma Claire had a fun first year of trick-or-treating. Addie and Suzanne came along with us. We loaded up the girls in the red wagon and went through our neighborhood. I expected to do a few houses and they would be tired of it, but we ended up being out for over an hour! They loved walking up to the doors and taking turns ringing the doorbell. It didn't take them long to get the hang of it. Free candy! It was a nearly full moon and we even saw an owl perched on top of the firehouse. Emma Claire talked about the owl for the rest of the night. Pretty spooky!Sunday, November 1, 2009
Halloween Eve
Emma Claire's class had their Halloween Party Friday and they invited us to join them (since Emma Claire is not there on 
Fridays). We went in the morning and back in the afternoon. What a cute bunch they are all dressed up! The toddlers paraded around the center and the church for trick-or-treating in the morning and then out to play. In the afternoon, they took the 6-seater buggy around the church in their costumes (since it was raining outside) and did a little playtime and singing in the church atrium. I was so glad to be a part!
http://eckadue.shutterfly.com/1935
Class notes...
HAPPY HALLOWEEN (eve)!!!!
The Rock Stars had a great day today!
We had such a fun time getting all dressed up to go trick-or-treating this morning! We all had very fitting costumes :). We enjoyed trading our hats, wands, crowns, etc...
We went around to each classroom, with the bags we decorated for art this morning, and collected some delicious treats! We were also able to walk around the church and pre-k areas where we got to see other kids in their costumes too! Everyone did a great job staying together and listening so we didn't lose anyone! HOORAY After our trick-or-treating adventure, we came back into the classroom to explore our treat bags! We couldn't help ourselves from eating the goldfish crackers! We thought the circle time rug looked like a great place to have group picnic. As we were eating, and trying to decide what to do next, the sun broke through the clouds, obviously inviting us to go outside! We collected our small pumpkins, changed into our play clothes, and headed outside for some fun pumpkin rolling contests! It was fun to see how far they would roll down the hill, sometimes they crashed into the play equipment! UH-OH!
We are excited for our fun snack activity, and to see some of our moms, dads and grandparents that thought they may be able to make it!
Fridays). We went in the morning and back in the afternoon. What a cute bunch they are all dressed up! The toddlers paraded around the center and the church for trick-or-treating in the morning and then out to play. In the afternoon, they took the 6-seater buggy around the church in their costumes (since it was raining outside) and did a little playtime and singing in the church atrium. I was so glad to be a part!http://eckadue.shutterfly.com/1935
Class notes...
HAPPY HALLOWEEN (eve)!!!!
The Rock Stars had a great day today!
We had such a fun time getting all dressed up to go trick-or-treating this morning! We all had very fitting costumes :). We enjoyed trading our hats, wands, crowns, etc...
We went around to each classroom, with the bags we decorated for art this morning, and collected some delicious treats! We were also able to walk around the church and pre-k areas where we got to see other kids in their costumes too! Everyone did a great job staying together and listening so we didn't lose anyone! HOORAY After our trick-or-treating adventure, we came back into the classroom to explore our treat bags! We couldn't help ourselves from eating the goldfish crackers! We thought the circle time rug looked like a great place to have group picnic. As we were eating, and trying to decide what to do next, the sun broke through the clouds, obviously inviting us to go outside! We collected our small pumpkins, changed into our play clothes, and headed outside for some fun pumpkin rolling contests! It was fun to see how far they would roll down the hill, sometimes they crashed into the play equipment! UH-OH!
We are excited for our fun snack activity, and to see some of our moms, dads and grandparents that thought they may be able to make it!
The Rock Stars Daily News: Thursday, 10/29/09
Emma Claire had a lot of fun playing in the Haunted House this morning. She LOVED going down the slide! She'd zoom through the Haunted House door, do a belly flop up the climber and slide down the slide, face first! She was laughing the whole time...what a hoot!
Class Notes...
The Rock Stars had a rockin' day inspite of the drizzly weather. We had a lot of fun playing in the Haunted House and scaring each other as friends entered through its door. I was hearing alot of ghostly boos and shrieks! The Rock Stars had fun hanging out with Teachers Dana, Crystal and Nicole for a little bit this morning so that Teachers Rachel and Kelli could get some lesson planning done.
Teacher Nicole got to do art with them this morning and the kids created some awesome black and orange paintings. The kids got to decorate their paintings with tissue squares and glitter as well! The glitter was the best part and the children couldn't wait for their turn to toss the glitter into the air! When I got back Teacher Nicole and the children looked so festive and shimmery. I missed out on some good fun!!!
For a group time activity we took a little nature walk in between rain showers. It was nice to get some fresh and see what kind of autumn things were out and about. We headed down to the little pond and discovered four ducks taking a swim. We all got so excited and had to watch them swim around for a while. Then we took off for the walking path and found a worm working its way from one side of the path to the other. Everybody thought he wiggled kind of funny. Scrunching his body up and then straightening it out, a very interesting way to get around. We made sure to look up as well as we walked so we could see the shower of leaves that happened every time the wind blew. The leaves were so pretty blowing and floating around in the sky! What an amazing season fall is!
Tomorrow is our Halloween party, it should be a fun day of special activities and dressing up! Reminder that Calvary Church has a Carnival planned for tomorrow night as well. It is a fun night of food and games.
Class Notes...
The Rock Stars had a rockin' day inspite of the drizzly weather. We had a lot of fun playing in the Haunted House and scaring each other as friends entered through its door. I was hearing alot of ghostly boos and shrieks! The Rock Stars had fun hanging out with Teachers Dana, Crystal and Nicole for a little bit this morning so that Teachers Rachel and Kelli could get some lesson planning done.
Teacher Nicole got to do art with them this morning and the kids created some awesome black and orange paintings. The kids got to decorate their paintings with tissue squares and glitter as well! The glitter was the best part and the children couldn't wait for their turn to toss the glitter into the air! When I got back Teacher Nicole and the children looked so festive and shimmery. I missed out on some good fun!!!
For a group time activity we took a little nature walk in between rain showers. It was nice to get some fresh and see what kind of autumn things were out and about. We headed down to the little pond and discovered four ducks taking a swim. We all got so excited and had to watch them swim around for a while. Then we took off for the walking path and found a worm working its way from one side of the path to the other. Everybody thought he wiggled kind of funny. Scrunching his body up and then straightening it out, a very interesting way to get around. We made sure to look up as well as we walked so we could see the shower of leaves that happened every time the wind blew. The leaves were so pretty blowing and floating around in the sky! What an amazing season fall is!
Tomorrow is our Halloween party, it should be a fun day of special activities and dressing up! Reminder that Calvary Church has a Carnival planned for tomorrow night as well. It is a fun night of food and games.
The Rock Stars Daily News: Tuesday, 10/27/09
Emma Claire had lots of fun exploring our pumpkin this morning. She was so excited about sticking her hand inside to feel all the slimy insides! She got a big fistful of seeds to put in our bowl! It was all so exciting!
Class notes...
The Rock Stars had a great day! The sun was shining and it was a most beautiful fall day! We are having a wonderful week learning about Pumpkins and Halloween. We spent the morning making Jack-O-Lanterns in art and at science time. We had fun talking about what makes a pumpkin a Jack-O-Lantern and how it only takes making a face! We got out the glitter paints and some foam shapes and created our own unique looking Jack-O-Lanterns. Some of us had triangle faces or circle faces or diamond faces! We had to talk about what kind of features we have on our own faces before we could put together our art projects.
Then we got our big orange pumpkin out and sat on the floor to explore its insides and outsides. We talked about the color of its skin and how smooth it felt. Then Teacher Rachel got out a knife cut off the top of it so we could look inside! We saw lots of pumpkin seeds and some slimy goop. We all got a chance to feel it and stick our hands inside the pumpkin. Then we turned it into a Jack-O-Lantern by carving a face into it! We had fun trying to decide how we wanted it to look. We made a happy looking Jack-O-Lantern!
At circle time today we read Trick or Treat Calico and My First Halloween. We also got out a flannel story and sang a song about a Jack-O-Lantern. We also sang our new favorite Halloween song, "The ghosts in the Haunted House". It was a very good circle time!
We are saying goodbye to our friend Ava C. today. She is going to move back home with her daddy who doesn't live in the metro area. We know she is very excited about it! The Rock Stars and her teachers are going to miss her very much and will keep Ava and her family in their thoughts and prayers.
Have a wonderful night!
Class notes...
The Rock Stars had a great day! The sun was shining and it was a most beautiful fall day! We are having a wonderful week learning about Pumpkins and Halloween. We spent the morning making Jack-O-Lanterns in art and at science time. We had fun talking about what makes a pumpkin a Jack-O-Lantern and how it only takes making a face! We got out the glitter paints and some foam shapes and created our own unique looking Jack-O-Lanterns. Some of us had triangle faces or circle faces or diamond faces! We had to talk about what kind of features we have on our own faces before we could put together our art projects.
Then we got our big orange pumpkin out and sat on the floor to explore its insides and outsides. We talked about the color of its skin and how smooth it felt. Then Teacher Rachel got out a knife cut off the top of it so we could look inside! We saw lots of pumpkin seeds and some slimy goop. We all got a chance to feel it and stick our hands inside the pumpkin. Then we turned it into a Jack-O-Lantern by carving a face into it! We had fun trying to decide how we wanted it to look. We made a happy looking Jack-O-Lantern!
At circle time today we read Trick or Treat Calico and My First Halloween. We also got out a flannel story and sang a song about a Jack-O-Lantern. We also sang our new favorite Halloween song, "The ghosts in the Haunted House". It was a very good circle time!
We are saying goodbye to our friend Ava C. today. She is going to move back home with her daddy who doesn't live in the metro area. We know she is very excited about it! The Rock Stars and her teachers are going to miss her very much and will keep Ava and her family in their thoughts and prayers.
Have a wonderful night!
The Rock Stars Daily News: Monday, October 26
Emma Claire had lots of fun doing art today. We made little ghosts by coloring aluminum foil. Emma Claire colored both sides to make her ghost very colorful! Then we ties a ribbon around it and Emma Claire took it on a walk around the room! A new kind of pet!
Class notes for the day...
The Rock Stars had a great Monday!
It seemed like everyone was ready to be back, because we wasted no time getting right down to business this morning!
Everyone seemed excited to start our new theme of "Pumpkins/Halloween". A few of us were so excited, we were opening bags and boxes quicker than we could make room for the new toys/decorations! Some of our new most popular additions were the pumpkin trick-or-treat buckets, the Halloween paperware, and the Haunted House. With the help of Nicole, we were able to turn our slide fort into a Haunted House for Halloween! Everyone had fun helping to put up the decorations, and even more fun going through it and down the slide.
For art today, we colored tinfoil ghosts! We enjoyed sliding the marker across the surface to make pretty colors for the ghost, but our favorite was probably the crumpling part, where we were able to crunch the tinfoil to make the ghost head. They are hanging in our classroom, come check them out, they are pretty spooky!
At circle time today, we learned some new songs. One was about Trick-or-Treating "I'll be Trick or Treatin'", and the other was called "The Haunted House" and we sang about the different things in a haunted house (ghost, steps, mouse, people) and the sounds they make. We also read two new books! The first was called "Trick or Treat?" it was about all the things we might see or hear on Halloween. The second book was called "Little Monsters", it was a fun pop-up book with silly looking monsters in it! By the time we made it outside, I'd say we had our fair dosage of Halloween and pumpkins!
Class notes for the day...
The Rock Stars had a great Monday!
It seemed like everyone was ready to be back, because we wasted no time getting right down to business this morning!
Everyone seemed excited to start our new theme of "Pumpkins/Halloween". A few of us were so excited, we were opening bags and boxes quicker than we could make room for the new toys/decorations! Some of our new most popular additions were the pumpkin trick-or-treat buckets, the Halloween paperware, and the Haunted House. With the help of Nicole, we were able to turn our slide fort into a Haunted House for Halloween! Everyone had fun helping to put up the decorations, and even more fun going through it and down the slide.
For art today, we colored tinfoil ghosts! We enjoyed sliding the marker across the surface to make pretty colors for the ghost, but our favorite was probably the crumpling part, where we were able to crunch the tinfoil to make the ghost head. They are hanging in our classroom, come check them out, they are pretty spooky!
At circle time today, we learned some new songs. One was about Trick-or-Treating "I'll be Trick or Treatin'", and the other was called "The Haunted House" and we sang about the different things in a haunted house (ghost, steps, mouse, people) and the sounds they make. We also read two new books! The first was called "Trick or Treat?" it was about all the things we might see or hear on Halloween. The second book was called "Little Monsters", it was a fun pop-up book with silly looking monsters in it! By the time we made it outside, I'd say we had our fair dosage of Halloween and pumpkins!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
The Rock Stars Daily News: Week of October 19
Monday, October 19-
Emma Claire had lots of fun playing outside in the leaves this morning! She helped rake them into a big pile before she plopped down into the middle of them and rolled around! She looked like a leaf fairy with leaves stuck to her hat!
Class Report:
The Rock Stars Daily Events for Monday, October 19th 2009-
Happy Monday! The Rock Stars had a great day! We got to play with our new toddler aide this morning for a little bit. Her name is Nicole and she will be helping us out in the mornings; playing with us, reading stories to us and of course giving us lots of hugs and attention! We are so glad she is able to be a part of our awesome class!!! We started our unit on "Apples" today and we had fun picking the felt apples shapes off of our big fabric trees. Some of the children filled up the big apple boxes. We also enjoyed playing in the "apple barn". It was fun to slide out of the apple chute! During art we looked at a red apple, yellow apple and green apple. We cut them in half to see what they looked like on the inside and then got out the paints and made some apple prints! It was fun to mix the colors up a bit with the apples and create some very "fallesque" looking apple prints.At circle time we learned a couple of apple songs and an action rhyme about a couple of apples winking at us from up in an apple tree. We had to "shake" the tree to get the apples to "fall" down so we could "eat" them. We also read "Dappled Apples" and then taste tested a few apples ourselves. We all liked that part the best, I think. Don't forget tomorrow is Picture Day and we will make sure to have a "clean" breakfast and clean art planned. Feel free to bring a set of play clothes in and we can change your child into them after our picture taking time is done.
Tuesday, October 20 (Picture Day!)-
Emma Claire had lots of fun making breakfast with Ava C. Emma Claire was in charge of making the eggs and Ava did the toast! Then they brought the babies over to the table and sat down to eat...Very cozy!
Thursday, October 22-
Emma Claire had lots of fun playing with the pull toys with Brennan this morning! Emma Claire pulled the puppy around while Brennan took an airplane for a walk. They made several stops along the way for toys and books. It was so cute to watch!
Songs
Emma Claire has been asking for us to "sing" the past few days. She loves songs and music. They do lots of singing at school and she every now and then surprises me with songs and hand motions she knows.
Her personal favorites: "Wheels on the Bus" and "Twinkle Twinkle", for each of which she is over enthusiastic with the hand motions. She is even trying to sing along now...getting some of the words right here and there.
At bedtime tonight, we sang Jesus Loves Me and Emma Claire surprised me by doing the sign for "Jesus" (pointing one palm and then the other with a finger). Amazing.
Her personal favorites: "Wheels on the Bus" and "Twinkle Twinkle", for each of which she is over enthusiastic with the hand motions. She is even trying to sing along now...getting some of the words right here and there.
At bedtime tonight, we sang Jesus Loves Me and Emma Claire surprised me by doing the sign for "Jesus" (pointing one palm and then the other with a finger). Amazing.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
I'm Afraid Rudy is in Trouble...
I am amazed every day as to how patient Sophie and Rudy are with Emma Claire. She pulled out Rudy's brush the other day and started brushing him. This went on for a good couple of minutes. Rudy, at best, hates for his hair to be brushed, but allowed Emma Claire to do it.
She followed him around after this, waving the brush..."Re-re, Re-re" until she finally cornered him for another session.
First Snow
We had our first snow entirely too early this year. The second weekend in October! Brad was in Canada fishing for the weekend and got more than a foot of snow there one night!Emma Claire and I mostly took advantage of the cold by staying in the cozy indoors. We did do some exploring in the yard, though.
First Snow
The Rock Stars Daily News - Week of October 12
Monday, October 12
Emma Claire had lots of fun playing outside in the snow! We had a snowball fight and Emma Claire did a good job of getting little snowballs in her mittens. We got snow all over our coats!
Tuesday, October 13
Emma Claire had a lot of fun playing with the fall trees! She put lots of the felt acorns on and have the trees a good shake! She was perhaps, practicing her "squirrel" techniques!
Thursday, October 15
Emma Claire had a lot of fun playing with the wooden balance board and bunny house this morning! She wore the wooden rings as bracelets as she took the bunnies "visiting" around the room. She let the bunnies out to play at the cars and blocks!
Classroom Note for 10/15:
The Rock Stars had a great day!We spent most of our time this morning playing with each and every one of our toys. When it was time to go to the muscle room, not one toy was on the shelf! We sure did our job of playing!For art today, we painted acorns, with acorns! We rolled, dotted and slid them across the paper to make some really neat designs. To go with those acorns, we decorated some oak leaves with Red, Orange and Yellow tissue paper. We are getting good at those fall colors!We didn't get outside this morning, but we were able to look outside and see the rain change to snow and then back to rain! We went to the muscle room and gymnasium instead, were we did lots of running and chasing after bean bags. They slid very far across the slippery floor!We are planning a nice fall walk when we wake up from our naps, we are excited to see some fall colors outside! We may even see some squirrels!
Emma Claire had lots of fun playing outside in the snow! We had a snowball fight and Emma Claire did a good job of getting little snowballs in her mittens. We got snow all over our coats!
Tuesday, October 13
Emma Claire had a lot of fun playing with the fall trees! She put lots of the felt acorns on and have the trees a good shake! She was perhaps, practicing her "squirrel" techniques!
Thursday, October 15
Emma Claire had a lot of fun playing with the wooden balance board and bunny house this morning! She wore the wooden rings as bracelets as she took the bunnies "visiting" around the room. She let the bunnies out to play at the cars and blocks!
Classroom Note for 10/15:
The Rock Stars had a great day!We spent most of our time this morning playing with each and every one of our toys. When it was time to go to the muscle room, not one toy was on the shelf! We sure did our job of playing!For art today, we painted acorns, with acorns! We rolled, dotted and slid them across the paper to make some really neat designs. To go with those acorns, we decorated some oak leaves with Red, Orange and Yellow tissue paper. We are getting good at those fall colors!We didn't get outside this morning, but we were able to look outside and see the rain change to snow and then back to rain! We went to the muscle room and gymnasium instead, were we did lots of running and chasing after bean bags. They slid very far across the slippery floor!We are planning a nice fall walk when we wake up from our naps, we are excited to see some fall colors outside! We may even see some squirrels!
Apple Orchard
Emma Claire and I took "field trips" to the apple orchard each of the past two Fridays. The first, .jpg)
Minnetonka Orchards (photo to the right) and the second Apple Jacks in Delano.
Minnetonka Orchards (photo to the right) and the second Apple Jacks in Delano. Brad joined us during his lunch break at Apple Jacks (photo to 
the left). We did a quick picnic lunch and saw the goats and chickens, but left to get Brad back to work with Emma Claire in the back screaming "ride, ride" (or more like "wide, wide"), referring to the tractor pulling the trailer around the orchard. So, of course, we dropped Brad off and turned right around and went back for a "wide". Glad we did. Turned into a fun fun afternoon. We did the ride, saw the goat and chickens again, and even attempted a pony ride (Emma Claire was enthusiastic until she actually sat on him..."aaa-do, aa-do!", which was a frantic all-done). The trip ended with a wagon ride to the car, sitting on top of our pumpkin.
the left). We did a quick picnic lunch and saw the goats and chickens, but left to get Brad back to work with Emma Claire in the back screaming "ride, ride" (or more like "wide, wide"), referring to the tractor pulling the trailer around the orchard. So, of course, we dropped Brad off and turned right around and went back for a "wide". Glad we did. Turned into a fun fun afternoon. We did the ride, saw the goat and chickens again, and even attempted a pony ride (Emma Claire was enthusiastic until she actually sat on him..."aaa-do, aa-do!", which was a frantic all-done). The trip ended with a wagon ride to the car, sitting on top of our pumpkin.Thursday, October 8, 2009
Jonah and Addie
Jonah, Addie and Emma Claire have been friends from the beginning. Jonah visited Emma Claire in the hospital the day she arrived. They became friends with Addie in ECFE a few weeks later. Imagine all of the fun these three are going to have in the years to come...The diaper photos were taken after A LOT of caramel (with some apples on the side)...sticky (hence the diapers) and sugary (which explains the craziness that went on on Suzanne's stairs).
http://eckadue.shutterfly.com/1810
Rock Stars Daily News
Thursday, October 1
Emma Claire had a lot of fun going over to the library this morning! She got to help pick out books to bring back to school before storytime. Librarian Mary took us on a "bear hunt" and Emma Claire was doing ALL the actions!!
Monday, October 5
Emma Claire had a lot of fun playing outside with Maleah, Ava N and Sarah. The girls sat at the little picnic table and made hand prints in the sand that Maleah covered the table with. Everyone had to look at everybody else's hand prints! Pretty neat!
Tuesday, October 6
Emma Claire had fun playing with the tree, sticking fall leaves to it and even trying to climb it. She was also enjoying playing in the kitchen with friends, eating "milk and cookies".
Thursday, October 8
Emma Claire had lots of fun playing with the felt trees! She was a busy girl putting the leaves on and then shaking them off. There must have been some bug "gusts of wins" because it was "raining" leaves all over for quite awhile.
Emma Claire had a lot of fun going over to the library this morning! She got to help pick out books to bring back to school before storytime. Librarian Mary took us on a "bear hunt" and Emma Claire was doing ALL the actions!!
Monday, October 5
Emma Claire had a lot of fun playing outside with Maleah, Ava N and Sarah. The girls sat at the little picnic table and made hand prints in the sand that Maleah covered the table with. Everyone had to look at everybody else's hand prints! Pretty neat!
Tuesday, October 6
Emma Claire had fun playing with the tree, sticking fall leaves to it and even trying to climb it. She was also enjoying playing in the kitchen with friends, eating "milk and cookies".
Thursday, October 8
Emma Claire had lots of fun playing with the felt trees! She was a busy girl putting the leaves on and then shaking them off. There must have been some bug "gusts of wins" because it was "raining" leaves all over for quite awhile.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Rock Stars Daily News: 9/21/09 to 9/29/09
Combining the news for the past couple of weeks...
=Monady, 9/12/09:
(Opa and Grandpa Rick would be proud of this one...)
Emma Claire had lots of fun playing with the doctor kits this morning. We called her Dr. Kadue because she had three stethoscopes around her neck, a doctor bag, and a lab coat! It was hard to get her to put it away at cleanup time!
Tuesday, 9/22/09:
Emma Claire had a lot of fun playing trucks with Brennan! They were both interested in the same truck for awhile, so they had to take turns and share. They did a great job and seemed to enjoy watching the other person zoom the truck around!
Thursday, 9/24/09:
Emma Claire had a lot of fun playing with the washer/dryer this morning! She gave the baby dolls several washes, two at a time before wrapping them up and putting them to bed! Then she washed some of their clothes...so much to clean!
Monday, 9/28/09:
Emma Claire had a lot of fun playing in the sensory table! She got a paintbrush and "painted" all the wooden blocks. Then, she took them to the workbench to hammer...quite the handygirl today!
Tuesday, 9/29/09:
Emma Claire had lots of fun going to the post office this morning! We said "hello" to the postal workers and then bought stamps for out letters! Emma Claire got to put her own letter into the mail slot! We had to watch it slide down the chute.
(We received Emma Claire's letter in the mail the next day...Daddy "tarnished" Emma Claire's artwork with a stamp right in the middle!)
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
A Gentle Soul
Emma Claire is a dog lover. She has built in playmates in Sophie ("Shhhhe-Shee", as Emma Claire calls her as of the past 2 days - Sophie did not have an Emma Claire name before that) and Rudy ("Re-Re"), who are both surprisingly tolerant of her. Rudy has his moments, but Sophie is always patient. Emma Claire has recently taken to using Sophie as a "stool". I caught a shot of them the other morning and have seen it happen a few times since. Emma Claire backs into Sophie, sticks her little bottom out, and has a seat. Sophie may not be the brightest bulb on the tree, but sure is a sweet soul.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
The Rock Stars Daily News: 9/17/09
Emma Claire had a great day! She had a fun morning playing with the scarves. She liked wearing them on her head and had to try each color out. She participated in a fun "peek-a-boo" game with the girls using the scarves. It was pretty entertaining!
Today I was...Happy; Good Listener; Active
Today I was...Happy; Good Listener; Active
Monday, September 14, 2009
The Rock Stars Daily News: 9/14/19
Emma Claire had lots of fun playing outside in the sandbox this morning. She and Emma had fun balancing on the wooden beams around the sandbox together! They walked around and around holding hands to steady themselves. What good friends!
Today I was...Happy; Good Listener; Active
Today I was...Happy; Good Listener; Active
The Rock Stars Daily News: 9/9/09
Note...the toddler room changed their name from the "Playful Little Pirates" to the Rock Stars for the new school year. Hence, "Rock Star Daily News".
Emma Claire had a great day! She had lots of fun playing with the headbands and mirrors in the sensory table! She liked wearing the headbands as necklaces and then looking in each of the mirrors to see how it looked...very pretty, Emma Claire!
Today I was...Happy, Good Listener, Active
Emma Claire had a great day! She had lots of fun playing with the headbands and mirrors in the sensory table! She liked wearing the headbands as necklaces and then looking in each of the mirrors to see how it looked...very pretty, Emma Claire!
Today I was...Happy, Good Listener, Active
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sunday Mornings
Gotta love Summer weekend mornings. The past couple of weekends have been especially crisp in the mornings (which explains the bunny hat...yes, in August) and mild in the day. 
Emma Claire loves her little pink car. I think she is working on a new alternative fuel involving grass. She likes to pick fistfuls of grass and put them in the back of the car. Maybe she is o
nto something...
Emma Claire loves her little pink car. I think she is working on a new alternative fuel involving grass. She likes to pick fistfuls of grass and put them in the back of the car. Maybe she is o
nto something...Church services in the summer are outdoors, which is a treat. Sad to see that come to an end this week. How is it that the Summer has gone by so quickly?
Playful Little Pirates Daily News: 8/31/09
Emma Claire had lots of fun playing with the train set this morning. Emma Claire helped me put the track together. She found all the curvy pieces to put together first! Then, she got to push the train down the track!
Today I was...Happy; Good Listener; Active
Side note...
Emma Claire is really scared of trains. She does the "scared whine" when she hears one up close, in the distance or if brought up otherwise. Ask her what a train says or to say choo-choo and you will get the same reaction.
She rids herself of the fear by saying and waving "bye" to the train whether the train is real or imaginary.
Today I was...Happy; Good Listener; Active
Side note...
Emma Claire is really scared of trains. She does the "scared whine" when she hears one up close, in the distance or if brought up otherwise. Ask her what a train says or to say choo-choo and you will get the same reaction.
She rids herself of the fear by saying and waving "bye" to the train whether the train is real or imaginary.
Playful Little Pirate Daily News: 8/27/09
Emma Claire had a lot of fun playing in the sensory table with the shaving cream! It made great "clouds"!! Emma Claire wasn't so sure on how to get it off her hands, but it sure was fun to squish!
Today I was...Happy; Good Listener; Active
Today I was...Happy; Good Listener; Active
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Should've Brought A Glove
Brad was caught on TV at the Twins game last night. Guy behind him caught a foul ball. The calls and text messages came rolling in from friends that caught a glimpse of him on TV.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Playful Little Pirates Daily News: 8/24/09
Emma Claire had a great day! She had lots of fun playing with the little bunnies and the bunny house this morning. She had the bunnies try out all kinds of toys! They sat in cars, on blocks and even inside the wooden cylinders! It was like they were in a rabbit hole!
Today I was...happy; good listener; active
Today I was...happy; good listener; active
Playful Little Pirates Daily News: 8/20/09
Emma Claire had a great day! She had lots of fun cooking in the kitchen with Joey and Maleah! Emma Claire looked for all the hot dogs in the refrigerator and found a plate to serve them on. Joey got out the buns to go with! It was a pretty exciting picnic!
Today I was...Happy; Good Listener; Active
Today I was...Happy; Good Listener; Active
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
What I am Learning from Mr. Rogers
I checked out this book from the library yesterday, upon recommendation from the Dad in my ECFE class this past Spring. I need some good solid guidance as Emma Claire needs are changing and as the challenges evolve. Most recently, my questions relate to behavior and discipline (are we really getting to that point in toddler hood?). I figure Mister Rogers would be a good place to start. Can't go wrong with him, right?I started reading it this morning. Most of my reading is done on the elliptical at 5am these days, so I will plug away at it. After only a chapter, I can tell it is a parenting book that I am going to love. As I read the sentences, I hear Mister Rogers himself narrating in my imagination.
A paragraph that I thought was worth sharing:
"Often being a parent forces us to know ourselves better than we ever might have imagined. We're bound to discover some surprising thoughts and feelings inside ourselves, even talents we never dreamed we had. As time goes on, most of us discover that we have more to give and are actually able to give more than we ever imagined"
I will keep you posted on what I am learning from Mister Rogers.
Playful Little Pirates Daily News: 8/18/09
Emma Claire had a great day! She had lots of fun playing with Ava this morning. They sat under the little climber for the longest time outside! They each had a bucket of acorns that they were inspecting. Once in a while they would trade and go up top to try out the slide. Quite the "girls club"!
Today I was...Happy; Good Listener; Active.
Today I was...Happy; Good Listener; Active.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Happy Birthday Daddy!
Happy 31st Birthday to Brad and Happy 18 month birthday to Emma Claire today! Emma Claire and I had lunch with Brad at Famous Dave's, which was a treat. The server gave Emma Claire a pack of oreos. To my knowledge, she has never had oreos. But, wouldn't you know it. She took that thing apart right away and licked out the filling. Didn't want anything to do with the cookie part. Do you think that is innate to humans...how to eat an oreo?
I took Emma Claire to the Splash Pad in St. Louis Park after naptime. She was timid at first and didn't really want to get wet. Before long, she was over it and playing in the spouts of water.
New words: Ole Miss (Oh-Me); Rebel; Grove... Hotty Toddy, we are working on! (censored, of course). Emma Claire has a new Ole Miss board book we bought at Square Books Jr. when we were in Oxford last month. She loves to look at the pictures. She is especially fixated on the first page of the book with a picture of Col. Reb, The Grove, The Walk of Champions, etc. She won't let me turn past this page. She is gearing up for football season...aren't we all!
Playful Little Pirates Daily News: 8/13/09
Emma Claire had a great day! She had lots of fun playing outside in the water this morning. She liked holding the hose and squirting her tummy! She got pretty wet and grinned the whole time.
Today I was: Happy; Good Listener; Active
Today I was: Happy; Good Listener; Active
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Playful Little Pirates Daily News: 8/11/09
Emma Claire had a great day! She had a lot of fun playing with all the safari aminals. She seemed to like the giraffes, she carried them all around the room by their big long necks!
Today I was: happy; good listener; active
(The class was having a "water day" when I picked up Emma Claire - she came home barefoot and in her swimsuit!)
Today I was: happy; good listener; active
(The class was having a "water day" when I picked up Emma Claire - she came home barefoot and in her swimsuit!)
Playful Little Pirates Daily News: 8/10/09
Emma Claire had a great day! She had a lot of fun "going on a safari" this morning. She spent a lot of time looking at and playing with the stuffed safari animals...she really liked the monkeys!
Friday, August 7, 2009
Storytime
A rainy morning gave us an excuse to go to the Galleria after Emma Claire's haircut this morning to piddle around. Emma Claire likes to play in Pottery Barn Kids and Creative Kidstuff.We went to storytime at Barnes and Noble. Emma Claire would rather eat the crayons than color the coloring sheet they handed out at the end.
First Haircut
Big day for Emma Claire -(more like, a big day for mommy). We did it. The first haircut. Took Emma Claire to my girl, Breann, at Spalon Montage. Pretty swank place for a first haircut! They even serve cookies (much to Emma Claire's delight). 
All went well. No major meltdown in the salon. She actually sat still (in my lap) and let Breann cut her hair. Now Emma Claire doesn't look quite so shaggy, but still has the long hair and flip on the end. Another red letter day.
Emma Claire said "brush" when we were combing her hair tonight. Guess hair is the theme of the day.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Playful Little Pirates Daily News
"Emma Claire had a great day! She had a lot of fun playing in the pool with the beach balls! She sat in the pool and tried to kick the balls out. It made for a fun game and Maleah joined in!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Practicing for Baby George
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Emma Claire spent the morning with Calin practicing to help her Auntie G out with Baby George.Note that Calin has an "ow-ie", which Emma Claire became very concerned about. Everything turned out to be ok..jpg)
Kiddie Koncert
.jpg)
Went to a "Kiddie Koncert" at Parker's Lake Park in Plymouth today. Turned out to be a lot of fun. We ran into some of our ECFE friends and picnicked with them. It was a beautiful day.http://eckadue.shutterfly.com/1626
Minnesota's Night to Unite - National Night Out
The first Tuesday of August every year is designated Minnesota's Night to Unite. Our neighborhood has a pot luck gathering in a neighbor's yard - there is even a band. It is always a good time and reminds me how much I love where we live. We have good neighbors.Emma Claire had a fantastic time. She enjoyed the cookies and playing with a couple of neighbor kids that are close to her age. The firetruck came and the fireman passed out fire hats. Emma Claire especially loved this. She wore that little hat the rest of the night and put it on again first thing the next morning. I have to say, she was pretty cute! (thanks to Whitney for the photos :-)
http://eckadue.shutterfly.com/1633
http://eckadue.shutterfly.com/1633Playful Little Pirates Daily News
"Emma Claire had a great day. She had a busy morning playing with the baby dolls and Maleah! They took turns feeding the babies in the high chair. The menu was sand and cookies. Quite the mix!! :-)"
Emma Claire was...happy; good listener; active
Emma Claire was...happy; good listener; active
Monday, August 3, 2009
Playful Little Pirates Daily News
"Emma Claire had a great day! She spent the morning having a picnic with Claire! It was fun to watch. Emma Claire brought the picnic basket to the carpet and Claire followed behind with the cookie jar! They had quite the feast!"
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Copy Cat
Emma Claire is very much into mimicking lately. It is funny to see her repeat gestures we make - sometimes at the most unexpected moments.
- shakes her finger at the dogs and says "no-no" when they get too close
- holds the same little pointer finger up and says "one mo" when she wants to do something again (one more book, one more time down the slide), although "one mo" often turns into 5 or 6 mo.
-she will repeat each letter of the alphabet after we say it (some more clearly than others). Tonight, we got to "P" and she held her nose like we do for a dirty diaper "P-U"!
An endless source of entertainment.
- shakes her finger at the dogs and says "no-no" when they get too close
- holds the same little pointer finger up and says "one mo" when she wants to do something again (one more book, one more time down the slide), although "one mo" often turns into 5 or 6 mo.
-she will repeat each letter of the alphabet after we say it (some more clearly than others). Tonight, we got to "P" and she held her nose like we do for a dirty diaper "P-U"!
An endless source of entertainment.
Good Helper
Saturday morning, Emma Claire ate her yogurt sitting on the hearth in front of the fireplace (so she could have a good view of Elmo on TV without taking the yogurt into the den, which is off limits for food...guess she is getting it). When she was finished, she hopped off the hearth, walked with spoon and bowl in hand over to the kitchen sink, stood on tip toes and just barely got the spoon and then the bowl over and into the sink. Now...if only I could teach her daddy to do the same :-).
Friday, July 31, 2009
Red Hot
Our day started off with a bang. As I am making Emma Claire's breakfast, she comes running over to me, mouth open, red faced, holding her tongue saying "owie, owie, owie". Brad and I came to the conclusion that she had probably bitten her tongue. A few minutes later, we discovered the real problem...cayenne pepper. Yep, red hot pepper all over her little table. No wonder. 
The day looked up from there. Park - Puppet Wagon - Target - 3 hour nap - bike ride to dinner - DQ.
Emma Claire said "bunny", "Pepper" (the neighbor dog), "flower" and an enthusiastic roar when she saw the lion in her book.
More Fun Photos
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
George Marshall Bailey
I am linking the Baily Family blog for this one. There are some sweet pictures there. George Marshall is a teeny thing. About the size of "Calin" (Emma Claire's baby doll), Greta says :-).
We are so happy that George Marshall made his entrance into the world. We welcome him and can't wait to hold him.
http://baileyfamilyms.blogspot.com/
We are so happy that George Marshall made his entrance into the world. We welcome him and can't wait to hold him.
http://baileyfamilyms.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
First Field Trip
Emma Claire's class took a field trip to Brookview Park. This was Emma Claire's first field trip...a big day! They traveled there via the 6 red seater buggy.
Her "Playful Little Pirate Daily News" report...
Emma Claire had a great day! She had lots of fun on our picnic in the park. "The Flyers" sang a choo choo song that Emma Claire liked. She was dancing as she ate! The wooden train whistle he had was pretty neat and not as scary as the real thing!
Her "Playful Little Pirate Daily News" report...
Emma Claire had a great day! She had lots of fun on our picnic in the park. "The Flyers" sang a choo choo song that Emma Claire liked. She was dancing as she ate! The wooden train whistle he had was pretty neat and not as scary as the real thing!
Monday, July 27, 2009
"Re Re"
Emma Claire is a dog lover and an animal lover in general. She especially loves her pups. She wakes up in the morning and calls for "Re-re" (aka: Rudy). She will not go to bed until she has told each "nigh-nigh".
Baby George Marshall
Is on his way...3 weeks early. Greta is being admitted to the hospital tonight! Can't wait to meet him. Only wish I could be there.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Summer Weekends
Summers in Minnesota are much different from those in the South. Although we do get hot/humid days, they are nothing compared to the 100+ degree, sweltering summers in Mississippi and Alabama. I have very happy memories of those days. They really feel like summer. However, I have adapted to the much more mild Minnesota summers. This summer has even been cooler than usual. Few days that got to 90 and many days in the 70s.
We had a great weekend. Dinner on the deck Friday, a jog with Emma Claire and the pups Saturday morning and fun at Brookview Park; a family walk to DQ (via little red wagon + pups) for blizzards Saturday night; sleeping in (to 7 am!) Sunday morning and fun at the pool; splashing around in the plastic yard pool; an evening with the Grodnicks at Loring Park + Joe's Garage. Jonah and Emma Claire chased each other around, squealing and giggling. Emma Claire was afraid of the Basilica bells at 6pm.
It is just fun to get out and play! Having Emma Claire forces us to do just that.
We had a great weekend. Dinner on the deck Friday, a jog with Emma Claire and the pups Saturday morning and fun at Brookview Park; a family walk to DQ (via little red wagon + pups) for blizzards Saturday night; sleeping in (to 7 am!) Sunday morning and fun at the pool; splashing around in the plastic yard pool; an evening with the Grodnicks at Loring Park + Joe's Garage. Jonah and Emma Claire chased each other around, squealing and giggling. Emma Claire was afraid of the Basilica bells at 6pm.
It is just fun to get out and play! Having Emma Claire forces us to do just that.
Up and Down
Emma Claire is definitely into the "climbing" stage. She is a fairly cautious toddler in general, but seems to have no fear when it comes to the climbing thing. We have found her nearly to the top of the ladder for the bunk beds a couple of times, on top of her kitchen stove multiple times, up and down off the couch, etc.She now loves to climb up the ladder or steps for slides and then go down on her own. Hard for me believe this is possible. She can even climb the tall rope ladder at the playground. Have to be on guard all of the time. She is quick!
"Be-Be"
We took a nice bike (Brad on roller blades) ride to the Thursday night church service this week. It is a very laid back outdoor service. Dinner is served beforehand, so we go early to eat and set up camp on a picnic blanket for church.
This night, (coming off our Alabama trip, where Emma Claire learned that there is a "be-be" in Auntie G's belly) Emma Claire pulls up her Dad's shirt (during the sermon), points to his belly and says "be-be".
Brad has decided to go on a diet.
This night, (coming off our Alabama trip, where Emma Claire learned that there is a "be-be" in Auntie G's belly) Emma Claire pulls up her Dad's shirt (during the sermon), points to his belly and says "be-be".
Brad has decided to go on a diet.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
1-2-3 Jump
Emma Claire started swimming lessons again last week, this time at Lifetime for 4 weeks. Her favorite thing tonight was jumping from the side of the pool. One skill was to climb out of the pool on the side and jump back in with help. We did this over and over and over. She can nearly climb out without assist. When it was time to move onto the next skill, Emma Claire squealed and screamed and reached toward the side of the pool, saying "more". She apparently likes to jump.
Emma Claire is getting braver and busier by the day.
Emma Claire is getting braver and busier by the day.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Mommy forgot to Leave Extra Clothes at School
Dropped Emma Claire of in a cute pink embroidered bubble and mary janes...picked up in a onesie, someone else's pants (a couple sizes too big with the kid's name written on the leg in sharpie), and her pink water shoes, pigtails gone. (she got wet in the rain and dirty in the sand)
Maybe I should get my act together and leave some extra clothes there!
Maybe I should get my act together and leave some extra clothes there!
What I am Learning at School July 13-17
I thought I would try to keep track of what Emma Claire has been learning in school by sharing the lesson plan on the blog (can you even read it?...maybe I should scan it in...still learning).Thought it would be fun to look back at someday. They stay busy!
Bedtime Prayers
Bedtime routine is pretty much the same every night....bath-PJs-teeth-comb hair-books-songs-prayers and night-night. After the books and song part tonight, I told Emma Claire that it is time to go night night and we should say our prayers. She clasped her hands in prayre and then guided me to do the same.
At the end, Emma Claire will now say a-men. We were going through some words at the end of the prayer (Rowie, Opa, Auntie G, etc...) and I asked Emma Claire if she could say Jesus. She answered by clasping her hands in prayer position again. Priceless.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Up North with the Knauffs
We feel lucky to have gotten the invite to our friends cabin for a real "up North" summer cabin experience. This is what people do here in the summer...escape to their cabins/lake places "up North".The only thing better than having your own 
cabin, is having friends with a cabin that are nice enough to invite you up every so often. Our friends, the Knauffs', families both have cabins in the Detroit Lakes area (near Fargo)... Dom, Suzanne and Addie. Addie and Emma Claire have quickly become best friends. They met in ECFE when only weeks old and have been friends ever since. Fun to see them play together lately. Did they ever have a good time at the lake!
cabin, is having friends with a cabin that are nice enough to invite you up every so often. Our friends, the Knauffs', families both have cabins in the Detroit Lakes area (near Fargo)... Dom, Suzanne and Addie. Addie and Emma Claire have quickly become best friends. They met in ECFE when only weeks old and have been friends ever since. Fun to see them play together lately. Did they ever have a good time at the lake!
It was coolish up there...70s during the day and 50s at night (I actually love that weather...what is happening to me?). Beautiful days. The girls played in the water, but never actually wore a swimsuit. Mostly only in diapers and birthday suits. Emma Claire got to touch her first real live fish (she poked it in the eye and stuck her finger in its mouth). Addie's grandfather gave the girls wagon and wheelbarrow rides. We grilled out and sat by the fire; played bean bag toss; visited the local establishment "The Hotel"; lounged on the pontoon; slept until 9am (yes, Emma Claire slept in 2 of the days); and just laughed at the girls. Couldn't have asked for a better weekend. Hope to do it again someday. Thank you to the Knauffs and their lovely families.
Fourth of July
A recap of our Fourth of July this year... breakfast at Marjorie's, a bike ride with the Burley to Brookview for a picnic, an afternoon of working in the yard, an inpromptu gathering at the Hansons' (dogs included) followed by fireworks viewed from the top of the parking garage next to the neighborhood.I am "borrowing" Whitney's blog post. The slideshow is outstanding!
http://thebickersonsblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/independence-day.html
More Pictures: http://eckadue.shutterfly.com/1372
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Fathers Day Picnic at Calvary
Root Beer floats and some fun in Calvary Park with Daddy after school...
Be-Be
I feel like I need a camera on me 24/7. Emma Claire is changing so quickly and always doing something hilarious (to me, anyway...I think most everything she does deserves a laugh - which is no doubt going to come back to haunt me some day). She is just a different person now. Very much a little girl. Lots of high pitched squeals and giggles. She and her pal Addie like to follow each other around and giggle-squeal-giggle-squeal. Endless source of entertainment.Emma Claire has recently taken to "Calin", her doll. It has taken some time. She was not so fond of Calin before. Now, however, Emma Claire is very into babies "be-be". Everything in a stroller or wheeled non-motorized vehicle is a be-be.
She, out of the blue, fed Calin her little bottle yesterday. Tonight, Emma Claire laid Calin on the floor in her room (as we were winding down for bed), patted her on the back, covered her up with a burp cloth, and said "night-night". This one of those moments I would give anything to have on video.
New Fun Photos from today
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