Easter Surprise!

We celebrated Easter at Falls Park. It was a beautiful day for a picnic and running and climbing around on the rocks. The day started out pretty low key. We went to church and then to the park for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, strawberries, cheese sticks and veggie straws...

Their Easter Baskets!

Playing with their key cars.

Tavin being his natural, handsome self.

...but then the contractions started...

...nearly 24 hours later...

...introducing...

Abraham Daniel Lewis!

5 lbs 9 oz

19 in

Tavin and Matilda weren't quite sure what to think of Abraham at first...

but they warmed up to him rather quickly!

Isn't he the sweetest big brother ever?!?!

Photo courtesy of Grandma Sandy

Just one day home and we decided to take advantage of the nice, warm weather.

Matilda says, "He's so cute!"

Matilda finally holds her little brother.

They both adore Abraham!

Time for a chocolate pudding treat.

Spring B's Preschool - Week Seven

Primary Book: Jack and the Beanstalk

Enrichment Book: From Seed to Plant

Activity: Bean Mosaic

Field Trip: Visit a Children's Garden

Art: Day and Night

Poem: Mary, Mary

FF: Iris

Not as many pictures this week. There was a lot of nakedness due to learning about using the potty. It got to be a bit much. The full moon had an affect on us all I think. I have been having a fair amount of contractions (2 cm dilated and 80% effaced at my last appointment!) Ted is traveling for work and I just don't see the point in stressing myself out over Matilda learning to use the potty right before baby arrives. She's pretty strong willed, I see her just up and deciding to do it one day.

Monday morning I had my appointment and Ted got on a plane to Idaho. The kids and I went to the mall to play on the indoor play equipment. We went home for lunch, Tavin had a reading lesson and we took it easy the rest of the day. 

Tuesday was library day and story time. We did more reading, played with magnets and made our bean mosaics among other playing of course.

Wednesday we baked cookies, painted, played with salt dough and more beans.

Thursday we had a play date at a friend's house, played outside, more reading and had supper at the Gillen's. The kids played outside with the Gillen Girls and Tavin showed his cousins that he could write his own name.

Friday was another play date at another friend's house and more reading. Sometimes I just follow the kids around and read aloud to them while they play. Sometimes they sit still for long periods of time and keep handing me books to read. Whatever works. Tavin isn't always thrilled about his reading lessons but he is definitely learning something. He will also take books, sit down with Matilda, point to words and have her repeat what he says. It's pretty cute.

Bean Mosaics

Tavin was very careful with using his Q-tips in the glue whereas Matilda dipped her hands in the glue, smeared her hands on the paper and dropped beans on the glue. 

Two very different techniques. 

Imagnets imagination. They were creating their own pictures and narrating stories.

Salt dough and beans. Another bean mosaic in the works!

 We had a somewhat nice, sunny day! The kids walked around playing with rocks and sticks for awhile and then came to play in the sand and playground equipment. Matilda discovered a seed stuck to her pants just like a part in the book From Seed to Plant!

The kiddos playing with some transformer T-Rex toy at one of our play dates. We don't have one of these AND THAT'S OKAY! We can "enjoy" it at another house.

Coloring little wooden bird houses.

Family Fun!

We had a fun, family day! Ted has been traveling quite a bit and has many more travel plans in the future...and with a baby arriving in a couple of weeks we thought we should have a planned outing. The Children's Museum seemed like a great start. It was a beautiful day for a picnic at a park too.

Here they are in the post office making a phone call. There are phones in a few of the rooms for the kids to call each other.

Matilda dropping off some mail.

Picking flowers.

Pulling up some corn that other kids planted.

Those little wheel barrels are so cute!

Shopping in the produce isle.

Scanning their vegetables.

Changing a tire.

Cowboys!

Fun with a manual conveyor belt.

I was surprised she left the over-sized hat on as long as she did.

Tavin at the earthquake station.

Climbing high! Matilda kept up with Tavin pretty well, she usually does.

Teddy in a tree stump!

Our picnic! We went to the McCrory Gardens for a picnic and nature fun. This place is quite beautiful once flowers are in bloom. We brought along our nature study items; magnifying glasses, binoculars, bug catchers, bug houses and bug viewers. They played with those things for a little while but once they found some sticks they didn't care about much else.

Spring B's Preschool - Week Six

Primary Book: Rapunzel

Enrichment Book: What Do Roots Do?

Activity: Wind chime

Activity: Bean Experiment Week Two

Field Trip: Visit a Farm that is planting

Art: Summer House

Poem: Mary, Mary

FF: Apple Blossom

What Do Roots Do? is an excellent book for children for learning about roots. The illustrations are perfect, the kids enjoyed the book and learned a lot from it! 

We didn't get to visit a farm this week but we did have a nice family day at The Children's Museum where the kids could pretend to plant and harvest on a farm. (Those pictures will follow on another post.) 

We have been enjoying our mini greenhouse and also planted in our Root Viewer; radishes, carrots and onions. They have already sprouted! Our beans in a baggie with a wet paper towel have also sprouted, we may have to plant them in soil soon.

The kids painted keys for wind chimes with our neighbor, Tracie. She is the local Kindergarten teacher and adores Tavin and Matilda, of course. ;-)

Some outside play. Rocks, sticks and mud are still a favorite.

Cutting some cheese for a snack. They are rather into using those little choppers lately. They both want to show their skills. "I want to do it all by myself!" is a common phrase.

Time for stencils.

On one of our play dates we went to a park that had a real train car!

Happy as a clam!

Painting more wind chimes. (I got these wind chimes from Oriental Trading.) Their friend, Benjamin, came over to paint and he brought his new baby brother. One month old! So sweet. It won't be too much longer before we have a little baby of our own!

Sometimes the dollar section at Target has some gems. The bug nets and houses have been a great addition to our nature studies.

The week went by quickly. We had some outside fun while the weather was nice, which is supposed to change for this coming week. Monday I had a prenatal appointment, those are weekly now. Baby is doing great. We spent the day at home but we did play outside. Tuesday was library day for story time. Wednesday we had two play dates. Thursday we had a friend over for play and painting. We also drew in our journals our observations of the bean experiment and root viewer. Friday we met friends for lunch and play time in the mall (there is an indoor play area) then we went to the park for more running and climbing!