If he's awake, he quietly hops out of his room (his quiet tiptoeing is quite exaggerated and looks more like hopping on his toes.) Next is some time for him to do some independent work/projects, then he gets some time on the computer on the Starfall website, then we'll do something together. To give him things to do during his independent work time, I bought a few workbooks at the end of October with activities like connect-the-dots, mazes, and cutting. This gives me a little more time that I can either do work or veg out on the computer. (When I'm at home with the kids by myself I make it a point to very rarely be on the computer when they're awake. This is my major exception to that rule.)
His favorite workbook by far is the one with cutting projects. I love how he turns even the most basic of the cutting pages into much bigger projects and typically spends half an hour turning the pages into a big cutting and taping project. For example, lots of early pages in the book were just practice cutting on 3 or 4 straight or curved lines across the page. The pages also were decorated with artwork based on a specific theme to keep them interesting. But instead of just cutting on the lines, Nathan would also cut out all the associated graphics and then tape them all together using massive amounts of scotch tape, like this (these zig-zag pages were somewhat farther on in the book):
Another thing Nathan and I have been working on is practicing his letters. He has been able to print all the letters in his name for months, but we've started working on other letters of the alphabet. "S" was (and still is) proving to be a challenging one for him. And he is so independent he'll only want me to write it for him once or twice (on my own piece of paper, NOT on his) and then he will try over and over to get it right. He will tolerate me coaching him verbally but that is about it. And he has such high standards - he'll write what I think is a pretty good attempt, but he'll just scribble it out when he thinks it doesn't look right.
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Months ago at church we gave Nathan the check to put in the collection basket. He did NOT want to part with it when the time came and only would when I promised to get him his own "folded piece of paper" when we got home. I though it was a passing fad, but not so much! I had a pad of paper that I got for Christmas years ago (it said "Katie McDonald" on it, so probably over a decade!) that I would cut into check-size pieces and then fold for him. From that day on he pretty much only did his artwork on these small pieces of paper. This month we finally exhausted that pad of paper and I've started cutting regular printer paper into fourths to give to him. And though his request for "a folded piece of paper" still comes almost daily, the pages usually aren't folded anymore and he really means "a small piece of paper".
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When we visited Grandmother and Granddaddy, Nathan was reminded that Grandmother always says "Guten appetit" after the prayer at mealtimes (a German saying meaning enjoy your meal). The kids though this was awesome and amusing, and then changed it and have been saying "gude-er appetite" which then has transformed into "gude-er apple pie"
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This one actually should have been part of October since it was used quite frequently with Nana and Grand Dad both when they were visiting and again in Knoxville - Nathan's first joke!
Nathan: Hey Grand Dad!
Grand Dad: Yes Nathan?
Nathan: Nufin! (Nothing!) hahaha
Then he repeats it with everyone nearby and then Sarah tells it to everyone as well. They think its hysterical every time!
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I put this bowl on the floor one day (I guess to get it out of my way?) and Sarah turned it into her favorite place to sit in the kitchen!
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Another photo shoot with the kids!
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The kids were "cooking" with their leaves one day after we collected them from the lawn next to the library.
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Our favorite library books from November:
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This is Sarah displaying one of her birthday presents, a Tag Jr reader, but also demonstrating what Brian and I have dubbed her "chipmunk" tendencies. She is constantly holding pieces of food in the side of her mouth! In this picture I think its a piece of Halloween candy that she's savoring, but she ALWAYS does it in the mornings with her prunes. Both kids get four prune halves with their breakfast (because of the special quality prunes have) and one day I realized that Sarah was still holding onto a piece in her mouth HALF AN HOUR after we got up from breakfast! Now I've finally realized that I need to keep a close eye on her and continue to reminder her to "chew and swallow Sarah!"
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One day Nathan announced that he and Sarah were going to have a date in their room and that I shouldn't come in. I am always super happy about encouraging independent and cooperative play so I eagerly obliged. Later, when the date was over, this is what their room had turned into!
Sarah previously had asked me to move her mattress out of her bed and onto the floor, since she always wants to be like her brother, but the kids did the rest of this rearranging on their own. Thankfully we were able to get it back to normal in about 5 minutes with us all working together, so the next time it happened I didn't have quite as much of a heart attack when I realized what they had done!
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Daddy trying his hand at putting Sarah's pigtails in. This was one of the few times he's done it since he has trouble getting the bands tight enough to stay in her hair. My smaller fingers are slightly better at that.
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Goofy expression on Nathan, but I wanted to capture this cool structure he built. He is getting so imaginative with what he builds these days!
As always, makes me so happy to see and read about your "everyday" life! Happiest thing in my life these days. Of course, vacuuming with Mark between the wall studs today was also lots of fun. lol Insulation this week we think
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