Happy Birthday Ms. Rachael

Avery and I decided that we should have a party on my birthday, so I hung up this lovely banner. We also made pink (strawberry) cupcakes with pink sprinkles! We did some fun art projects, played a few games and turned on some great party music to dance to.

Tuesday, March 20, 2010

The kids have been exploring their vocal cords today... Let's just say that my ears are ringing! Aside from the sore ear drums, we have been having a nice day.


Chase got a new soft duck from his Nana yesterday and he loves it!


I put some pillows and books inside the tent to see if the kids would find them... it looks like they did!


They sat in there for about 10 minutes just looking at books and there was absolutely no fighting! They shared the books and it made me happy :)


Sophie loves to pull this basket of toys out from under the coffee table. She will sit here and play for a while, and especially loves the toys that play music.


Chase will not kiss his own mother, but he will gladly smooch his dinosaur every time I ask him to.


Sophie likes to kiss things too!


Firefighter Sophie to the rescue!

Happy Monday!

Today has been a great day! Chase is spending the day with his Nana. We have been doing art, dancing, reading books, and taking good naps. Oh yeah... KYLE GOT A JOB!!! (That has really nothing to do with playtime, but I am just so proud and happy I had to share).


Can you say cute?


Avery painted a beautiful water color Easter egg.


The girls!


Sophie thought this car was pretty cool. She kept flipping it over and spinning the wheels.


Avery and I made a dancing ribbon.




Since it was a rainy day, we founds some kids exercise shows on TV and did a fun Yoga one and a walking one. Even the little kids were participating.

Friday, March 26, 2010

I hope everyone is enjoying their Friday! We are having a fun, but VERY busy day. Sorry about the delay getting this post up. The kids have been really enjoying playing in the tent and tunnel. Avery has done a lot of fun projects and played a few games today. I have a cup full of Popsicle sticks each with an activity on them, and Avery gets to pick a stick to figure out what to do. This has been fun because she gets to do different activities all the time.






The little girls have been battling over who gets to carry the play doh bucket around.


I guess Elliot won this round.


Sophie thought she could draw with her head. This is her most favorite toy at my house!


Silly girl!


Avery found a nice quiet place to read books inside the tent... until all the little kids invaded!

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Avery and Elliot are back!! They went on a trip to California to visit family and the got to go to Disneyland too! Avery has been singing "It's a small world after all, " all day! We even found a video of the ride on YouTube!


Sophie was carrying this baby around all morning. She rocked it and kissed it!


She even did yoga with it!


Avery got a cool new Pre-K workbook, and she did a lot of activities in it. Some of the activities were tracing and cutting. She did a really great job!


Elliot sat and looked at books for about 10 minutes straight! That is a pretty good attention span for 18 months old!


Chase kept standing at the door saying "go." I guess he thought if he sat in the car seat I would get the picture. Sorry buddy!


WE LOVE SHOES!

There is something fascinating about boots. All the little kids were fighting over them.


Elliot is the queen of shoes!


She puts these ones on every time she comes to my house.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Today must be National Snuggle your Blanket day...




Also National Play Your Instruments as Loud as You Can Day...












Also National Pin Chase Down and Kiss Him Day...

Potty Training Readiness Checklist

I know it may seem a little early to be looking in to this, but I received an e-mail from Babycenter.com today regarding potty training and thought it was interesting. We won't be starting for a little while, but it is always a good idea to do some research before you take such a big step. This article has some great information, and I love the checklist because it really tells you the things you should look for. So good luck on your future potty training adventures!


It probably seems like just yesterday that you changed your toddler's first diaper, and now you're wondering if it's time to start potty training. There's no magic age at which children are ready to start learning how to use the potty, but some develop the necessary physical and cognitive skills between 18 and 24 months of age. Many parents don't start potty training until their children are 2 1/2 to 3 years old, when daytime bladder control has become more reliable. And some children aren't interested in potty training until they're closer to 3, or even 4.

Use the checklist below to measure your toddler's progress toward readiness, and keep in mind that starting before your child is truly ready doesn't mean you'll finish sooner — it's more likely that the process will just end up taking longer.

You don't have to wait until you've checked off every item to start training. Just look for a general trend toward independence and an understanding of what it means to go to the bathroom like a grown-up.

Physical signs

Is coordinated enough to walk, and even run, steadily.

Urinates a fair amount at one time.

Has regular, well-formed bowel movements at relatively predictable times.

Has "dry" periods of at least three or four hours, which shows that his bladder muscles are developed enough to hold urine.

Behavioral signs

Can sit down quietly in one position for two to five minutes.

Can pull his pants up and down.

Dislikes the feeling of wearing a wet or dirty diaper.

Shows interest in others' bathroom habits (wants to watch you go to the bathroom or wear underwear).

Gives a physical or verbal sign when he's having a bowel movement such as grunting, squatting, or telling you.

Demonstrates a desire for independence.

Takes pride in his accomplishments.

Isn't resistant to learning to use the toilet.

Is in a generally cooperative stage, not a negative or contrary one.

Cognitive signs

Can follow simple instructions, such as "go get the toy."

Understands the value of putting things where they belong.

Has words for urine and stool.

Understands the physical signals that mean he has to go and can tell you before it happens or even hold it until he has time to get to the potty.