Mia ate two servings of cinnamon toast and ate grapes for breakfast. For lunch she ate baked chicken, most of her dinner roll, ate hash browns, and canned cherries.
Lauralea was going to work as a "painter" today. She had paint splotches on her pants, shirt, and cap. None of the kids wanted Lauralea to hold them! :) Mia didn't really care very much until she saw Nora and Riley staying back. Riley is usually Lauralea's snuggle bug in the morning. She was on Lauralea's lap once this morning and arched her back and immediately said, "I want down!" :) And Nora had a look on her face that said, "How could you be so messy!?!" Mia was kind of like; "Whatever!"
Mia has been a good helper with picking up toys before we go outside. She puts the books in the book rack, toys on the shelves, and also helps pick up outside too. She is also good at pointing to show me where I am supposed to put the toys! :) Whenever the kids put the books away they only use about one-third of the book rack. The books are usually three and four deep!
Oh Yes! An FYI for Darcy and Matt: Mia will needs diapers by Monday. She has enough to last through tomorrow. Also I forgot to mention that I have a doctor appointment this afternoon at 3:00 and Lauralea is able to cover for me. (Nothing serious!) :)
We did some finger painting today and Cooper even joined us for that; Nora was chanting, "Oh oh! Oh oh!" :) Mia also played with the food toys, read lots of books, and played with the dress-up clothes. She had on some boots, an armload of toys, and was heading somewhere saying, "Bye bye, bye bye!" She played with the dolls a lot too and was feeding them with the ice cream cone again and in the same chair as the picture from yesterday.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
10/30/2013
Mia ate half of her whole wheat bagel and ate peaches for breakfast. For lunch she ate half of her ham, ate mac-n-cheese, lettuce salad, and corn.
Here's a picture of Mia eating some ice cream. These are the tops to all the cones. But they like to take them off the cones and stack them up like you see in the picture. And even Cooper does it too!
Now this picture makes me laugh! Mia was snuggling her baby with the blanket you see on the chair. Then she started feeding it and I love what she's using for a bottle. An ice cream cone! Perfect! My kind of mommy! :) And covering the baby's face with it! I love how she's holding her baby with her left hand tucked under it. Perfect form! :)
Then later she was looking at a book about dinosaurs and she had the ice cream cone again and was feeding it to a dinosaur. I asked her, "Are you feeding dinosaurs?" Her answer, "Ducky!!" Upon closer examination I saw the dinosaur she was feeding had wings! So the "ducky" answer made perfect sense!! :)
Riley was working on Mia's hair and making a ponytail in the back. And calling Mia "baby." Then Riley started calling her "puppy" and that was fun until the puppy started getting unruly! :)
Yesterday after art time Mia started cleaning all the scrap paper off the table and putting it in the garbage can for me. And without me asking her to. Good job Mia! I was impressed!
Here's a picture of Mia eating some ice cream. These are the tops to all the cones. But they like to take them off the cones and stack them up like you see in the picture. And even Cooper does it too!
Now this picture makes me laugh! Mia was snuggling her baby with the blanket you see on the chair. Then she started feeding it and I love what she's using for a bottle. An ice cream cone! Perfect! My kind of mommy! :) And covering the baby's face with it! I love how she's holding her baby with her left hand tucked under it. Perfect form! :)
Then later she was looking at a book about dinosaurs and she had the ice cream cone again and was feeding it to a dinosaur. I asked her, "Are you feeding dinosaurs?" Her answer, "Ducky!!" Upon closer examination I saw the dinosaur she was feeding had wings! So the "ducky" answer made perfect sense!! :)
Riley was working on Mia's hair and making a ponytail in the back. And calling Mia "baby." Then Riley started calling her "puppy" and that was fun until the puppy started getting unruly! :)
Yesterday after art time Mia started cleaning all the scrap paper off the table and putting it in the garbage can for me. And without me asking her to. Good job Mia! I was impressed!
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
10/29/2013
Mia ate two servings of breakfast: blueberry waffle and pears. For lunch she ate tuna, crackers, sweet potatoes, and oranges.
I had to take a picture of the kids busy at art time. I cut up some orange and black paper using the paper cutter. (Nora stayed and watched this time.) We glued pieces of paper (I put dots of glue on their paper) and also put on halloween and pumpkin stickers. I gave all three girls a sticker and said, "I'm going to take your picture so wait until I tell you to put them down." They did very well!
Nora and Mia were playing their "Night Night" game and covering each other up with blankets again. Riley joined them two or three times and then wandered off to something else. Nora and Mia repeated the phrase "Night night!" (sometimes in the form of a question) over and over and over repeatedly all the time they were playing their game.
Cooper came in with his binky attached to his shirt. I guess Mia thought he'd had it long enough. She grabbed it and pulled hard until it came off, handed it to me and said, "Cubby!" He didn't even flinch or complain! :) Or maybe she thought; "I gave my binky to Gary and so can you Bubba!"
I put ponytails in Mia's hair and in the process I dropped a ponytail holder. Later, Mia was playing and found it. She was real excited and proud of herself for finding it and had to show me exactly where she found it at! :) Good job Mia!
I had to take a picture of the kids busy at art time. I cut up some orange and black paper using the paper cutter. (Nora stayed and watched this time.) We glued pieces of paper (I put dots of glue on their paper) and also put on halloween and pumpkin stickers. I gave all three girls a sticker and said, "I'm going to take your picture so wait until I tell you to put them down." They did very well!
Nora and Mia were playing their "Night Night" game and covering each other up with blankets again. Riley joined them two or three times and then wandered off to something else. Nora and Mia repeated the phrase "Night night!" (sometimes in the form of a question) over and over and over repeatedly all the time they were playing their game.
Cooper came in with his binky attached to his shirt. I guess Mia thought he'd had it long enough. She grabbed it and pulled hard until it came off, handed it to me and said, "Cubby!" He didn't even flinch or complain! :) Or maybe she thought; "I gave my binky to Gary and so can you Bubba!"
I put ponytails in Mia's hair and in the process I dropped a ponytail holder. Later, Mia was playing and found it. She was real excited and proud of herself for finding it and had to show me exactly where she found it at! :) Good job Mia!
Monday, October 28, 2013
10/28/2013
Mia ate chex cereal and mixed fruit for breakfast. For lunch she ate roast beef sandwich, two servings of tomato soup, and ate apple pieces.
We did a toy, book, and puzzle exchange this weekend and Mia immediately went for the food toys! She took out her binky and said, "Cubby!" (Put it in my cubby!) She played with the ice cream cones and the birthday cake. Here's a picture of how the cake looks; the pieces velcro together.
And we have the swim goggles in this toy set! She wanted me to help her put some on, then she went right to the mirror to see herself. :)
Cooper is so active now and it's getting harder for the 'older' kids to get away from him! Mia was saying, "No Coopa, No!" He was trying to get in her space and get her toys. Several times! Wow! Who does that remind me of!!??!! I swear he's a Mia-clone! :) They are both 'in your space' kids and like to be in the middle of any activity! I was at the toy shelf repairing and re-taping a book. He was shoving hard to get between me and the toy shelf! And get his hands on anything and everything!
Mia was yawning several times this morning. The busy weekend was probably catching up with her! But she was very cooperative and played nice all morning.
We did a toy, book, and puzzle exchange this weekend and Mia immediately went for the food toys! She took out her binky and said, "Cubby!" (Put it in my cubby!) She played with the ice cream cones and the birthday cake. Here's a picture of how the cake looks; the pieces velcro together.
And we have the swim goggles in this toy set! She wanted me to help her put some on, then she went right to the mirror to see herself. :)
Cooper is so active now and it's getting harder for the 'older' kids to get away from him! Mia was saying, "No Coopa, No!" He was trying to get in her space and get her toys. Several times! Wow! Who does that remind me of!!??!! I swear he's a Mia-clone! :) They are both 'in your space' kids and like to be in the middle of any activity! I was at the toy shelf repairing and re-taping a book. He was shoving hard to get between me and the toy shelf! And get his hands on anything and everything!
Mia was yawning several times this morning. The busy weekend was probably catching up with her! But she was very cooperative and played nice all morning.
Friday, October 25, 2013
10/25/2013
Mia ate oatmeal and dried plums for breakfast. For lunch she ate hash brown casserole, biscuit, and two servings of mandarin oranges.
I thought this was a cute picture. All three of the girls were laying on the mattress watching Cooper. They're having a discussion on the merits of Fahrenheit vs Celsius and Professor Cooper is pointing out the two sides of the thermometer. :)
Nora and Mia were on the floor doing "Row Row" on their own initiative. Mia was especially thrilled; "Look Gary!"
Mia was sitting on the table bench in my "spot" (my spot during singing and signing time) and was singing again. She frequently does this. I could tell which song it was from the motions she was doing. She was pointing at Nora, said "Nora." Then to Riley, Cooper, and me! It's our "Hickity Pickity" song.
Mia just randomly went to the gate this morning and said, "Riley potty!" I guess she figured it was about time we take Riley to the bathroom! :) And within a minute or two Riley said, "Go potty!" I don't know if it was from Mia's suggestion or if it's a case of Mia having ESP! :)
I thought this was a cute picture. All three of the girls were laying on the mattress watching Cooper. They're having a discussion on the merits of Fahrenheit vs Celsius and Professor Cooper is pointing out the two sides of the thermometer. :)
Nora and Mia were on the floor doing "Row Row" on their own initiative. Mia was especially thrilled; "Look Gary!"
Mia was sitting on the table bench in my "spot" (my spot during singing and signing time) and was singing again. She frequently does this. I could tell which song it was from the motions she was doing. She was pointing at Nora, said "Nora." Then to Riley, Cooper, and me! It's our "Hickity Pickity" song.
Mia just randomly went to the gate this morning and said, "Riley potty!" I guess she figured it was about time we take Riley to the bathroom! :) And within a minute or two Riley said, "Go potty!" I don't know if it was from Mia's suggestion or if it's a case of Mia having ESP! :)
Thursday, October 24, 2013
10/24/2013
Mia ate french toast and cantaloupe for breakfast. For lunch she ate turkey slice, crescent roll, green beans, and two servings of dried mangoes.
Out of eight toy rotations this is the only set of toys without some dolls. (I will probably add some.) It has been very interesting to watch the kids and their imagination. They have used many things as their babies. I love watching as their imaginations expand; they can make something into anything they want it to be. Mia has been partial to the bluejays for her babies! :)
It is fun having "Baby" Reid here today and I thought you might enjoy seeing a picture of him playing beside Mia. (For those that may not know, Reid and Cooper are the same age, within a week.) Reid had his first birthday in September and weighed in a few ounces under 30 pounds. He's a big boy! I told his mom he could be here today and tomorrow (sickness in the Child Care Home where goes.) because of the Cline kids being gone this week. Then I find out they are all going to be here tomorrow! That is fine; I'll just be a little busy tomorrow! :)
The last two or three days when Mia says, "Thank you!" she follows it up with "welcome!" So it sounds like this; "Thank you Gary welcome!" "Thank you Nora welcome!" Very cute! :)
I was testing a little "theory" of mine; Kids this age will usually answer questions with the last word you ask them. For example; Do you like cats or dogs? Their answer will typically be "dogs." Then change the order to; Do you like dogs or cats? Their answer will typically be "cats." So I asked Mia; "What do you like best; dogs or cats?" She answered, "Cooper!" :) Love it!
Out of eight toy rotations this is the only set of toys without some dolls. (I will probably add some.) It has been very interesting to watch the kids and their imagination. They have used many things as their babies. I love watching as their imaginations expand; they can make something into anything they want it to be. Mia has been partial to the bluejays for her babies! :)
It is fun having "Baby" Reid here today and I thought you might enjoy seeing a picture of him playing beside Mia. (For those that may not know, Reid and Cooper are the same age, within a week.) Reid had his first birthday in September and weighed in a few ounces under 30 pounds. He's a big boy! I told his mom he could be here today and tomorrow (sickness in the Child Care Home where goes.) because of the Cline kids being gone this week. Then I find out they are all going to be here tomorrow! That is fine; I'll just be a little busy tomorrow! :)
The last two or three days when Mia says, "Thank you!" she follows it up with "welcome!" So it sounds like this; "Thank you Gary welcome!" "Thank you Nora welcome!" Very cute! :)
I was testing a little "theory" of mine; Kids this age will usually answer questions with the last word you ask them. For example; Do you like cats or dogs? Their answer will typically be "dogs." Then change the order to; Do you like dogs or cats? Their answer will typically be "cats." So I asked Mia; "What do you like best; dogs or cats?" She answered, "Cooper!" :) Love it!
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
10/23/2013
Mia had two servings of whole wheat toast and ate mixed berries for breakfast. For lunch she ate ham, crackers, half of her bean & bacon soup, and ate kiwi.
Mia kept bending over looking between her legs and of course I thought it was too cute. Nora was doing it too (she actually started it) and so she has a similar picture of herself posted on her blog. :) I was laughing at them (of course) and they kept doing it over and over.
The girls had the microphones and were standing on the bench of the table walking around and around singing. Then they came and stood in front of me and did some more singing! :)
Mia was draping her blanket over her head and strolling (slowly) blindly around this morning. She was bumping into the table, the sinks, the chair, and the changing table. Nora was really laughing and would tell her; "Do mo!!" (more!) Super cute. And of course Mia was happy to do more!
Mia went downstairs with me to make copies for dot painting at art. Nora declined going down those scary steps with a vigorous 'no' head shake! :) I have about six different colors of dot paints and we rotate the bottles between the kids. Mia did three dots "bam bam bam" and then; "I done Gary!" :) Which makes it splatter a bit, but it looks kind of cool when it dries! A speed artist!
It was nice to meet Darcy's Aunt Pat yesterday afternoon while we were outside playing. She stopped by after picking up her two grandsons from school. It's always fun to meet the children's family. And she's a daily reader of Mia's Blog! :) All of the children's families are welcome to stop and say, "HI!"
Mia kept bending over looking between her legs and of course I thought it was too cute. Nora was doing it too (she actually started it) and so she has a similar picture of herself posted on her blog. :) I was laughing at them (of course) and they kept doing it over and over.
The girls had the microphones and were standing on the bench of the table walking around and around singing. Then they came and stood in front of me and did some more singing! :)
Mia was draping her blanket over her head and strolling (slowly) blindly around this morning. She was bumping into the table, the sinks, the chair, and the changing table. Nora was really laughing and would tell her; "Do mo!!" (more!) Super cute. And of course Mia was happy to do more!
Mia went downstairs with me to make copies for dot painting at art. Nora declined going down those scary steps with a vigorous 'no' head shake! :) I have about six different colors of dot paints and we rotate the bottles between the kids. Mia did three dots "bam bam bam" and then; "I done Gary!" :) Which makes it splatter a bit, but it looks kind of cool when it dries! A speed artist!
It was nice to meet Darcy's Aunt Pat yesterday afternoon while we were outside playing. She stopped by after picking up her two grandsons from school. It's always fun to meet the children's family. And she's a daily reader of Mia's Blog! :) All of the children's families are welcome to stop and say, "HI!"
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
10/22/2013
Mia ate two servings of whole wheat bagel and ate dried apricots for breakfast. For lunch she ate chicken, elbow noodles topped with shredded cheese, peas, and applesauce.
I wanted to remember to tell you how hard Mia worked at helping pick up toys yesterday after nap time before we went outside. She and Nora were both very motivated with the reward of going outside and boy they got with the program! She brought me one of the combs and said, "Comb!" and pointed to shelf that it went on with the rest of the combs! Good job Mia!
It was fun watching her read books to Nora this morning. She patted the arm of the chair for Nora to sit; "Sit down!" Then she was singing one of the books we do; "Baby Booga...." (Baby Beluga). Then she saw the book "Row Row Your Boat" and immediately started singing it and doing the actions. Super job Mia!
These two girls remind me of a couple little critters first thing in the morning as they go through the daily ritual of establishing their territory! Then after a few minutes, sometimes it takes until after breakfast, they get into their playing routine! Mia played with lots of food toys, singing with the microphones, reading books with Nora, and then they were playing their game of peeking through the hole in the table with one of them on the floor and one of them peeking through the hole. And they were taking turns very nicely (on their own initiative) going from the table to the floor. This kind of play (taking turns) is more advanced play than the "parallel play" I was writing about yesterday!
Mia also did a super job with the sign language we did today. There are 10 different ones we're doing and she nailed them all. This does not include any of the color signs we do; she's still working on those colors.
I brought the paper cutter up from downstairs and we cut up colored paper and then they put the colored pieces onto the glue dots I put on their paper. Mia kept lifting hers up and getting glue on her fingers; basically having a good time figuring out what the sticky stuff is all about! :)
I wanted to remember to tell you how hard Mia worked at helping pick up toys yesterday after nap time before we went outside. She and Nora were both very motivated with the reward of going outside and boy they got with the program! She brought me one of the combs and said, "Comb!" and pointed to shelf that it went on with the rest of the combs! Good job Mia!
It was fun watching her read books to Nora this morning. She patted the arm of the chair for Nora to sit; "Sit down!" Then she was singing one of the books we do; "Baby Booga...." (Baby Beluga). Then she saw the book "Row Row Your Boat" and immediately started singing it and doing the actions. Super job Mia!
These two girls remind me of a couple little critters first thing in the morning as they go through the daily ritual of establishing their territory! Then after a few minutes, sometimes it takes until after breakfast, they get into their playing routine! Mia played with lots of food toys, singing with the microphones, reading books with Nora, and then they were playing their game of peeking through the hole in the table with one of them on the floor and one of them peeking through the hole. And they were taking turns very nicely (on their own initiative) going from the table to the floor. This kind of play (taking turns) is more advanced play than the "parallel play" I was writing about yesterday!
Mia also did a super job with the sign language we did today. There are 10 different ones we're doing and she nailed them all. This does not include any of the color signs we do; she's still working on those colors.
I brought the paper cutter up from downstairs and we cut up colored paper and then they put the colored pieces onto the glue dots I put on their paper. Mia kept lifting hers up and getting glue on her fingers; basically having a good time figuring out what the sticky stuff is all about! :)
Monday, October 21, 2013
10/21/2013
Mia ate bran cereal and dried cranberries for breakfast. For lunch she ate most of her cheese pizza, bites of corn, and ate tropical fruit.
I had to take a picture of Mia having an intense conversation with Mommy! She was saying, "Hi Mommy! Jabber jabber jabber!" A phone for each ear! I like the serious look! :)
Riley and Cooper are at the farm this week so it's just the two girls here all week! :) Nora and Mia were discussing it at the breakfast table. They were looking at the poster with pictures of all the kids and Mia said, "Cooper - Riley....Cooper go?" Nora answers, "Bye bye!" It was soooo cute! Then Mia coughed at the table and Nora asked, "R..Ok?" So then Nora coughed and Mia asked, "Ok?" And they went back-n-forth with that several times! Anything and everything can become a game! :)
The two girls played together very well this morning; lots of parallel (side-by-side) play, rather than taking turns or direct interaction, etc. That is totally age appropriate and works well for these two who are pretty much polar opposites in many ways. :) They were also crawling on the floor, going to the gate to show-off for Lauralea before she left, flopping and jumping on the mattress, in and out of the igloo, dancing to music, and reading books. Mia said, "Ow!" And held her leg up for Nora to kiss it. I know it's a 'minor' owie when that's all it takes to 'fix' it! :)
Mia played with one of the little stuffed animals all (off and on) morning. It's a baby Bluejay. We have the mommy and the baby, but she prefers the baby one. She did the usual wrapping with a blanket and singing "night night baby" to it. Then she brought it to me; "Kiss?" :)
We did some coloring for art time and it's easy to tell when Mia starts to get bored with it. She likes taking the lids off the markers, but doesn't bother to color. Just taking the lids off becomes the primary activity! :)
I had to take a picture of Mia having an intense conversation with Mommy! She was saying, "Hi Mommy! Jabber jabber jabber!" A phone for each ear! I like the serious look! :)
Riley and Cooper are at the farm this week so it's just the two girls here all week! :) Nora and Mia were discussing it at the breakfast table. They were looking at the poster with pictures of all the kids and Mia said, "Cooper - Riley....Cooper go?" Nora answers, "Bye bye!" It was soooo cute! Then Mia coughed at the table and Nora asked, "R..Ok?" So then Nora coughed and Mia asked, "Ok?" And they went back-n-forth with that several times! Anything and everything can become a game! :)
The two girls played together very well this morning; lots of parallel (side-by-side) play, rather than taking turns or direct interaction, etc. That is totally age appropriate and works well for these two who are pretty much polar opposites in many ways. :) They were also crawling on the floor, going to the gate to show-off for Lauralea before she left, flopping and jumping on the mattress, in and out of the igloo, dancing to music, and reading books. Mia said, "Ow!" And held her leg up for Nora to kiss it. I know it's a 'minor' owie when that's all it takes to 'fix' it! :)
Mia played with one of the little stuffed animals all (off and on) morning. It's a baby Bluejay. We have the mommy and the baby, but she prefers the baby one. She did the usual wrapping with a blanket and singing "night night baby" to it. Then she brought it to me; "Kiss?" :)
We did some coloring for art time and it's easy to tell when Mia starts to get bored with it. She likes taking the lids off the markers, but doesn't bother to color. Just taking the lids off becomes the primary activity! :)
Friday, October 18, 2013
10/18/2013
Mia ate malt-o-meal cereal and raisins for breakfast. For lunch she ate ground beef with spaghetti sauce, elbow noodles, lettuce salad, and mixed fruit.
I kind of went crazy with the pictures this morning, but there was lots of activity too. Kenzie was here so the dynamics of the group were changed. Mia, of course, loved the extra activity and energy that Kenzie brought! :)
However, before breakfast Mia did lots of snuggling; first with Lauralea while I finished doing food prep for the day and then she snuggled with me. When we needed to do something else she was content to snuggle in the chair by herself like you see in the picture. This is not a usual Mia activity!
Mia was thrilled that Nora was helping her take off her shoes. Mia said, "She help me Gary!!" She sounded surprised! :) They do help each other a lot and play together AND sometimes drive each other crazy! A very entertaining pair.
I brought one of the swivel-rocker chairs into the playroom. Here's a picture of Kenzie flying around-and-around giving Mia and Riley a ride. They were loving the rides.
And Cooper loved the rides too! I had to include a picture of him with Mia. She loves her Cooper! Or as she usually says, "Coopa!"
After breakfast I washed Mia and told her to "find a toy no one is playing with!" (That is a phrase they all hear many times a day, every day.) Nora was still eating and she said, "And be gentle!" Along with the sign that we do for gentle! Good job Nora! :) At this age they already know all the rules and will gladly tell their friends; now for some self-application! :)
I kind of went crazy with the pictures this morning, but there was lots of activity too. Kenzie was here so the dynamics of the group were changed. Mia, of course, loved the extra activity and energy that Kenzie brought! :)
However, before breakfast Mia did lots of snuggling; first with Lauralea while I finished doing food prep for the day and then she snuggled with me. When we needed to do something else she was content to snuggle in the chair by herself like you see in the picture. This is not a usual Mia activity!
Mia was thrilled that Nora was helping her take off her shoes. Mia said, "She help me Gary!!" She sounded surprised! :) They do help each other a lot and play together AND sometimes drive each other crazy! A very entertaining pair.
I brought one of the swivel-rocker chairs into the playroom. Here's a picture of Kenzie flying around-and-around giving Mia and Riley a ride. They were loving the rides.
And Cooper loved the rides too! I had to include a picture of him with Mia. She loves her Cooper! Or as she usually says, "Coopa!"
After breakfast I washed Mia and told her to "find a toy no one is playing with!" (That is a phrase they all hear many times a day, every day.) Nora was still eating and she said, "And be gentle!" Along with the sign that we do for gentle! Good job Nora! :) At this age they already know all the rules and will gladly tell their friends; now for some self-application! :)
Thursday, October 17, 2013
10/17/2013
Mia ate raisin english muffin and two servings of blueberries for breakfast. For lunch she ate chicken, crackers, sweet potatoes, and two servings of canned cherries.
Nora is learning to say Lauralea and her tongue starts going in and out and lots of "L" sounds come out! And it sounds like "Laura Loo Loo." We think it's cute and of course Mia picks right up on that and yesterday she too said, "Laura Loo Loo!" :) Love it! Language is Mia's primary strength!
Here's a picture of Mia and Nora putting on slippers. I like having these shoes and slippers in every toy exchange as it gives them lots of practice with putting on shoes.
Mia was playing in the chair and Nora came up and was pestering her. I said something to Nora like this; "Go find another toy to play with. You don't like it when Mia bugs you!" So Mia said, "She bugging me!" (And that's an example of what I mean about her language.)
As I 've mentioned several times Mia accompanies Riley and I when Riley is going potty. (Primarily so she and Nora do not kill each other while we're out of the room!) But the obvious benefit is Mia is able to see Riley's routine of going potty. Anyhow this morning Riley was talking about the girl pictures on her panties. I asked, "Who's that girl?" Mia said, "Coopa!" :)
Mia was talking on the phone (loudly) to "Momma, Daddy" and I heard lots of "hellos." Then she was holding the phone up to my ear too so I could talk. She and Riley were also quite the team working on the legos. Riley was in charge of construction and Mia was in charge of demolition!! :)
Nora is learning to say Lauralea and her tongue starts going in and out and lots of "L" sounds come out! And it sounds like "Laura Loo Loo." We think it's cute and of course Mia picks right up on that and yesterday she too said, "Laura Loo Loo!" :) Love it! Language is Mia's primary strength!
Here's a picture of Mia and Nora putting on slippers. I like having these shoes and slippers in every toy exchange as it gives them lots of practice with putting on shoes.
Mia was playing in the chair and Nora came up and was pestering her. I said something to Nora like this; "Go find another toy to play with. You don't like it when Mia bugs you!" So Mia said, "She bugging me!" (And that's an example of what I mean about her language.)
As I 've mentioned several times Mia accompanies Riley and I when Riley is going potty. (Primarily so she and Nora do not kill each other while we're out of the room!) But the obvious benefit is Mia is able to see Riley's routine of going potty. Anyhow this morning Riley was talking about the girl pictures on her panties. I asked, "Who's that girl?" Mia said, "Coopa!" :)
Mia was talking on the phone (loudly) to "Momma, Daddy" and I heard lots of "hellos." Then she was holding the phone up to my ear too so I could talk. She and Riley were also quite the team working on the legos. Riley was in charge of construction and Mia was in charge of demolition!! :)
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
10/16/2013
Mia ate two servings of breakfast: biscuits and peaches. For lunch she had two servings of baked beans, ate dinner roll, peas, and pineapple.
This seating arrangement actually worked for a few minutes, but I was kind of hovering (like a 'helicopter parent') waiting for a meltdown. They had lots of food toys and were busy eating and drinking. I like how Nora is drinking from the carton! :)
Hey Matt! I think you've been schooling Mia on some sprinting techniques! She was on the sidewalk and squatting down saying, "Go, Set.." And then take off running. Super cute. And Riley was following her lead too.
Mia had fun doing some stickers at art time and I even did a little bit of gluing. I don't glue very much with this age group because I end up doing most of the work while they watch. Mia was holding the glue container while we squeezed some out.
I frequently ask the kids, "What did you do at home last night?" And their standard answer is 'Momma!" I started to ask Mia a question and she didn't even wait for me to finish! It went like this:
Me: "Hey Mia, Whaaa...?"
Mia: "Momma!"
Me: "Uhhh, you could wait for the question!" :)
This seating arrangement actually worked for a few minutes, but I was kind of hovering (like a 'helicopter parent') waiting for a meltdown. They had lots of food toys and were busy eating and drinking. I like how Nora is drinking from the carton! :)
Hey Matt! I think you've been schooling Mia on some sprinting techniques! She was on the sidewalk and squatting down saying, "Go, Set.." And then take off running. Super cute. And Riley was following her lead too.
Mia had fun doing some stickers at art time and I even did a little bit of gluing. I don't glue very much with this age group because I end up doing most of the work while they watch. Mia was holding the glue container while we squeezed some out.
I frequently ask the kids, "What did you do at home last night?" And their standard answer is 'Momma!" I started to ask Mia a question and she didn't even wait for me to finish! It went like this:
Me: "Hey Mia, Whaaa...?"
Mia: "Momma!"
Me: "Uhhh, you could wait for the question!" :)
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
10/15/2013
Mia ate waffle and two servings of hash browns for breakfast. I told Mia to use her spoon because the syrup was sticky. And she did to a point. Until the end of lunch and she'd tucked her sticky spoon underneath her bottom and was sitting on it! :) For lunch she ate most of beef & cheese quesadilla, ate carrots, and oranges.
After breakfast Mia hung out with me while I put stuff away in the kitchen. She was having fun kicking back in the chair and I thought it would be a cute picture. :)
Well here are a couple pictures of Mia playing with the bath foam at art time. She was having so much fun playing in it and making Riley and Nora laugh! I did not intervene until she started licking it off the table. :)
And I thought you might enjoy a picture of Nora and see how much she was getting a kick out of watching Mia. Look at the pile of bath foam in front of her. It was way more interesting watching Mia. And I would have to agree!
After Lunch Nora wanted me to open the gate and she started saying, "Help me Momma, help me daddy, etc. She always does that and goes through a whole list of people. Mia looked at her and said, "Help me Gary!" :)
Mia and Nora were both doing our action songs and it was soooo cute! It was before we did any singing and they totally initiated it. There were three or four songs that were easily recognizable by the motions. We do this one song called "Hickity Pickity Bumble Bee" and they were nailing it!
After breakfast Mia hung out with me while I put stuff away in the kitchen. She was having fun kicking back in the chair and I thought it would be a cute picture. :)
Well here are a couple pictures of Mia playing with the bath foam at art time. She was having so much fun playing in it and making Riley and Nora laugh! I did not intervene until she started licking it off the table. :)
And I thought you might enjoy a picture of Nora and see how much she was getting a kick out of watching Mia. Look at the pile of bath foam in front of her. It was way more interesting watching Mia. And I would have to agree!
After Lunch Nora wanted me to open the gate and she started saying, "Help me Momma, help me daddy, etc. She always does that and goes through a whole list of people. Mia looked at her and said, "Help me Gary!" :)
Mia and Nora were both doing our action songs and it was soooo cute! It was before we did any singing and they totally initiated it. There were three or four songs that were easily recognizable by the motions. We do this one song called "Hickity Pickity Bumble Bee" and they were nailing it!
Monday, October 14, 2013
10/14/2013
Mia ate half of her cheerios and most of her banana serving for breakfast. For lunch she ate cheese sandwich, drank two servings of tomato soup, and ate apple pieces. She looked so cute after drinking her soup; tomato soup was all around her mouth and the top line of the cup was across her forehead.
I've mentioned this before, but whenever Riley says she has to go potty our routine is always the same. 1.) Mia always joins us or I should say she races down the hall ahead of us and sits on the floor by the tub in her assigned spot! 2.) Mia starts asking Riley if she is done yet! 3.) Riley is done and Mia jumps up and prepares to flee the scene and Riley always starts saying, "Oh oh, Oh oh!" She is always sure that Mia should stay right with us and not take off! 4.) And Riley continues saying, "Oh oh!" as Mia is sprinting down the hall. :) 5.) I always laugh!
We did a toy, book, and puzzle exchange and Mia liked playing with the curlers. Riley piled them up beside Mia on the chair and I asked Mia if I could put two in her hair. After I took this picture Mia wanted Riley to sit beside her and was saying, "Sit down Riley! Sit down!" So Riley crawled up and sat on the pile of curlers!
Mia was playing with one of the curlers and it looked like she was 'dipping' her finger into something and then applying it to her face. (She watches Lauralea put on make-up here and I'm sure she's seen it many times at home.) Then she said, "Mirror!" And runs over to look at herself! So cute.
She read lots of books and played with the animal toys that roar like an elephant, lion, and a bear. Cooper was driving her crazy first thing this morning. As soon as he'd hear a "roar" he'd go charging over to see what it was! I'd redirect him to another of the identical toy, but the one being used was way more interesting than that!! :)
I've mentioned this before, but whenever Riley says she has to go potty our routine is always the same. 1.) Mia always joins us or I should say she races down the hall ahead of us and sits on the floor by the tub in her assigned spot! 2.) Mia starts asking Riley if she is done yet! 3.) Riley is done and Mia jumps up and prepares to flee the scene and Riley always starts saying, "Oh oh, Oh oh!" She is always sure that Mia should stay right with us and not take off! 4.) And Riley continues saying, "Oh oh!" as Mia is sprinting down the hall. :) 5.) I always laugh!
We did a toy, book, and puzzle exchange and Mia liked playing with the curlers. Riley piled them up beside Mia on the chair and I asked Mia if I could put two in her hair. After I took this picture Mia wanted Riley to sit beside her and was saying, "Sit down Riley! Sit down!" So Riley crawled up and sat on the pile of curlers!
Mia was playing with one of the curlers and it looked like she was 'dipping' her finger into something and then applying it to her face. (She watches Lauralea put on make-up here and I'm sure she's seen it many times at home.) Then she said, "Mirror!" And runs over to look at herself! So cute.
She read lots of books and played with the animal toys that roar like an elephant, lion, and a bear. Cooper was driving her crazy first thing this morning. As soon as he'd hear a "roar" he'd go charging over to see what it was! I'd redirect him to another of the identical toy, but the one being used was way more interesting than that!! :)
Friday, October 11, 2013
10/11/2013
Mia ate oatmeal and dried cranberries for breakfast. I was so impressed with Mia at breakfast eating her oatmeal. She ate all of her oatmeal and there was NO mess! Good job Mia! That's not an easy feat! For lunch she ate ground beef, elbow noodles (topped with shredded cheese), peas, and applesauce.
This picture is pretty much self-explanatory! :) Nora and Mia are finding it to be pretty difficult to get the best of Cooper on the mattress or on the floor. He'll roll over on them and they're stuck! Even Mia will yell for help and Nora is not impressed at all!! :) I think this picture is so cute!
We decorated some wreaths at art time with foam stickers. The stickers are apples, pumpkins, acorns, and halloween decorations. When we were done they started sticking their faces through the wreaths so I said, OK, why not? :) I had them sit on the same side of the table and took several pictures before I got this one!
Riley and Mia were playing with the dolls and blankets and Mia was also bringing food toys to Riley. Then she brought a cup for Riley's baby and said, "Here go Ri-ee; bottle!"
Cooper was trying to 'feed' a food toy steak to Mia and Riley was laughing. Mia wasn't too thrilled about having it stuck in her face, but Riley found it to be humorous! :) Mia was whipping her head sideways saying, "No Coopa, No!" And I had to jump in and help!
Mia was pretending to offer her binky to Nora and then pulling it back before Nora took it. They were both laughing and making a fun game out of it. (I monitor that sort of thing closely; those kind of "games" have a way of going south quickly!) :)
This picture is pretty much self-explanatory! :) Nora and Mia are finding it to be pretty difficult to get the best of Cooper on the mattress or on the floor. He'll roll over on them and they're stuck! Even Mia will yell for help and Nora is not impressed at all!! :) I think this picture is so cute!
We decorated some wreaths at art time with foam stickers. The stickers are apples, pumpkins, acorns, and halloween decorations. When we were done they started sticking their faces through the wreaths so I said, OK, why not? :) I had them sit on the same side of the table and took several pictures before I got this one!
Riley and Mia were playing with the dolls and blankets and Mia was also bringing food toys to Riley. Then she brought a cup for Riley's baby and said, "Here go Ri-ee; bottle!"
Cooper was trying to 'feed' a food toy steak to Mia and Riley was laughing. Mia wasn't too thrilled about having it stuck in her face, but Riley found it to be humorous! :) Mia was whipping her head sideways saying, "No Coopa, No!" And I had to jump in and help!
Mia was pretending to offer her binky to Nora and then pulling it back before Nora took it. They were both laughing and making a fun game out of it. (I monitor that sort of thing closely; those kind of "games" have a way of going south quickly!) :)
Thursday, October 10, 2013
10/10/2013
Mia ate raisin english muffin and blueberries for breakfast. For lunch she ate turkey sandwich, two servings of green beans, and two servings of kiwi.
Nora doesn't really like being in tight spots; especially if someone has her perceived exit blocked! But she loves playing this game of being covered with blankets and she frequently lets Mia bury her like in this picture from this morning! They play this game frequently.
Mia was taking her shoes to her cubby this morning and she tripped on her blanket she was dragging along and her shoes went flying through the air. Oh man, Riley really snickered about that! And Riley's snickering made Mia laugh. :)
All three of the girls were wearing cowboy boots. And Riley had on the Bumble Bee jacket. When they got everything on they were saying, "Bye!" Mia had on the largest boots (children size 11) so that was quite entertaining watching her walk around! :)
A couple of quotes from Mia this morning:
Lauralea was leaving for work; "Bye Gary!" :)
Her hair was bugging her; "I need a pony Gary!"
She doesn't usually have her binky until breakfast (9:00), but this morning she did. When I said, "Come get your bibs!" she winged her binky across the room and it landed perfectly on the changing table! :) Nice!
Nora doesn't really like being in tight spots; especially if someone has her perceived exit blocked! But she loves playing this game of being covered with blankets and she frequently lets Mia bury her like in this picture from this morning! They play this game frequently.
Mia was taking her shoes to her cubby this morning and she tripped on her blanket she was dragging along and her shoes went flying through the air. Oh man, Riley really snickered about that! And Riley's snickering made Mia laugh. :)
All three of the girls were wearing cowboy boots. And Riley had on the Bumble Bee jacket. When they got everything on they were saying, "Bye!" Mia had on the largest boots (children size 11) so that was quite entertaining watching her walk around! :)
A couple of quotes from Mia this morning:
Lauralea was leaving for work; "Bye Gary!" :)
Her hair was bugging her; "I need a pony Gary!"
She doesn't usually have her binky until breakfast (9:00), but this morning she did. When I said, "Come get your bibs!" she winged her binky across the room and it landed perfectly on the changing table! :) Nice!
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
10/9/2013
Mia ate jelly toast and two servings of dried mangoes for breakfast. For lunch she ate most of her bean & beef burrito, ate sweet potatoes, and three servings of tropical fruit.
We did some more painting today and I had to take another picture. Love that tongue! :) The kids had fun painting at art time. Mia was leaving lots of paint on her paper so I said, "You can paint with your hands." She heard it as "Paint your hands!" So all of them started painting their hands. (With their brushes.) It was pretty funny. :) But she also did some finger painting! And table painting! And face painting! Nora was sitting across the table so she wasn't able to paint her!
I like hearing Mia try different words and she is used to me saying, "Mia, say Hippo!" And then, "Mia, say Hippopotamus!" Today when I said, "Mia, say Hippo!" she said, "Hippo-potisha!" Lauralea and I got a big laugh out of that! You're a great kid Mia!
All three girls were sitting on the climber steps working on each other's hair again. I've been working hard at recognizing when they are being gentle to each other and when they are being good friends and then commenting positively about it. And that was a good example of one of those times.
I was changing Nora's diaper and Mia was wanting to see, but she was pushing in front of me, between the changing table and me. That wasn't working so I moved her to the side and she didn't like it and was whining to Cooper about it. :) "Coopa!....jabber jabber, whine whine......Coopa!"
We did some more painting today and I had to take another picture. Love that tongue! :) The kids had fun painting at art time. Mia was leaving lots of paint on her paper so I said, "You can paint with your hands." She heard it as "Paint your hands!" So all of them started painting their hands. (With their brushes.) It was pretty funny. :) But she also did some finger painting! And table painting! And face painting! Nora was sitting across the table so she wasn't able to paint her!
I like hearing Mia try different words and she is used to me saying, "Mia, say Hippo!" And then, "Mia, say Hippopotamus!" Today when I said, "Mia, say Hippo!" she said, "Hippo-potisha!" Lauralea and I got a big laugh out of that! You're a great kid Mia!
All three girls were sitting on the climber steps working on each other's hair again. I've been working hard at recognizing when they are being gentle to each other and when they are being good friends and then commenting positively about it. And that was a good example of one of those times.
I was changing Nora's diaper and Mia was wanting to see, but she was pushing in front of me, between the changing table and me. That wasn't working so I moved her to the side and she didn't like it and was whining to Cooper about it. :) "Coopa!....jabber jabber, whine whine......Coopa!"
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
10/8/2013
Mia ate cinnamon roll and dried plums for breakfast. For lunch she ate most of the scrambled eggs, hash browns, cheese, bacon bits combo thing! She ate most of her waffle and ate cantaloupe.
I sat Mr. Pumpkin on the climber and plugged him in to see if it still worked. The girls were thrilled and gathered around at a distance.
And then, of course, they moved right up to get a good look! I like how Mia is face-to-face with it! I had to go downstairs to get a new bulb for the pumpkin and Riley and Mia wanted to go with me. I'd taken them down there last week (to get some art paper) and showed them Coral's room. (It's Pink with lots of Zebra stripe decor.) Riley and Mia poked their heads in there today and said, "Coral's room!"
Mia was playing with one of the smaller balls on the patio and she was walking around saying, "My ball Coopa, my ball Coopa!" I guess she was just rehearsing for a later date because Cooper was all the way across the yard! :)
I mentioned yesterday about doing sign language with Mia (and everyone else too). Before Lauralea left I asked Mia about 10 different signs we do (not counting the colors) and she nailed them all! Love it! We'll show-off for you tonight if you or I remember! :)
I got on her case for taking toys from Nora and then Riley and I like how she'll look at me and say, "Ok Gary!" when I talk to her. I've mentioned this before, but she really does listen and she really wants to please her caregivers. A couple minutes later she came to where I was standing and gave my leg a hug as if to say, "We're still good right?!" :) Super sweet!
I sat Mr. Pumpkin on the climber and plugged him in to see if it still worked. The girls were thrilled and gathered around at a distance.
And then, of course, they moved right up to get a good look! I like how Mia is face-to-face with it! I had to go downstairs to get a new bulb for the pumpkin and Riley and Mia wanted to go with me. I'd taken them down there last week (to get some art paper) and showed them Coral's room. (It's Pink with lots of Zebra stripe decor.) Riley and Mia poked their heads in there today and said, "Coral's room!"
Mia was playing with one of the smaller balls on the patio and she was walking around saying, "My ball Coopa, my ball Coopa!" I guess she was just rehearsing for a later date because Cooper was all the way across the yard! :)
I mentioned yesterday about doing sign language with Mia (and everyone else too). Before Lauralea left I asked Mia about 10 different signs we do (not counting the colors) and she nailed them all! Love it! We'll show-off for you tonight if you or I remember! :)
I got on her case for taking toys from Nora and then Riley and I like how she'll look at me and say, "Ok Gary!" when I talk to her. I've mentioned this before, but she really does listen and she really wants to please her caregivers. A couple minutes later she came to where I was standing and gave my leg a hug as if to say, "We're still good right?!" :) Super sweet!
Monday, October 7, 2013
10/7/2013
Mia ate kix cereal and mixed fruit for breakfast. For lunch she ate two servings of ham sandwich, ate peas, and two servings of mandarin oranges.
Riley and Mia were playing with the dolls in the big box for a long time. And as you can see in the picture they also had food toys in there to feed their babies. They also played with the food toys at the table and Riley had a plate for Cooper even though he was taking a nap.
All three girls were at the window pointing at an airplane saying, "My daddy!" :) A few minutes later we heard a loud smacking sound on the window and a poor Robin had flew into the window hard! It sat on the cement for about 45 minutes and the next time we went to look it was gone. So hopefully it survived that mishap! The kids were over at the window looking at it every few minutes.
Mia was impressing me again this morning with her language skills. :) She handed me her binky and said, "Binky on cubby!" Then I was showing Lauralea a couple of 'signs' we were learning. So I did the sign for 'boy' and asked Mia. She said, "Boy; Cooper boy!" (That's what I told them last week when we were doing the 'boy' sign.) Then I did the sign for girl and she said, "Girl." Good job Mia!
Mia looked at lots of books, played with the dolls, participated during singing time, and we did stickers and colored tape at art time. We've got about ten different rolls of colored tape and it was driving Nora nuts because Mia calls them all "Blue-Yellow!" Every color is "Blue-Yellow!" :)
I always sit Cooper on the chair with some snuggly pillows after his naps if I'm not able to snuggle him for a few minutes. And I'll get him a book and he's always satisfied with that arrangement. This morning when I was carrying him out after his morning nap Mia was patting the chair and saying, "Cooper Cooper..." and she had a book waiting for him! Our little routine Girl! :)
Riley and Mia were playing with the dolls in the big box for a long time. And as you can see in the picture they also had food toys in there to feed their babies. They also played with the food toys at the table and Riley had a plate for Cooper even though he was taking a nap.
All three girls were at the window pointing at an airplane saying, "My daddy!" :) A few minutes later we heard a loud smacking sound on the window and a poor Robin had flew into the window hard! It sat on the cement for about 45 minutes and the next time we went to look it was gone. So hopefully it survived that mishap! The kids were over at the window looking at it every few minutes.
Mia was impressing me again this morning with her language skills. :) She handed me her binky and said, "Binky on cubby!" Then I was showing Lauralea a couple of 'signs' we were learning. So I did the sign for 'boy' and asked Mia. She said, "Boy; Cooper boy!" (That's what I told them last week when we were doing the 'boy' sign.) Then I did the sign for girl and she said, "Girl." Good job Mia!
Mia looked at lots of books, played with the dolls, participated during singing time, and we did stickers and colored tape at art time. We've got about ten different rolls of colored tape and it was driving Nora nuts because Mia calls them all "Blue-Yellow!" Every color is "Blue-Yellow!" :)
I always sit Cooper on the chair with some snuggly pillows after his naps if I'm not able to snuggle him for a few minutes. And I'll get him a book and he's always satisfied with that arrangement. This morning when I was carrying him out after his morning nap Mia was patting the chair and saying, "Cooper Cooper..." and she had a book waiting for him! Our little routine Girl! :)
Friday, October 4, 2013
10/4/2013
Mia ate half of her brown rice and ate raisins for breakfast. For lunch she ate meatloaf, french bread, carrots, and two servings of dried apricots.
Oh my goodness; I have no idea how many times yesterday Nora and Mia said Cooper's name (names). "Bubba!" "Cooper!" "Coopa!" I think they were missing him! This morning Mia was sitting on the floor taking off her shoes and she stretched her leg way over in front of Cooper and said, "Help me Coopa!" Lauralea and I roared!
I had to take a picture of Lauralea "feeding" Mia. She'd been watching Lauralea feed Cooper his bottle and said (while pointing at Cooper's bottle), "I want a bottle." Then she gets down off Lauralea's lap and finds the 'milk glass' and crawls back on Lauraleas' lap to be fed. So Cute!! :)
And then another picture of Mia feeding her baby. She did LOTS of doll play! (She sat in the chair for probably 20 minutes at least!) She was wrapping, feeding, and singing to her baby. Nora was having one of her "I want to play alone" mornings so it was nice that Mia was so engaged with her doll. (Riley is still home with Croup.) It was about 10:00 when Nora was ready to play with Mia.
Mia was playing with Cooper and I turned around for a minute; she'd pulled one of his socks off and was trying to put it on her own foot over her sock. :)
We were reading lots of books and Mia always loves that. We were reading about a hippopotamus and I asked if she could say it; "Hippopada!" Love it. She's game to try and say just about anything you ask her to. It's great that she likes language so much. It's definitely one of her primary strengths.
Oh my goodness; I have no idea how many times yesterday Nora and Mia said Cooper's name (names). "Bubba!" "Cooper!" "Coopa!" I think they were missing him! This morning Mia was sitting on the floor taking off her shoes and she stretched her leg way over in front of Cooper and said, "Help me Coopa!" Lauralea and I roared!
And then another picture of Mia feeding her baby. She did LOTS of doll play! (She sat in the chair for probably 20 minutes at least!) She was wrapping, feeding, and singing to her baby. Nora was having one of her "I want to play alone" mornings so it was nice that Mia was so engaged with her doll. (Riley is still home with Croup.) It was about 10:00 when Nora was ready to play with Mia.
Mia was playing with Cooper and I turned around for a minute; she'd pulled one of his socks off and was trying to put it on her own foot over her sock. :)
We were reading lots of books and Mia always loves that. We were reading about a hippopotamus and I asked if she could say it; "Hippopada!" Love it. She's game to try and say just about anything you ask her to. It's great that she likes language so much. It's definitely one of her primary strengths.
Thursday, October 3, 2013
10/3/2013
Mia ate two servings of breakfast: cinnamon toast and grapes. For lunch she ate half of her chicken, half of her dinner roll, ate hash browns, and cherries. I was eating with them and cutting up a piece of chicken and Mia said, "I wanna bite Gary!" I pointed to her chicken and said, "You have some right there!" I had a big piece so maybe she thought it was special! :)
This is an FYI for Matt and Darcy: Jamie called after taking her kids to the doctor and Riley has Croup and she will not be here until Monday. So far Cooper just has a normal cold, but she is also keeping him home today so it's a bit slower around here. Croup is highly contagious, especially is the early stages, but I'm hoping Mia and Nora can escape it. Nora is not a very 'oral' child so that helps. Mia, on the other hand, puts everything in her mouth which makes her more susceptible. But the Croup virus can be caught from someone coughing and sneezing too and that's been occurring frequently this week.
The girls were sitting and reading books first thing this morning. One of the cutest things about this picture is they were both reading and singing aloud. Nora ended up getting upset at Mia because Mia started mimicking the exact same words as Nora. I really think it was bugging Nora most because Mia had a different book and Nora kept pointing at the book. It looked like she was saying; "Read from your own stinking book!"
I thought you might enjoy a picture of the meal seating arrangement today. (This is breakfast.) Opposite sides and opposite corners! And it worked great! :) Nora was still reaching across the table at lunch trying to grab Mia. However, it's not that easy to distract Mia when she's eating! This is one activity that definitely holds her attention. Good job Mia!
We also played outside and the girls was doing the usual: riding a bike to the gate, get off and walk to the patio for another bike, and ride it to the gate. They parked all four bikes there and then started on the dump trucks and ice cream carts. Speaking of ice cream, it was kind of chilly outside this morning; about 42 degrees on the patio. So I had their hoods on and their mittens and they were warm and happy. :)
The girls were coloring at art time and regardless of the marker Mia grabbed she'd say, "Blue-yellow!" Even with the black marker. :) Also, I don't know how many times while she was coloring that she switched hands. Several times. She's like a 'switch-hitter!" And another observation: At this age the kids are not yet doing "representational drawing." i.e. it's a picture of a "doggie!" So I said (a poor choice of words), "Draw your face!" She immediately stuck the marker on her face and made a mark! Good listening Mia! Although that's not exactly what I meant! :) It was so funny!
This is an FYI for Matt and Darcy: Jamie called after taking her kids to the doctor and Riley has Croup and she will not be here until Monday. So far Cooper just has a normal cold, but she is also keeping him home today so it's a bit slower around here. Croup is highly contagious, especially is the early stages, but I'm hoping Mia and Nora can escape it. Nora is not a very 'oral' child so that helps. Mia, on the other hand, puts everything in her mouth which makes her more susceptible. But the Croup virus can be caught from someone coughing and sneezing too and that's been occurring frequently this week.
The girls were sitting and reading books first thing this morning. One of the cutest things about this picture is they were both reading and singing aloud. Nora ended up getting upset at Mia because Mia started mimicking the exact same words as Nora. I really think it was bugging Nora most because Mia had a different book and Nora kept pointing at the book. It looked like she was saying; "Read from your own stinking book!"
I thought you might enjoy a picture of the meal seating arrangement today. (This is breakfast.) Opposite sides and opposite corners! And it worked great! :) Nora was still reaching across the table at lunch trying to grab Mia. However, it's not that easy to distract Mia when she's eating! This is one activity that definitely holds her attention. Good job Mia!
We also played outside and the girls was doing the usual: riding a bike to the gate, get off and walk to the patio for another bike, and ride it to the gate. They parked all four bikes there and then started on the dump trucks and ice cream carts. Speaking of ice cream, it was kind of chilly outside this morning; about 42 degrees on the patio. So I had their hoods on and their mittens and they were warm and happy. :)
The girls were coloring at art time and regardless of the marker Mia grabbed she'd say, "Blue-yellow!" Even with the black marker. :) Also, I don't know how many times while she was coloring that she switched hands. Several times. She's like a 'switch-hitter!" And another observation: At this age the kids are not yet doing "representational drawing." i.e. it's a picture of a "doggie!" So I said (a poor choice of words), "Draw your face!" She immediately stuck the marker on her face and made a mark! Good listening Mia! Although that's not exactly what I meant! :) It was so funny!
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
10/2/2013
Mia ate whole wheat bagel and two servings of peaches for breakfast. For lunch she ate ham, mac-n-cheese, lettuce salad, and corn. And it was a pretty large serving of everything! Good job Mia!
Riley and Mia were jumping like crazy on the mattress and then racing around to jump off the climber again. It's hard to get a picture of them in mid-air; it's either blurry, or you can't see their head, or someone else steps right in front of the camera! :) But you get the idea with this one!
Yesterday after nap time I was changing Mia's poopy diaper and when I was done she cheered; "Yea Gary!" :) I guess she was grateful! She makes me laugh!
Mia was very busy this morning with the dolls and blankets. All three girls played a lot with them. Then I said we were going to have singing time in a minute. Mia went over to my spot and sat down and started clapping her hands and singing, "Happy happy happy..." We frequently do the song, "If you're happy and you know it clap your hands...stomp your feet....short hooray!" :) Good job Mia!
I was flossing some corn out of my teeth at lunch and Mia started mimicking that; except without the floss! She had her head tilted sideways, her mouth wide open, and both sets of fingers shoved inside! Have I mentioned that she makes me laugh?! :) She's always mesmerized when I'm flossing.
Frequently when I give her instructions she responds; "Ok Gary!" Now she doesn't always follow through, but it's a very good response. And she really is focused and listening so that's very good.
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
10/1/2013
Mia ate two servings of breakfast: waffle and pears. For lunch she ate two servings of tuna and crackers, ate sweet potatoes, and two servings of oranges.
After breakfast she had LOTS of syrup in her hair! I used a wash cloth with warm water and got the majority of it out. She was not thrilled with that and Riley was very concerned about the process! Then later Nora made Mia cry and Riley was again protective of Mia and told Nora, "Be Gentle!" (Using a very stern voice.)
Here's a picture of the girls working on a poster we're going to put on the wall in the lunch room when the paint dries. Shortly after this picture was taken Mia was getting bored with painting the poster and decided to liven up the activity by painting Nora's cheek and forehead! If she was trying to get a major reaction then it was a success! :)
There were so many kinds of birds in the yard this morning. (Robin, magpie, crows, flicker, a type of waxwing, and others I didn't recognize.) Maybe it's a sign of fall coming or already here! The kids were enjoying watching them all. Those waxwings were swooping in and out of the yard in a large flock and all three girls were really watching that.
The three girls were playing with their dolls sitting on the step under the window. Nora leaned back and bonked her head on the wall. She immediately tipped her head sideways toward Mia to have her give it a kiss. :) And Mia did. (That was partial payment for painting on Nora's face!)
Mia was sharing her cheerios with Nora and feeding her too. They were using some sign language and it was so cute. "please" "thank you" "more" And Mia was using the signs too even though she was the one passing out the goodies. :) And she also shared some with Cooper when he arrived. He was not thrilled when they were gone!
After breakfast she had LOTS of syrup in her hair! I used a wash cloth with warm water and got the majority of it out. She was not thrilled with that and Riley was very concerned about the process! Then later Nora made Mia cry and Riley was again protective of Mia and told Nora, "Be Gentle!" (Using a very stern voice.)
Here's a picture of the girls working on a poster we're going to put on the wall in the lunch room when the paint dries. Shortly after this picture was taken Mia was getting bored with painting the poster and decided to liven up the activity by painting Nora's cheek and forehead! If she was trying to get a major reaction then it was a success! :)
There were so many kinds of birds in the yard this morning. (Robin, magpie, crows, flicker, a type of waxwing, and others I didn't recognize.) Maybe it's a sign of fall coming or already here! The kids were enjoying watching them all. Those waxwings were swooping in and out of the yard in a large flock and all three girls were really watching that.
The three girls were playing with their dolls sitting on the step under the window. Nora leaned back and bonked her head on the wall. She immediately tipped her head sideways toward Mia to have her give it a kiss. :) And Mia did. (That was partial payment for painting on Nora's face!)
Mia was sharing her cheerios with Nora and feeding her too. They were using some sign language and it was so cute. "please" "thank you" "more" And Mia was using the signs too even though she was the one passing out the goodies. :) And she also shared some with Cooper when he arrived. He was not thrilled when they were gone!
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