Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Friday, November 23, 2012
Thanksgiving in North Carolina
Visiting a Children's Museum:
Visiting the Nature Center:
A lot of time playing in the dog crate:
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Cuisenaires in the Evening
We had some time to kill between dinner and bed, so Peter decided to do some learning time. Both boys did some coloring (not one of Peter's strengths - he can write much better than he can color) and then Elliot headed up to the bath.
Then Peter and I did some reading practice. As he read words, we colored them, cut them out and taped them onto ice cream cones. Once all our cones were made, Peter decided to glue them into one super cone. He did all the sounding out and reading on his own - his reading skills have really taken off in the last few weeks.
Then I pulled out a cuisenaire rod activity. The sheet showed a certain number of dots, and Peter matched up one "1" rod for each dot and then lined all the "1"s into a line. Then he tried to figure out what longer rod would be the same length as his line.
During the activity I noticed that Peter now knows the quantities up to 5 by sight - he did not have to count those dots.
At first Peter had a hard time guessing which rod would be the right length, but as he finished the sheet he was getting better. As soon as he was done he wanted to do it again, so we cleared the rods to repeat the activity. He wanted to do it a third time, but it was time for bed. I told him we could play with it more tomorrow.
Then Peter and I did some reading practice. As he read words, we colored them, cut them out and taped them onto ice cream cones. Once all our cones were made, Peter decided to glue them into one super cone. He did all the sounding out and reading on his own - his reading skills have really taken off in the last few weeks.
Then I pulled out a cuisenaire rod activity. The sheet showed a certain number of dots, and Peter matched up one "1" rod for each dot and then lined all the "1"s into a line. Then he tried to figure out what longer rod would be the same length as his line.
During the activity I noticed that Peter now knows the quantities up to 5 by sight - he did not have to count those dots.
At first Peter had a hard time guessing which rod would be the right length, but as he finished the sheet he was getting better. As soon as he was done he wanted to do it again, so we cleared the rods to repeat the activity. He wanted to do it a third time, but it was time for bed. I told him we could play with it more tomorrow.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Halloween - It's the Journey, not the Destination
Peter really wanted to go trick or treating. He watched all day in anticipation for when it would get dark. He talked about it all day and discussed what had to happen before he could go trick or treating. We've been practicing knocking and thanking for days.
Six o'clock chimed and he watched in fascination as the first big group of trick or treaters came to our door before he and I entered the fray.
We walked around the neighborhood for 30ish minutes...in the wind and the rain and the sub 40 temps. My legs got soaked and felt like icicles. And during that entire time Peter only approached one house - our own. One lady saw his hesitation and brought her candy bowl down to the sidewalk and still he refused to take a piece. Instead she gave me the Twix bar.
I guess the evening was about the cold, wet journey and not the sweet, chocolatey destination.
Six o'clock chimed and he watched in fascination as the first big group of trick or treaters came to our door before he and I entered the fray.
We walked around the neighborhood for 30ish minutes...in the wind and the rain and the sub 40 temps. My legs got soaked and felt like icicles. And during that entire time Peter only approached one house - our own. One lady saw his hesitation and brought her candy bowl down to the sidewalk and still he refused to take a piece. Instead she gave me the Twix bar.
I guess the evening was about the cold, wet journey and not the sweet, chocolatey destination.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Halloween - Keepin' it Real
Peter has been very undecided about costume choices all month. I heard a lot of ideas: butterfly, work man, horse, girl, etc. Then late in the month a new front runner - dragon.
As luck would have it, I was at the Goodwill looking through the Halloween stuff and they had a dragon costume. It is a size too small for Peter, so he looks a bit like Urkel. The hems fall around mid shin and the crotch is so snug it looks like it is strangling important boy parts. But he loves it, and it was cheap money, so I was sold. I threw a pair of green knee socks on him to disguise just how short the pants are and he was good to go.
Except, he refuses to wear the hood. Absolute refusal even for a few seconds for me to take a picture. It definitely reduces the verisimilitude.
Now, Elliot, is still at an age where I have complete control over costumes. I decided on train engineer simply because we had all the clothes, they all fit him and they did not hinder his walking which is still shaky at times even under the best of circumstances.
Except he won't wear his hat either. I think it is a mutiny...a costume headgear mutiny.
Thankfully, Peter will wear the train engineer hat. It is many sizes too small for him and you have to use a shoe horn to get it on, but he loves that thing (he is getting a bigger one for Christmas, but don't tell him) even when it gives him a headache.
All that to say, we are finally ready for Halloween, but I'm pretty sure it is going to be rained out by old party pooper Sandy. It is currently 36 degrees and raining, and tomorrow evening is supposed to be slightly less pleasant. Boo.
As luck would have it, I was at the Goodwill looking through the Halloween stuff and they had a dragon costume. It is a size too small for Peter, so he looks a bit like Urkel. The hems fall around mid shin and the crotch is so snug it looks like it is strangling important boy parts. But he loves it, and it was cheap money, so I was sold. I threw a pair of green knee socks on him to disguise just how short the pants are and he was good to go.
Except, he refuses to wear the hood. Absolute refusal even for a few seconds for me to take a picture. It definitely reduces the verisimilitude.
Now, Elliot, is still at an age where I have complete control over costumes. I decided on train engineer simply because we had all the clothes, they all fit him and they did not hinder his walking which is still shaky at times even under the best of circumstances.
Except he won't wear his hat either. I think it is a mutiny...a costume headgear mutiny.
Thankfully, Peter will wear the train engineer hat. It is many sizes too small for him and you have to use a shoe horn to get it on, but he loves that thing (he is getting a bigger one for Christmas, but don't tell him) even when it gives him a headache.
All that to say, we are finally ready for Halloween, but I'm pretty sure it is going to be rained out by old party pooper Sandy. It is currently 36 degrees and raining, and tomorrow evening is supposed to be slightly less pleasant. Boo.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Costumes
Though not the ones they are wearing for Halloween.
And a random video of Peter building his ghoul bus at Lowes.
And a random video of Peter building his ghoul bus at Lowes.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Sunday, October 21, 2012
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