Thursday, April 26, 2012

Homeschooling Update

I thought it was time for a homeschooling update.  Things are going pretty well.  We typically do preschool 2-3 times a week depending on moods.  Ephraim is sometimes really into school and requests doing a lot and other times isn't interested at all.  He just turned 4 so I am not feeling like I need to push it.

We are still using the Sonlight 3-4 program for our books.  Ephraim has a few books that he LOVES and we often read them over and over.  Selah has also found some favorites that we have to read too.  I also purchased All About Reading Pre Level-1 pack.  It is a great program that reviews letters, introduces letter sounds and works on pre-reading skills such as rhyming and identifying sentence length, etc.


Ephraim loves to do workpages - so I print off preschool packs from the internet.  Some of my favorite websites are 1 plus 1 plus 1 and Homeschool Creations.  These pictures are from March and we were working on a Saint Patrick's Day pack.

Selah insists on being at the table being a part of school so I will often print off coloring pages, etc that go along with the theme Ephraim is working on.  Several of the websites I get stuff off of have tot packs which are perfect for her.
Her favorite things are to color and use dot markers.
Ephraim was very serious about his coloring.
I am trying to vary up lunches - and I have found that my kids love me to serve lunch in muffin tins.  (The one on the left is from the Dollar Tree)

I have also realized that I don't do a lot of crafts with my kids because I don't like the mess.  (Which is slightly odd because I am not a neat freak)  I am trying to improve on this so I made cloud flour for the kids.  
It is a mixture of flour and baby oil and they really enjoyed it.
I added in dinosaurs  - but they seemed to enjoy smushing it and making balls the most.
Best part - it was easily vacuumed.
I am not sure what next year holds curriculum wise for us.  Ephraim is not showing signs of being ready to read - but I am afraid that the Sonlight 4-5 program will be too boring for him.  I will most likely follow in the steps of my little sister and do My Father's World Kindergarten (which she believes is really more like a preschool program.)  It's a good thing there is plenty of time to decide!

Friday, April 20, 2012

Phone Photos

I figured out how to download pictures from my phone to the computer - and now I am sharing them with blog land. These are from the past year.  (sorry they are all sideways)

Forrest and Selah and the OSU vs Huskies baseball game at Safeco last April
Selah and Eph on the slides at the zoo
first pigtails
same day as pigtails -but at the urgent care for Ephraim
sound asleep in a shopping cart.
Ephraim asleep on his bedroom floor.
Playing in our backyard after Daddy built the new fence - July
First set of stitches - August
Playing on the tractors at one of our favorite places - Fox Hollow Farm

Playing at the creek at Fox Hollow Farm
Riding with Daddy at the company picnic

Playing in the corn bin at Thomasson Farms - October
How I found Ephraim during rest time (he's sound asleep)
Helping herself
Christmas shirt for Ephraim
Playing in the snow on our way to Yakima
Playing in apples
New shirts - January
Sound asleep in the Orvis Store - Feb 2012
My Bountiful Baskets haul March 2012
The birthday girl!  2!
Ephraim's basketball banquet
Homemade granola bars

Selah turns 2!

March 16th, 2012


I can't believe that our little girl is 2.  We start off birthday mornings with presents in this house and Selah was very excited to get to open hers.
A new Fisher Price dollhouse
and a balance bike.
There is so much to say about this girl, but let's start with her stats.

Weight: 32.2 pounds (94th percentile)
Height: 2 feet 11 inches (77th percentile)
Head: 19.25 inches (83rd percentile)

We call Selah our giant.  In the best sort of way.  :)  She is slimming down (believe it or not) and has less of a milk belly than she did a couple of months ago.  She wears 3T clothes and a size 8.5 shoe.  She does not enjoy wearing dresses unless I put tights on underneath.

I hesitate to try to describe Selah because I don't quite know how.  I feel as though I could say she is stubborn, fearless, rambunctious, into trouble, sweet, funny and irresistible -but unless you have actually met her you wouldn't really get it.  In some ways you have to meet Selah to believe it.  So I will start with the basics:

Sleeping: Ha!  Selah has pretty much given up naps.  I can easily get her to fall asleep in the car and about 2-3 times I week I drive around (or time errands) to get both kids asleep and then I read books on my kindle or crochet while they sleep.  She goes to bed around 7:30 pretty easily and then will sleep until about 2 and then comes to our room.  She will then nurse off and on until around 6:30 when she wants to be awake.  Mommy turns on the Disney Channel until 7.
Teeth:  Selah has been really slow to teeth and doesn't have any signs of her two year old molars.  She has chipped one of her front top teeth and needs to have dental work but that is a whole other post.  She loves to brush her teeth - and if she is ever missing it is guaranteed that she is in her bathroom brushing her teeth.

Moving: Selah is very coordinated.  She walks up and down stairs unassisted, she jumps, twirls and climbs.  There is pretty much nothing that she cannot get into.  It is not uncommon for me to find her in the bathroom sink, on top of the table, pulling a chair up to the counter so she can get on the counter, etc.  Recently at Ephraim's indoor soccer practice at a local elementary school gym she was climbing the ladder things on the wall.  I had been talking to Eph's coach on the other side of the gym and by the time I got to her she was above my head and I had to reach to get her down.  (And I had been telling her to stop climbing from the second I saw her touch it and I ran to her).  She's fast.  She loves to kick soccer balls and pretty much do anything her big brother is doing.
Potty: Selah has recently decided that "I potty too!"  That means that she takes off her diaper, climbs on the toilet and plays for a couple of minutes.  I am not in any hurry to attempt potty training.  I don't think she is really ready, but she is getting close.  It is not uncommon for her to take off her diaper and tell me to get her a new one.
Talking:  Selah is a good talker.  It seems like every week her vocabulary just expands.  She consistently talks in 3 word sentences and will occasionally throw out 5-6 word sentences.  Some of the words she says cute are:

Effa - Ephraim
kickle - tickle
nigh - nigh = when she wants to nurse
I heppa you = I help you

S: Yucky Momma
Me: What is it?
S: (holding out her finger) A boogey

Learning: Selah follows along while I do school with Ephraim.  She likes to sing the Alphabet song (repeating A-B-C over and over).  She can count to 5 but usually skips 3.  Every color is blue.  Or purple.  Or "Blupuppa".  She loves dot markers and is really good at filling in the sheets we use with them.  She loves to color with markers, but is happiest if you give her a regular ball point pen and a piece of paper so she can practice her writing.
Toys: Selah loves puzzles.  She is starting to really enjoy her babies and takes care of them.  She plays a lot of cars because that is what Ephraim is doing.  She also loves being a super hero.

Other random things:  Selah LOVES helping.  She likes it when I give her a baby wipe to help me wipe things down.  She helps with the laundry.  If I ask them to pick up toys she sings the "Clean Up" song.  Sometimes her helping is less than helpful like when she insists on tying my shoes, or feeding me spaghetti or wants to match socks but just moves them to random places and then I have to find them.  Selah does not enjoy me singing songs AT ALL.  She will yell "STOP!" at me and put her hand in front of my mouth.  She is getting better at sitting still and letting me read stories.

Favorites:
Book: Baby Says, From Head to Toe (Eric Carle)
Person: Effa or Paul
Toys: babies, weebles
Activity: coloring, being in the back yard
TV Show: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Octonauts
Color: Purple

Saturday, April 07, 2012

Superheroes

From late March

The day after Selah's birthday, the kids were able to attend two birthday parties.  One of those was their good friend Beckett's 3rd birthday - a Superhero party.  Beckett's mom sewed each of the kids a cape.  The kids love theirs.
Selah likes to run around saying "I Hero!  I Hero!"
Super Eph



Running

Chasing
And just cute.