Sunday, December 30, 2012

Jingle Bell Rocker and Hollywood Coat


Avery

We read a story, pray and sing bedtime songs each night with Avery.  When asked what bedtime song he wanted, several nights in a row he requested “Jingle Bell ROCK!” (with a rocker style fist pump).

Avery asked, “How does Santa go around to the houses if the earth is spinning?”

At preschool drop off, Avery was so excited to see his teacher walking into the building.  He ran across the parking lot and approached her with an excited “Hello!”  Then, he held out his hand and escorted her into the school.

Avery seems to enjoy playing with Aileen’s toys almost as much as his own.  His little sister was given a doll that recites a “Play and Learn” lyric tune.  Given the fact that the doll’s voice sounds a bit muffled, Avery mistaken it to say “Play and Nart”, so he calls it her Nart doll.

Since being given a Star Wars play light saber for Christmas, Avery has asked to watch Star Wars movies.  We caught him “fighting” Darth Vader with all his might in front of the TV.


Aileen

She happily coos and ahhs when we put her in her bedtime footie jammies.  She loves wearing them.

Aileen prefers not to wear socks.  She pulls them off, one at a time to chew on the toes each time we try to put them on.

The nursery workers at church comment on how happy Aileen is.  She contently crawls around, and even occasionally stops to look up and giggle at one of the workers.

Aileen is not supposed to be in Avery’s room unsupervised because of the many small toys that could be hazardous.  However, that doesn’t stop Avery from trying to lure her down the hallway back to his lair by beckoning her with the use of her musical toys in his room.

Little Miss was given a winter coat that is white and furry with Dalmatian black spots.  We call it her “Hollywood” coat.

A Look Into Aileen's December




1.) Aileen at 10 months.  She is crawling on her hands and knees, sitting up on her own, raising to her knees and she cut her first two teeth.
2.) Our "Little Miss" is wearing her pink dress to the Christmas Eve candlelight service.  Avery said (with light saber toy in hand) that he was a Jedi and that Aileen looked like a princess and he was going to save her.  Mom and sis spent most of the time there in the cry room since she was having teething pain and it was close to her bedtime.
3.) Little Aileenie right after she yanked off a sock we just put on her.
4.) The small Christmas tree on the coffee table proved to be a good incentive for Aileen to learn to raise to her knees.  She was able to reach it and successfully pull it down.

A Look Into Avery's December







1.) Avery's preschool class Christmas program.  They sang "Away in a Manger" and rang hand bells.
2.) Goofing off at his preschool class Christmas party.
3.) Rolling out dough for gingerbread cookies.  Avery decided he didn't like the taste of molasses used in the old fashioned gingerbread dough.  Avery also made cinnamon/applesauce dough Christmas ornaments.
4.) Creating a healthy "gingerbread" house.  We piped peanut butter through a plastic baggie as the "glue".
5.) Learning basic printmaking - monoprints.  Avery carved a design on styrofoam as his print block, added paint and made a print.  When the print dried, he used it as a decoration for his preschool teacher's Christmas card.
6.) Avery practicing gripping a pencil and writing his alphabet letters.  He is able to write the whole alphabet and numbers.

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas to our friends and family!

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Cousin Corbin's dogs

While driving to preschool, Avery and I were discussing his Aunt and Uncle who are about to have a baby.  I was explaining that he and Aileen may get to have a new baby cousin, and I was helping him understand which aunt and uncle they were - "the one with the dogs".  Avery wanted to go and visit them, and I said that we might be able to.  Then, with a concerned look, he asked if their dogs "eat people?!".  I reassured him that they don't.  He then asked why they didn't "just have a cat?".  Before I answered, he reasoned with himself out loud "Oh,....they probably don't have a cat because they are poisonous, right?"

Brother/Sister friendship


Monday, December 3, 2012

December play




1.) soft, wavy, Baby Aileen hair
2.) Avery and Aileen are now beginning to play with one another.  Avery likes to make pillow traps for Aileen to get caught in.  Aileen squeals with delight that her brother plays with her.
3.) Tis the season for making homemade Christmas ornaments; tearing links off a paper Advent chain; drinking homemade hot cocoa with candy cane stirring sticks; making holiday candy, cookies and cards and watching kid-friendly Christmas movies.
4.) Avery and Aileen watching our sort of adopted cat.  We've been feeding her cheese so that she hangs around the house and catches mice.

Happy siblings


Avery

- wrote on the Thankful poster at preschool by drawing a hotdog and scribbling next to it.  He said the scribble was his “name in Japanese”.
- likes to draw restaurant menus, label prices (he is learning to write numbers in school) and draw the food items.  His restaurant sells apples, ice cream and popcorn.  He said that mommy and daddy are his workers.
- likes to put “Halloween spice” (nutmeg) in his yogurt.
- doesn’t like sour tastes and refused sour gummie treats at snacktime.
- saw his preschool teacher at the church library, kissed her hand, gave her a hug, and said “Oh, I just love you”.  (He is still very sweet and expresses it physically and verbally.)


Aileen

- just turned 9 months old
- starting to get up on her hands and knees to rock back and forth and grab at things
- rather than just grabbing at things like typical babies, Aileen will notice and study small details (like logos, shirt tags, small labels) and cautiously touch them with her pointer finger first.
- takes her socks off as soon as we put her in the van.

Christmas in Illinois


We celebrated Thanksgiving/Christmas in Illinois this year.  The kids really enjoyed spending time with their grandparents.  Aileen enjoyed opening her first Christmas gifts and Avery learned how to shell pole beans and harvest okra seeds for next spring's garden.

Preschool class fun




1.) ringing bells at the lighting of the community Christmas tree
2.) performing a turkey song
3.) making turkey hats and eating treats
4.) turkey cupcakes for class party

Cousin Corbin's baby shower

Avery and Aileen will be adding a new cousin to their family.  Aunt Leah and Uncle Jon are expecting a baby boy named Corbin in December.  We will be so excited to welcome him into our family.