T Shirt

 

For Paige's last day of camp they made these tshirts.  Paige colored the picture using regular crayons on sandpaper.  Then they ironed it on the tshirt.  Totally worked!  Something I will keep forever and hopefully make a quilt one day for her with all her tshirts. 

 

Baby Ducklings!

 

I think I've mentioned that we have been watching a duck nest all month at Waldorf.  It was such great luck that on Paige's last day we arrived to find that they had hatched overnight!  The mama duck had 3 little ducklings following her around.  It was so sweet.  Paige said she got to hold one and said it was very soft.  (I'm not so sure this is true, but in her mind it is.)  

 

Baby ducklings!

Rhythm of the day and snack schedule. 
Their room has a kitchen so they make really yummy stuff.

Oatmeal...for dinner

 

Last week Brian had his board Power On which meant he had 14 hour days ALL week.  So dinner was basically preschooler food all week.  On Thursday we made oatmeal.  Maple syrup and fresh berries to top it.  They gobbled it up!  

 

Paper Crafts

Last week was paper crafts at Waldorf Camp.  These are some fun things Paige did there.  I hung them on the soffit above her closet.  It just may be the new spot for their school projects. 

Hand me down TOYS!

 

One of my college sorority sisters sent this box of games and coloring books for the girls.  It could not have been better timing for it to arrive.  We've had triple teen temperatures all week and it has kept them very busy, INSIDE.  She included a neat thing that Crayola has out called Color Wonder.  It's some sort of paper and markers that when you color it different designs appear.  The girls LOVE it.  She also sent some board games, which we are just now venturing into.  They definitely need to practice these and following instructions.  She also included a Leapster with games and some other fun learning games.  I'm thrilled!  I know I say it all the time, but hand me down items are the best! It was so nice of her to send them.  She clearly is getting a nice, fat Starbucks card.  So thankful Dawn!

 

 

Knowledge demonstrations

Paige must have needed a break from Montessori...she is exploding with showing her knowledge!  While Hailey naps, I try to get her to do some sort of learning with me.  She really likes these Puzzle Buzz workbooks I get from Highlights for Children.  I read the instructions of this particular sheet aloud to her, which say, "Draw one cake with nine candles."  She drew her cake and then her numbers with little flames on them all around the cake.  (They are not in order on the sheet, but he wrote them in order). 

 

She has also read these two books aloud to me.  She must not of had the /og/ sound at Montessori yet, but once I taught it to her, she got it.  She read the Hot Dog one first and then tonight got "Frog" right away.  She is growing up so fast and learning & doing so many things. 

 

Flour and Ducks

After I drop Paige off to her classroom at Waldorf, Hailey and I go to our parent/child class on Tuesdays.  We got to grind wheat, oats, and barely in to flour last week.  Hailey had fun turning the crank.  We were able to bring some of the flour home along with a pancake recipe.  I think the grains needed to go thought the grinder at least one more time because they were quite thick and grainy.  Luckily, I recognized this before I made the pancakes and added some regular pancake mix to the batter.  They tasted great!  The girls gobbled them up.  But then again, anything with syrup on it is worth eating!
Before class they were holding hands around the play yard and watching the ducks.  I couldn't help but capture a couple pictures.  It's been fun this summer, because in early June a mama duck laid eggs on the other side of the early childhood classrooms and away from the pond.  She and the dada duck are quite protective of their nest, but we've been taking daily peeks to see if they've hatched.  As of last Wednesday they had not yet.  I read to see how long mallard duck incubation is and it sayd 28 days.  Next week may be the week!  Looking forward to next week to see if they hatch. 

Father's Day 2013

Father's Day for Brian was like most of his others.  Morning coffee and breakfast with presents.  This year he bought himself a really nice road bike so he can start riding to work.  Presents from the girls included a cardboard tie made by Hailey at Montessori, a picture collage coffee mug, a personalized key chain and cards.  My aunt was in town and was nice enough to offer to make dinner at my mom's house.  We had a really nice evening there with a great steak and pasta dinner.  I think he enjoyed his day! 



 

 

Playing with Zoe the cat under the ottoman at Nanny's house.

Mama & Paige Morning

 

Ok, I'm annoyed that I can't get these pictures to rotate.  I'm still learning how to use Windows 8, so just turn you head. 

 

I kept Paige out of Waldorf today while Hailey went to Montessori this morning.  I wanted to have a Paige and Mama Morning.  We dropped Hailey off and went to Starbucks, basically because Mama needed coffee.  We sat outside and she definitely people watched.  It's interesting to hear the innocence of a 4 year old in how they see people.  One man was "fat" (which he was obese), one lady had on "high shoes" and they are "unhealthy," another man appeared to be a bit crippled and she wondered why he walked this way.  She finished her drink then asked if she could go pick some flowers (you can take the girl out of Waldorf, but you can't take Waldorf out of the girl?!).  After that we came home and colored and put some old crayon pieces in disposable cups to melt down in the sun for new crayons.  She really liked that.  Then, what she had been waiting for all week, we got to go to the dance store to buy new tap and ballet shoes.  She was so excited to try them on and get fitted.  Hailey got a new pair of ballet shoes too.  Luckily Hailey can wear Paige's old tap shoes.  Then we headed to the Dollar Store for greeting cards, coloring books and stickers.  She has fun in that store too.  By that time it was time to pick up Hailey.   Paige found Hailey first at school and was so excited to see her sister and her 'best friend" as she called her when we were at coffee earlier.  It was a really nice morning.  I hope this is a tradition I can continue for each of them throughout their school years.  A Special Mama and Paige Day or Mama and Hailey Day. 

 

Chocolate milk and raspberry pound cake. 

Coloring

Melting crayons under Father Sun

Trying on Tap Shoes!!!!

 

Naps

Naps for Hailey have been hit or miss since she got her new bed in December.  She still needs one, but getting her to go down is quite challenging.  I even reread about how to give a child a nap!  Still, some days she does and other days she does not.  We always have quiet time, but a nap doesn't always happen.  Last Saturday, she fell asleep with her head on my chest while both of us lay on the floor.  She hasn't done that for a good year!  It was wonderful for this mama.  I love her so. 

If you have any nap strategies, besides, being the meanest mama, let me know! :)

I don't know why it's upside down,
but at least you can see her. 

 

Nature Week at Waldorf Camp

Paper craft with feathers, pine cone bird feeder, stone necklace
and soap that smells like rose and lemon. 

Paige had her first full week of going to Waldorf  attending 5 days in a row.  I have her enrolled in the summer camp program there.  The routine is much like our parent/child class with nature walk, they are feeding the animals since it's summer time and the grades aren't there to do it, circle time with songs, storytelling, snack, craft and outdoor play. 

This week is Nature week and above is a pic of the crafts she made.  The necklace is very special because we are reading Reg Downs' book called The Festival of Stones.  On Tuesday night we read the chapter about the Festival of Stones with the gnomes.  On Wednesday that was the story they read!  Their teacher then had hidden stones (ok, ok, the gnomes hid them) and they got to make a necklace with the stones they found.  She LOVED it!  She was so excited, she loves wearing the necklace too.  I'm totally jealous about the soap, I've always wanted to make it and she got to do it before me! 

Christopher Creek June 2013

 

We were able to get out of town and escape to the pine tops of Christopher Creek, AZ which is outside of Payson.  We rented a cute little cabin and explored all around the cabin area and also  drove on a very narrow mountain road to Haigler Creek.  We really did have a nice time.  The girls got to look for bugs, take quite a few nature walks, play in the creek, crawdad fish and overall got to experience cabin camping.  They did really well and loved it.  We even saw a mama duck with her ducklings in the little creek by the cabin. The only thing missing was the ability to have a BBQ and campfire due to the No Burn rule, but we improvised with the "niceity" of the electricity in the cabin. 

 

Brian found them a caterpillar. 
(They both know they turn into butterflies)

Pancakes and sausage!

Brian found a crawdad hole! 
He even knows how to catch them...they love meat!
Salami on the end of a long stick and they came running.

Paige catching a crawdad

Hailey fishing for a crawdad

The little cabin

Our cabin number

Picnic table outside the cabin and the girls playing by the trees

Water fun in Haigler Creek! 
They did great walking in it and throwing rocks.
River Mermaids! 

Gymnastics

 

These are just a couple pics from gymnastics last week.  In their almost year, they have improved and grown such confidence in this sport.  Hailey and I did the parent/toddler class in the beginning and now she goes by herself.  Paige can do a somersault flip from the side of the pool into the water and back flips under the water. Hailey is really good at balance beam and recently in holding her weight up on the barre.  Paige is also doing back flips on the mat.  They both love the trampoline too.  It's been a great activity for them.  

 

Paige doing donkey kicks and Hailey hanging on the barre

Hailey upright on barre.  Paige flipping over the barre.

Growing Chickadee

 

These are just a few pics of Hailey from this past week.  She really is growing fast and learning so many new things.  

 

So tired she fell asleep like this on the couch.

Funny face, but she did the oval puzzle
all by herself while I was in the shower.

She drew this octopus.  WoW!