January 31st 2010
Enzo's Outing
Some of the moms in the homeschooling group decided to start a monthly mom's time out and today was the first outing. Zoë and Abby stayed home with Chris, while Enzo and I headed into town to Me&Olie's. I ordered a chai and a cookie and took Enzo to the little area downstairs, where we were all meeting. It was nice to be able to let Enzo roam around, write with chalk on the chalk board, play with the truck that was there, etc., while I sat and joined in the discussions.
Of course there was plenty of getting up to go after him once he decided the hallway was more exciting, but we ended up being there a lot longer than expected, from 2pm to just before 5pm. Enzo did very well and even got to enjoy a couple of bites of my oatmeal chocolate chip cookie.
Of course there was plenty of getting up to go after him once he decided the hallway was more exciting, but we ended up being there a lot longer than expected, from 2pm to just before 5pm. Enzo did very well and even got to enjoy a couple of bites of my oatmeal chocolate chip cookie.
Abby @ 6 years, 1 month, 16 days
Zoë @ 6 years, 1 month, 16 days
Enzo @ 1 year, 4 months, 7 days
News posted by Laura at 5:00 PM | 
Comment
January 30th 2010
Ixtappa Dinner with Grampy
Grampy came over this evening and took us out to dinner as a late birthday gift to me. We decided on Ixtappa, the mexican restaurant in town. Zoë and Abby each decided that they wanted the bean burrito kids plates, Grampy got the Ixtappas trio, which is three enchiladas with three different sauces, Chris got the veggie green burrito, which turned out to be really tasty, and I ordered the baja chalupa.
Zoë and Abby's meals ended up being spicier than the adult meals, something in the beans and rice we think, which was unfortunate because the refried beans and rice was what I'd counted on feeding Enzo. He had some, but then started trying to spit it out. We ordered a peachy (non-alchoholic) drink that the girls really enjoyed, even Enzo got to taste, and headed home, where the kids got to read some stories with Grampy before bed.
Zoë and Abby's meals ended up being spicier than the adult meals, something in the beans and rice we think, which was unfortunate because the refried beans and rice was what I'd counted on feeding Enzo. He had some, but then started trying to spit it out. We ordered a peachy (non-alchoholic) drink that the girls really enjoyed, even Enzo got to taste, and headed home, where the kids got to read some stories with Grampy before bed.
Abby @ 6 years, 1 month, 16 days
Zoë @ 6 years, 1 month, 16 days
Enzo @ 1 year, 4 months, 7 days News posted by Laura at 8:57 PM | Comment
January 29th 2010
Hungry Hippos
Enzo loves to whack the handles on the hungry, hungry hippos game, but we haven't actually played it in a while due to the little balls that the hippos 'eat'. This afternoon Zoë and Enzo were messing with the game, so I decided to get out the balls and sit with Enzo so that he could play the game with his sisters.
He knew just what to do and, though he was interested in the balls, it wasn't like he couldn't keep his hands off of them. Since only three of the hippos were occupied, sometimes Enzo would reach over and hit the handle on the one that nobody was using, as well as the hippo he was playing. Abby's hippos was definitely the most hungry and always hogged all of the food!
He knew just what to do and, though he was interested in the balls, it wasn't like he couldn't keep his hands off of them. Since only three of the hippos were occupied, sometimes Enzo would reach over and hit the handle on the one that nobody was using, as well as the hippo he was playing. Abby's hippos was definitely the most hungry and always hogged all of the food!
Abby @ 6 years, 1 month, 15 days
Zoë @ 6 years, 1 month, 15 days
Enzo @ 1 year, 4 months, 6 days News posted by Laura at 8:56 PM | Comment
January 28th 2010
Home Learners Group Bowling - Week 3
We got to the bowling alley about 10 minutes early again and got sleeping Enzo situated in the ergo carrier. This time for whatever reason, the size 9 shoes were way too small on the girls and they ended up going up at least one size, they may have even gone up to an 11. Their regular sneakers are a size 12, so I'm not really surprised that they were an 11 but I was surprised that the size 9's fit so much tighter this week.
Today Zoë and Abby bowled with Iris and Naomi. Zoë really improved this week, and was jumping up and down in the lane a lot with excitement. The girls were good about cheering their friends on too, even if they were aiming at the gutter. Enzo woke up from his nap and watched for a little while, before squirming to get down and begging Daddy to let him bowl a little.
This time, after bowling, we had been prepared with some shopping list items to get for our planned trip to Stop&Shop. Since we'll be missing next week's bowling, and thus Stop&Shop, we got an extra Kefir container and such.
Today Zoë and Abby bowled with Iris and Naomi. Zoë really improved this week, and was jumping up and down in the lane a lot with excitement. The girls were good about cheering their friends on too, even if they were aiming at the gutter. Enzo woke up from his nap and watched for a little while, before squirming to get down and begging Daddy to let him bowl a little.
This time, after bowling, we had been prepared with some shopping list items to get for our planned trip to Stop&Shop. Since we'll be missing next week's bowling, and thus Stop&Shop, we got an extra Kefir container and such.
Abby @ 6 years, 1 month, 13 days
Zoë @ 6 years, 1 month, 13 days
Enzo @ 1 year, 4 months, 4 days Sports posted by Laura at 2:48 PM | Comments ( 1 )
Comments:
You should check with your local swim team to see if they have a homeschool team or even just practice times! Our team is pretty big and started a homeschool practie 3 days a week at 10 in the morning. Those kids compete on the weekends with my kids but just have different practice times. That would be great - free evenings!
Zoë and Abby's Six Year Check-Up
Zoë and Abby had their annual check up this morning, with Lili. I kept having to remind them that shots wouldn't happen until the end of the appointment, because that was about all they could think of. They got weighed and measured and then did the hearing and eye tests and got their blood pressure taken.
Abby is 433/4 inches tall and 38 pounds. She has 20/20 vision in her right eye and 20/25 in her left. Her blood pressure was 102/58 and her hearing tested normal. Zoë is 431/2 inches tall, and also 38 pounds. She has 20/25 vision for both eyes. Her blood pressure was 94/60. Lili asked if they were enjoying school and if I was a good teacher and then she asked what they were learning about right now. Zoë promptly answered, "I don't remember". Super. Abby then whispered in Zoë's ear, "Remember, Hellen Keller", which thankfully reminded the girls about our deaf studies unit.
We talked about some concerns and Lili referred me to a family and pedatric eye care center for Zoë, who has some focusing issues (eyesight, not attention span) as well as still really struggling with flipping letters and writing words, sometimes entire sentences, backwards. Then came the shots...
The girls were due for their DTap and Varicella boosters and weren't keen on budging to get into my lap for the shots. Zoë's paperwork was on the top of the stack, so that's how I chose who would go first. I had Abby sit down next to the scale, with Enzo on her other side, hoping that would keep them both put. I had to drag Zoë onto my lap, but she sat still after that. After the shots were over and the band-aids were being put on she said to me in this small voice, "Mommy?" It was sad, but in a split second she was over it and going to sit next to Enzo so that Abby could have her turn. Abby wouldn't budge at first though finally I got her onto my lap. The nurses had to tell her to relax her arms and hold still and got the shots done. She didn't cry, but wasn't very happy about things. Afterward, she was standing against the wall and Enzo went and stood in front of her, with his back against her body, and put his arms out on either side of her, touching the wall. This whole time he was staring straight at the nurses, as if he were protecting her. The girls got push pops and suddenly getting shots wasn't so bad. I declined when the nurse asked if I wanted her to get one for Enzo too. Can you imagine the mess in the car seat that I'd find upon getting home? I did let Enzo have a couple of tastes before we left the doctor's office though.
Abby is 433/4 inches tall and 38 pounds. She has 20/20 vision in her right eye and 20/25 in her left. Her blood pressure was 102/58 and her hearing tested normal. Zoë is 431/2 inches tall, and also 38 pounds. She has 20/25 vision for both eyes. Her blood pressure was 94/60. Lili asked if they were enjoying school and if I was a good teacher and then she asked what they were learning about right now. Zoë promptly answered, "I don't remember". Super. Abby then whispered in Zoë's ear, "Remember, Hellen Keller", which thankfully reminded the girls about our deaf studies unit.
We talked about some concerns and Lili referred me to a family and pedatric eye care center for Zoë, who has some focusing issues (eyesight, not attention span) as well as still really struggling with flipping letters and writing words, sometimes entire sentences, backwards. Then came the shots...
The girls were due for their DTap and Varicella boosters and weren't keen on budging to get into my lap for the shots. Zoë's paperwork was on the top of the stack, so that's how I chose who would go first. I had Abby sit down next to the scale, with Enzo on her other side, hoping that would keep them both put. I had to drag Zoë onto my lap, but she sat still after that. After the shots were over and the band-aids were being put on she said to me in this small voice, "Mommy?" It was sad, but in a split second she was over it and going to sit next to Enzo so that Abby could have her turn. Abby wouldn't budge at first though finally I got her onto my lap. The nurses had to tell her to relax her arms and hold still and got the shots done. She didn't cry, but wasn't very happy about things. Afterward, she was standing against the wall and Enzo went and stood in front of her, with his back against her body, and put his arms out on either side of her, touching the wall. This whole time he was staring straight at the nurses, as if he were protecting her. The girls got push pops and suddenly getting shots wasn't so bad. I declined when the nurse asked if I wanted her to get one for Enzo too. Can you imagine the mess in the car seat that I'd find upon getting home? I did let Enzo have a couple of tastes before we left the doctor's office though.
Abby @ 6 years, 1 month, 13 days
Zoë @ 6 years, 1 month, 13 days
Enzo @ 1 year, 4 months, 4 days News posted by Laura at 9:39 AM | Comments ( 1 )
Comments:
Glad to see everyone is healthy!!
January 27th 2010
Celebrations for Mommy
Zoë and Abby were just so excited this year to celebrate my birthday. For days they've been saying, "I still don't know what to get you for your birthday." I kept telling them that just helping Daddy with the cake and the cards they already made me were enough. They took every opportunity to jump out and shout "Happy Birthday!" to me, I think every time I walked around a corner there they were.
Reanna and Elijah came over for a little bit this morning before Reanna had to go to work - she had the morning off - and Reanna helped the girls with some of their spelling work, while I played with the boys. Shortly after they left, we got ready to go out for lunch. We went to Shio and had some tasty food, and this time I remembered to bring Enzo's soup sippy and his bowl so he really was able to have "miso in his sippy cup and tofu in his bowl" (we have a sushi board book with this line) and he also had some terriyaki salmon and rice and such too. Apparently while I had one of the girls in the bathroom, Chris mentioned that it was my Birthday and asked if they did anything special. At the end of our meal, as I was ready to take Enzo to walk around, out came the staff with a dish of ice cream with cherries and a candle... and fruit loops. They sang and thoroughly embarrassed me and the girls got to enjoy some ice cream and cherries as well. Enzo thought the fruit loops were a nice touch.
Once at home I opened the package from Grandma Cindy that had been waiting for me at the post office. I could barely even get into it with the kids all crowding and trying to pull things out. It was the same way with the gifts from Nonna. Even Enzo was whining if it wasn't him ripping off the wrapping paper. We cut into the cake that Daddy had put together later in the afternoon. Thanks for a special Birthday all of you.
Reanna and Elijah came over for a little bit this morning before Reanna had to go to work - she had the morning off - and Reanna helped the girls with some of their spelling work, while I played with the boys. Shortly after they left, we got ready to go out for lunch. We went to Shio and had some tasty food, and this time I remembered to bring Enzo's soup sippy and his bowl so he really was able to have "miso in his sippy cup and tofu in his bowl" (we have a sushi board book with this line) and he also had some terriyaki salmon and rice and such too. Apparently while I had one of the girls in the bathroom, Chris mentioned that it was my Birthday and asked if they did anything special. At the end of our meal, as I was ready to take Enzo to walk around, out came the staff with a dish of ice cream with cherries and a candle... and fruit loops. They sang and thoroughly embarrassed me and the girls got to enjoy some ice cream and cherries as well. Enzo thought the fruit loops were a nice touch.
Once at home I opened the package from Grandma Cindy that had been waiting for me at the post office. I could barely even get into it with the kids all crowding and trying to pull things out. It was the same way with the gifts from Nonna. Even Enzo was whining if it wasn't him ripping off the wrapping paper. We cut into the cake that Daddy had put together later in the afternoon. Thanks for a special Birthday all of you.
Abby @ 6 years, 1 month, 13 days
Zoë @ 6 years, 1 month, 13 days
Enzo @ 1 year, 4 months, 4 days Special Occasions posted by Laura at 8:07 PM | Comments ( 1 )
Comments:
HAppy Birthday!! Love you!!
January 26th 2010
Stitchery
You know you've been reading too much "Little House" when your kids want to help you mend things and they say, "I'd like to do some stitchery. The long john bottoms that we got for the girls all seemed to have holes in the crotch right out of the package. My mending pile has been growing and growing so when Enzo went down for his nap this afternoon I brought down a few things to mend. I had the girls each work on a pair of thermal bottoms, while I did a couple of other items. Though 'needs improvement' comes to mind, they actually didn't do too badly.
Abby @ 6 years, 1 month, 11 days
Zoë @ 6 years, 1 month, 11 days
Enzo @ 1 year, 4 months, 2 days News posted by Laura at 1:48 PM | Comment
January 25th 2010
Dishes Jealousy
Chris had Zoë do the dishes after lunch today, while I was getting Enzo down for a nap. Abby's job was to clear the table, wipe it down, and then sweep up. After dinner the girls switched jobs, and it was Abby's turn to wash the dishes. Enzo was not pleased when he saw his sister standing at the sink washing the dishes. I kept telling him that his sister was having a turn, and tried to get his attention onto something else, but the whole time he let all of us know how unhappy he was that he wasn't getting to do the scrubbing.
Abby @ 6 years, 1 month, 10 days
Zoë @ 6 years, 1 month, 10 days
Enzo @ 1 year, 4 months, 1 day News posted by Laura at 6:52 PM | Comment
January 24th 2010
Cake Making
Zoë and Abby decided to stay home from church today so that they could make a 'surprise' cake for my birthday. They wanted to do it when I wasn't home to watch them and also wanted to do it ahead of time since the directions said to let it sit in the fridge for a couple of days before you want to serve it.
They were making a black forest cake, upon request, for me, with cherry butter cream icing in between the layers and whipped cream topping... everything made from scratch. Chris gave the girls some of the cake pieces as well as the icing and such and let them make their own cakes too. Their creations were definitely unique, but not quite in shape for storing. Chris let each of the girls start digging into their cakes at the table, and they graciously shared some with me. I think Zoë must have put three inches of icing in between each layer, so needless to say after a few bites I needed a water break.
They were making a black forest cake, upon request, for me, with cherry butter cream icing in between the layers and whipped cream topping... everything made from scratch. Chris gave the girls some of the cake pieces as well as the icing and such and let them make their own cakes too. Their creations were definitely unique, but not quite in shape for storing. Chris let each of the girls start digging into their cakes at the table, and they graciously shared some with me. I think Zoë must have put three inches of icing in between each layer, so needless to say after a few bites I needed a water break.
Abby @ 6 years, 1 month, 9 days
Zoë @ 6 years, 1 month, 9 days
Enzo @ 1 year, 4 months News posted by Laura at 1:56 PM | Comments ( 1 )
Comments:
Mommy, it is the thought that counts!! and the "GIRLS" sweet tooth!!
January 23rd 2010
Traveling by box
Traveling by box, no not in a box car, an actual box, sent in the mail. Nonna gave us a box to play with. Out of curiosity we wanted to see if Abby or Zoë could fit folded up in the box. They fit and actually had extra room. Even Enzo wanted to try fitting into the box. It is really funny, he insisted on having his own turn playing with the box. If you want Abby, Zoë or Enzo to visit, these are the current shipping prices to mail them to you.
Box: 20 x 11 x 11
Weight: Abby or Zoë would be around 37 pounds, and Enzo around 24 pounds. Leaving extra room and weight for diapers, food and water.
That is the price to "visit" Nonna. Enzo would cost, $100.25, $95.21, $100.25, $95.21, $28.40, $25.70, $16.72, $11.35 respectively.
Disclaimer: While we had fun playing and pretending to ship our children to various parts of the world, we would of course never actually "mail" our children anywhere, especially since round trip on JetBlu is cheaper than the one way postage.
Box: 20 x 11 x 11
Weight: Abby or Zoë would be around 37 pounds, and Enzo around 24 pounds. Leaving extra room and weight for diapers, food and water.
| Products | Speed | Post Office Price | Paid Online |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Express Mail®
|
Tue, Jan 26 by 3 PM | $144.75 | $137.50 |
|
Express Mail® Hold For Pickup
|
Tue, Jan 26 by 3 PM | $144.75 | $137.50 |
|
Priority Mail®
|
2 days | $37.35 | $33.80 |
|
Parcel Post®
|
5 days | $21.33 |
That is the price to "visit" Nonna. Enzo would cost, $100.25, $95.21, $100.25, $95.21, $28.40, $25.70, $16.72, $11.35 respectively.
Disclaimer: While we had fun playing and pretending to ship our children to various parts of the world, we would of course never actually "mail" our children anywhere, especially since round trip on JetBlu is cheaper than the one way postage.
Abby @ 6 years, 1 month, 8 days
Zoë @ 6 years, 1 month, 8 days
Enzo @ 1 year, 3 months, 29 days News posted by christopher at 5:15 PM | Comments ( 1 )
Comments:
I would be happy to accept THAT package!!!
And we are shamed!
It has finally happened to us. I have been talking about how people are not shamed publicly anymore, then it finally happened to us, today, at the library. Abby and Zoë were misbehaving. They were fast walking, almost running, around a filing cabinet around the computer area upstairs while I taught Laura how to print out a coupon for her Cold Stone ice cream. The librarian stopped them and shamed us by telling them not to run. We have officially been shamed by their behavior. Laura mentioned that she was quite snooty and that made her feel more shame. I said, "exactly as it should, the parents bare the shame." I hope this isn't the start of a trend, so I grabbed the library rules of conduct on the way out and told them they had to copy this sheet of rule 1000 times. Zoë immediately complained that 1000 is too many, maybe only 100 times. I am sure she doesn't fully grasp the magnitude of the ordinal. Laura conceded that maybe they should just read the rules one time out loud, since I was already withholding tasting mommy's free ice cream treat that we were on the way to pick up.
Abby @ 6 years, 1 month, 8 days
Zoë @ 6 years, 1 month, 8 days
Enzo @ 1 year, 3 months, 29 days First Moments posted by christopher at 3:40 PM | Comments ( 1 )
Comments:
Now that they were remined of the rules and realize that they distrubed others that are trying to read they will behave themselves. Girls please do not "shame' your parents amymore.....remember there is always a consequence to rule breaking.
And it starts, the countdown to Mommy's birthday has begun
You might have thought people only count down the days till Christmas, well not here. Laura has been anxious for birthday gifts for more than a week now. She is under the impression that she should be getting gifts all of January since Abby and Zoë get gifts all of December. She has so far been disappointed, so I told her to print out her free Cold Stone ice cream coupon and head to the store. However, before leaving today to the library to print out the coupon and unintentionally being shamed, Laura saw a truck pass by the window and stop. She yelled to the girls to check to see if it was a "delivery". Abby and Zoë went to the window and yelled, "Package!" This is our code word that indicates someone is delivering a box to our door, be it UPS, Fedex of in today's instance, US Postal Service. Laura immediately sprung up from the computer and ran to the door. She was disappointed that the box was addressed to me, with explicit instruction not to open in the presence of Laura. My mother sent a few gifts for Laura, the first gifts to arrive actually, and had some gifts for the girls to wrap for their mother. I allowed the girls to see what they were wrapping. We wrapped everything up and then headed out to the library then Cold Stone. Other goodies in the box included single serving sizes of Chocolate Cheerios, some candy, a misplaced toy that traveled home to Avella with Nonna's luggage from Christmas, and Valentine cards for the girls to use.
Abby @ 6 years, 1 month, 8 days
Zoë @ 6 years, 1 month, 8 days
Enzo @ 1 year, 3 months, 29 days Holidays posted by christopher at 1:03 PM | Comments ( 2 )
Comments:
Be patient....you have a few days left before your big day!! Love you!!
I have to say that I have not been expecting gifts all month long. :) I've just kept an eye on the mailbox as it gets close - for cards and such from the people that do tend to send me things.
Lowe's Build and Grow - Tic Tac Toe
Finally! Finally! Finally! After missing the grand openening and the free gift from the new Lowe's local to us, we finally made it to a local build. No more driving 20+ minutes to get to the building projects. Now both Lowe's and Home Depot are nearby. Abby and Zoë were excited for today's build but even more excited for the next one, a jewelry organizer. We arrived just at 10 o'clock and the place was packed. The builds are supposed to start at 10 am but it seems as soon as they started to set up at 9:30 am people just started the projects. This was the first or second build this new store has done, so they are working out the kinks. We built over in the contracter services area and not in hardware or the employee breakroom. It was crowded and only staffed by one person, as opposed to Rochester's store which had 3 - 5 employees there with the builders. We got in line, filled out the form and quickly found a free spot on the stack of particle board setup as a table to work on. Most of the other builders were new to the program, having few if any patches on their aprons. Most were new participants getting their first apron and goggle set. Anyhow it was a quick build, we were done and at Target, which is next store by 10:30 am. We are going to try to get there earlier for the next few builds as to try to schedule our beach clean up volunteer day.
Abby @ 6 years, 1 month, 8 days
Zoë @ 6 years, 1 month, 8 days
Enzo @ 1 year, 3 months, 29 days Art posted by christopher at 11:08 AM | Comment
January 22nd 2010
More Peeing on the Potty
Enzo has been peeing on the potty a little more lately. Today it seemed like he was actually trying to get his pee out when I sat him on the toilet, and sure enough he succeeded.
First thing in the morning he pretty much always needs to pee, though he seems determined to at least go a little on the floor. If I get him into the bathroom right after he wakes up and get him on the potty, he'll usually get a big morning tinkle done in the toilet. Sometimes though he'll refuse sitting on the toilet and then start going as I'm getting his new diaper situated, either that or he'll sit on the toilet with no peeing and pee on the floor as soon as he gets off the potty. Many time though, he hears the tinkling and is amazed with himself and then once he's done he gets claps and high-five's. Today he even handed his toothbrush to me so he could clap for himself, then wanted it back.
First thing in the morning he pretty much always needs to pee, though he seems determined to at least go a little on the floor. If I get him into the bathroom right after he wakes up and get him on the potty, he'll usually get a big morning tinkle done in the toilet. Sometimes though he'll refuse sitting on the toilet and then start going as I'm getting his new diaper situated, either that or he'll sit on the toilet with no peeing and pee on the floor as soon as he gets off the potty. Many time though, he hears the tinkling and is amazed with himself and then once he's done he gets claps and high-five's. Today he even handed his toothbrush to me so he could clap for himself, then wanted it back.
Abby @ 6 years, 1 month, 7 days
Zoë @ 6 years, 1 month, 7 days
Enzo @ 1 year, 3 months, 28 days News posted by Laura at 5:11 PM | Comment
Handedness
It's been a debate since before Enzo was born about which hand/side of his body, would be his predominent side. All children develop this preference at different rates, many kids use one side more than the other by about 18 months, whereas others show no distinct preference even at 3 or 4 years old. Generally, the earlier a child shows a specific dominance, the stronger that domininance will be. It's possible, that if a child doesn't develop a strong preference even until later on, when they're increasing fine motor tasks, they will just be comfortable using both hands.
It seems that Enzo already strongly prefers his right side. If I give him a spoon in his left hand, he'll switch it to his right. If I just place his spoon in his dish, he'll grab it with his right hand. He does use his left hand for things, he just seems to prefer his right. Sometimes he'll hold his spoon in his right hand and shove some food in his mouth with his left hand. He holds pencils in his right hand to color and "write" as well. From what it seems, Zoë is still our lone left-hander.
~ Facts found at www.anythingleft-handed.co.uk
It seems that Enzo already strongly prefers his right side. If I give him a spoon in his left hand, he'll switch it to his right. If I just place his spoon in his dish, he'll grab it with his right hand. He does use his left hand for things, he just seems to prefer his right. Sometimes he'll hold his spoon in his right hand and shove some food in his mouth with his left hand. He holds pencils in his right hand to color and "write" as well. From what it seems, Zoë is still our lone left-hander.
~ Facts found at www.anythingleft-handed.co.uk
Abby @ 6 years, 1 month, 7 days
Zoë @ 6 years, 1 month, 7 days
Enzo @ 1 year, 3 months, 28 days News posted by Laura at 12:50 PM | Comments ( 2 )
Comments:
Uncle Marc and Zoe two "leftys".
Dru is also left handed. In a family as big as the Cecchini Family, you'd think we would have more than 3. That doesn't seem like 8% of the population!
January 21st 2010
Home Learners Group Bowling - Week 2
Enzo and I got home from morning appointments and shoveled some lunch into us all and off we headed to make it to Exeter on time. We even ended up getting there 10 minutes early. Enzo had fallen asleep in the car (it being his nap time and all) so Chris helped me get him onto my back in the Ergo, where he slept for a good little while.
We chose to sit at the other end of the bowling alley this week, which ended up being good for the girls, as they bowled near some other girls their age. First we got a little reminder of stance and hand positioning and then everyone began bowling. Since Zoë and Abby switched lanes just before we began, so they could be next to some of the other kids, Chris got to bowl in lane 12 all by himself - he did 7 full (plus another half) games in the time Zoë, Abby, and their lane mate Nicky got through one. (Each game has 10 frames, 3 balls per frame per person) Abby did really well this time. She scored a 57 for her game, whereas last time she got a 34. Both of the girls, but especially Zoë, were distracted by making new friends. When Chris asked Zoë how she did at the end of her game she replied, "I made two friends!" Enzo even got to try a little bit. He must have really been paying attention to his sisters because he right away swung his arms with both hands holding the ball. Chris and I can't figure out though an odd thing Enzo did after every time he rolled the ball - as soon as the ball was out of his hands he touch his nose with his index finger. If you happen to be watching a bowling tournament in say 20 years and you see a guy touch his nose when he rolls a good ball - you'll know who it is.
On the way home we could resist the pull of the scanners and did a little shopping at the Super Stop&Shop. We need to do a whole Wal-Mart style grocery shop, but we figured we'd get a few items that we knew we were needing. Shopping with the scanner and cookies at the bakery, great way to top of bowling. :)
We chose to sit at the other end of the bowling alley this week, which ended up being good for the girls, as they bowled near some other girls their age. First we got a little reminder of stance and hand positioning and then everyone began bowling. Since Zoë and Abby switched lanes just before we began, so they could be next to some of the other kids, Chris got to bowl in lane 12 all by himself - he did 7 full (plus another half) games in the time Zoë, Abby, and their lane mate Nicky got through one. (Each game has 10 frames, 3 balls per frame per person) Abby did really well this time. She scored a 57 for her game, whereas last time she got a 34. Both of the girls, but especially Zoë, were distracted by making new friends. When Chris asked Zoë how she did at the end of her game she replied, "I made two friends!" Enzo even got to try a little bit. He must have really been paying attention to his sisters because he right away swung his arms with both hands holding the ball. Chris and I can't figure out though an odd thing Enzo did after every time he rolled the ball - as soon as the ball was out of his hands he touch his nose with his index finger. If you happen to be watching a bowling tournament in say 20 years and you see a guy touch his nose when he rolls a good ball - you'll know who it is.
On the way home we could resist the pull of the scanners and did a little shopping at the Super Stop&Shop. We need to do a whole Wal-Mart style grocery shop, but we figured we'd get a few items that we knew we were needing. Shopping with the scanner and cookies at the bakery, great way to top of bowling. :)
Abby @ 6 years, 1 month, 7 days
Zoë @ 6 years, 1 month, 7 days
Enzo @ 1 year, 3 months, 28 days Sports posted by Laura at 9:16 PM | Comment
January 20th 2010
Timeline
Apparently the girls still don't have a firm grasp on long spans of time. They don't really get how long ago certain things in history took place. We were doing a timeline for our deaf studies unit we just started and the girls kept asking, "Were you born then?" or, "Were you alive then?". Mind you we were talking about things like when Helen Keller was born in 1880. I told them that I was born more than 100 years after Ms. Keller in 1983, but they kept asking, "So, were you alive then?"
We read a bit about Alice Cogswell and about Helen Keller today and kept refering to the timeline, adding in things like when Grampy, Nonna, and Grandma Cindy were born - to give some reference. We'll keep working on it. I guess it's kind of an abstract concept yet for them.
We read a bit about Alice Cogswell and about Helen Keller today and kept refering to the timeline, adding in things like when Grampy, Nonna, and Grandma Cindy were born - to give some reference. We'll keep working on it. I guess it's kind of an abstract concept yet for them.
Abby @ 6 years, 1 month, 5 days
Zoë @ 6 years, 1 month, 5 days
Enzo @ 1 year, 3 months, 26 days School posted by Laura at 6:32 PM | Comment
January 19th 2010
Wet sledding day
After I cleared the deck, the car and driveway of snow, I packed up the girls for some sledding. We went over to the hill at the municipal building. There was fresh snow as well as some old snow still down. The new snow was too wet and heavy though as the sleds did not work too well. The girls had a great time just the same. They went slowly down the little hill but enjoyed every bit of it. There was a little mound of snow set up as a jump that the girls slowly went over. Zoë tipped over every time she went over the little jump, it was so funny. After the first time though I think she was going head over heels on purpose. Abby and Zoë enjoyed going double down the hill, having extra weight allowed the sled to gain more speed, but it was still slow going. After we were soaked through, we went home to find Mommy's hot chocolate to warm us up.
Abby @ 6 years, 1 month, 4 days
Zoë @ 6 years, 1 month, 4 days
Enzo @ 1 year, 3 months, 25 days News posted by christopher at 2:31 PM | Comment
New School/Play room
I've had this project in mind for a while and finally saw it to fruition. It took a few days, mainly because I had to take so many Enzo/Meal/Clean-up/etc. breaks, but the girls and Enzo now have a new area to do school and to play.
As many of you know, the two rooms on our top floor have been used mainly as a dumping grounds. I managed to clear out the main, finished, room of all of the bags of clothes and odds and ends that we are wanting to get rid of - and the few piles of things that we just don't use often - into the unfinished room. The unfinished room already housed clothes that the kids will be in in later seasons, as well as toys that are used but we're taking a break from (I cycle the toys so that things don't become too boring), along with Enzo's clothes and items he's grown out of (just not quite ready to part with those). So now that room is in a state of organized chaos, while the main room has been transformed into part school work area and part play area.
I brought up the table the girls use to do art and school stuff (luckily Chris took it apart and helped me carry it up both flights of stairs, phew!), as well as our art box(es). I brought up their workbooks and portfolios and all of those kinds of things. Next I brought up various toys of Enzo's from the living room (it's been a bit crowded in there since Christmas time) as well as most of the toys from the girls' room. I left the bins housing the Polly pockets, Barbie's and Groovy girls stuff in their bedroom, both since those are things Enzo shouldn't get into and so that they could have a few things to play with in there. I also left the coffee table and most of their books in there too.
Last night we put the finishing touches on the room and this morning finally got to begin using it. Enzo's only been up there riding in the ergo so he was really excited to get down and play - and get into the very few things that he's not supposed to be touching - and it made it easier for me to focus on helping Zoë and Abby with their math lesson. The girls got to take a short play break after their lesson and were equally excited to hop around and play in the new area.
As many of you know, the two rooms on our top floor have been used mainly as a dumping grounds. I managed to clear out the main, finished, room of all of the bags of clothes and odds and ends that we are wanting to get rid of - and the few piles of things that we just don't use often - into the unfinished room. The unfinished room already housed clothes that the kids will be in in later seasons, as well as toys that are used but we're taking a break from (I cycle the toys so that things don't become too boring), along with Enzo's clothes and items he's grown out of (just not quite ready to part with those). So now that room is in a state of organized chaos, while the main room has been transformed into part school work area and part play area.
I brought up the table the girls use to do art and school stuff (luckily Chris took it apart and helped me carry it up both flights of stairs, phew!), as well as our art box(es). I brought up their workbooks and portfolios and all of those kinds of things. Next I brought up various toys of Enzo's from the living room (it's been a bit crowded in there since Christmas time) as well as most of the toys from the girls' room. I left the bins housing the Polly pockets, Barbie's and Groovy girls stuff in their bedroom, both since those are things Enzo shouldn't get into and so that they could have a few things to play with in there. I also left the coffee table and most of their books in there too.
Last night we put the finishing touches on the room and this morning finally got to begin using it. Enzo's only been up there riding in the ergo so he was really excited to get down and play - and get into the very few things that he's not supposed to be touching - and it made it easier for me to focus on helping Zoë and Abby with their math lesson. The girls got to take a short play break after their lesson and were equally excited to hop around and play in the new area.
Abby @ 6 years, 1 month, 4 days
Zoë @ 6 years, 1 month, 4 days
Enzo @ 1 year, 3 months, 25 days News posted by Laura at 1:47 PM | Comments ( 1 )
Comments:
This is just great......space you had that was being used. the play area so nice and confined..I love your upstairs..glad it is getting some use.
January 18th 2010
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Could it be that I've never gone over with the girls what todays holiday is about? Today we gathered around the computer and read about Martin Luther King Jr., his life, his speaches, and why he is famous. We got to listen to some clips of interviews and parts of his speaches. Zoë and Abby listened much more intently when they got to listen directly to Mr. King, so that was a good addition to the history lesson.
Abby @ 6 years, 1 month, 3 days
Zoë @ 6 years, 1 month, 3 days
Enzo @ 1 year, 3 months, 24 days School posted by Laura at 1:44 PM | Comment
January 17th 2010
Shopping with Family
This afternoon we met the Valley's and Grampy at Kittery Trading Post to do a little rainy day browsing. The girls love to play with the pop guns and we also all rode some bikes around a little bit. We got to sample fudge and Grampy even bought us some peanut butter chocolate fudge to take home.
We left KTP and just the five of us went to Target to pick out some new undies and undershirts for the girls as well as a few other little items. Of course when we got to the aisle for the underclothes, the girls were exclaiming at all of the batman and spider man underwear - they were disappointed when we told them they were boy underwear. When we were all done shopping, the girls got to help Daddy get a jolly rancher slushy with the coupon we got on our receipt.
We left KTP and just the five of us went to Target to pick out some new undies and undershirts for the girls as well as a few other little items. Of course when we got to the aisle for the underclothes, the girls were exclaiming at all of the batman and spider man underwear - they were disappointed when we told them they were boy underwear. When we were all done shopping, the girls got to help Daddy get a jolly rancher slushy with the coupon we got on our receipt.
Abby @ 6 years, 1 month, 3 days
Zoë @ 6 years, 1 month, 3 days
Enzo @ 1 year, 3 months, 24 days News posted by Laura at 7:07 PM | Comment
January 16th 2010
Walking Weather
It was about 40 degrees today so we decided to get out and walk to the library instead of driving. Auntie Reanna and Elijah came over to walk with us and hung out with us. Enzo and Elijah took just about all of the board books off of the shelves in the toddler book area, while Zoë and Abby picked out books that they wanted to check out. Reanna was able to keep both boys occupied while I found the books I needed for our next homeschool unit study.
While we were waiting for Daddy to finish making copies upstairs, someone came by and told the girls that there was a craft in one of the rooms in the kids area so Reanna took the girls to do the craft, while I attempted to keep the boys occupied. Finally we were ready to go. We spent quite a while at the library and were all famished by the time we left. I was glad that I'd prepared the salad before we left so there wasn't much to put together once we got home.
While we were waiting for Daddy to finish making copies upstairs, someone came by and told the girls that there was a craft in one of the rooms in the kids area so Reanna took the girls to do the craft, while I attempted to keep the boys occupied. Finally we were ready to go. We spent quite a while at the library and were all famished by the time we left. I was glad that I'd prepared the salad before we left so there wasn't much to put together once we got home.
Abby @ 6 years, 1 month, 1 day
Zoë @ 6 years, 1 month, 1 day
Enzo @ 1 year, 3 months, 22 days News posted by Laura at 10:25 AM | Comment
January 15th 2010
Sissy Piggyback
Zoë wanted to try using my ergo carrier this morning, so we tightened it up as much as it could go and got Enzo settled in it. I had her hold onto the back of the chair I was sitting in for balance, and even Enzo seemed to notice that things weren't quite as stable as usual, because he was gripping Zoë's shirt in both hands. He liked it though and got himself cozy with his head resting on her back.
A little later on Abby insisted that Enzo wanted to go back into the ergo for another piggy back, this time with her. So I got her set up the same way I'd done with Zoë and Enzo enjoyed some swaying and singing. When he started pulling Abby's hair, though, both brother and sister were done.
A little later on Abby insisted that Enzo wanted to go back into the ergo for another piggy back, this time with her. So I got her set up the same way I'd done with Zoë and Enzo enjoyed some swaying and singing. When he started pulling Abby's hair, though, both brother and sister were done.
Abby @ 6 years, 1 month
Zoë @ 6 years, 1 month
Enzo @ 1 year, 3 months, 21 days News posted by Laura at 12:14 PM | Comments ( 1 )
Comments:
I think Enzo is too heavy for you girls!!! When he gets bigger and older he might be giving you rides.
January 14th 2010
Exeter Lanes Candle Pin Bowling
Today we got to take the girls bowling for the first time. One of the people in our homeschooling group worked it out with the owner at Exeter Bowling Lanes for the homeschooling group to be able to go for completely free (parents too!) today and the next four Thursdays from 1:00pm - 2:30 pm. We ended up being there about 10 minutes late, but we also ended up staying about 10 minutes over.
This alley has candle pin bowling, which was great since I doubt the girls would have been able to hold one of the bigger three hole balls. The owner did a really good job of giving an introduction to candle pin bowling and came around to help people with scoring and stance and said that he'll get more into that in the following weeks.
Zoë got pretty good and got the first, and only, strike of the game! Both of the girls also just loved the shoes, which I thought was hilarious. Zoë asked if we got to take them home and I told her that we had to return them, she told me repeatedly how much she loved the shoes. The girls had a really good time, and though we had to pass on the park play afterwards (not all of us were exactly dressed for cold weather play) they were still happy that we did a fun new thing.
This alley has candle pin bowling, which was great since I doubt the girls would have been able to hold one of the bigger three hole balls. The owner did a really good job of giving an introduction to candle pin bowling and came around to help people with scoring and stance and said that he'll get more into that in the following weeks.
Zoë got pretty good and got the first, and only, strike of the game! Both of the girls also just loved the shoes, which I thought was hilarious. Zoë asked if we got to take them home and I told her that we had to return them, she told me repeatedly how much she loved the shoes. The girls had a really good time, and though we had to pass on the park play afterwards (not all of us were exactly dressed for cold weather play) they were still happy that we did a fun new thing.
Abby @ 6 years, 30 days
Zoë @ 6 years, 30 days
Enzo @ 1 year, 3 months, 20 days First Moments posted by Laura at 2:40 PM | Comments ( 2 )
Comments:
Looks like fun for the whole family,..Good going Zoe!!
The lanes look like a long distance for the girls to get the ball to the end!!
Hi Tech Food Shopping with Scanner
On our way home from the bowling alley, we decided to stop into the Super Stop 'N Shop, just for a quick browse and a couple of items. Well, when we walked in the doors I noticed these scanners. This prompted us to go get a store rewards card, which we needed to scan to get one of the devices. With this in hand we saw on sale items and scanned our food as we picked it. We put it right into our shopping bags and then at the end just scanned the appropriate barcode at the self check-out and it showed our receipt and the rest was just like regular self-check out.
Who would've thought grocery shopping could be so much fun? Or maybe we just need to get out more often if this was equally as fun for me as the bowling. :)
Who would've thought grocery shopping could be so much fun? Or maybe we just need to get out more often if this was equally as fun for me as the bowling. :)
Abby @ 6 years, 30 days
Zoë @ 6 years, 30 days
Enzo @ 1 year, 3 months, 20 days First Moments posted by Laura at 11:56 AM | Comments ( 1 )
Comments:
Uncle Matt took me to a Stop N Shop near him when he lived in Quincy it was great....scan and bag, no loading..unloading and loading again,
January 13th 2010
Pantry Help
Zoë and Abby love the 'stair shelves' Chris has been making to help with our lack of pantry space. Any excuse to don their work gloves is welcome. A couple of weeks ago Chris did one shelf, which the girls got to help with, then they grouped all of our canned fruit into like piles and brought them two at a time to Chris.
Today we did two more shelves, and immediately both Abby and Zoë were running for the basement to get their work gloves on and help hold the boards while Chris cut them to size, and then got all of the beans and tomato and vegetable, etc. cans together. They love to help with the power tools and woodworking, and I love to get some new shelves!
Today we did two more shelves, and immediately both Abby and Zoë were running for the basement to get their work gloves on and help hold the boards while Chris cut them to size, and then got all of the beans and tomato and vegetable, etc. cans together. They love to help with the power tools and woodworking, and I love to get some new shelves!
Abby @ 6 years, 29 days
Zoë @ 6 years, 29 days
Enzo @ 1 year, 3 months, 19 days News posted by Laura at 11:44 AM | Comments ( 1 )
Comments:
Good going girls....help doing chores is always welcome!!
January 12th 2010
At the Table
Enzo is really starting to show his desire to do what the rest of the family is doing, and how we are doing it. He is obsessed with sitting at the table(s) in the chairs. I think half of our day is probably spent monitoring him in the chairs - he likes to sit at the girls' work table and draw on paper - or pulling him out of the chairs.
In light of this, I've been putting his chair at the table instead of putting the tray on. He loves to sit and have whatever we're eating in his little bowl (the upside is that the suction sticks a lot better to the table than to his tray) with his mini utensils. He'll sit the whole meal at the table, as long as he has a bowl and fork or spoon like the rest of us.
In light of this, I've been putting his chair at the table instead of putting the tray on. He loves to sit and have whatever we're eating in his little bowl (the upside is that the suction sticks a lot better to the table than to his tray) with his mini utensils. He'll sit the whole meal at the table, as long as he has a bowl and fork or spoon like the rest of us.
Abby @ 6 years, 28 days
Zoë @ 6 years, 28 days
Enzo @ 1 year, 3 months, 18 days News posted by Laura at 5:33 PM | Comments ( 1 )
Comments:
You are a cutie pie!! love you lots!! xxoo
January 11th 2010
Morning Showers
Lately Enzo has been squeezing his way into showering every morning - he loves it! He just happens to need a diaper change when he hears Daddy going into the bathroom and runs right over to the shower trying to scramble in. He's been getting his way and getting a shower every morning with Daddy. Chris only soaps him every couple of days, but Enzo just loves sitting with the water running over him.
It's not just the mornings though, anytime he hears the water start in the tub, he's there insisting he get in. Occasionally when he needs a rinse just as badly as his diaper, I'll wash his bum and let him stand in the back of the tub with a couple of toys while I rinse out the diaper. Also, whenever he showers with me, when I'm done I'll let the water run to fill the tub a little and he loves to splash with his toys while I get dressed.
He just loves the water, and is not afraid one little bit. He's had to be taken out of the tub on more than one occassion for not keeping his face out of the water (he doesn't hold his breath when he does it unfortunately). I guess it's time to get ourselves back to the pool!
It's not just the mornings though, anytime he hears the water start in the tub, he's there insisting he get in. Occasionally when he needs a rinse just as badly as his diaper, I'll wash his bum and let him stand in the back of the tub with a couple of toys while I rinse out the diaper. Also, whenever he showers with me, when I'm done I'll let the water run to fill the tub a little and he loves to splash with his toys while I get dressed.
He just loves the water, and is not afraid one little bit. He's had to be taken out of the tub on more than one occassion for not keeping his face out of the water (he doesn't hold his breath when he does it unfortunately). I guess it's time to get ourselves back to the pool!
Abby @ 6 years, 27 days
Zoë @ 6 years, 27 days
Enzo @ 1 year, 3 months, 17 days News posted by Laura at 9:45 AM | Comments ( 1 )
Comments:
I think you are right...swimming will be good for him!!
January 10th 2010
Zee Zee and Ya Ya
This is how Enzo calls for his sisters - or "see sees" as Enzo says it - these days. He especially likes to yell up the stairs for Abby when she's playing in her room. The girls love the cute way he refers to them and come running at his call. They ask me to play the 'guess who' game with him all the time. Either asking where Zoë or Abby is so he'll say their name and point to them or run and give them a hug, or give him an item and ask him to give it to one of the girls and see if he gets it right.
Just a couple of days ago Enzo yelled "Ya Ya!" up the stairs and Abby came out of her room and asked, "What is it Enzo? Why do you need sissy?" He proceeded to ask her to "ka, baw" (stack blocks) with him and down she came telling him she'd stack with him for a few minutes before going back to play.
Just a couple of days ago Enzo yelled "Ya Ya!" up the stairs and Abby came out of her room and asked, "What is it Enzo? Why do you need sissy?" He proceeded to ask her to "ka, baw" (stack blocks) with him and down she came telling him she'd stack with him for a few minutes before going back to play.
Abby @ 6 years, 27 days
Zoë @ 6 years, 27 days
Enzo @ 1 year, 3 months, 17 days News posted by Laura at 8:00 PM | Comments ( 1 )
Comments:
oh my goodness, that is so cute and sweet. I look forward to hearing some of his conversations on this journal
Enzo all dressed up
Mommy loves to get Enzo all dressed up and Enzo doesn't complain. Enzo enjoys getting dressed up, especially when different shoes are involved. He enjoys going to the shoe basket and picking out different shoes for us to put on him. These were a little big, but he insisted on trying them on.
Abby @ 6 years, 26 days
Zoë @ 6 years, 26 days
Enzo @ 1 year, 3 months, 16 days Photos posted by christopher at 12:54 PM | Comment
January 9th 2010
Lowe's Build and Grow - Coin Bank
Our local Lowe's isn't fully open yet. Grand opening next week, so we had to trek the 20+ minutes to one of the other locations close by. Enzo wasn't happy with the car ride at all. Not sure what the issue was, he just didn't feel like traveling today, and told us about it the whole trip. He woke up super late, around 9am. I got to stay in bed with him which was nice. Mommy got 2 hours of alone time in the morning, which she hasn't had in years. The girls were excited about the coin bank. It was a fairly simple and quick build. We showed up at 10:30am and were done before 11am. We decided to try the Chipman's English Fish and Chips pub in the neighboring strip mall at 11:30 when it opened for lunch. We milled around the shoe store while we waited. Even with the 50% - 70% off clearance sale, there was nothing we could afford. When did shoes become $100 items. No thanks, I will stick with the inexpensive $10 - $20 shoes.
Abby @ 6 years, 25 days
Zoë @ 6 years, 25 days
Enzo @ 1 year, 3 months, 15 days Art posted by christopher at 1:13 PM | Comment
January 8th 2010
Enzo's Kitchen Help
Enzo's new passion is helping me with the dishes. For a while he's asked to hold one of the scrub brushes while I'm doing dishes, wearing him on my back. Recently, a couple of times, he's stood on the small step stool and tried to reach in, so tonight I got the chair for him and let him stand beside me. He's really good about holding onto the sink with one hand, while using his other hand to scrub whatever he can reach.
I'm amused at how observant he is, copying what he must have seen me do again and again. He just scrubs the dish and as soon as I have water on he'll 'rinse' it and even tries to put it in the strainer when its 'done'. His favorite parts seem to be rinsing the scrub brush - or his hands - in the water and squeezing the sponge out when we're done. Though he does not like it when we're done the dishes. I'm able to distract him for a moment with drying our hands, but when I turn off the lights and we leave the kitchen, he's quite upset.
Maybe it is time for the Tenzo to get his own apron.
I'm amused at how observant he is, copying what he must have seen me do again and again. He just scrubs the dish and as soon as I have water on he'll 'rinse' it and even tries to put it in the strainer when its 'done'. His favorite parts seem to be rinsing the scrub brush - or his hands - in the water and squeezing the sponge out when we're done. Though he does not like it when we're done the dishes. I'm able to distract him for a moment with drying our hands, but when I turn off the lights and we leave the kitchen, he's quite upset.
Maybe it is time for the Tenzo to get his own apron.
Abby @ 6 years, 25 days
Zoë @ 6 years, 25 days
Enzo @ 1 year, 3 months, 15 days News posted by Laura at 8:16 PM | Comment
January 7th 2010
Nonno Ernie is enjoying Florida
We just got two more postcards from Nonno Ernie. Uncle Matt and Aunt Caitlin are also in Florida. We saw some photos they took with their phone at Disney. Abby and Zoë are anxious to see that magical place.
Abby @ 6 years, 23 days
Zoë @ 6 years, 23 days
Enzo @ 1 year, 3 months, 13 days Photos posted by christopher at 12:43 PM | Comment
January 6th 2010
Savings Account Update
Zoë and Abby just put some more money into their savings accounts today. They each got some money for their birthdays and then again for Christmas so today I took them into the bank so that they could deposit it (mostly) themselves. I showed them how I filled out one of the deposit slips (for my own transaction) and then we walked up to a teller. Once she took care of my slip, she filled out slips for each of the girls, they handed her their money, and then they got their deposit slips back.
Zoë and Abby are excited to watch their savings grow. Unfortunately Enzo's is staying put, but I'm sure once his birthday rolls around, he'll be increasing the amount of his savings account as well.
Zoë and Abby are excited to watch their savings grow. Unfortunately Enzo's is staying put, but I'm sure once his birthday rolls around, he'll be increasing the amount of his savings account as well.
Abby @ 6 years, 23 days
Zoë @ 6 years, 23 days
Enzo @ 1 year, 3 months, 13 days News posted by Laura at 8:24 PM | Comments ( 1 )
Comments:
That is wonderful.....savings is always a good thing.
Quirkle Queen
We played quirkle tonight, which is kind of like dominoes in that there are tiles with a colored shape (there's 6 different colors and 6 different shapes in the game and something like three of each tile) and you can either make lines based on color or shape, each line can have no more than 6 tiles. If you have the pieces to complete a line, you get a 'quirkle', which gets you 12 points - 6 for each tile and 6 bonus points - Usually a couple of people will get a quirkle here and there, there may be some players with no quirkles, etc.
Well tonight Abby was on a roll and not only did she win by a landslide, she got eight quirkles! She was definitely the quirkle queen tonight!
Well tonight Abby was on a roll and not only did she win by a landslide, she got eight quirkles! She was definitely the quirkle queen tonight!
Abby @ 6 years, 23 days
Zoë @ 6 years, 23 days
Enzo @ 1 year, 3 months, 13 days News posted by Laura at 7:03 PM | Comments ( 1 )
Comments:
Way to go Abby!!
January 5th 2010
Nonno Ernie sends postcards from Florida
The girls both got postcards from Florida from Nonno Ernie. While we are enjoying the cold and snow, he is enjoying much warmer weather this holiday season. We also heard from Aunt Elizabeth who is comfy in her high 70s and low 80s weather of island life on St. John US Virgin Islands.
Abby @ 6 years, 21 days
Zoë @ 6 years, 21 days
Enzo @ 1 year, 3 months, 11 days Photos posted by christopher at 3:42 PM | Comment
January 4th 2010
First Tooth Fairy Visit
Abby was eager to show me this morning that she had indeed been visited by the tooth fairy. Inside the little pouch there was a quarter in place of her tooth! Yes, the going rate around here for a tooth is .25 cents... at least for the first one, we'll see about the others.
Abby @ 6 years, 20 days
Zoë @ 6 years, 20 days
Enzo @ 1 year, 3 months, 10 days First Moments posted by Laura at 7:22 AM | Comment
January 3rd 2010
Abby lost her first baby tooth
My loos tooth fell out the third night of january. I loved it so much daddy sede i code hold it.
My loose tooth fell out the third night of January. I loved it so much Daddy said I could hold it.Well here is the story. Her tooth didn't fall out. Laura and Abby have been begging me for about a week now to pull out Abby's tooth. I have been refusing until tonight. After checking their teeth at brushing time, I noticed that Abby's tooth was completely horizontal both front wards and backwards. I could also see the top of the tooth that will replace it, cutting the gum line behind the tooth. So I asked her if she wanted it out. She didn't want me to use my freshly cleaned and soaped hands but wanted the dirty pliers instead. I refused to put those in her mouth and proceeded to twist it with my fingers. I had to turn it 720 degrees before the roots broke. Abby wasn't expressing any pain despite the blood now coming out of her mouth. She was so excited that she wanted to hold and keep the tooth. We rinsed the tooth and her mouth out and then she held her own tooth for the first time. She was so excited to show everyone. She even called Nonna. Once everything was blood free we put the tooth in the tooth fairy pouch (thank you Aunt Elizabeth for convenient pouches that her X-mas gifts came in) and placed the pouched tooth under her pillow for the tooth fairy. I think the tooth she lost is the bottom right central incisor. Maybe we recorded it backwards as the bottom left came in a month before the bottom right, we will see when the next one comes out or gets loose.
Abby @ 6 years, 20 days
Zoë @ 6 years, 20 days
Enzo @ 1 year, 3 months, 10 days First Moments posted by Abby at 7:05 PM | Comments ( 2 )
Comments:
Congrats! You look like such a big girl now... and sort of like a young women's ice hockey player. ;)
Good one Celeste!! Loosing ones teeth...part of growing up!!
Reveal your face
So during our Yahtze! game play with Grampy this afternoon we learned why Abby or Zoë get out of the bunk beds repeatedly after we tuck them in for the night with instructions for them to remain in bed. They get in trouble if we have to remind them three times to stay in bed. So apparently either Abby or Zoë are getting out of bed to get Abby's snuggly which falls on the floor. How does it fall to the floor? I tell her to place her snuggly on the inside of the bed against the wall so it doesn't fall out. I didn't know what the exact problem was until this afternoon. They have their own nightly ritual, in which Abby says to Zoë, "Reveal your face." When Zoë hears the command she sticks her head out from under the bottom bunk. Abby then dangerously leans over the railing of the top bunk and uses her snuggly bunny as a type of bat to hit Zoë in the face with it. Apparantly sometimes she misses or Zoë grabs it or something and the bunny drops to the floor where it has to be retrieved multiple times. We all had a good laugh as Abby told us the story but instructed them not to do this anymore. We even had Abby and Zoë re-enact it while in their bunk beds so we could show them just how dangerous it was and let them know that it isn't ok to do. Funny none the less, now "reveal your face!", who says that? I think the Harry Potter movies are to blame.
Abby @ 6 years, 19 days
Zoë @ 6 years, 19 days
Enzo @ 1 year, 3 months, 9 days News posted by christopher at 5:28 PM | Comment
Still Snowing Sunday - Wagon Hill Farm Sledding
It hasn't stopped snowing once this weekend and the girls love it. I woke up to more snow and more shoveling. Probably got a good 4+ inches over night. I got the deck and car uncovered and cleared our little driveway spot. When I was done this morning I had Laura pack up the kids so we could try sledding this hyped up Wagon Hill Farm sledding spot. We have driven by this place many times on Route 4, we even pick blueberries across from it at the farm there, just never sledded on the hill. It really isn't much of a hill. So today we tried it and we haven't been missing much at all. We arrived shortly after 11 am and left just before noon. We didn't stay more than 45 minutes and probably only went down the little hill 4 or 5 times. There were many people on this hill, almost all the parking was filled up. Many minivans were waiting for our parking spot when we were packing up to go home for lunch. The hill was crowded and unorganized. It is a shame to see so many clueless parents that don't communicate with their kids and kids that are old enough who should have been taught and known better. Sure walk up the middle of the hill where people are sledding and not on the sides. That makes sense until you can't understand why they got hit. Who doesn't advise their kids not to walk in traffic? I tell you, common sense is sparse around here lately. Anyhow. We kept an extra eye out and the girls had fun going down this hill. A couple families brought their dogs, which barked and kept the level of excitement on high the whole time. I guess the free events bring out all the crazies. I think we will stick with the steeper hills that are closer to our home and empty than revisit this dud. I remember driving quite a distance to go sledding as a kid. There was a huge steep hill alongside the road that people would frequent that was a triple black diamond compared to the bunny hill we visited today.
Abby @ 6 years, 19 days
Zoë @ 6 years, 19 days
Enzo @ 1 year, 3 months, 9 days First Moments posted by christopher at 1:16 PM | Comments ( 1 )
Comments:
Yes. your dad took a gang of guys sledding every year..it was fun.
January 2nd 2010
Snowy Saturday
After the Home Depot build we took a wintery drive through downtown Portsmouth and then New Castle, including the common to enjoy the snowy roads. It is great to drive in the snow when they haven't been plowed, there was probably 3 or 4 inches of snow on the roads. Very few people are on the road travelling and it is great fun with studded tires, very little slippage if any at all, even while being forced. We kept driving while Enzo enjoyed his little car nap and we all enjoyed the snowy wonderland eventually making our way back over to the mall around lunch time. We used Abby and Zoë's gift cards for lunch at McDonald's, then mommy used her gift cards at the mall pampering herself on unmentionables. It was absolute torture waiting for her the 30+ minutes while watching women pick out which undersized, floss or string schivies their oversized bodies would look best in. I mean they wouldn't want to be seen in just these undies under ANY circumstance I am sure, but they have no shame picking out the skimpiest pair at the store and holding them up to inspect every detail while being observed. Is there no shame? It amazes me how such a store that is basically using the "sex sells" method convinces the most unsexy to feel like they belong to this group of sexy models. Shopping done we returned home to settle in and play some games. We played Yahtzee! and Connect Four. Zoë won two games of Yahtzee! yesterday and Daddy won today.
Abby @ 6 years, 18 days
Zoë @ 6 years, 18 days
Enzo @ 1 year, 3 months, 8 days News posted by christopher at 2:46 PM | Comment
Home Depot Kid's Workshop - Calendar
We were excited about this build. The calendar that they built is practical and functional unlike some of the toys the girls lose interest in very quickly. Abby and Zoë can now keep their calendars up to date. It will also help them with the days of the week, the months of the year. We keep our events/appointment calendars online, and have a scheduling white board calendar in the kitchen, but both of these aren't accessible for Abby and Zoë, so these are perfect. Not sure we really need two of them but why not. They enjoyed building them this snowy Saturday morning.
Abby @ 6 years, 18 days
Zoë @ 6 years, 18 days
Enzo @ 1 year, 3 months, 8 days Art posted by christopher at 11:31 AM | Comment
January 1st 2010
New Year's Day
Grampy and the Valley's came over this afternoon. I had made cornbread and chili for dinner and Reanna brought some of their holiday leftovers and we all had a potluck. Enzo and Elijah meandered around, checking out all of Enzo's new things he received. They also took some turns wrestling each other to the ground. Enzo did have a little bit of territorial issue as far as getting upset about Elijah using his toys. It wasn't so much that he wanted to play with them, he would just grab them from Elijah and put them away. No time for a game this time, so after everyone left the four of us played a game of Yahtzee.
Abby @ 6 years, 17 days
Zoë @ 6 years, 17 days
Enzo @ 1 year, 3 months, 7 days Holidays posted by Laura at 1:16 PM | Comments ( 1 )
Comments:
Happy New Year !! 2010!! Love you all !!
