There's a strange and beautiful light coming from the sky. Oh yeah, it's the sunshine! Although it is still very cold I couldn't be happier to feel Mr Sunshine on my face. As my seasoned parents already know I'm a huge fan of outside play but just as a reminder I want to let parents know that we always find time for outside activities as long as were not getting wet. We have been very fortunate this year to keep the sicky bugs away.I contribute this to lots of hand washing along with fresh air, Ms Jenells healthy lunches and plenty of exercise along with an equal amount of rest. We have to keep in mind that toddlers and even pre-schoolers need plenty of sleep. So even in frigid temperatures we will still get our fifteen minutes of sunshine! Also while on the topic of Mr Sunshine we have a new rainbow catcher thanks to Ms Leila(Nathan's mom). A beautiful crystal that catches the sunlight and throws it all over the room. Every morning around 10 o'clock we chase the prisms around the room. The babies even join in on this fun!
We will be closed on Monday January 17th 2011 in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. After this long week of inclement weather, we can't wait to see you on Tuesday morning! Stay warm.
By the end of the day we make sure that everyone has had book time. The babies love to gather around picture books as we learn the sounds animals make,colors and shapes. Afterwards we break out into our favorite finger motion songs until one by one they wander off to practice the motions on their own. Parents these are the flaring of hands and outburst of laughter that make them seem like crazy people while in the car or bath tub-don't worry they will all make sense in time meanwhile just go along with and act like you know what your doing. We actually repeat reading and songs several times during the day. For my older 2's and 3's Brown Bear Brown Bear is a huge hit cause we can't wait to state OUT LOUD what the next colorful animal he sees. We also enjoy Going on a Bear hunt (what is it with bears?) and one of Darby's (and my) favorites The Rescuers. Winter time is a great oppurtunity to snuggle up and read. Reading also can calm the wiggliest of wigglers just be patient.My first son would run around the room but I would keep on reading until he finally gave in and climbed up on my lap to settle in. As always with toddlers-BE PATIENT.
Although fall is almost over (it was here right?) I thought I would just do a recap on all the fun things that we did(if my new mommy brain can remember everything).First day of fall was a beautiful one and as usual we spent most of the morning outside.I think Sylvan hills is one of the most beautiful neighborhoods this time of the year! In our play ground we have several different trees. We collected leaves from as many as we could then taped them to orange construction paper (cause orange is a fall color).We also learned that Autumn is the official title for this season and not just the name of our beautiful friend Autumn. We learned that acorns grow into big oak trees but that we would all be grown ups before that happens.They also make for great math! Nathan counted up to 20-way to go Nathan! Darby collected as many "pink" leaves as her princess hands could carry while Colin accepts leaves for cash at his ice cream store.
We are also learning our alphabets gradually concentrating on 3 per month. We love looking thru magazines to find pictures that start with the letter of the moment. This makes for great coversation. We then cut and glue as many as we can to paper. The idea behind this is to have a book of sort so the children will have a resource to help them with phonics and early reading. We of course have several puzzles of the alphabet and our favorite song/game of marching around the alphabet. The babies love to join in on this one! While we march they center themselves in the middle of our circleourcircle entertained by all the letters on the floor. We of course let them hold on to the ones they retrieve. We are also learning about healthy living, the sooner the better I say. We charted healthy food and discuss why we need it and we are also talking about healthy activities such as exercise and also staying clean. Little minds are sponges lets make sure that they are absorbing positive ideas. Saying good-bye to summer and a few good friends only meant the arrival of new friends! First we have Maya with her cute luscious cheeks and a big smile to match.Next is Tymaya with her big bright eyes and spunky attitude.Parker/KaKa is a perfect addition to our family who always keeps us fascinated with what she will wear next! Josiah who Ms Jenell has titled "Hollywood" brings sunshine to us daily with his eager willingness to do what ever is on the agenda. Finally but certainly not least is Isabella.This girl is as bright as they come and fits right in with our 3's who as we all know never have a dull moment!
Where has the time gone? I apologize for being away from our site for so long! But as you know I have not been away from our awesome Sylvan hills family. I feel like I have been thru time travel. Paloma is now 4 mnths old and is very happy to be a part of the sylvan hills gang! We came back slowly after 4 wks. of rest and boy has lots been going on! I'll try to catch us up and break it all down.
Just a reminder that we will be closed the weeks of Aug 9th and 16th but will return on the 23rd of Aug. Ms. Marta (Afrika's mom) can accommidate any of our children in need of childcare for those two weeks at her beautiful home near Grant Park. Ms Jenell and I have her number.
As you all know we lost our beloved Meemaw yesterday. Ms Jenell and I want to thank everyone for your kind words and shared tears. She was an incredible woman with a fascinating history and would have been 100 years old this October. We will be closed monday Aug. 2 to honor her passing but will return tuesday Aug 3. She is placed at Aikens funeral home in Cooperhill Tenn. and will be layed to rest next to her husband on a beautiful hillside that we can actually view from her kitchen window. Again thank you everyone for your patience and kindness.
As everyone knows our AC was broken for a few days, of course they had to be the hottest days of the summer. Being in a basement surrounded by center block helped keep us a little bit cooler however. Once Mr. Veto ordered the new unit we were so happy to see the arrival of the delivery/installer man. Our happiness quickly turned to distraughtness when we realized not only did he not have an extra hand to help him install the huge thing but the receptical was smaller than our original. This is where Edward (baby Mali's dad) came to our rescue! Not only did he lend the extra muscle we needed but being a electrician (if you ever need one I highly reccommend him) made a trip to the hardware store,came back and changed over the receptical to one that we could plug into right away! Panick over. Thank you so much Edward, you truly saved the day! I can't remember when we had such an awesome group of dads.
Have you noticed that your children haven't been coming home with the smell of mosquito spray? This is because Phil, Darby's dad, has blessed us with monthly protection from his landscaping company. Phil has kept us mosquito free for the summer and we are forever in his debt-there's nothing more gratifying than being able to play outside with out the worry of those pesky little biters! Thank you Phil for your time and contribution-We love our Dads.
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