Just wanted to show off these cute photos that Nate got at lunch today.
Another play day
I love taking pictures of Nate with the kids. Nate had today off (YEA!!!) but Saedi had school so we were hanging out at home. I got some good ones during post-breakfast cartoon watching.
Nels and Solvei love to give hugs, they even do the little pat while hugging. Today they discovered that they can give hugs to each other. Nels got upset over something at lunch so Solvei leaned over and gave him a hug, and he hugged her back. SO CUTE! I got them to do it again….twice. =)
Solvei and Nels have taken over the jelly bean jars that Saedi and Gavin got a few years ago, and love to play with them in the kitchen. They take the tops off and fill them with things (usually fridge letters because they’re nice and loud) and then either put the lids back on and shake the jars or dump out the contents on the kitchen floor where they can scatter noisily. They play so well together while doing this, as long as they both have their own jars.
Categories: family pics, Gavin, hugs, Nate, Nels, playing, Solvei
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Solvei’s First Haircut
Today Solvei got her 1st haircut! Her bangs were starting to go into her eyes and it was just pretty uneven all over, so I decided it was time for a trim. She was so good. We have been taking her binkie away from her during the day, so that she doesn’t HAVE to have it all the time. She whimpered a little when the stylist first put the drape on, but I brought the binkie as a secret weapon. She was completely calm after that.
Categories: firsts, haircut, Solvei
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Learning to be big
When it’s time to go grocery shopping, Gavin always asks if he can write a list while I am writing mine. He used to just scribble lines all over the paper while saying out-loud what he was “writing” – things like cereal, baby food, coffee, gummy bears, candy bars, brownies, bananas. He’s been getting really good at writing his letters, so now he wants to write an actual list and asks me how to spell what he wants to write. Today’s shopping trip, he even made sure each item was on a new line instead of mushing all the words together. I’ll bet you’d even be able to read what he put on his grocery list.
We have a fridge phonics toy that the kids have always played with, and I swear that helped Saedi learn how to read. Another good influence has been the PBS show “Between the Lions.” I watched that a lot with Saedi and even though Gavin claims he doesn’t like it, he watches it sometimes too. Both of these things help to learn what sound(s) a letter makes. Gavin is starting to figure out that he can put the letter sounds together by himself and they make words that he knows. This morning at the breakfast table, he sounded out a word on a box in front of him, “D-O-N-U-T, Duh-Oh-Nn-Uh-Teh, Hey! That spells donut!”
Solvei and Nels are learning a lot more, too. They understand so many things. Last night as I was making dinner, Solvei found my hoodie and brought it over to me (I think she wanted my to put it on). I told her thank you, but I didn’t need it right then, and set it down on the bar stool. A minute later she came back over to me, dragging my sweatshirt behind her. So I took it from her and put the hood of it on her head. She was so proud and walked away happily. Next Nels brought me the sweatshirt, so I put the hood on his head and he walked away giggling. I then made a phone call. Solvei came back over to me a few minutes later with the sweatshirt. Because I was talking on the phone, I didn’t pay attention right away. Solvei then picked up the sweatshirt with both hands and started pushing my leg with it, as hard as she could, until I paid attention to her.
Categories: Gavin, growing up, Nels, Solvei
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Back to current events
Just because I didn’t publish anything doesn’t mean I wasn’t keeping notes. =}
I have been really busy this last month with the holidays and Nate being out of town for most of the month. I wasn’t able to write any full posts but I would jot down a note to myself (with a handy little free app for my iPhone) so I could remember what I wanted to write about. So after much work, I am now pretty much up-to-date with my posts.
Categories: busy
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Bowl-ing with Nels
We have a set of green plastic bowls that were intended to be used when camping. We haven’t been camping since we had kids so they have been kept with the rest of the dishes. I have most of the occasionally used plastic-ware in a lower cabinet that Solvei and Nels LOVE to get into. They found the bowls and play with them so much that they are not be suitable for use with food any longer (one has a small crack in the bottom that would likely leak liquid). Solvei likes to put things into the bowl – like balls, fridge letters, and plastic play food – and carry it around. Nels likes to wear them on his head.
Categories: Nels, playing, Solvei
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Cute photo idea…
Warning! This first one is NOT the cute photo.
Nate came up with a cute photo idea today, so I went and got the new camera. I had him hold the camera while I was setting it up. So, if you give a man a camera what does he take a picture of?
This is the cute photo. Solvei and Nels in Nate’s ruck sack. They look ready to go with him, don’t they?
Newest good little helper
Solvei has a cold. I have had to wipe her nose half-a-million times in the last week. She doesn’t like it much but she still lets me wipe because she doesn’t like snot running down her face. Because so many tissues are required I have moved the tissue boxes from the bathrooms to the rooms we are in most.
Solvei has started to bring me a tissue when her nose needs to be wiped, and she will take it from me and throw it in the garbage when I’m done. She likes helping so much she will now bring me tissues when she doesn’t need her nose wiped, but still wants me to.
She brings me other things too. I guess I have been using my new camera a lot lately. Solvei went into my room today and my camera was sitting on the bedside table. She must have thought I needed it (or maybe she wanted me to take her picture) so she picked it up and brought it to me in the playroom.
Categories: camera, Solvei, tissues
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It’s Raining! It’s Pouring! – Let’s go to the Zoo!
Saedi and Gavin earned these from the county library, during the summer reading program.
Since I was so proud of them for earning the tickets, I wanted them to be able to use them. We didn’t seem to have time to go before, and today was the last day the tickets were still good. So, even though it was raining, we went to the Pt Defiance Zoo and Aquarium today. It was pretty fun and not at all crowded. We dug out all the rain gear and brought layers in case it was cold too. Gavin would wear his rain boots every single day if I let him. Saedi and Gavin both have their own umbrellas so it’s “fun” when they get to use them. I also have a pretty nice rain cover for the jogging stroller, so we were all set.
Going to the zoo in the rain really isn’t as bad as it sounds – most of the animal viewing areas are sheltered so you just walk between them under an umbrella, and the animals were active because it wasn’t hot or cold. Plus the umbrellas make for some fun photos.
It’s not a very large zoo but it’s still pretty good. We saw meerkats,
walruses,
sea otters,
polar bears (I love how these ones turned out! The photos are taken through the glass),
(The pictures are not as nice from here on out. I didn’t charge the battery for the new camera before we went, since it was sort of a last minute trip, and it died. So the rest are with the cell phone.)
river otters,
a barn owl,
elephants,
and gibbons. The gibbons were fun. The play area that they have has swinging handles all over the building part, including right in front of the viewing windows. They kept swinging over to look at the people, like we were there for them to watch and not the other way around! I had the stroller turned slightly away from the window and it seemed that the white one kept trying to see what was in it. Solvei and Nels loved watching them too, they would smile when the “monkeys” were swinging around.
And of course there was the aquarium, too. They have a Shark photo-op spot. Saedi asked if I would take their picture.
And then they waned to do a picture that loked like they needed to be rescued.
They of course have the obligatory display of “Nemo and Dory” fish.
They have a nice collection of sea horses too. I got one picture, but the cell phone couldn’t keep up with the movement in low light.
At least the kids would hold sill long enough to get pictures.
This aquarium has the most photogenic octopuses I have ever seen.
Big bugs!
We got a package for the kids from my Grandpa today. All the kids loved what they got, but Solvei and Nels were especially cute.
Giant Alphabet Caterpillars!
They each took turns laying on them.
They discovered the faces.
And Solvei gave one a kiss.
I kept calling them “big bugs” and Nels made the connection to his other bugs, so he went and got them so they could play with the caterpillar.
Categories: bugs, Nels, playing, Solvei
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wadmanclan
Wadman Clan 