Piggie in Pigtails–Get it?!
Introducing the Three Little Pigs and the Big, Bad Wolf!
Oct 31st, 2015 by ECM
Tommy at Water Polo
Oct 30th, 2015 by ECM
His friend’s dad took some pictures at practice last night and caught this great one of Tommy!
American Girl Paper Dolls
Oct 28th, 2015 by ECM
A second generation is loving my American Girl paper dolls! We have to wait until Janie is napping to get them out, but after twenty-three years, they’re just as fun as when they were brand new…
Two digit addition using dimes and pennies
Oct 27th, 2015 by ECM
This was Tommy’s favorite section of 1st grade math, and the girls are enjoying it this time around!
Thank Goodness We Have Dental Insurance
Oct 23rd, 2015 by ECM
All four kids had their dental check-ups today, and whew, it’s going to be an expensive coming decade. Tommy and Elizabeth have small jaws that will probably need some expanding, and their teeth are coming in huge and crooked. That’s normal at this stage, but the dentist affirmed that their mouths are so crowded that they won’t straighten out without help. Tommy has no room for the next adult teeth coming in, as his current teeth are taking up the space of two baby teeth apiece. We’re getting his first consultation with the office orthodontist next week. Elizabeth has an underbite, so her thumb- and finger-sucking is actually probably a good thing to help stretch out things. Susanna and Janie both have overbites, both exacerbated by their thumb-sucking. Dr. Gelman has been so good about talking through the girls’ thumb sucking habits over the last four years, and I know she is realistic about how much you can actually convince a child to do. At this point, though, if the little girls continue on their current trajectory, both of them will need help with the opposite problem the big kids have. And three of the four have deep crevices in their 6-year molars, so Tommy is going in for sealants next week, with the girls to follow as theirs come in all the way in the coming years. And we’ve been letting the big kids do their own flossing, and they’re so much worse than 6 months ago that we need to start doing it for them again…
On the plus side, Janie liked her first “real” dentist visit (the last time was just the introductory peek-a-boo visit where they gave her tons of stickers and junky plastic toys so she associates dentists with fun). Since we went during the school day, we had the office to ourselves. Now to coax the big kids to finish their schoolwork even though it’s the afternoon!
Note: Yes, Janie is wearing the same outfit today that she wore on Monday. It’s her uniform, just like the pink dress is Susie’s. I did laundry this week, so I promise they were clean when they put them on this morning. =)
A Bug and Her Punkin
Oct 20th, 2015 by ECM
Janie was so emphatic that she wanted a baby punkin, and she worked very hard to find the perfect “punkin for Bugaboo.” Somehow I missed putting this one up yesterday.
Underwood 2015, Take 2
Oct 19th, 2015 by ECM
Today we headed back to Underwood Farms for real pumpkin picking with the Kims. The weather actually cooperated–it was a cool 74 degrees. Tommy loved running around with four rambunctious boys, and can I just say that watching a teenage boy gently take a four year old through a corn maze is one of the sweetest arguments for homeschooling.
Underwood Farms is our favorite fall tradition. The kids have grown so much since our first visit in 2011! (See also 2012 twice, 2013, 2014)
Lost the Tooth, Won the Game
Oct 17th, 2015 by ECM
We told the ref that number 7 on the other team was playing too rough, but he didn’t believe us until the kid knocked out Tommy’s tooth. Something about a kid spitting out a mouthful of blood with a tooth in it convinced him that maybe 7 was in fact confusing rugby and soccer. Fortunately, it was a baby tooth, and the Blue Lightning shut out the other team in revenge!
Girlie-Girls and Their Dollies
Oct 14th, 2015 by ECM
Underwood 2015, Take 1
Oct 13th, 2015 by ECM
Our CBS homeschoolers’ Underwood Farms pumpkin picking field trip was yesterday, but the little girls and I weren’t up to going along. Thankfully, PJ and Christina totally didn’t mind keeping an eye on my big kids along with their crews (and sending me some pictures afterwards). It’s a fall tradition the kids love so much (even in 95 degree heat), and a couple extra hours with their best friends never hurts. And I comforted the little girls (both weeping after we dropped up Tommy and Elizabeth) with the fact that all five of us are going back next week with some homeschool friends from church to do our real pumpkin picking…so stay tuned for lots more pictures of pumpkins…
