Spoooooky

Last Monday for Family Night, we carved pumpkins.  The kids were ecstatic!  Ashley wanted to do Sleeping Beauty and Everett wanted a halloween bat, but I convinced them to be satisfied with faces.  As they get older and can carve a pumpkin on their own, and they still want to come up with something elaborate, more power to them.

The pumpkins are pretty simple but they do the trick.  Can you tell that Everett loved the scary aspect of his design?

We've lit them enough times that the five inch candle has burned completely down.  We'll put a fresh one in there tonight before we go trick-or-treating.  Happy Halloween, everyone!

Hero School: Firefighters

During our "real heroes" week at school, the kids and I also talked about firefighters.  Ashley especially enjoyed this one and announced several times that she wants to be a firefighter when she grows up.  Maybe she will!

We read some books (of course, because I can't not read books) about firefighters and fire stations and fire trucks.

Then we had a relay race.  It was really fun!  It began with one child laying on the couch, pretending to be a sleeping firefighter.  The other two people suddenly made an alarm sound and the firefighter bolted over to her firefighter gear, threw it on, and jumped in the fire truck (huggies box).  

(The fire trucks where we live are actually blue and white, but who's counting?)

Then we all ran upstairs to a burning house, which was actually our dining room table.  But the real tragedy was that stuffed animals were trapped inside and needed to be rescued!  Firefighters enter and exit burning buildings safely, and the only safe route was under a row of chairs.

Upon rescue, the animals needed to "stop, drop, and roll."

Whew!  The rescue is complete and no one is on fire.  Success!

After our speedy activity was all played out, we practiced our stops, drops, and rolls.  I had never talked about this with my kids before.  I asked them what they would do if their clothes caught on fire and they replied, "I would call the fire fighters!"

Well, not quite.  So we practiced.  I put felt scraps (representing fire) all over their clothes and had them roll on the carpet until they were all off.  This could have worked great, but the felt didn't stick as well as the internet said it would because Everett and Ashley were wearing regular cotton tops.  But I do think they got the point and hopefully if they ever need to remember this tactic, they will.

We also practiced putting out fires, because what's the fun of being a firefighter for a day if you can't spray any water?

Chalk flames on our shed door and spray bottles made for a pretty fun activity.

We all had a good time.  Poor William gets a little left out but he mostly has fun watching from my lap.

Police Academy

Since Everett and Ashley are going to be superheros for Halloween, I thought this week for preschool we would talk about real heroes in our community.  

Yesterday we talked about Police Officers.  It was really fun!  The kids had a great time.  We began with some books we got at the library, and then we made paper hats and badges.  It is too confusing to call everyone in the house "Officer Johnson" so we went with "Officer (First Name)."

Everett and Ashley had great fun decorating these.

They both felt very tough.  "I am very, very strong!" Ashley kept announcing.  

First we practiced being traffic cops.  Two police officers sat on the fireplace in their (pretend) squad car while another person "drove" around the main floor of our house.  As soon as that person started running, the police officers turned on their sirens and pursued.  Once the offending speeder was pulled over, the police officers wrote him a ticket with his name and the dollar fine he had to pay:

"Everett

6"

I wish we only had to pay six dollars for a speeding ticket!  After a caution from the police officer about driving more carefully, the driver went on his way.  We all took turns and we had a great time.  The kids even wrote up a ticket for Joel after he got home.

The favorite game of the day was our "lost babies" game.  One of us would pretend to be a police officer and the other two would be distraught parents who had lost their baby.  The parents described the baby to the officer on duty and the nice officer rescued the baby.  I got this idea from the internet, but since this game is intended for an entire class of children and there are only three of us, we used stuffed animals for the lost babies.

It was fun to see Everett and Ashley act the part of a worried parent.

And I loved this game for a preschool lesson because it is great for little minds to come up with a way to describe one teddy bear out of many without telling the police officer exactly which one it was.

We also did fingerprinting.  Did anyone else enjoy doing this in school?  All you do is rub the graphite of your pencil in a thick layer on a piece of paper.  Then you rub your finger in it and press a piece of transparent tape over the tip of your finger, and voila!  Instant fingerprint.  Save it on a white piece of paper and you'll be able to clearly see the lines in your very own fingerprint.

You can also dust for fingerprints on glass objects with baby powder.  Who knew?  Well, apparently the internet did because that is where I got the idea.  You have to have a delicate hand to actually be able to dust a fingerprint without ruining it, so I adapted the activity to suit preschool-level coordination by putting a little vaseline on my fingers before I made the fingerprints on a dark bowl.  This made the baby powder stick much better.  Everett and Ashley enjoyed seeing the fingerprints appear.

I don't want to leave out our little William.  This shadow of mine spends most of our preschool sessions on my lap.

And yes, he frequently sucks his thumb.  Cute!

Conversations with Everett and Ashley

A few nights ago during our nightly scripture reading we read the story about Captain Moroni and Zarahemnah.  It was definitely a story that kept Everett's interest.  Battles, a tough hero, and cutting off someone's hair?  Yep.  It is Everett's kind of story.  So when it was over, I was interested in seeing what made the biggest impression on him.

"What did we learn from this story?" I asked an open-ended question but I wanted to see what he would come up with.
"That guy cut off his hair!!!"  Everett raised his arm up, mimicking the act of raising the cut scalp on a sword. "It was so cool!  Can Wolverine cut off people's hair?"

Everett compares everything we do to Wolverine's abilities.  Can you guess what he has been asking to be for Halloween for months?

And Ashley is going to be Supergirl.  I was a little surprised--I thought she might want to be something more girly, but like Everett she is actually quite taken with superheroes.

She still has her girly moments, though.  

Joel teased Ashley one night about giving her a haircut (which she definitely needs).

"Should we cut your hair off to your ears?  How about short like mine?"

"NO!" Ashley was insistent and offended.

"How come?" Joel asked.

"Because then I wouldn't be beautiful anymore."  Ashley's voice was timid and serious.

"Do you have to have long hair to be beautiful?" 

Ashley nodded.

"Well, I have short hair.  Am I beautiful?"

"No."

"Your cat doesn't have long hair," I couldn't help butting in.  Ashley treasures this stuffed cat and I was interested in seeing what she had to say.

"But it has nice fuzzies!"  Ashley was not dissuaded.

I don't know where Ashley gets the idea that long hair makes a person beautiful.  This is a girl whose favorite movies are of the tough-girl variety, like Bolt or Mulan.  She also loves watching Spiderman with her brother.  I know I have long hair but I never talk about it with anyone, let alone with her.  I know lots of little girls with very cute short haircuts and I would never want Ashley to develop a complex or give anyone else one by telling someone with a cute bob that short hair is not beautiful.

What a funny girl.  Hopefully she will grow out of this one.  Right now I correct her but I don't make a big deal out of it.  

But she is our Ashley and we sure do love her.  Everett and Ashley truly are best friends.  They even have made it an official arrangement.  We are blessed to have both of them in our family.

Everett's Story

As I said in the post below about Ashley's story, we wrote stories for preschool one day.  This is Everett's.  He was anxious to write the story but not so keen on illustrating it.  But he trucked on and drew it all out in pen before hastily coloring it in.  At one point I said in surprise, "Hey Everett, you spent so much time drawing those pictures.  Are you sure you want to just scribble over them?"  He looked up at me and said, "Oh, sorry Mom."  Then kept right on scribbling.  I laughed pretty hard at that.  What a fun boy!  

Ashley's First Story

Everett and Ashley have been begging me to help them write stories.  Ashley is so young that I was worried the process would frustrate rather than excite her, so I was a little reluctant.  However, I decided one morning that we would do stories for preschool that day, and Ashley loved it.  I had her dictate her story first so she wouldn't get too many ideas from Everett's.  I was surprised at her originality!  The only thing I helped her with was sequencing.  The rest I copied down verbatim (hence some of the grammatically incorrect sentences).  I thought her story wouldn't have much of a plot and I was sure it would be all about fairies and horses, but I was wrong.  It is pretty funny to see what a three-year-old can come up with.

Ashley loves drawing so she also enjoyed illustrating her book.  She did not have time to color the pictures in but I think I like them the best just the way they are.

(My favorite picture is this last one of the Giant.  He has bones on his shirt.  Ashley thought that up completely on her own.  Funny, funny!)

Yep, We're Pretty Much Famous Now

Even though the town we live in is technically a city, with 30,000 residents it still feels pretty small.  I have had to get used to this in a number of ways, the most surprising of which is being recognized when we go to our regular places.

It only took a couple of weeks before the librarian knew exactly who I was and memorized the kids' names.  "He is getting so big!" they'd say about William each time we returned from an extended absence.

The small regional grocery store a few blocks from my house is a fun place for Everett and Ashley to go because they get to use child-size shopping carts.  One of the managers, who is a nice grandfatherly man and works as a cashier much of the time, has come to recognize my children.  "There's my special crew!" he will say when we come through his line.  Then with a wink, he gives each child two pieces of candy and makes small talk with me.  Everett and Ashley know the drill--they hand him the items in their carts and return the carts while I handle the bulk of our groceries.  Then they sit on a bench situated a few feet from the register and savor their candy until I am finished.

The YMCA is another place the kids are recognized.  After we moved here last summer, I took the kids a few times a week to the YPlay center while I worked out.  We haven't been back in about six months, but the employees there still know all of our names and keep asking me when we are coming back (occasionally I drop William by when Everett and Ashley are in their gymnastics class).

And, our doctor's office is the first one I've been to where the receptionist recognizes me, knows my name, and knows my kids' names and ages before I even say anything to her.  This has taken a lot of getting used to.  I don't know if I've ever even taken the kids to a pediatrician who I felt remembered us from the last visit.  So I have to restrain myself from introducing myself each time I schedule an appointment or meet with our doctor.


In August, Joel and Everett rode their bikes over to the high school for some football activities.  A journalist stopped them en route for a photograph and their names.  Guess what?  They made it into the paper!

AND, not only did they make it into the paper, they made it on the front page!

Yes, this is another effect of living in a small city.  Circulation for this paper can't reach more than 20,000 but Everett was thrilled anyway.

Of course, because this is a small newspaper, the typesetting might be a little funny.  Take note of the major headline for the day and the placement of Joel and Everett's picture:

Hah.  We had a good laugh about that one.  Several people at church the next day asked us if Joel had cleared those charges yet.

This is a great place for the kids to grow up, but I have had to up the ante on our "Stranger Danger" conversations.  I don't think they can even comprehend that an adult may want to hurt a child because everywhere Everett and Ashley go, adults are supportive and kind and friendly to them.  Honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way--this is a wonderful way to grow up.  But I have to keep reminding them that they may only accept something from or do something with any adult if I am present and give permission.  I hope they never have to remember this but I want them to be prepared if they do.

Our little city is not great for a night life, but for a small family like ours it is fantastic.  We have everything we need, plus a little more.  We have easy access to two larger cities.  We are part of the Nauvoo Temple District.  The best part?  We have a great education system.

Come for a visit and we'll give you a grand tour.  Don't worry--it won't take long to get through it all!

Maternity Pictures

Ashley has always hated baby dolls.  I'm not sure why that is, but her extreme distaste for them is pretty funny.  However, she is exceptionally maternal with her stuffed animals.  In fact, lately she has taken to stuffing her favorite cat up her shirt and announcing to the household several times a day that "a newborn baby kitty will be here in TWO MINUTES!"

So I had to get pictures, of course.

(Those pointed toes are the reason Ashley's gymnastics teacher thinks we ought to get her into dance.  "She's a natural," the teacher says.  Well, I'm skeptical about that but I think we'll definitely enroll her in gymnastics again.  This first go at it was pretty fun!)

After the kitty is born, it loves to snuggle with anyone who is nearby.  "I think it loves you," Ashley purrs as she maneuvers the cat into licking our arms and faces.

But of course, the cat likes her the best.  I tried to tell Ashley one night that her kitty wanted to sleep in my bed but she wouldn't have it.  "My kitty only likes to sleep with me!" she corrected.

I can't believe how old my little Ashley is looking these days.  She is not even three-and-a-half and is practically going on 16 already (heaven help us).  I wouldn't trade her for anyone else.  I love my little Ashley.  It is fun having a little same-gendered buddy when we are both outnumbered by boys.

Crazy Me

I made a crazy decision the first week of September.  When it came time to finalize Everett and Ashley's preschool paperwork and bring them to the open house, I just. . .couldn't.  My heart was churning in the days leading up to the open house, and I wasn't quite sure why.  I finally sat down and after talking to some educators I know, I decided to pull the kids out of preschool.

Yes, it's unorthodox, I know.  I won't go into all the reasons here (boy is that a whole blog post on its own); suffice it to say that it is the best thing for our family this year for me to teach preschool to the kids at home.  I want to make sure it is understood that I am not against preschool--far from it.  I really think preschool is wonderful.  It just wasn't a good fit for us this year.

I was really worried going into this process.  Yes, the new baby will be here in six weeks.  Yes, that means I will have lots of little bodies floating around the house, lots of noses and bottoms to wipe, mouths to fill, hearts to keep happy, and a house to clean on top of all that.  I worried that preschool in addition to the basics would be unrealistic.

But so far it has been fantastic!  I feel the most fulfilled when I am teaching my children, and they are at their happiest with lots of quality time with me.  It is a win-win situation.  (If you want to take a look at a mind-blowing example of how to do preschool at home the right way, hop on over to my friend Sheila's blog and take a look at her school posts.)

We do breakfast, chores, and school in the mornings before lunch.  Then William goes down for a nap and Everett and Ashley go down into the basement for a movie and quiet time.  They are not allowed to come up until the movie is over.  What does that mean for me???  Voila!  A built-in nap!  All I have to do is stretch out on the couch in our family room (yes, right by the basement door in case the kids turn into a couple of sneaks) and the two of them give me about an hour-and-a-half's worth of quiet.

The best thing about doing preschool at home is that we can be flexible with our lessons.  One day I was going to teach the kids the days of the week, but we discovered something amazing that morning in our screened-in-porch.

What you are looking at is a hummingbird moth.  It is very large and very impressive.

The way it flapped its wings (rapidly, like a bumblebee) is what tipped me off to its uniqueness.  The kids and I immediately looked it up and discovered its name.

Then we watched it for a while.  William even enjoyed meeting our new friend.

After we did all we could with a moth (not much, really), we went back inside and learned about the habits and features of two other moths as well:

Then I drew out the outline of the moths and the kids colored them according to their natural markings.

(disclaimer: colors may not be 100% accurate due to limited scope of dried-out markers. . .)

It was really fun and the kids had a great time!  Our moth friend stuck around for a few days, much to Everett and Ashley's delight.

One week we decided to keep track of the weather.  I didn't take a picture of this (why, I wonder?) but to kick off our weather week, we learned about the path of the sun and charted shadows throughout the day.  It was fun for the kids to trace their shadows on the driveway and see them change shape as the day wore on.

We also made weather books.  The weatherman predicted a variety of weather that week and I think we got it!

Each day during preschool we would discuss the weather and draw a picture of it.

This is Ashley's.  She couldn't draw her weather pages without including a picture of her with a favorite animal.  I love the rain clouds she drew.

Everett loved to make his clouds look ominous.

And he, like Ashley, decided this book would be more fun with a strange creature here and there.

So, with Ashley off naps and lots of activities during the day, sometimes she crashes late in the day.

She found this old workbook before dinner but was too tuckered to complete it. . .

Add library story time on Tuesdays and gymnastics on Fridays, as well as a preschool swap with another family in the ward on Mondays, we have some full and fun weeks.  I am so glad we made the decision to do preschool at home.  We are having a great time, and I think in a funny way this is the thing that will keep me sane after the baby is born.  

And, when someone asks the kids if they go to preschool, they answer "Yes!" without hesitation.  Apparently our little home office-turned-preschool-room and their mother is enough for Everett and Ashley to accept that this is official.