One Sunday Morning

Covil Preschool: Day 4

Emphasis- Color
Book- Mouse Paint
Activity- Overlap ziploc bags filled with colored water to see different colors
Craft- Make colorful scarfs by dipping straws in colored water and dropping drops onto paper towels
Snack- Crazy Colored Pie made with Fruity Pebbles
Letter of the Day- B

Ready for students!

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Red + Blue= Purple


Color drops. Chloe had lots of fun dropping different colors on top of each other to create new shades.

Fruity Pebbles Pie

Lazy Daze Festival

Firefighter C

Decorating her shaker

We made a cornhusk doll.

An ice sculpture. No idea what it was once supposed to be.

This pirate had the whitest teeth in the history of the world. Seriously.

We didn't get to see their show because of the thunder and rain.

Covil Preschool: Days 2-3

Day 2:

Emphasis- Shapes

Book- Brown Rabbit's Shape Book

Activity- Find objects in the room that match the shape in student's present

Craft- Dip shapes in paint and make shape prints, then add a cover and bow to make a present like Brown Rabbits

Snack- Sweet Brown Rabbits

Fun and Games- A rendition of Duck, Duck, Goose called Color, Color, Shape that didn't really work for E and J. Balloons from book time proved to be great amusement.

Letter of the Day- A

Solo Time- Bob Books

Day 3:

Emphasis- Alphabet

Book- Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert

Activity- Place toy fruits and veggies to plates labelled with their starting letter

Craft- make placemats by dipping veggie and fruit slices into correct color paint and placing them onto paper (we're laminating them at Staples this afternoon :)

Snack- fruit slices and PB

Solo Time- Bob books and BJU K5 math workbook (B gave it to us because she decided not to homeschool. Chloe is already on page 120/320 and hasn't needed much help yet!)

A Presidential Update

Chloe: The Foodie

On the days we go to the pool, the kids are responsible for making sure their water bottles and lunchbags get to the car, and from the car to the poolside table. When we get settled into the car,
Chloe asks, "Momma can I look in my lunchbag now?"
"It's not time to eat yet, sweetie."
"Oh, I know, Momma. I just really like to look!"
"Well, ok, then, sure."
"Yummmmmmmmmmy! You've made me a good one today, Momma! This looks GREAT!"

Heehee... now if only I could get her that exuberant about supper!

Covil Preschool: Day 1

Today was our first day of school! "Just pretend school, right, Mama? This isn't real school!"

If only all of our friends knew how Chloe felt about their homeschooling choices. ;)

We had an amazingly fun first day. I checked out a book from the Teacher's Resources section of our local library that is filled with lesson plans using well-known children's books as their jumping off point. Each lesson has a song, a craft, a snack, a learning game or two, and a physically active game. Today's book was Clap Your Hands by Cauley, and it was a good way to ease into our new routine. The children both had an absolute blast, and probably had no idea they were actually learning. You can only pretend learn at pretend school, after all! During Chloe's solo time we worked on reading from her Bob books we checked out of the library, and on her Presidents. She did great on her Bob books, sounding out words, and working on adding sight words to her repertoire. With Presidents, she has a hard time remembering Woodrow Wilson, Warren Harding, and Harry S Truman, but other than that, pretty much has them down. She not only has them memorized in order, she also recognizes their faces, and can name them out of order, and when we randomly see their pictures in books or on television.

Chloe's crazy costume for our parade

I look forward to seeing my children learn and progress as this final year passes by. I know I don't need to teach her to read, because, as Grandma says, "That child will be bored out of her skull when she finally goes to school!" But, I look forward to the bonding that will take place as we learn and grow, and to the sense of accomplishment we will both feel when we wake up one day and realize we did it!

The (Un)Official End is Here

Summertime is drawing to a close. At least in the crazy, hazy, lazy days kinda way. It's still hotter than ever, and probably will be for quite some time. Chloe had the time of her life this summer going on her first vacation, her first camping trip, her first real 4th of July celebration, her first T-ball class, trips to the beach and the zoo, and she FINALLY got to ride on a subway! It certainly did not disappoint. It was almost as good as her Chincoteague pony ride, every My Little Pony fan's dream! She has been one happy little girl. Since settling back into a home routine, she looks at our vacation photo album often, and loves to talk about the things we did, in a "Mommy remember when we...." fashion.

As we settle into our Autumnal routines, we are sure to have more fun and more memories to record. We will be starting preschool here at home. Chloe will be in a developmental soccer league at a nearby church. When the weather cools we will resume our almost daily picnic lunches at the park. The State Fair will be here before we know it, providing endless opportunities for fun memories. I am excited to see how much fun I can pack into this coming year, my last as a full-time caretaker of my precious little ones. Soon I will have to share the responsibility with others, and I am suddenly completely unhappy about the prospect.

You may have to turn it up pretty loudly to hear :)

No More Cheese, Please

Tonight was AWANA awards night.  Chloe has been a Cubbie for two years, and will probably be one for one more before moving up to Sparkys.  After several attempts to take an award winning photo of my little bear with her certificate, I finally (playfully) snapped, "Chlo! Stop cheesing!" 

And this..

became this:

America's Next Top Model face.

Riding Her Bike

Chloe has gotten so good at riding her bike! She spins round and round in the cul-de-sac, and hardly ever panics or cries! I'm so proud of how brave she has become.

At the Park

Trying out my new Mother's Day gift :)

Thanks, Grandpa!

Sometimes my family looks like we walked straight out of a  50's sitcom where everyone is way too happy and everyone and everything is perfect (minus the big skirt and old-fashioned hairdos, of course).  This morning was one of those times.  We were able to spend a fun morning at Pullen Park riding the boats, the train, the carousel, and the curly slide, eating a picnic lunch, and wandering around enjoying the catfish, turtles, and waterfowl.  The day was absolutely gorgeous, breezy and warm, but not the slightest bit hot, and the children were perfect.  The kids are so sweet and thankful for all they got to do.  Over and over they told me, "Thank you so much Mommy for this special day!"  and, "This is my favorite! I loooooooooove the carousel!" and, "You're the bestest Mommy in the whole world!"  They also could be seen hugging each other and holding hands without prompting every now and then.  They were just so happy.  People often ask me if my kids are as good at home as they are in public, or comment on how much Chloe and Eli love each other.  And while I normally scoff and make a big to-do about how not perfect my kids are, I want to take a moment to say how truly thankful I am for my sweet kids.  No, they're not perfect, but, their parents are even farther from the mark.  And no, they're not always good at home, and no, they don't always treat each other so sweetly, but they often do. They truly love each other.  They truly have grateful hearts.   And while I can say with all certainty that  there is nothing I have done that makes them this way, they are this way.  All thanks be to God our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ who has begun such a beautiful work in my little household, and in the tiny hearts of my precious little kids.  And I know He will complete it!  I can't wait to see what He does next!  And, I can't wait until we go on vacation because my children make  me feel like every little thing I plan is the very best day of their lives.

Thanks for Grandpa for funding such a fun outing! :)

Who taught that girl to drive??? Ouch!!

They wanted to be the caboose today.

Happy on her horse. 

In motion.  She is not cheesing.  She is absolutely this giddy.

The Silver Lining, er, Belltower

On our fun outing to Pullen Park this morning, I turned a little too soon, and ended up right in the middle of Wolfpack Country.  "Where are we, Mommy? Is this still Raleigh?" came Chloe's cry from the backseat.  "Yup.  This is NCState, where Daddy went to school."  "Ooooh! I don't like NCState. I like Tarheels."  Grinning, we entered the traffic circle, much to the kids' delight, and as we careened out, I pointed out the belltower.  "Oh!  That's neat.  NC State has some cool stuff, too, I guess.  Just like Chapel Hill has cool stuff, right Mommy?"  "Yeah, I guess so."  "I have three favorite cities, Mommy. Raleigh, Sher-lotte, and Chapel Hill!  They're my faaaaav-rits!"

Dandelion Wishes

Our front yard is littered with what are, according to Chloe, "the most beautiful flowers in the WORLD!"  Little yellow petals are scattered about among the clusters of clovers we call our lawn.  While I actually think the little things are kinda darling (I do love yellow!), I'm sure Chloe would be shocked to find that the world refers to her beloved beauties as (gasp)weeds.  Weeds or not, they are certainly a great source of entertainment for kids.  What other flower can be used as paint in its prime, and into a great alternative to bubbles when it has morphed from yellow to little white tickles?   And as an added bonus, no one yells at you when you pick them. 

Well, the kids were playing in the front yard while I was enjoying reading Huckleberry Finn from the front steps.  Chloe picked a dandelion ripe for blowing when I called out, "Make a wish!"  "A wish? What kind of wish?"  I told her any kind of wish, and filled her in on the deep-rooted tradition of dandelion wishes.  Excited about this new aspect of her blowing game, she began twirling around and around wishing for a wish to wish!  Finally, she yelled, "I know! I got it! My wish!"  "What is it??"  "I wish that we could move back to Raleigh, and that Raleigh could move by Sher-lotte!  Is that a good wish, Mommy?"  "That's a perfect wish, sweets."  I don't think either will happen in the near future, but I do love how her little mind works!

One More..

It's amazing how much these two love each other. I hope it continues into adolescence!

Christ has Risen!

Our front yard is still shady at 9am, so good Easter pics were hard to come by! We had a wonderful Resurrection Day. Chloe loved quoting verses throughout the day about the Lord's resurrection. She is such a sweet, faithful child.

More Theology

Chloe said to me, "Mommy, actually, the soldiers did the right thing because Jesus had to die in order to save us from our sins, right?"

Best in the World

Easter Egg Hunt