Eating Dirt & Worms....

Yes, I fed your children Dirt and Worms today. I am sure that doesn't inspire parental confidence in me, but the kids had a lot of  fun getting down and dirty!

What we discovered is that Worms are Wiggley and Dirt is Goooood!
We did this activity in Pre School today, concluding the "W" letter of the Week.

First we crushed and pounded the "Dirt"

Then added it to our "Mud"

And then ate it all up. Danial wasn't so sure he liked that idea!

But Slade did!

And so did Leona!

We did alot of other fun things this week. Here are some pics that demonstrate the joy!

Time to eat!





Puppy Love

Ride Em Cow Girl!

Play Time!

Ring Around the Rosie's

Wrestlemania

What do Wigs, Wrestling, and Worms have in common?

They are all words that start with the letter "W"!

"W" is the letter of the week.

Wigs are Weird!

says Danial.

Wrestling is Wonderful!

says Slade.

Can't wait till Thursday to see what they say about the Worms!

Wiggles and Giggles Welcomes Leona!

She is almost 2 years old, and such a sweetie pie!

Those little cheeks got lots of kisses today.

Her favorite toy is.......

TOBY!

Toby is just the greatest dog! He puts up with so much. And he loves every bit of attention he can get.

He will endure any amount of poking and pulling to get his tummy rubbed.

Little Leona was obsessed with our fine furry friend! She hardly explored any of the other toys.

She was slightly interested in Betty Spaghetti, but eventually got board and went right back to Toby.

At one point she even tried to play with Toby and the toys at the same time!

All of the other children were excited to play with Leona. They were very tender, and careful with her.

Slade asked if she was a "kid or a Girl"

Hailey couldn't pronounce her name so she just called her "little tiny girl".

Carson insisted that he be called Buzz Light Year.

Gracie wanted to hold her at all times and got very frustrated that Leona wasn't cooperating!

We are so excited to have a new little one. We all look forward to make lots of fun and precious memories with Leona.

Welcome to our day care.

TANGLED - Person In My Closet

The Wiggles and Giggles Crew went on a field trip to the movies today. We saw Tangled in 3D.
It was actually my second time to see it, and I loved it even more! I really got a kick out of watching the kids watch a 3D movie.

 They all tried to reach out and touch the magic. Or they would flinch in fear that an object was coming right for them.
It's so realistic that you can't help but feel like you are a part of the movie.

And the 3D glasses are a big hit too!

Slade asked me if I was going to cry. I guess he knows me pretty well.
I even cried when we saw Toy Story 3!
And he was right, I did cry. Even the second time around.

All my life I have been called a princes. My Dad used to call me that as a kid.
My husband calls me that now.
But I gotta tell ya that when I am in the midst of dirty diapers, carpools and stinky laundry. I don't exactly feel like royalty!
Maybe one of the reasons fairy tales are so adored is that they help us connect to our inner prince or princess.
They remind us that there is more to life than meets the eye.
They help us recognize the evil villain in our own life, and have faith in a Prince Charming soon to come.
They help us believe in things unseen, and remember that we have worth beyond measure.
And last but not least, they help me hold on to the possibility of a Happily Ever After!

.

"S" is for Santa!

We got a lot of mileage out of our letter "S" this week!

For preschool today, we went on a little field trip to the North Pole to see Santa.

They were way excited!

What a difference a year makes. Last year Slade and Carson were nervous and shy, even a little scared.

But not this time! They couldn't wait!

All the way there, they were having loud conversations about what they needed to say to Santa.

Carson told Santa that he wanted an Excavator.

Slade told him that he wanted a Pillow Pet and Bakugans....

Danial wants Hot Wheels!

And Hailey? Well she mentioned something about a Pink Princess.

Santa told each and everyone of them to listen to their parents and not fight with their brothers and sister's. Because Santa wants world peace for Christmas, and he says that it starts at home.

What a wise Santa thing to say!

Then Santa gave each of the kids a Snowman sticker page...

Santa really does know everything! Even that "S" for Snowman is the letter of the week!

Only 24 Days till Christmas!

Snowflake Confessions

I have got a confession to make...

This week I am guilty of "rigging" the letter of the week.

Usually we randomly pick the letter of the week the Friday before.

But recently I came across these Borax Snowflakes, and couldn't resist.

It's the perfect project at the right time of the year, so I bent the rules.

So "S" is now the letter of the week.

This was such a fun, and easy project. The hardest part, especially for the kids, was waiting for the magic!

Our snowflakes had to stay in a Borax solution overnight to crystallize.

But this morning to our delight we had little crystal snowflakes. How cool is that!

The kids were quite impressed.

Here is a link for this project if you are interested in making more for your Christmas Tree. http://www.domestically-speaking.com/2009/12/borax-snowflakes.html

Also, today begins the Christmas Countdown. Woo Hoo!!!

I just so happened to find the same Chocolate Advent Calendars that I used to get when I was a kid.

The nostalgia was overwhelming. So I grabbed one for all of us.

Including me of course!

I hope that they have as much fun getting a chocolate prize each day as I did when I was little.

I am also throwing in a few pics of all the creative thinking in action that I have seen over the last couple days.

I always get a little nervous about how to entertain young children in the winter.

But as you can see, their little imaginations take over, and my family room turns into their winter wonderland.

They have loved playing store, library, restaurant, and house.

What's cute is how well they interact with each other. I wish I knew how to upload some video so you could see, and hear them.

When Gracie gets home from school, she gets them all together to play house.

She has to be the mom.

Carson is the baby. Or should I say the unfortunate victim of Gracie's relentless drive to nurture!

But sometimes they are perfectly content to just be by themselves too.

Learning to play together, as well as entertain themselves makes for a happy, well rounded individual!

No need for me to worry after all.

It's Sooooo CCCCold!

What was I thinking?! Making a snowman in this weather? I don't think so! With all the sniffles and coughs we already have at Wiggles and Giggles, we scratched that idea.
We opted for an adventure at Carl's Jr. play land instead! And I am so glad we did!

Here are a few pic's of our latest outing......

Naturally, the toy is more exciting than the food.

With all this food around, Slade asks if we were having snack time.

Peek a boo!

Hey! This is Great!

Stillness

"D" is for Duck!

So today we went to the "Duck Park" to feed the Ducks.

It was a BEAUTIFUL day!

Everything was so still. The tree's were still. The air was still. Even the creek was still.

It was breath taking.

Rejuvenating.

Inspiring.

We seemed to be the only ones in the park, and every thing was quiet.

Even the Ducks!

I wanted time to stand still.

I took a deep breath of that fresh air and felt completely whole!

It was just a perfect day!

The children thrived in the calming energy of the blissful beauty.

They climbed trees.

Ran as fast as their little legs would let them.

And

explored their surrounding with delight.

They seemed to sense that this tranquility wasn't going to last forever.

I am so grateful for perfect mornings.

For beautiful surroundings, and for

children who live in the grace of every moment.

Q. Hailey what's the letter "d" sound?
A. Quack! Quack! Quack!

The kids throwing bread to the ducks.

Hailey singing and swinging!

Weeeeee!

Q. Slade what was your favorite part of the day?
A. Throwing leaves up to the sky.

Leaf Burial

You can do it Hailey!

 I am sorry. I just couldn't help myself!