The letter D

Day 1
Letter Craft D Dinosaur craft
Letter Focus- Vocab Cards ( home made- can send you the doc if you let me know)
Writing Focus -Dd page beginning writing

Day 2
Letter Craft- d daisy craft
Letter foucs- D word search (home made typed letter search
Writing focus- Gel bag writing (ziploc-taped- filled with toothpaste or hairgel)

Day 3
Letter Craft- Duck shapes craft
Letter focus- Do-a-Dot D (all letter D activities)
Writing focus- Name writing

Focused Fun (always includes a color/number focus)
Dominio Match
Dinosaur toys and mat
Dinosaur sort
Shape Puzzles

Bible Verse: “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4

Focus Song: 5 little Ducks

Cooking/Snacks: Donuts, Dominos Pizza

Movies: 101 Dalmations, Dinosaur Train,

Books: Dinosaur Stomp, Duck and Goose, Down by the Station

Alphabet Stories: Ditto Dog

Cruz- 15 months

Our little man is growing like crazy. I love this age of discovery where words are forming, feet are stepping (though still weeble wobbly), and teeth are gleaming and poking through. Cruz is either a joy or a terror. He is either a snuggle bug or unrolling the toilet paper to shove in the commode. He is either giggling and playing or screaming and crying. I am not sure why that is the case, but evidently it works for him. He is a big time momma's boy and hands out kisses right and left. He loves his brothers and sister and wants to be in the middle of whatever they are doing. He is finally walking and proud of it. It took starting school with limited steps to learn that this is how his peeps get around. I love the look of him walking with that big belly poking out and lifting his knees so high. He seems to love school. He cries a little when I drop him off, but I think it is for my benefit alone. He is starting to use his voice more (I think it is going to be deep and maybe a bit raspy). He can say Mama, DA!, Uh-Oh, Ouch, and some version of his siblings names. I think he has also said bus, ball, and snack. But mostly when I ask if he wants a snack he smacks his lips. He also says more by clapping like a crazy man. He loves to dance and when I ask him to most times he will. He loves music and dances along and even tries to belt a tune or two. His favorite thing to watch is the movie Open Season. It has been on constant stream in the car for a few weeks now. Sadly, he loves it so much that as soon as we get in the car he starts yelling if it is not on. I try not to turn it on every time, but I just do not enjoy driving while listening to a screamer and he wins that battle a lot. He giggles through it and it helps us when we occasionally get stuck in the car during Eliza's speech class.

He brings us such joy and I do not remember any of my other children having such a big smile on their face when they wake up in the morning so happy that I have come to get them. It starts my day off just right! He is an ease to put to bed (as long as monkey is around) and will actually point to his bed if I spend to much time rocking and cuddling. I love this boy!!!!

The letter Cc

The Letter Cc

Day 1:
Letter Craft- CrabCraft
Letter Focus- Vocab Cards (speech)
Writing Focus- Beginning writing Cc

Day 2:
Letter craft-C cameleon craft
Letter Focus- Baking C (shaped) cookies
Writing Focus- Number tracing

Day 3:
Letter Craft-Candy Corn C (gluing candy corn to a big letter C)
Letter Focus-Cc PlaydoughMat/ Cutting page

Focused Fun (always includes a color/number focus)
Caterpillar Numbers (number order)
Candy Land
Cars playmat
Very Hungry Caterpillar Fun
Bible Verse: “Children obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.” Ephesians 6:1

Cooking/Snacks: Candy Corn, Cotton Candy, Cookies

Movies: Cars, Calliou, Cliifford

Books: Very Hungry Caterpillar, Clifford, Courdroy

Alphabet Stories: Curly Caterpillar


P.S. Is anyone using any of this???

First day of Mom's Day Out

The two little ones have headed back to school now. I was hesitant in sending Cruz. But only because he is my baby and I want to soak up time with him. He is in class with Mrs. Kathi and she loves him and kisses him and treats him like her own. I knew he would be loved on all day... and that meant I could have a little free time to spend at the big kids school one day a week(the other day is TOTALLY *MY* day- but who am I kidding I use it to run errands for all the stuff my kids constantly need)!

The official porch photo


This is Cruz from behind. I did not get him with his teacher because he was happy to play and I knew that if he saw me walk away we would be in trouble. So I snapped a pic and RAN like the wind (to the front of the building where I stayed for about 1/2 an hour). OH... and if you have seen these cute shoes anywhere, they have been missing since this day. I have no clue where they went but we have turned the house upside down and they have not turned up!!??


This is Mrs. Anna. We love Mrs. Anna too. She has been a part of our lives for 7 years now. She has been Baylor, Callan, and Silas' teacher. Mrs. Anna works really hard with the kiddos and I know this will be a great growing year for Eliza. I just hope we don't send Mrs. Anna running far, far, away... she still has one Jones to teach =).

The Letter Bb

Letter Craft:
Day 1- B Bumble BeeCraft
Day 2: a boat craft
Day 3:Tissue paperButterfly

Letter focus
Day 1: Vocab Cards (speech-cut and add to our book)
Day 2: Bb sorting game
Day 3: B collage (cut b pictures out of magazines)

Writing focus
Day 1: Bb page copy/color
Day 2: Bb pokepage (draw letter on paper and let her poke the lines with toothpick)
Day 3: B gel writing (fill ziploc with colored hair gel and she can manipulate gell to make B's)


Focused Fun (always includes a color/number focus)
Bugs pattern/sort game
Bead sort/matching (using beads we have here and muffin tin)
Butterfly clipcards (add correct number of paperclips)
Ball Pit and Bubbles



Bible Verse: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. “Acts 16:31

Focus Song: The B-I-B-L-E

Cooking/Snacks: Banana Bread, Berries, Bubble Gum

Movies: Brother Bear, Bug’s Life, Bee Movie. Bambi

Books: Berenstien Bears, Butterfly ABC

Alphabet Stories: B.B. Bunny

TROUBLE

This little boy moved all the way from one room to another with this chair so he could do this... and steal some grapes.

FOUR

Dear Marta-

It is that time of year again where I wish so badly that I could just plop this note in the mail so you could see what all our daughter is up to. I know you wonder what kind of life she is living, if she is loved, if she is what you thought she would be. OH MARTA... she is all of that and more!

Our daughter is a head turner! We cannot go anywhere that someone is not stopping us to ask us about our princess. She is so beautiful, so petite, and so precious! She can bat those eyes like nobody's business and grin a little grin that will sheepishly melt your heart. We love her with all of our hearts and cannot imagine our lives without her. Her brothers think that she hung the moon and have even been known to try to take her place in HER time-outs. They spoil her rotten and protect her with everything that they have. She is a great big sister and loves playing and teaching her baby brother. She is just learning how to play with him now that Silas is in school, but she is loving her role as the oldest in the house while the big boys are at school. Her favorite thing to do with him right now is to take his little hands and help him practice walking. She is so patient with him and so sweet when she encourages him as he walks.

We have started dance classes and even though she was shy on the first day going in, she is loving it. She shows me all day long how her feet are supposed to be in dance, and how you hold your "bowl". And she loves that we bought her her own hairspray for her bathroom so we can spray all the little wispy hairs when we try to put it in a bun for class.

She is also getting so much better with her speech. She is talking so much more and I can understand more and more of what she is saying. She is very smart and I cannot wait for her speech to catch up to that brain of hers. But you must know that I think she still remembers a little K'iche. When she gets upset or starts talking too fast she rattles off sounds and words I have never heard before. I smile and think of you every time she does that.

Just a few weeks ago we were talking about "her Mala-mala" and I thought it was time to show her your picture. She loves it and smiled when she saw you. I am not sure she understands it all yet, but the other day she did want to talk about you some more and talked about growing in your tummy. She was very proud. You will always be honored in our home. I also allow HER to tell people who ask where she is from. She knows where she was born and already knows that it is special.

This daughter of ours is something special, and I hope you know that I will never take the gift of her life for granted. I wish you could see her now. I am praying that today you feel a sweet kiss of peace knowing that we love her more than words can express, and we thank you for the sacrifice you made so that we can experience this unspeakable joy.

A little sweet...

and a little sass!