6.30.2012
Rumpelstiltskin
Last week Aria and I attended a puppet show at the library. This wasn't just any puppet show, but a once a year visit from the famous Cincinatti Madcaps Puppets. The show was Rumpelstiltskin and Aria spent the next several days asking me, "what was that funny guy's name?" I would proceed to tell her and she would laugh and declare it "so silly." The puppets in the show were not your ordinary hand puppets, but lifesize dolls that the players use their whole bodies to manipulate. In fact, the crazy lady in the story was a complete costume for one of the players. It was put on by just one man and one woman and it was phenomenal! They made the kids laugh, got audience participation, and had wonderful voices and actions for all the different characters. I don't think Aria completely grasped the entire plot of Rumpelstiltskin, but she definitely enjoyed the show. She clapped and laughed and followed along for the 45 minute show, mostly sitting still! Her favorite part was the name Rumpelstiltskin and probably the character, too, because he was obnoxiously silly. My favorite part was when they requested a "king" from the audience and choose a 15ish year old boy who had previously been sitting there with headphones in. He reluctantly went up and followed the part, but couldn't quite do it with a smile. I found it rather hilarious. The library has great programs all year long, but this little show is definitely high on my list of the things we've been there for. I will definitely be looking for it again next year and inviting our friends!
6.29.2012
Mr. Shucks
One of the perks of Justin's job is the company suite at the Kernels games! One morning we decide (very last minute) to take advantage of the free tickets that night and had a ball! Of course, Aria's favorite part was the mascot, Mr. Shucks. "He looks just like Herky!" was her exclamation. You can see where her true loyalties lie. When Mr. Shucks made his way up to our suite, I was shocked that she wanted Mr. Shucks to hold her for a picture! And for once, I got to be in it, too! Add it to my list of amazing pieces of the city we call home!
6.25.2012
I Can Do All Things
In Sunday School this month, Aria's class has been focusing on Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ." We get a sheet that tells us this focus, but we really learned how much of a focus it is when Aria started telling us the verse. Tonight, during our bedtime prayers, Aria listed off her things she was thankful for (Skip, bunnies, getting pizza with Grandma and Papa) and then said, "I can do all things through Christ." It brought tears to my eyes. Aria is already learning to trust God to help her with whatever she needs. I am blown away by the things she retains these days and I am so thankful for a church full of volunteers who encourage retention of things such as Bible verses and God's love and power.
Lord, may Aria never falter from trusting that you can help her with all things every day of her life.
Lord, may Aria never falter from trusting that you can help her with all things every day of her life.
6.24.2012
Freedom Festival Parade
Yesterday, all three of us encountered the Freedom Festival parade for the very first time in our lives. I must say I am totally impressed! We went downtown early not knowing how hard it would be to find a spot to park and sit. We were way too early, but that gave us the chance to check out IMAGINATION! in Greene Square Park for awhile. Several vendors had booths of really cool stuff for kids. There were inflatable bouncy houses, spin the wheel for a Petco dog toy, a pool full of a funky, waxy substance to get on your hands, bubbles, beans to sort and play with, a bin full of corn and change where the kids could keep as much change as they could get in one scoop,
an awesome inflatable slide,
face...or arm...painting,
a ball pit, and much more that we didn't visit. The best part...it was all for FREE! Several vendors took tips or donations, but nothing had a price. Aria had a blast! Just a few short months ago, she would not have done the bouncy house, ball pit, or slide without Mommy or Daddy going with her. But yesterday she was so brave and thrilled to do those things herself, even with bigger kids all around her. What a cool experience!
Then, we sat and watched the parade. The parade was 1.5 hours long and interesting the whole time! There were all sorts of great floats, animals, bicyclists, instruments, and of course
candy! Aria's favorite part of the parade was the group that waved an Iowa flag and played the Iowa Fight Song with their small band. It really kept her interest the entire hour and a half. It was the perfect morning weather-wise with overcast skies and temperature in the low 70s. This parade (and Imagination) is definitely something our city is doing right. We will definitely be attending in the years to come!
Oh and she got to give the bears a high five, too!
Then, we sat and watched the parade. The parade was 1.5 hours long and interesting the whole time! There were all sorts of great floats, animals, bicyclists, instruments, and of course
Oh and she got to give the bears a high five, too!
6.23.2012
The Letter T
Bible: I didn't think I could read 1 and 2 Timothy and capture Aria's attention. A friend suggested doubting Thomas, but he isn't in Aria's Bible surprisingly, so we read about...Twins! Aria is really into stories about babies, so the story of Jacob and Esau worked!
Activities: We set up the tent in our basement with tunnels. We played her trumpet. I wanted to get one of those plastic things that you put between two pop bottles to make a tornado, but I couldn't find one. We also played with her train set and the train set at the bank. The coolest part about the bank is the train that runs around the top of the entryway by push of a button!
People We Know: Teran, Tammy, Tate, Tessa, Tigger, Telly
Food: tater tots, tilapia, tortellini, toast, tacos, tomato, tortilla, turkey
Pictures to Color: tent, train, tiger, tree
Books: Thomas the Train books, Tilly the Tiger magazine, The Ugly Truckling, My 't' Sound Box, Two Town, Old Turtle
---Just have to do a plug here about Old Turtle by Douglas Wood. In the beginning, all the parts of the earth were arguing about what God is. Each object declared God was like them (ie deep like the sea, bright like the sun, gentle like a breeze, etc). Finally, old turtle tells them to stop and says that God is. She then goes on to point out that God is indeed all of the things they all claim. Very cool story. A little long and slightly above Aria's head, but very cool indeed!
Songs: Trot Old Joe---one of Aria's favorites from Music Together; Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
Activities: We set up the tent in our basement with tunnels. We played her trumpet. I wanted to get one of those plastic things that you put between two pop bottles to make a tornado, but I couldn't find one. We also played with her train set and the train set at the bank. The coolest part about the bank is the train that runs around the top of the entryway by push of a button!
People We Know: Teran, Tammy, Tate, Tessa, Tigger, Telly
Food: tater tots, tilapia, tortellini, toast, tacos, tomato, tortilla, turkey
Pictures to Color: tent, train, tiger, tree
Books: Thomas the Train books, Tilly the Tiger magazine, The Ugly Truckling, My 't' Sound Box, Two Town, Old Turtle
---Just have to do a plug here about Old Turtle by Douglas Wood. In the beginning, all the parts of the earth were arguing about what God is. Each object declared God was like them (ie deep like the sea, bright like the sun, gentle like a breeze, etc). Finally, old turtle tells them to stop and says that God is. She then goes on to point out that God is indeed all of the things they all claim. Very cool story. A little long and slightly above Aria's head, but very cool indeed!
Songs: Trot Old Joe---one of Aria's favorites from Music Together; Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
6.22.2012
Reading Reading Reading
I am in full summer read my life away mode and can't keep the reviews coming fast enough on my blog. I'm going to cheat and use Amazon to give a synopsis and then tell my opinion of the books I've zoomed through recently.
Defending Jacob by William Landay
Andy Barber has been an assistant district attorney in his suburban Massachusetts county for more than twenty years. He is respected in his community, tenacious in the courtroom, and happy at home with his wife, Laurie, and son, Jacob. But when a shocking crime shatters their New England town, Andy is blindsided by what happens next: His fourteen-year-old son is charged with the murder of a fellow student.
Every parental instinct Andy has rallies to protect his boy. Jacob insists that he is innocent, and Andy believes him. Andy must. He’s his father. But as damning facts and shocking revelations surface, as a marriage threatens to crumble and the trial intensifies, as the crisis reveals how little a father knows about his son, Andy will face a trial of his own—between loyalty and justice, between truth and allegation, between a past he’s tried to bury and a future he cannot conceive.
This was an excellent, suspenseful gut-wrenching book. I was on the edge of my seat constantly trying to figure out the murder mystery the entire time. And the end absolutely blew me away! A must read if you like mysteries!
Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
A young girl. A fateful key. A woman searching for the truth…
Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten-year-old girl, is taken with her parents by the French police as they go door to door arresting Jewish families in the middle of the night. Desperate to protect her younger brother, Sarah locks him in a bedroom cupboard—their secret hiding place—and promises to come back for him as soon as they are released.
Sixty Years Later: Sarah’s story intertwines with that of Julia Jarmond, an American journalist investigating the roundup. In her research, Julia stumbles onto a trail of secrets that link her to Sarah, and to questions about her own future.
I have mentioned how I love historical fiction and this is no exception. I really enjoyed how the book moved back and forth between 1942 and 2002. The small piece of the Holocaust I had not previously heard of was also a great history lesson. Not quite the page-turner variety, but excellent story that I would highly recommend!
Shell Games by Kirk Russell
The discovery of thousands of empty abalone shells and two murdered divers sends Lieutenant John Marquez's poaching investigation in a new and very risky direction. Former DEA agent and now head of a special operations unit of the California Department of Fish and Game, Marquez learns he himself has been targeted as the next victim. Stalking him is Kline, a vicious drug smuggler turned abalone poacher who has a vendetta against Marquez. John Marquez is supposed to protect wildlife, not solve murders, but the only way he can break the multi-million-dollar abalone-smuggling ring, as well as save his own life, is to find and stop Kline. A fast-paced crime novel set along the majestic Northern California coastline, Shell Games introduces a tough, complex, and appealing hero and a masterful new series.
The setting was a little strange to me. I felt it a bit strange that abalone poaching would be a serious, crime-filled problem. I didn't do any research to see if it truly is, but I guess anything is possible these days. The mystery of the crimes kept me going in this book. I enjoy suspense and trying to figure out whodunnit, but different setting would have got me into the book a bit more. I don't write it off completely. It was a good read, just nothing like the above two or the series I'm reading now.
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Jacob Jankowski says: "I am ninety. Or ninety-three. One or the other." At the beginning of Water for Elephants, he is living out his days in a nursing home, hating every second of it. His life wasn't always like this, however, because Jacob ran away and joined the circus when he was twenty-one. It wasn't a romantic, carefree decision, to be sure. His parents were killed in an auto accident one week before he was to sit for his veterinary medicine exams at Cornell. He buried his parents, learned that they left him nothing because they had mortgaged everything to pay his tuition, returned to school, went to the exams, and didn't write a single word. He walked out without completing the test and wound up on a circus train. The circus he joins, in Depression-era America, is second-rate at best. With Ringling Brothers as the standard, Benzini Brothers is far down the scale and pale by comparison.
Water for Elephants is the story of Jacob's life with this circus. Sara Gruen spares no detail in chronicling the squalid, filthy, brutish circumstances in which he finds himself. The animals are mangy, underfed or fed rotten food, and abused. Jacob, once it becomes known that he has veterinary skills, is put in charge of the "menagerie" and all its ills. Uncle Al, the circus impresario, is a self-serving, venal creep who slaps people around because he can. August, the animal trainer, is a certified paranoid schizophrenic whose occasional flights into madness and brutality often have Jacob as their object. Jacob is the only person in the book who has a handle on a moral compass and as his reward he spends most of the novel beaten, broken, concussed, bleeding, swollen and hungover. He is the self-appointed Protector of the Downtrodden, and... he falls in love with Marlena, crazy August's wife. Not his best idea.
I feel like I already blogged about this one, but I can't find it, so sorry if it is a repeat. Both of my parents recommended this book. The description didn't have me hooked, but the story sure did. What a life on the circus! All the details of the big top were very interesting and the story line was fantastic, too. I love animals and could really related to Jacob's love for them, too. Excellent, quick read!
Defending Jacob by William Landay
Andy Barber has been an assistant district attorney in his suburban Massachusetts county for more than twenty years. He is respected in his community, tenacious in the courtroom, and happy at home with his wife, Laurie, and son, Jacob. But when a shocking crime shatters their New England town, Andy is blindsided by what happens next: His fourteen-year-old son is charged with the murder of a fellow student.
Every parental instinct Andy has rallies to protect his boy. Jacob insists that he is innocent, and Andy believes him. Andy must. He’s his father. But as damning facts and shocking revelations surface, as a marriage threatens to crumble and the trial intensifies, as the crisis reveals how little a father knows about his son, Andy will face a trial of his own—between loyalty and justice, between truth and allegation, between a past he’s tried to bury and a future he cannot conceive.
This was an excellent, suspenseful gut-wrenching book. I was on the edge of my seat constantly trying to figure out the murder mystery the entire time. And the end absolutely blew me away! A must read if you like mysteries!
Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
A young girl. A fateful key. A woman searching for the truth…
Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten-year-old girl, is taken with her parents by the French police as they go door to door arresting Jewish families in the middle of the night. Desperate to protect her younger brother, Sarah locks him in a bedroom cupboard—their secret hiding place—and promises to come back for him as soon as they are released.
Sixty Years Later: Sarah’s story intertwines with that of Julia Jarmond, an American journalist investigating the roundup. In her research, Julia stumbles onto a trail of secrets that link her to Sarah, and to questions about her own future.
I have mentioned how I love historical fiction and this is no exception. I really enjoyed how the book moved back and forth between 1942 and 2002. The small piece of the Holocaust I had not previously heard of was also a great history lesson. Not quite the page-turner variety, but excellent story that I would highly recommend!
Shell Games by Kirk Russell
The discovery of thousands of empty abalone shells and two murdered divers sends Lieutenant John Marquez's poaching investigation in a new and very risky direction. Former DEA agent and now head of a special operations unit of the California Department of Fish and Game, Marquez learns he himself has been targeted as the next victim. Stalking him is Kline, a vicious drug smuggler turned abalone poacher who has a vendetta against Marquez. John Marquez is supposed to protect wildlife, not solve murders, but the only way he can break the multi-million-dollar abalone-smuggling ring, as well as save his own life, is to find and stop Kline. A fast-paced crime novel set along the majestic Northern California coastline, Shell Games introduces a tough, complex, and appealing hero and a masterful new series.
The setting was a little strange to me. I felt it a bit strange that abalone poaching would be a serious, crime-filled problem. I didn't do any research to see if it truly is, but I guess anything is possible these days. The mystery of the crimes kept me going in this book. I enjoy suspense and trying to figure out whodunnit, but different setting would have got me into the book a bit more. I don't write it off completely. It was a good read, just nothing like the above two or the series I'm reading now.
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Jacob Jankowski says: "I am ninety. Or ninety-three. One or the other." At the beginning of Water for Elephants, he is living out his days in a nursing home, hating every second of it. His life wasn't always like this, however, because Jacob ran away and joined the circus when he was twenty-one. It wasn't a romantic, carefree decision, to be sure. His parents were killed in an auto accident one week before he was to sit for his veterinary medicine exams at Cornell. He buried his parents, learned that they left him nothing because they had mortgaged everything to pay his tuition, returned to school, went to the exams, and didn't write a single word. He walked out without completing the test and wound up on a circus train. The circus he joins, in Depression-era America, is second-rate at best. With Ringling Brothers as the standard, Benzini Brothers is far down the scale and pale by comparison.
Water for Elephants is the story of Jacob's life with this circus. Sara Gruen spares no detail in chronicling the squalid, filthy, brutish circumstances in which he finds himself. The animals are mangy, underfed or fed rotten food, and abused. Jacob, once it becomes known that he has veterinary skills, is put in charge of the "menagerie" and all its ills. Uncle Al, the circus impresario, is a self-serving, venal creep who slaps people around because he can. August, the animal trainer, is a certified paranoid schizophrenic whose occasional flights into madness and brutality often have Jacob as their object. Jacob is the only person in the book who has a handle on a moral compass and as his reward he spends most of the novel beaten, broken, concussed, bleeding, swollen and hungover. He is the self-appointed Protector of the Downtrodden, and... he falls in love with Marlena, crazy August's wife. Not his best idea.
I feel like I already blogged about this one, but I can't find it, so sorry if it is a repeat. Both of my parents recommended this book. The description didn't have me hooked, but the story sure did. What a life on the circus! All the details of the big top were very interesting and the story line was fantastic, too. I love animals and could really related to Jacob's love for them, too. Excellent, quick read!
6.21.2012
Breakfast Al Fresco
Several weeks ago we purchased a child sized table and chairs at a garage sale for $5! Aria loves her table that is "just her size" and it was fun to have when we had several friends with little people over. Recently, Aria requests to eat at her table for many of our meals. Other than the wicked hot temperatures, I figured breakfast al fresco is always a good thing!
6.19.2012
Mississippi River Museum
If you aren't signed up for things like Groupon, Here's the Deal, and TownWild, you should be! There are a lot of deals I don't begin to consider, but every once in awhile there is a great deal for a cool place. A few months ago, my mom and I both bought one for half price to the Mississippi River Museum. We went last Saturday and had a great time. I had been one other time several years ago with my Masters program, but no one else had been. We got to see all kinds of river life including fish, turtles, otters, snakes, alligators, ducks, and more. We got to see this eel-like creature that was starting to give birth and the Museum staff was trying to capture it to take it behind the scenes where a vet could observe it. We went on the old dredge boat, saw a 4D movie about dolphins (Aria wasn't too sure about the dolphins squirting her), pet a turtle, drove mini-boats, and climbed on a big fish statue. Overall it was an excellent visit and I would recommend people of all ages to visit! There truly is something for everyone.
The fish statue. You could go in on the other side and see the insides of a fish. We said we were like Jonah inside the big fish!
Driving the mini-boats!
This child did not inherit her mother's fear of snakes. Yes, I know it is fake, but I wouldn't touch it.
This was a cool aquarium with a bubble so you could "be inside the tank."
My favorite part of the day...the otters! These weren't too lively when we watched them, but I sure love them. My mom wants to see one in the wild while kayaking. That would be mega-cool!
Aria's favorite part of the place was definitely the River Works. This was a kid-friendly room full of water tables to play in. This picture doesn't show it well, but they had these cool aprons you could wear to avoid getting soaked and then all sorts of boats, water wheels and other fun things to play with. It was a good thing we discovered it near lunch otherwise I'm not sure we ever would have got her away from it!
6.17.2012
Daddy is...
Thanks to a great suggestion from a friend, Aria and I did a fun activity for Daddy for Father's Day. I asked her some questions about Daddy and here are her responses:
I put her responses in a frame with some pictures of them and it brought a big smile to Daddy's face! While some of her answers are spot on, others are obviously her choices. I think it will be fun to look back at as she gets older and do again in a few years to see how her answers change.
Happy Father's Day, Justin! We are so lucky to have you leading our family in love!
Daddy’s favorites are:
Color – Blue
Food – Mac ‘n cheese
Dessert – Strawberry Ice Cream
Animal – Horsey
Team – Duke
Sport – Football
Song – Jesus Loves Me
TV Show – Elmo
Book – Goodnight Moon
Daddy is...
Food – Mac ‘n cheese
Dessert – Strawberry Ice Cream
Animal – Horsey
Team – Duke
Sport – Football
Song – Jesus Loves Me
TV Show – Elmo
Book – Goodnight Moon
Daddy is...
4
years old
6 pounds
Tall
Black-haired
Green-eyed
Other random facts include:
6 pounds
Tall
Black-haired
Green-eyed
Other random facts include:
He
likes to ride in an airplane
He says, “eee eee eee”
He works with Aunt Teran
His job is to mow
He wants to visit Hy Vee
He says, “eee eee eee”
He works with Aunt Teran
His job is to mow
He wants to visit Hy Vee
Most of all, Aria would
like to go to Best Buy with Daddy and do puzzles!
I put her responses in a frame with some pictures of them and it brought a big smile to Daddy's face! While some of her answers are spot on, others are obviously her choices. I think it will be fun to look back at as she gets older and do again in a few years to see how her answers change.
Happy Father's Day, Justin! We are so lucky to have you leading our family in love!
6.15.2012
The Letter S
It's so nice to have a letter that is the beginning of so many things! S is for summer and swinging, swimming and slides! Yipee!
Bible: We read about Samson, Samuel, King Saul, and the snake. Samson was totally new to Aria and it was fun to introduce a new character. If nothing else, these letters of the week make us find new things in the Bible. Aria new the story of Samuel's birth, but we read more about his life and his connection to David.
Activities: As I indicated above, I didn't have to plan much of anything to have fun with the letter S. Aria would spend all day every day swinging if she could. She also enjoys slides, her swimming pool, and the sprinkler (sort of).
As much as she enjoys watching our big sprinkler, I couldn't get her to run through it. Only when I turned this smaller one on very low did she finally start to play. I've yet to take a picture of the soccer goals in our yard thanks to a cool idea from our friend Eadie. So far, Aria picks up the ball, puts it directly in front of the goal, then kicks it through. We'll work on no hands later. Can't forget the fun scooter from Grandma and Papa, either! We made snickerdoodle cookies together, which was more fun than regular cookies have been because you get to roll the dough ball in cinnamon/sugar. Aria especially liked that part. We made a visit to a splash pad with Grandma. We also got to have our friend Sophia and her family come over during S week!
People We Know: Sophia, Grandma Shirley, Sheena, Sue, Spencer, Stacey, Steve, Pastor Seth, Shari, Snuffy, Skip, Sammy, and Sally
Food: strawberries, snack bar, strawberry ice cream, (pizza) sauce, sausage, salsa, Snickers, smoothies (with a straw), snickerdoodles, sunflower seeds, sandwich, shrimp scampi, snow pea pods, spaghetti pie, Special K Blueberry cereal, steak, syrup, spinach
Pictures to Color: star, socks, strawberry, squirrel
Books: Suryia and Roscoe, Squirrels, Squirrel's Adventure in Alphabet Town, It's a Baby Australian Fur Seal
Songs: Frosty the Snowman...a strange request in the middle of summer, but then again she is 2. I had to look up the words but now I know it by heart! I'm sure there are a ton more, but that is the only one I remember singing that sort of starts with S.
Bible: We read about Samson, Samuel, King Saul, and the snake. Samson was totally new to Aria and it was fun to introduce a new character. If nothing else, these letters of the week make us find new things in the Bible. Aria new the story of Samuel's birth, but we read more about his life and his connection to David.
Activities: As I indicated above, I didn't have to plan much of anything to have fun with the letter S. Aria would spend all day every day swinging if she could. She also enjoys slides, her swimming pool, and the sprinkler (sort of).
As much as she enjoys watching our big sprinkler, I couldn't get her to run through it. Only when I turned this smaller one on very low did she finally start to play. I've yet to take a picture of the soccer goals in our yard thanks to a cool idea from our friend Eadie. So far, Aria picks up the ball, puts it directly in front of the goal, then kicks it through. We'll work on no hands later. Can't forget the fun scooter from Grandma and Papa, either! We made snickerdoodle cookies together, which was more fun than regular cookies have been because you get to roll the dough ball in cinnamon/sugar. Aria especially liked that part. We made a visit to a splash pad with Grandma. We also got to have our friend Sophia and her family come over during S week!
People We Know: Sophia, Grandma Shirley, Sheena, Sue, Spencer, Stacey, Steve, Pastor Seth, Shari, Snuffy, Skip, Sammy, and Sally
Food: strawberries, snack bar, strawberry ice cream, (pizza) sauce, sausage, salsa, Snickers, smoothies (with a straw), snickerdoodles, sunflower seeds, sandwich, shrimp scampi, snow pea pods, spaghetti pie, Special K Blueberry cereal, steak, syrup, spinach
Pictures to Color: star, socks, strawberry, squirrel
Books: Suryia and Roscoe, Squirrels, Squirrel's Adventure in Alphabet Town, It's a Baby Australian Fur Seal
Songs: Frosty the Snowman...a strange request in the middle of summer, but then again she is 2. I had to look up the words but now I know it by heart! I'm sure there are a ton more, but that is the only one I remember singing that sort of starts with S.
6.14.2012
We Went to the Zoo!
We went with some really awesome people--several families from our ABF!
Aria's favorite were the elephants!
Her other favorite was feeding the giraffe salad...
...and seeing the one week old baby!
She also fed the swan, fish
and sheep!
She loved the 'merry-go-round' so much she cried when she had to get off!
It was a super fun, hot day definitely worth the money and the drive.
6.13.2012
Insurance
I had to browse our book-o-insurance the other day for a different matter and I decided to look up our coverage for infertility. Justin has a different job than when we went through in vitro and therefore different insurance. Same result. Of course it isn't covered. When I went to the infertility/fertility section, I learned that insurance covers whatever kind of preventative measures a couple wants to take, but not any in vitro or other process. Vasectomy, tubal ligation, birth control, all insurance covered options. So, apparently it is okay to NOT want to have a baby, but it is not okay to WANT to have a baby. This just really irritates me. I know there is an argument of choice and a non-necessary procedure, but shouldn't it be the same for a vasectomy or tubal ligation? Why are they necessary? I'm sure there are other arguments of success rates and those whose practices are not appropriate, but really when it comes down to it, it is probably a financial thing. Urgh! I got it off my chest and I can move on now. Maybe.
6.10.2012
Puzzles
Recently Aria has taken a new liking to puzzles. Several months ago she loved doing the large piece puzzles with knobs and a specific spot for the piece to go. But those got too easy, yet she was still frustrated with the interlocking puzzles. All of a sudden something clicked and she understands how to put the interlocking ones together. She is so thrilled with herself when she gets a piece in the right spot and cheers when the whole puzzle is done. Then, she wants to go it all over again. It doesn't matter to her if she does the same puzzle several times in a row. Lucky for her, Daddy absolutely loves doing puzzles, too. I see this as a frequent Daddy/Daughter activity for many years to come. I love seeing that switch go on and a new skill learned. I've said it before and I will continue to say it over and over again. Watching my daughter's development is quite possibly the coolest thing on the planet!
Can't beat that proud smile! And, in a rare occasion, she actually wanted to pose for a picture!
6.08.2012
Say Cheese
6.07.2012
11/22/63 by Stephen King
Talk about a book right up my alley! For those of you who don't know, 11/22/63 is the day President John F Kennedy was assassinated. I am a history kind of girl and I especially enjoy historical fiction novels. There's the first thumb up. The other piece of this book involves time travel from the present back to the late 1950s, which fulfills my other love of fantasy/sci-fi. Two gigantic thumbs up!
When I first saw the book was by Stephen King, I was a little hesitant because I associate him with horror, but that is not all he writes. And this was definitely not horror. Sure, there were some horrible things, specifically an assassination, but not the horror genre. It was very well written, which I thought was to be expected given King's long record of best-selling novels. The thing I like best about a book is when I can put myself in the character's shoes and feel like I am a part of the plot. I love it when I get so wrapped up in a book, I have to give myself a big reality check when I come up from reading it. Even after I finished this book, I still found myself thinking about the main character and hoping things for him. Man I love it when a story grips me like that...as long as I remember to come back to reality! Oh, and the icing on the cake, the main character is a teacher. Nothing like my two favorite genres and the calling of my heart all thrown into one book!
The book starts in 2011, at the end of a school year in Maine. Jake Epping is a divorced man in his mid-thirties. He is friends with a local diner owner who asks him to come see something. Al shows him a time travel portal that will take him back to 1958. Al has this grand idea to use the portal to stop JFK's assassination. He tried to do it himself, but acquired lung cancer and wasn't going to make it from 1958 to 1963 to be able to stop it. So, he convinces Jake to do it. The portal always takes the person to the same moment in time in 1958. A person can go in, change history, and come back to 2011 just two minutes later, 2011 time. Of course, the person ages and changes during the time spent in the past. However, every time someone enters the portal, all the history is reset. So, if you go in once, change a few things, come back to 2011, then decide to go in again, all the things you previously changed reset.
During Al's time in 1958-1963 he took obsessive notes about Lee Harvey Oswald (JFK's assassin) and had a plan to stop him. His health just didn't let him do it. So, Jake could go in using all of Al's work and hopefully carry out the deed. The catch is, there is a lot of down time between 1958 and 1963. There are a few other lives the men try to save and help, there is a love story (of course), and there is a lot of detail about Oswald. I was fascinated by the whole story. It is long and there are a few parts where I got a little bored of the Oswald details, but not enough to make me put it down. I stayed up many nights way too late because I just had to know what would happen next. This easily ranks very high on my list of favorite books. Of course, it hit the perfect niche for me, but it is so well written, I'm sure people who enjoy many different types of genres would like it. I definitely recommend it!
When I first saw the book was by Stephen King, I was a little hesitant because I associate him with horror, but that is not all he writes. And this was definitely not horror. Sure, there were some horrible things, specifically an assassination, but not the horror genre. It was very well written, which I thought was to be expected given King's long record of best-selling novels. The thing I like best about a book is when I can put myself in the character's shoes and feel like I am a part of the plot. I love it when I get so wrapped up in a book, I have to give myself a big reality check when I come up from reading it. Even after I finished this book, I still found myself thinking about the main character and hoping things for him. Man I love it when a story grips me like that...as long as I remember to come back to reality! Oh, and the icing on the cake, the main character is a teacher. Nothing like my two favorite genres and the calling of my heart all thrown into one book!
The book starts in 2011, at the end of a school year in Maine. Jake Epping is a divorced man in his mid-thirties. He is friends with a local diner owner who asks him to come see something. Al shows him a time travel portal that will take him back to 1958. Al has this grand idea to use the portal to stop JFK's assassination. He tried to do it himself, but acquired lung cancer and wasn't going to make it from 1958 to 1963 to be able to stop it. So, he convinces Jake to do it. The portal always takes the person to the same moment in time in 1958. A person can go in, change history, and come back to 2011 just two minutes later, 2011 time. Of course, the person ages and changes during the time spent in the past. However, every time someone enters the portal, all the history is reset. So, if you go in once, change a few things, come back to 2011, then decide to go in again, all the things you previously changed reset.
During Al's time in 1958-1963 he took obsessive notes about Lee Harvey Oswald (JFK's assassin) and had a plan to stop him. His health just didn't let him do it. So, Jake could go in using all of Al's work and hopefully carry out the deed. The catch is, there is a lot of down time between 1958 and 1963. There are a few other lives the men try to save and help, there is a love story (of course), and there is a lot of detail about Oswald. I was fascinated by the whole story. It is long and there are a few parts where I got a little bored of the Oswald details, but not enough to make me put it down. I stayed up many nights way too late because I just had to know what would happen next. This easily ranks very high on my list of favorite books. Of course, it hit the perfect niche for me, but it is so well written, I'm sure people who enjoy many different types of genres would like it. I definitely recommend it!
6.06.2012
The Letter R
Rrrrr you sure you can keep up with this letter of the week stuff when it is summer and activities are outside? That was the question I asked myself last Friday when I realized I hadn't even thought about an activity for R week. Oh well.
Bible: We read about Rachel and Rebekah in the Bible last week. Aria is excited about stories with babies in them lately, so she was especially fond of when it talked about those women's babies. We also read about Ruth.
Activities: We had a lunch date at Red Robin with our friend Robin and she brought this awesome bag full of R objects! Aria was in Robin's MOPS room this past year and now that it is over, she doesn't get to hang out with her, so it was fun to connect! And, Robin had so many cool things with her to play with like a radio, rooster, red crayon, ruler, rug, rabbit, rose, remote, and more! We also did a lot of reading (but we do that anyway). Oh, and we ran around outside!
People We Know: Robin, Ryan P, Ryan H, Rebecca, Roo
Food: Ritz crackers, raspberries, radish, Reeses, raisins, rotini, roast beef, rice krispies, rice, raisin bran, ranch--quite possibly her favorite food
Pictures to Color: rocket, rainbow, ring, robot
Books: Ruthy the Rabbit, Rosie the River Otter, Ricky the Raccoon, Rudy the Robin, Robins: Songbirds of Spring, Rudy the Rhinoceros, Raccoon's Adventure in Alphabet Town, Rabbits
Songs: Ring Around the Rosy---the long time favorite!
Bible: We read about Rachel and Rebekah in the Bible last week. Aria is excited about stories with babies in them lately, so she was especially fond of when it talked about those women's babies. We also read about Ruth.
Activities: We had a lunch date at Red Robin with our friend Robin and she brought this awesome bag full of R objects! Aria was in Robin's MOPS room this past year and now that it is over, she doesn't get to hang out with her, so it was fun to connect! And, Robin had so many cool things with her to play with like a radio, rooster, red crayon, ruler, rug, rabbit, rose, remote, and more! We also did a lot of reading (but we do that anyway). Oh, and we ran around outside!
People We Know: Robin, Ryan P, Ryan H, Rebecca, Roo
Food: Ritz crackers, raspberries, radish, Reeses, raisins, rotini, roast beef, rice krispies, rice, raisin bran, ranch--quite possibly her favorite food
Pictures to Color: rocket, rainbow, ring, robot
Books: Ruthy the Rabbit, Rosie the River Otter, Ricky the Raccoon, Rudy the Robin, Robins: Songbirds of Spring, Rudy the Rhinoceros, Raccoon's Adventure in Alphabet Town, Rabbits
Songs: Ring Around the Rosy---the long time favorite!
6.05.2012
The Letter Q
I actually wasn't intimidated by Q. I knew there wouldnt' be much, but there was enough to have a little fun!
Bible: I don't know of anything in the Bible that starts with Q. I'm sure there is something, but I didn't find it.
Activities: We made a quilt! No sewing involved, just some construction paper, crayons, stickers, and tape. It was fun!
We also practiced being quick, asking questions, and put several quarters in her piggy bank. It seems like I did something else with the quarters, but I don't remember it now.
People We Know: I actually know a couple Quinns, but Aria doesn't.
Food: We ate quesadillas. I thought about trying Quinoa or making a Quiche. I knew Aria wouldn't like the quiche because she doesn't like scrambled eggs. I just didn't buy the quinoa because I've been buying too many letter of the week foods and then wasting half the package once that letter is over.
Pictures to Color: quarter, queen, quilt, question mark
Books: Quarterback's Adventure in Alphabet Town, My 'q' Sound Box, Quiet! Aria loved the Quiet book! It was about a daddy lion trying to quiet down the jungle for baby lion's nap. Super cute and she followed along very closely every time we read. Even knew what was coming next at the end!
Songs: I don't know any Q songs off the top of my head, either!
Bible: I don't know of anything in the Bible that starts with Q. I'm sure there is something, but I didn't find it.
Activities: We made a quilt! No sewing involved, just some construction paper, crayons, stickers, and tape. It was fun!
We also practiced being quick, asking questions, and put several quarters in her piggy bank. It seems like I did something else with the quarters, but I don't remember it now.
People We Know: I actually know a couple Quinns, but Aria doesn't.
Food: We ate quesadillas. I thought about trying Quinoa or making a Quiche. I knew Aria wouldn't like the quiche because she doesn't like scrambled eggs. I just didn't buy the quinoa because I've been buying too many letter of the week foods and then wasting half the package once that letter is over.
Pictures to Color: quarter, queen, quilt, question mark
Books: Quarterback's Adventure in Alphabet Town, My 'q' Sound Box, Quiet! Aria loved the Quiet book! It was about a daddy lion trying to quiet down the jungle for baby lion's nap. Super cute and she followed along very closely every time we read. Even knew what was coming next at the end!
Songs: I don't know any Q songs off the top of my head, either!
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