Photo of The Week

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Look at those two.  It doesn't get much cuter than that. 

That's baby boy Ben and Jubbles the Claire...see what I did there...

I love two babies together.  They are always so fascinated with one another.  From the moment these two met they have been lovey doveys.  Claire used to crawl onto Ben when he was still back bound and would kick her legs up and down behind her with excitement.  She loved to give him kisses.  

When Ben was just starting to move around, he got her back.  He would grab her and kiss her.  He even kind of tackled her a couple times.  He would just pin her and give this amazingly huge smile.  I've never seen anything like this kids smile.

And this visit was no different except for the fact that they haven't seen each other in a while and a lot has changed.  Claire walks very well and Ben is just starting to.  Claire would squeal with excitement when Ben would get going and he was so gentle when would touch her face and hair.

They played and played together.  At one point I caught a stare down and then a giggle.  They were so sweet together.  

I already had my photo of the week post written and ready but when my friend and her boys decided to crash my afternoon...YAY!...the pictures I got were just too much for me to pass up.

That's right...boys.  We had four little kiddos running around.  Grace, Claire, Jake and Ben...and I think Ben took his very first solo steps to mommy!  That was exciting.

And even though this is the "Photo" of the week...I can't help but share a few others from our visit...

Jake, smiling.  He's so active and busy...

Claire and Ben playing on the computer... 

Jake and Grace playing in the dirt and having an absolute blast.  At one point they were sitting right next to each other working together to fill a bucket and quietly talking to each other.  So cute.

Look at that cuteness!

Oh, that smile.  It just kills me.  And boy does he loves his Momma!

Everyone played together so nicely.  It was so much fun.

A little platter of our finest meats and cheeses.  Jake kept feeding Claire and it was very serious work.  He kept saying, "Care like cheese....I do too."

Such a fun afternoon.  It was definitely the icing on the cake for my day.  

Thank you Jen for sharing your friendship and your family with mine. ♥ 

Until next time...

Linked up to... 

The Hollie Rogue

McDougall Photography

The Long Road to China

Fall Stew: Preschool, Nature and Seasons

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I started homeschooling Grace a few weeks ago and one of the biggies around here is outside playtime.  We are pretty home bound as we don't get to have the car during the day.  

...THIS HAS BEEN MISERABLE...

But, it's temporary.  So, in the meantime, I try to get the kids outside at least for an hour a day and I usually try to keep it educational.

I take my cues from Montessori for the most part, like properly presenting an activity or lesson...but this was completely random and off the top of my head.  However, it was a HUGE hit.

Introducing, Fall Stew.

First we gathered our materials.  To make Fall Stew you need:

Leaves of various shapes and sizes

Grass cuttings

Tree bark

Sticks

Water and Red Food Coloring

Cooking Supplies - pots, spoons, etc.

Doesn't that look appetizing?

We named the leaves.  There was one that kind of reminded me of rosemary.  We called one a bay leaf.  The sticks were deemed cinnamon sticks.  And as Grace was wafting the imaginary aromas into her little nose, she informed me that it wasn't quite ready.

So she stirred, and stirred.  She whisked and poured.  Sister sat by, watching very closely all that was happening.  Grace was very busy at work and this stew needed to be perfect.

Grace transferred water to the larger pot with the turkey baster...a favorite of hers.  She often asks why it doesn't have feathers.  *smile*

She examined the leaves and made exciting discoveries about each one, which I of course had to check out.  She loved the sieve and was quite intrigued with that for quite a while.

That face is what you call sweetness.

We talked about the leaves and why they weren't green anymore.  We talked about why there were so many leaves on the ground.  She tried to remember the number that she saw and then said, "There were a million-bagillion-trillion!"

It was very serious work as you can see.  And I don't think it was ever "ready", but they both had a great time.  We wound up being out there for almost three hours.  I eventually ran out of things to talk about and just let them both do their own thing while asking questions here and there throughout the rest of Grace's play.  

There's my big baby.  She was doing her "So Big" gesture, but to me she just looks like she's about to bust out some sick rhymes.

I loved this playtime we had.  So many lessons were learned through the simple act of playing.  Fresh air, smiling babies, amazing weather and a perfect pot of Fall Stew made this Momma and her babies very happy.

All the things Grace learned through play:

Measuring

Comparing

Patterns

Pretend/Imagination

Colors

Shapes

Counting

Sharing

Fine Motor Skills

Gross Motor Skills

Seasons

Nature

It was a lot...and it showed.  She took a three hour nap that day.

Until next time...