{iPhone Rewind} :: September

He found himself a little corner of his own...

Aiden had his 2 year check-up, and the twins got flu shots...they actually did really well and {mostly} wore their masks

She can be such a sweet and helpful big sister...she helped Aiden put on his socks and shoes!

We watched {or at least tried to watch} our friends Taylor and Kesley get married...and it's going to be awhile before we take these impatient crazies to an event in person haha

SO proud of their handprint flowers :)

Showing off their Creation Books from Toddler School

So my grandma got a cell phone, so we have been able to text with her and send her photos. Her caregiver snapped one of her smiling to send back! {a precious gift, as my grandma suffers from Dementia}

"Helping" Mommy

So excited about his new-to-him pajamas!

The boys hard at work in the yard

Excited that Uncle Michael came to visit! {Excuse my dirty window...we have 3 toddlers}

Playing so contently in her room

"Snuggle, Mama?"

We got to play with Grandma!!

Not sure how this is comfortable, but ok.

Anyone else's kids read books in strange places/positions?

Bottoms up! Had to drink 2 of these bad boys to prepare for a CT Scan. While not pleasant, the prep for a colonoscopy is much worse.

Maddie had a final check up from her eye surgery! Things are looking really good, though we are going to have to do some more patching to help with a small prescription. 

Does this look like a trash can to you? Apparently it does to my daughter...  

Afternoon ice cream instead of a nap? Aiden is all in :)

Toddler School :: Year 2!

We kicked off our second year of Toddler School this week! I had originally planned to start after Labor Day, but Eli kept asking about Toddler School, and I had everything ready...so a week early, it is! I'm sure we'll fall behind at some point, and I'll be glad to have the extra buffer week :)

This year, I decided to use the God's Little Explorers preschool curriculum. And I have to say that I am really impressed! The curriculum is set up to explore God's Word, highlighting a new Bible story every week, while also teaching the alphabet, numbers, and life skills, all while using books, crafts, science projects, songs, etc. There is SO much in this program! There is even a hymn, artist and composer track, which I am excited to introduce to the kiddos. Eli has really shown an interest in classical music, so I definitely want to foster that as much as I can.

There are a ton of ideas on her website, all available for free, but I went ahead and purchased the $20 curriculum, so I could have all the plans organized in one place. Less work for me on the front end. Plus, the proceeds go to fund the building of an orphanage in India. She has enough material and activities for a full 5-day week, but I picked out the lessons/activities that worked for us and our schedule {2 to 3 days a week}. The main focus of learning is for Eli and Maddie, but I can tailor a lot of things for Aiden as well, so even he will be able to participate and learn a thing or two! 

We did a little assessment yesterday, trying to get a baseline on what the kiddos already know. Eli and Maddie did really well {they have such GOOD memories!}, but now I have a better idea of what we need to focus on this year. And Aiden got a most of his colors right :)

And today we started our explorations and adventures! They were all excited to open their explorer kits, adorable outfits, and they loved "hunting" for treasure. Maddie was the only one that was on board for the whole cute outfit, and Aiden loved his hat {just didn't want to wear it for his official Toddler School photo}, but I hope the boys will get more into the explorer theme as the semester goes on. We will be exploring God's Word and world this semester, and I am looking forward to seeing what we can discover together!

I actually had a ton of fun planning this semester. It almost made me want to consider homeschooling when the time comes to it. Almost. I don't mind planning the curriculum...it's the teaching part that is more of my challenge. I know my limitations. But I do have to say that it's exciting that Eli and Maddie are excited about and ready for toddler school, and they have a little bit more attention span than last year. So we'll see how this goes! :)

What We Will Be Exploring This Fall

"X" Marks the Spot- God's Word is a Treasure

G is for Garden- Creation

A is for Apple- Adam and Eve

Z is for Zoo- Noah's Ark

T is for Tent- Abraham

C is for Colors- Joseph

I is for Insect- Moses

Q is for Quail- Moses, Manna and Quail

R is for Rocks- David & Goliath

K is for King- King David and King Solomon

F is for Fire- The Fiery Furnace

W is for Whale in the Water- Jonah

J is for Jesus- Birth of Jesus