Tiny Talk Tuesday

We're using Starfall.com for language arts. I highly recommend their program for learning to read. David has really been enjoying it. Elizabeth also enjoys their ABC pages... now if she could just figure out how to use the mouse!

Here is David singing last week's verse, 1 Thessalonians 5:19. Song from Sing the Word: From A to Z, part of our Kindergarten home school curriculum from Sonlight.

A few days ago, I was whistling the catchy cantina song from Star Wars. David didn't want me to sing "his song" and came up with his own version. I have to admit, I was impressed with his ability to write lyrics on the fly!


We had another death in the family this week, this time my husband's grandpa. I explained to David & Elizabeth that PaPa loved Jesus, so his soul had gone to heaven. Elizabeth replied, "With Grandma?" Yes, my love.

She has a notebook of coloring pages and a wipe-off book that's for practicing handwriting. She calls it "my school work." She's so cute working in her books. Sometimes she traces the letters, sometimes she draws smiley faces, sometimes she just scribbles.

Rebekah says: Da-did! and she is in the process of cutting tooth #3 this week!

Tiny Talk Tuesday

Elizabeth: Mama, are we gonna ride in the hick-up?
Mom: Yes, dear, we're gonna ride in the pick-up.

She walked into the room where Dad was watching a video of railroad something & started: Is that my train???? I wanna see my train!!!
and then broke into song: Dinosaur Train, Dinosaur Trail, riiiiide the Dinosaur Train!!!



Here's this week's Wiggly Verse:

Tiny Talk Tuesday

It's been a while since I posted a video of the verses David is learning, so I've missed a few. He added the coordinating song this week.

Tiny Talk Tuesday

We've had a lot going on lately...

I made corn dogs one night. As David was trying to disassemble his, he said: I need the weenie out of the weenie protector.

We were in the car with Grandpa the other day. Gpa was listening to financial talk radio. On the way home from church Sunday, David said: You haven't lost any money unless you sell.
The guy wasn't advocating buy & hold, but did keep repeating that phrase! See, I was listening, too! Here's the last 2 verses I think I forgot to post:

On the way to a play date last week, Elizabeth said: We're gonna play with Colt. Colt is a boy. I love him.

Next, she tells me: I want to ride on the green tractor with Landon. We went to his 3rd birthday party, and he got a ride-on John Deere.

Elizabeth didn't want to miss out when I was taking the videos, so here's hers:


Rebekah turned 6-months old last week, too! Her check-up is today. She'll get her own special post, hopefully later today. Here she is hanging out with her peeps at our Sunday school party (she's on the far right):

Tiny Talk Tuesday

David's trucking along with his verses. He learned this one last week... or at least he memorized the words...

Mom: Our internet is down again. They said the tower went down in last night's storm.
David: The internet tower blew down in the storm! And then it got struck by lightning and burned up!
Huh... he sounds a little like tech support for coolaccess.net

David: Can I press on lego.com?
Mom: No, the internet is not working again.
David: Maybe Dr. Infergo built a giant robot that knocked the tower down.
Mom: You think so?
David: Yeah! Dr. Infergo has orange & black hair that glows in the dark.
Anybody know who he's talking about?

Oh, and yes, tech support's only "help" was to say, "Yeah, we have a lot of trouble with that tower." At least it was an honest answer this time.

Tiny Talk Tuesday

Last week's verse:

Sunday on the way to church, Elizabeth was singing in the back seat:
Daddies wear dresses - NOOOOO! Mommies wear dresses; they wear shirts...

David was pestering to get on lego.com and I kept saying no. Finally David spelled it out:
Can I click on l-e-g-o dot c-o-m?
Mom, spelling out the answer: N-o
David: What?
Mom: N-o is my answer.
David: How about...(thinking)... y......e?.....s
Mom: Wow, David!!! I am really proud of you for figuring out how to spell yes! That was really good! But the answer is still n-o.

School's On!

I watch my friends being sad today as they drop kids off at new schools for the first time. I know for a fact that if I was dropping off today, I'd be in tears right now, too. I teared up yesterday when I took David down a new hall to his new Kindergarten Sunday School class.

But today I'm not crying. We started homeschooling Kindergarten last week. I know it's not for everyone and that some would like to but simply can't. I am so thankful that I have this chance to be with my children, to shape their minds, to see them grasp new ideas, to help them succeed.

I posted our first day of school pics last week, but here's a brief summary of what we accomplished in our first week:

• We got to chapter 5 in The Boxcar Children
• We discovered that David may be left handed
• David learned why it's day on one side of the Earth and night on the other... in the bathroom, with the lights off, using a globe and a flashlight
  
• I learned that David is very good at sounding out new words
• David & Elizabeth memorized Romans 3:23
• We joined a homeschool co-op
• Dad taught one day
• And more!

And don't you just love EB's new play dress that Grana gave her?

It's been a while, huh?

OK, I know. It's been a week and I missed Tiny Talk Tuesday this week. The house is just about ready. It's been pretty thoroughly cleaned by me, I installed the closet shelving, cleaned the windows (with some help from Aunt Wee) and the painter has been doing touch-up work this week. The electrician was supposed to finish this week, but in his absence, Dad pretty much fired him by doing the work himself. Too bad Dad can't dig & install a septic system... That's about all we've got left.

Waiting...

We missed the last 3 weeks of Cubbies for various reasons, but made it this week. I was so proud of David! Not only was he well behaved the whole time, but he was able to recite all 4 Bible verses, catching up on all the ones he'd missed! He got his Hopper patch (which he actually earned the last week we were there, but the teacher was out of patches) and 2 of his path patches.

Saturday was a big day as we spent 5 hours birthday partying. And we didn't even make it to both parties we were invited to! We joined family & a bunch of 8- & 9-year old boys to celebrate D&E's cousin Alex's 9th birthday. There was a bounce house with an obstacle course & slide...

And David picked out Alex's birthday present - a set of "light savers." David could hardly wait for Alex to open them. Alex was very sweet to oblige his young cousin by engaging him in combat.

Then while getting ready for church today, I discovered that while I've been busy this week, my tummy has been growing! So here's a belly shot at 15 weeks with baby #3.

Aunt Sissy and Uncle Bubba have been bragging on their tomato crops. (Please, check out their links!) I thought I'd chip in with a tomato brag, too.

My husband is a bit of a chef (when he wants to). Apparently, a fire station he was at recently was staffed with a bunch of firefighting gourmets and one of them mentioned a recipe that sparked his interest. I had recently read about it myself: Insalata Caprese. And yes, it was tasty!

Sorry for the fuzzy picture. After the fact, I discovered a tiny little fingerprint on my camera lens! With a little twist, this would be the perfect treat for the adult table at your Halloween party!

We made it!

I survived another week of Cubbies with 15 preschoolers. Two more weeks...

Tonight, David said his last memory verse from the Cubbies workbook and earned his last patch. So, in the course of this school year, David has memorized all 24 Bible verses and 3 of the special occasion Bible verses, plus his Christmas passage.

You know, this took a lot of work! But I enjoyed doing it and I am thankful for the chance to be at home with him, teaching him the Word of God. I wonder what we'll work on this summer...

Tiny Talk Tuesday

We've been working on this little building for the last 3 days. We finally got it finished last night. David has been very anxious to be able to go inside. He was not disappointed!

David's Cubbies vest has been hanging in the bathroom this week and he's been trying to remember the verses that the A & C on the vest represent. With little prompting, he remembered:

All have sinned. Romans 3:23

Christ died for us according to the Scriptures. (a verse David combined from Romans 5:8 and I Corinthians 15:3)

Then I tried to explain in a way I thought a 3-year old might be able to understand, that Jesus died for our sins so that we could go to heaven and be with him. David pondered this, then asked, "Does he have his car there?"

Huh... I don't think Jesus needs a car...

Read more Tiny Talk over at Not Before 7.

Another Day of Christmas!

Today was another day of family Christmas; this time was Mom's side of the family. Grandpa & David read & recited the Christmas story from Luke 2 before opening presents:

Translation of David's part, in case you have trouble understanding him:

For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior who is Jesus Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign to you: you will find the baby wrapped in cloth, lying in a manger. Then the sky filled with angels singing, "Glory to God in the highest. Peace on Earth. Good will towards men."

Aunt Sissy has been busy crocheting hats & scarves!

Tiny Talk Tuesday

We watched Rudolph on TV last Tuesday night. At the end of the show, Santa is in the sleigh, flying in the sky with the elf dropping presents.
Mom: Do you see Santa?
David: Uh, huh. Santa is driving a skating helicopter.
Mom: That's called a sleigh.

I was watching The Lucy Show during lunch one day. Lucy was leading a boys choir in the 12 Days of Christmas. Later, David asked, "Can sing the 2 Turtles song?"

We sang the 12 Days of Christmas with Grandma & Grandpa Saturday night & David really enjoyed it, grown-ups bumbling over the words & all!

In the family bathroom at WM, David observed Elizabeth sitting in the basket part of the cart & started to get creative:
Once upon a time, Elizabeth was sitting in a basket...

David shows he's been paying attention to the little things we say. While playing one day this week, I heard him say, "Baby Jesus came to save the world."

Later in the week, he mixed it up a bit when he said, "Baby Jesus came to the North Place." (which is where we're going to be building our house - guess it's good to know Jesus has been there, too!)

David & Elizabeth have both been sick since Saturday night. Monday night we went to WM to get some more cough medicine & a vaporizer. On the way home, David started to spot & shout, "I see Christmas lights!"

Grandma commented that David sure has been talking a lot more lately. Seems like overnight they grow up. He's talking a lot more and hasn't had an accident in his underwear in several days!

Oh - he said something a few weeks ago that I forgot to document... Back up to Dad's graduation from fire academy & the bagpiper upsetting him so. Then on Thanksgiving Day, the commentators at the parade on TV were making reference to "The Big Guy" coming at the end of the parade.
David: The Big Guy is coming!
Mom: The Big Guy? Do you know who The Big Guy is?
David: Uh, huh! The Big Guy plays the bagpipes!

Finally, I never officially set out to teach him this verse, but I guess he picked it up in the many talks about obeying:

What will he think of next? See what more little ones have come up with this week at Not Before 7. If you haven't participated before, Mary's hosting a giveaway each week in December for Tiny Talk participants, why not join in?

Tiny Talk Tuesday

David's talking more & more as time goes by. I have found myself telling him to stop talking (at bedtime) or to be quiet ("inside voice"), but I have still never said I wish he didn't talk so much. It's still sweet music to my ears... even if it's too loud or way past bedtime!

David was in the bedroom one afternoon & started crying. I went to check on him & found him where I had seen Fluff, a large cat, sleeping earlier. I asked him if something was hurting?

David: Uh-huh

Mom: What hurts?

David: I hurt Fluff's teeth!

One day, David remembered an episode of Super Why:

David: Peter Piper

Mom: What did Peter Piper pick?

David: A shell.

As we prepared for MawMaw's 50th birthday party last weekend, David really got into it. He was animate about getting a package of spinning party favors and M&M cookies. When we were at the store, though, he saw a huge pink Mylar balloon in the shape of a crown that read, "Princess" in a pretty script. As soon as he saw it, he said, "Need the big pink balloon for Elizabeth!"

How sweet that he was thinking of his sister!

As he made laps through the kitchen one day, he repeated his Cubbies verse from a few weeks ago, "I am wonderfully made! I am wonderfully made! I am wonderfully made!" Lather, rinse, repeat.

.

Count your blessings this week. The tiny talkers in our houses are definitely something to be thankful for!

Read more Tiny Talk at Not Before 7.

MOPS & Cubbies Update

It certainly doesn't feel like fall around here, but I have been inspired by seeing all of my sister's pumpkin pictures lately... so here is my pumpkin picture! The jar mix of Pumpkin Mini Muffins was our craft Friday at my MOPS meeting. It was fun to be in kitchen mode with all of the other moms as we each made a jar mix. I'll post a picture of my pumpkin muffins after they're made & let you know how it goes!

Also, I am happy to report that David did manage the long Bible verse this week at Cubbies! He recited:

Give thanks to the Lord,

who made the great lights:

sun, moon, and stars!

I was so proud! And that earned him his first Lamb Path patch!

Tiny Talk Tuesday

Here we are for another installment of Tiny Talk Tuesday - noticing and remembering the cuteness all week long!

Some things about David absolutely amaze me. His musical ability for one thing! He can carry a tune so well, he can sing whatever words he wants to, but I can always recognize the melody. MawMaw got him a little toy guitar weekend before last and he has now started strumming it in rhythm with his songs! He also plays Grandpa's upright piano in rhythm with his songs and can match with his voice any note you play.

David also loves to count and is now working on his 30's, though his 30 and his 40 sound the same. We're working on his pronunciation. He also counted backwards the other day (from 8 if I remember correctly), without missing any! And now for a few quotes...

Grandma has a very straight scratch on her arm that has a scab on it. David saw it and said, "Ouchy, Number One." (it really does look like a 1)

While sitting on the potty the other day, he was distracted so in reminding him what we were in there for, I pointed into the potty, to which David replied, "I TT on your finger!" I guess he got a kick out of my reaction, and now he teases that he's going to TT on my foot, on the cat, etc... (teasing is another new skill)

Sorry if this grosses you out, but I was explaining to him why the cat had thrown up one day (cat's tummy hurt like when David was sick) and he decided that the stuff was called "cat tummy poop".

He had a little trouble pronouncing the word "everything" this week, but was able to do it by the time Cubbies came around. So, this week's memory verse that he recited:

He made everything beautiful.

Next week's verse is pretty long... I'll let you know how it goes.


This just in...

David was watching Sesame Street while I was typing this & he made some excited sound that Elmo just made... immediately followed by Elizabeth making the exact same sound! It sounded so much alike, that I had to ask Grandma if that second noise was Elizabeth or not!

Isn't she cute?!?

Aunt Sissy - Recognize that dress? That's the one that was sized 12 months, but that had to be wrong because it just barely fits her now!

Join in the fun of Tiny Talk Tuesday by heading over to Not Before 7 to see what others are saying!

Tiny Talk Tuesday

We've been working on learning manners...

David burps.
Mom: Say "excuse me" when you burp.
David: Excuse me when you burp.

>^..^<

David has learned the routine - when Elizabeth falls asleep while nursing, I put her in the swing for her nap. Now when he notices that she is asleep in my lap, and he wants to play with me, he says:

Mom, you put Elizabeth in the swing.

>^..^<

David earned his first patch for his vest in Cubbies last Wednesday! I was so proud! He recited the verse:

God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:1

>^..^<

This picture was taken this morning. Doesn't look like he was awake good, does it? : ) Sometimes I get caught up in the whining, crying, waiting beside the potty, changing diapers, etc and forget to take note of the cute things that are happening right under my nose. So I just wanted to say again how much I enjoy "Tiny Talk Tuesday" because it keeps me looking for cuteness all week long! See more Tiny Talk over at Not Before 7, where it all gets started.

So what cuteness did you see this week?

Cubbies: Week 2

David got his Cubbies Workbook and vest last night! He was so proud to get the vest just like Cubbie Bear wears. He even asked to wear it to bed! (no, I didn't let him because I knew that would require me getting up in the middle of the night to unbutton it!)

David recited the Cubbies theme verse:

God loved us and sent His son.

And the Cubbies motto:

Jesus Loves Me!