First Day of School

Today we officially started kindergarten! (Well, I'm calling it kindergarten, but it's actually a combination of K and pre-K for Nicholas.) Here's our curriculum:

• Lessons from Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons
• Handwriting Without Tears
• Developing Number Concepts by Kathy Richardson

We'll be doing one to two sight words per week, BOB books, Bible verses, and seasonal thematic social studies and science. We're also planning monthly field trips and holiday parties with another homeschool family from church!

Here are some photos taken this morning. (You'll notice the pajamas- I've found that doing the schoolwork immediately after breakfast is the way to go with Nicholas. Our goal is to work for about an hour per day, so we'll usually finish by 9:00!)







Reading his first BOB book!














Practicing handwriting in shaving cream (Saturday) was not neat, despite my attempt to contain it to a baking sheet!

Growing Boys

Just a quick update- it seems the boys are changing and growing so quickly!

Nicholas now has a chore chart on the refrigerator with four tasks that he must complete each day:

• Make his bed
• Take out the recycling
• Help clear the table after meals
• Pick up his room

He is very excited about his daily jobs, and if I offer to help him with one, he says, "No, I can do it myself!"

We also completed the reading of his first chapter book recently. It was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and he loved having Chris and I read to him a bit of it each day. Now we're enjoying Charlotte's Web.

Daniel is on the fast track to being potty trained! (At least, I'm hoping he's on the fast track!) He will use his little potty almost every time I put him on it, and even tells me when he has to go sometimes. We went out yesterday and bought Thomas the Train and Sesame Street underpants for him to wear while we're at home.

While Chris and I were in Aruba, our moms taught him to go into time-out! Unfortunately, he usually needs to do so a few times each day. Thanks, Moms, for showing that he is capable of something I didn't think he could do yet!

Portraits

Above are our latest portraits. I was happy to get some good ones of the boys together since Daniel was so uncooperative last time around, and I only got individuals of Nicholas. Daniel is going to be two in a week, and I thought it would be fun to upload a pic of him last July, just before his first b-day. (Compare the photos with black backgrounds.)
What a difference in one year! To our chagrin, he is getting to be less and less baby-like every day...

Aruba

Five years later, and we were back in Aruba last week! A lot has changed for us since 2004! We had a wonderful time, despite missing the boys, especially towards the end of the week. (A big thanks to our dear moms for coming up to VA to care for them while we were away!)

Our adventures in Aruba included Chris getting "stung" by a sea urchin. He had to pull out the long black quills and, following a native's advice, pour vinegar into the wound. Fortunately, it didn't slow him down for long.

We did lots of snorkeling, having brought our own gear this time around. The number of beautiful fish down there always amazes us, and reminds me of Psalm 104: "How many are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you made them all...there is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number..."

We thought we may have seen a barracuda down there one day, but after looking at some photos online, I'm relieved to say that it probably wasn't one after all.

We had some awesome dinners, read lots and lots of books, and got decent suntans while there. Also, we rented a car this time around, which allowed us to explore other parts of the island. If you need a chuckle, check out the photo of Chris with our orange Picanto!

"Our" Island- well actually, our hotel's!

Brave Chris- petting an iguana!

California Lighthouse

Our rental car was eye-catching, to say the least

the harbor- near our hotel

Summer Fun

Fourth of July Ice Cream Treat

SLIP-N-SLIDE!

Swimming Lessons

We've had a wonderful summer so far! Above are pics of Nicholas learning to write letters (L was his first!), D and N playing in the yard with sprinklers and slip-n-slide, enjoying ice cream, and most recently, battling with light sabers (a gift from our kind neighbors who insist on spoiling the boys and bringing them gifts each time they take a trip!). Hope your summer is just as fun!

May and June

Nicholas playing on his "computer" on the bed as Bumblebee and Iron Man watch

Strawberry picking

Eating ice cream cones on the deck

Ahhh....May and June, two of my favorite months, have passed so quickly! Here are updates on the boys, including recent "funnies:"

Nicholas: At the beginning of May, Nicholas was petrified of the water. We signed him up for swimming lessons at the Y, but he literally screamed each time he had to get into the pool. After about six classes, his comfort level increased, and he started to get in willingly, but had not come close to being able to swim on his own. We decided to sign him up for another round of lessons. Just last week, he started to put his head under the water. On Saturday, he had a breakthrough. Chris took him to our neighborhood pool, and after a couple of hours with Dad, he came home saying, "I can swim!" Yep, no floaties or anything! We are so proud him!

Here are some Nicholas funnies:

• "Mom, can I have some sand appetizer?" (If he hadn't been pointing to the hand sanitizer on the counter, I doubt I could have figured this one out.)

• Bev: Father's Day is coming up! Nicholas: When's it going to be Boy's Day?

• "Dad, you're a nice dad AND a nice engineer." (patting Chris' back)

• "I like my brother, and he likes me, too!"

Daniel: We have entered the "terrible twos!" Screams of "NO!" are a frequent part of D's speech. Running away while laughing hysterically is another daily occurrence. If anyone out there has a solution to the running problem, PLEASE, I beg you, fill me in.

On the positive side, Daniel's vocabulary is growing by leaps and bounds- we'd estimate somewhere around 200 words now. It's so amazing to hear him speak and communicate.

He also has a little sense of humor. Anytime we are in the car and he wants to make us laugh, he'll say, "Arby's? McDonald's?" He first said this in the car when we were on the way home from dinner out one night. We had literally just eaten, and the kid was asking to go to McDonald's. Naturally, we burst out laughing at the idea that he could still be hungry. So, now he says it randomly to get laughs.

Another common phrase is "Yummy cake!" This could be said after he tastes anything from toothpaste to a hamburger. Guess it means he likes what he's eating!

Glorious Spring!

This is what I saw when I opened Daniel's bedroom door yesterday morning. Apparently, Nicholas had gotten up, heard his brother awake, and decided to go on in and keep him company! (No complaints here, especially when it allowed us a few more minutes of precious shut-eye.)



More fun at Busch Gardens... We started taking swimsuits so that the boys could play in the water areas there.



This is how the boys stay busy while Chris is out working in the yard. What great helpers! (BTW, these are from a few weeks ago. The woods are completely green and filled in now.)

Daniel sure is strong!

Here is a quick update on the boys themselves:

Nicholas- At his four-year visit, Nicholas weighed about 40 lbs, and is 41 inches tall. This puts him in the 90th percentile for weight and the 75th for height!
We have been learning one new letter from the alphabet each week since the fall, and are now on letter Z! Nicholas is really interested in words, letter sounds, and reading signs. He also likes to count, but we still need to work on number identification.

Recently, I've been reminded that he still craves one-on-one time with me and/or Chris. Since he naps only occasionally now, I try to use part of Daniel's nap time to play games with him and spend time together. A few days ago, we were having a great time playing when I heard Daniel waking up in his room. I said, "Oh, we better go get Daniel!" and Nicholas followed me into his bedroom. We saw D. sitting up in his crib, but Nicholas quickly said, "He's still sleeping! Close the door and let's go play some more!"

Daniel- Daniel now weighs almost 30 lbs! He loves to run around, so he's lost some of those "baby rolls" on his legs, but still has plenty of chubbiness to cuddle.
Daniel is quite taken with trucks, trains, and cars lately. He really enjoys playing at the train table and watching for "diggers" and bulldozers when we are driving around.
He is also quite the chatterbox. On a recent drive, he kept a constant stream of chatter going that sounded something like this: "Hi, digger! Bye-bye digger. Ice cream truck! Ice cream truck! NO! No no no NO! NOT me! My turn. MY TURN. Stop it, honey. Hi mail truck. I like diggers. Bulldozer..." You get the idea. The funny thing is that no one said a word to him during this monologue.

We hope you're having a wonderful spring! Love, Chris, Beverly, and the Boys