What would you do if you caught Santa at your house?
What if Santa go stuck in your chimney?
Do you want it to snow on Christmas? Why or why not?
Have you been naughty or nice this year? Why?
If Santa asked you to fly in his sleigh, would you do it?
What is your favorite Christmas movie?
If you could chance the color of Rudolph's nose what color would you make it?
Sing me one Christmas Carol (then note which song they picked and how they sung it. This could be funny because kids are always mixing up lyrics!).
Nikolai: 1. Um... ( 2. walking dinosaur bones 3. give him cookies 4. help him 5. yes, because I would like it snowing so we can throw snowballs and make a snowman. I haven't even done those things! 6. nice, because I love my friends and because my birthday is coming up! 7. yes 8. ninja turtles and Christmas 9. brown, because it's my favorite color 10. frosty the snowman, frosty the snowman, frosty the snowman.... (repeat for infinity lol)... Samara: 1. raphael purple and pink 2. pink present 3. give him my present 4. I don't know 5. yeah, because I throw snowballs at Kiera 6. good, because I want a candy 7. yeah! 8. 9. Leave it red 10.
I have not posted in a long while! I've been lucky to get through day to day! This thanksgiving, as the kids and I discuss the holiday we are also talking about being thankful for what we have and what we are given. Especially since the start of school, attempting to introduce my middle to letters (I think we are going to wait and focus on other things, like this), and the baby needing much attention and rarely sleeping, having the visual reminder of things we are thankful for is so important. The kids and I need it (ok, maybe mostly me), and it's been fun!
I did a simple 'kids thankful craft' search. There are so many ideas on pinterest for thankful trees, displays, banners, and even jars! I've decided to go with a banner, writing what we are thankful for on leaves printed from here done like what was done here.
But before we got started with the leaves, I needed an introduction. Teacher me coming out here. They really have no frame of reference for the Thanksgiving dinner. I don't think I have really talked about it with them directly. And if I did, they most likely do not remember. Especially my middle, after all she is only 3!
I reserved a lot of books from the library. Some that we have been using are: (each book is linked)
It's been a fun. We have been talking about:
-The First Thanksgiving and how the pilgrims were thankful for the help when they needed it
-How to be thankful when you don't have much and are given something (even when it might not bee what you specifically want) <-- This one is because we have a hard time with that, just thankful for generosity
-Finding things to be thankful for when you think there is nothing to be thankful for
-Saying thank you to people for more than just giving you things
-Being thankful for God's grace and love
So far, I love it. Writing and coloring on the leaves is so fun.
My favorite one to this date is my middle, "I'm thankful for my heart that beeps". I think that is the cutest thing!
My little boy so far is thankful for star wars characters. Ha!
It might not be the most glamorous of banners, but it is something we've been looking at and reading as a reminder. It's serving it's purpose. The leaves have some thing written on the front and the back...
And, what I am very thankful for, is that this has been said by one of my littles...
I'm hoping to make this a tradition. Or at least some variation of this every year. I'm not going to save the leaves though. That would be too much, and I trying to use craft supplies not change their shape.
Hope you all have had a fantastic summer; ours is almost over! We start school in 5 days! So exciting for kindergarten for little man! But, it sure is hot! We are so thankful for our monsoon season!
1. What 2 things do you like to do outside in the summer?
Nikolai// Have a picnic and play, have friends when we play outside, (added after hearing Samara) fly a kite
Samara// Fly a kite, eat carrots
2. If you could go anywhere this summer, where would you go and why?
Nikolai// Back to the house that has stairs where we can sleep and I can have the bed on the bottom and Samara could have the bed up top. It was fun (We went to Sedona last summer and he slept upstairs when his sister slept downstairs). I like going to Judy's (friend of the family, we visit for the 4th).
Samara// across the river (their dad was showing pictures of a fishing trip the boys took a few months back)
hatchery outside Sedona, AZ (2015)
3. What is your favorite thing about summer
Nikolai// Swimming!!
Samara// flying a kite
4. If you could pick any way to spend a hot summer day, how would you spend it?
Nikolai// stay inside when it's hot because it is really really hot in the desert where we live. (wow, I'm kinda impressed this came out of my little guy)
Samara// Get in the pool
Summer Swimmin'
5. What is your favorite summer treat?
Nikolai// biscuits, fruit snacks, catching fish and eating them, sandwiches, and ice cream.
Samara// I eat yogurt.
I am going back over the kids responses to see what pictures to add and Samara just cracks me up. That girl is so funny. Seriously though, I had to bribe her with fruit snacks to get any type of response from her! LOL! And I thinking we can work on sentences for her too, meaning lots of reading with more complex sentence structures. Preschool for her starts in about 1 week!
Next up August 10th! 1. what was your favorite thing you did over the summer?
2. What's your favorite thing to learn about in school?
3. Who is your best friend from school?
4. What do you want to be when you grow up? 5. What is your least favorite thing about school?
Happy Mother's day! This is the second time mother's day and my birthday have fallen on the same day since becoming a mother! Hope y'all had a wonderful mother's day, celebrating you and/or your moms!
1. What is something I always say to you? Nikolai - Be quiet Samara - 2. What makes Mommy happy? Nikolai - hugs Samara - 3. How do I make you laugh? Nikolai - tickling Samara - 4. What do you enjoy doing with me? Nikolai - telling you how I like my stuff sewed (I imagine this means planning costumes and clothes!), eating with you, trying new things with you and doing your mom things with you. Samara - (brings me a book, and snuggle cuddles into my lap) this
5. What is my favorite thing to do?
Nikolai - give hugs and sew costumes. and I like wearing costumes.
Samara -
I love my little guys responses. it was super cute. He got me with the liking of the sewing, and costumes are stressful but probably my favorite! I tried a couple times to get Samara responses. The only thing I got a response from was asking what she enjoys doing with me. She is very much my "I don't know" little one but the reading response and snuggling into my lap sure made me feel special! Until Next Time,
1. What is your favorite thing to do with your friends? Play Batman and Spiderman at the park, and my legos
2. Who is your favorite person? My friend Gorden
3. When playing outside, what do your ideal sunny day plans look like? I like to play superheroes
4. What do you like to do when it's raining? (Since April showers bring May Flowers) Stay out of the puddles and play in the rain
5. If you could plant a garden of anything, what would you plant? cactus
Samara - 2 years 9 months
1. What is your favorite thing to do with your friends? eat cookies
2. Who is your favorite person? Aurora (Nikolai started shouting names, and this was the last one he said)
3. When playing outside, what do your ideal sunny day plans look like? Swinging
4. What do you like to do when it's raining? I don't know
5. If you could plant a garden of anything, what would you plant? A tiny one so it can grow into a big one. Kiera - 2 months 2 weeks is working on rolling over! She's got tummy to back mostly mastered, now she just wants back to tummy!
Join in with next month's questions on May 11th!
What is something I always say to you? What makes Mommy happy? How do I make you laugh? What do you enjoy doing with me?
I have come across a few blogs linking up with a few ladies who are hosting a series The Kids Behind the Blog. Getting to know those little ones who made us mamas. Their quirky personalities shine through in their answers, and it's so fun! Since they are the reason for me starting the blog, I decided to join in!
Once a month.. ask the kids 5 questions.. and see what they say!
I asked Samara these questions and her response to all of them were "pants!" much to the amusement of her brother! Bless his little heart, he tried to get her to answer them besides pants but to no avail!
Here are Nikolai's answers! 1.) What do you enjoy doing with Mommy and Daddy?
playing with Legos with Daddy, look at cactus and spiders, watching movies and TV. Mommy, you should get some legos too!
2.) What is one thing you're really good at? building legos! I am! I am really good at building legos! 3.) What is something Mommy and Daddy tell you all the time? clean my room! 4.) What do you want to be when you grow up? a paleontologist!
5.) What do you think Mommy and Daddy do when you go to bed at night? go to sleep, but you (mommy) falls asleep without glasses I love their responses, they are just so ... them!
Want to join in? Here are the questions for April 13th!
1. What is your favorite thing to do with your friends? 2. Who is your favorite person? 3. When playing outside, what do your ideal sunny day plans look like? 4. What do you like to do when it's raining? (Since April showers bring May Flowers) 5. If you could plant a garden of anything, what would you plant? So fun! Until next time
