Thursday, April 23,2009

Well, this week we put our house up for sale by owner. The very first day we advertised it, we got a call and someone wants to come see it. We are showing it on Sunday so I spent most of the day cleaning. Hailey followed me around sounding out different words and telling me what letter they start with. She loves to do this lately. She also sounded out a few words telling me the middle letter and the last letter. The other day she asked me how to spell CAT. I helped her sound it out and she spelled it as we sounded out each letter. She is also really getting good at math and is always adding up different combinations of numbers. She likes to count to 100 with me and then keeps going saying "101, 102, 103 ,104, 1o5, 106, 107, 108, 109, a zillion!" She acts so excited that she can count that high. We played a game together where we take turns giving each other directions to follow. I'd tell her to go get me something, describing where it is. Then she'd do the same and I'd have to go get it. We each had a few turns and each time she just told me to go get something but on the last turn, she said "Go to my room and ...(pausing with a smile on her face) CLEAN!" It was funny, the look on her face, as she waited for me to go do it. I said "Good one. Are you trying to get me to clean your room for you?" She laughed and said "yes" and then followed me to her room. She watched with a smile on her face as I started cleaning up some of her toys. Then she started helping me. Before putting Max down for his nap, I read "A Very Hungry Caterpillar" to the kids. As I was reading and we came to the part that read "He built a small house, called a cocoon, around himself", Hailey said "No a chrysalis." She remembered that from her field trip to the butterfly garden a few weeks ago. (Butterflies have chrysalises and moths have cocoons. I never knew that until she told me after learning that on her field trip.) I was surprised she still knew the word after that long and with only hearing it once and then telling me about it that same day. We haven't mentioned it since then. (Bruce had gone with her on the field trip and said she was really paying close attention as the leader was telling them about the life cycle of a butterfly. Later on after going inside the conservatory and seeing the butterflies and then doing a craft, the leader asked if anyone remembered what the butterfly spins. Right away, Hailey raised her hand high and answered "a chrysalis".) I took the kids outside to play after Max woke up from his nap. They spent alot of time talking to the neighbor kids at the fence. Bruce went to the store and picked up a play yard for the puppy for outside. (I think it will help with potty training the puppy since she hates the leash and won't walk with it on. Now we can just leave her out for a few minutes to let her go.) The kids had fun playing with the box. Hailey layed inside it with just her head sticking out and said "It's my sleeping bag." Max liked driving his car over it pretending it was a "broke road". It was a really nice sunny day. Max doesn't like going outsdie now without sunglasses. As soon as he steps out the door, he complains that it's too bright and goes back in to get his sunglasses. The kid stayed out until bedtime. Bruce and I took turns going out and playing with them so the other could clean and get some things done in the house. I pushed Jack around on one of the cars. He loved it. Max loved it too cause I would have him chase him. He loved having Jack ride cars with him. Whenever I stopped pushing Jack around, Max would come up to me and say "Let Jack ride a car. Put him on it. He wants to, mama. He does want to ride it." Then as I would put him back on the car and start pushing him behind Max, Max would wait for us to catch up and then say "Come on Jack!"