G is for ....Papa!

The college students for the most part have left town. Doug has gone back to school. And the kids and I are enjoying settling into a routine again. Keely is now 3.5. Most of her friends are now in preschool programs. I have opted not to send her to one and thus am trying to incorporate school time into each day while Kres takes his morning nap. Keely is learning to write all her letters as well as recognize all of their sounds. Macey is learning her letters and numbers. Each week we will study a different letter. I try to inforce the letter in all our different activities...for instance, at the store we talked about all the things we were buying that started with the letter "G." (grapes, etc) Keely loves to do school, loves learning, always gives 100%. Macey on the otherhand loves to have fun while doing school and tease me. I never know how much she really knows because she hardly ever answers me seriously. Everytime I ask her a letter, she sometimes gets it right and sometimes doesn't. And she always adds with a huge grin, "ppp, PAPA!" Ugh! Then today she totally surprised me today by bringing me the letter "P" out of our alphabet puzzle and informed me, "P...p,p,papa!" It's all that brainwashing he does from the time they are born! But I was thrilled that she atleast got the right letter.

Fridays are our baking days. I am going to try to find something each week that starts with our letter of the week to make with the girls. Since "G" was our letter today, we made Green jello. It was the best I could come up with. Here is the girls getting their hands into it. The girls are finally to the age where they play great together. One of the reasons I am able to spend so much time working with them while Kres is asleep is because they play so well together while he is occupied, that I get all my chores done. Of course they have tussles I am constantly breaking up but then they proclaim how they are best friends and love each other. So cute. Last week at church, they talked the whole way and when we got there I realized they had come up with a plan. Keely told Macey if she would behave in church, she could go to big church with her, listen to the children's sermon and sing doxology and go to her room with her afterwards. We told Macey we would try it. They both did great! And afterwards talked about how much fun it was to be together at church. Keely held Macey's hand walking to and from. Doug and I were blessed from watching them.My friend, Susan offered to give Keely a real manicure when she stopped sucking her thumb. So for her 6 week mark, Susan came over (she's a former nail tech) and gave her the real thing, including this hand massage! Keely felt like such a big girl! And she is for breaking such a hard habit!

Well, I think I have blabbed on long enough to catch up for the past month! I'll try to update sooner next time!