Journaling and Magazines

Today was better overall for Logan but he still has 8 days left in his current stormy period. I try not to wish time away but around this time in every leap I start counting down. 

These are the times when baby wearing is a life saver.  The fact that I know what's going on and that there is an end in sight is so reassuring. The Wonder Weeks app is amazing and I highly recommend it!  

One of Ayden's current favorite games is using his bed tent to make a "boat" and then filing it to the brim with toys and Logan. 

Logan doesn't seem to mind.  

The only problem is that Ayden is not always as happy to clean up the boat as he is to load it up...

 I had a routine cleaning this morning so we skipped our usual story time and went to a library close to my dentist instead. 

Loaded up and ready to go!

David's mom works close by my dentist as well so she took an early lunch to play at the library with the boys while I had some kid free time. I would not necessarily choose having my teeth cleaned for alone time but they were playing the Rachel Ray show on TV which I do not typically indulge in so that was fun. The best part was that I got an A+ from the dentist!  

We have started a journal for Ayden. For now, I write him messages and help him read it and point out the occasional high frequency word (inspired by morning messages from my teaching days). After we read it together and discuss what we see (finding "the," talking about exciting exclamation points, etc.) he practices writing his name and draws a picture to go with my message. Today he drew Grandma at the library. 

He even drew her glasses and her "smiling teeth."

He has also been LOVING the Highlights magazine I picked up for him recently. He has been asking to work on it after dinner every night and has gotten really good at finding hidden pictures. 

All of these hidden picture activities have given me an opportunity to teach him how to draw x's since we marked out the items as we found them. It is amazing how much more quickly children learn when they are given a meaningful reason to do so. If I had sat down with blank paper and instructed him how to write x's, I would have probably gotten 3, tops. This game had him draw upwards of 12 and by the end he was nailing them!  He is still having trouble with his pencil grasp but we are working on it. Honestly, I don't even write with an "appropriate" grasp so even as a teacher I never worried too much. If a child writes legibly who cares how they are holding the utensil?  The whole point is to learn to write. I plan to continue to encourage him but if the wrong grasp sticks, so be it. I will say that I am really enjoying his increased interest in table work!

~Sarah

Flashback! Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "Little Rocker"

Two years ago today: "Full Of Awesome"

And three years ago today: "Getting Crazy"

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