Reading Practice

My Aunt Nancy loaned us her copy of Hooked on Phonics for Kindergarten level readers. I opened it just to see if it was something Victoria would take interest in. Turns out, it's all she wants to do! She's constantly dragging the heavy box around, asking if we can "play this new game"! By far, her favorite part is the CD-Rom game that comes with it.

She started realizing tonight as she was reading that her R's sound like W's... on the last line she's reading, the two words, RAG and WAG are right next to each other, and she can hear that she's saying them the same. Now I just have to figure out how to teach her how to pronounce R's!

Birthday Wishes

If you love him...

Set him free. (sniff!)

Victoria let Bunny outside to play with his friends and family last night. For those of you who don't know, Bunny is the little lovey/blanket she got when she was a baby. Yet again, Rod is so much better at helping Victoria with these milestones (getting rid of bottles, eliminating pacifiers).

Yesterday evening they had a little chat about Bunny and his friends and family who live out in the woods. When they were done, Victoria went up to her room, got Bunny, brought him down, opened the sliding glass door in the kitchen and set him outside to be with his family. She cried briefly at bedtime (I let Rod handle that one, too - since I still get teary-eyed thinking about it), and she was fine. She did wake up this morning looking for him, but came downstairs, looked out the door, and I explained that he's probably in the woods playing.

So far, she's fine. It seems I'm having a tougher time with letting Bunny go than she is. My baby's not a baby anymore. (sniff!)

First Haircut

When we found out we were going to have a daughter, I never in a million years would have thought it would take over 3 years before she needed her first haircut!

She got the full workup - complete with shampoo and conditioner in the big girl shampoo bowl, blow-drying, styling, barrettes and best of all... SPARKLES!

Photos

Of course, we couldn't have V looking so cute today without going and getting some pictures taken. And when they look so great, how was I supposed to choose?!?

Photos and stuff...

I'm trying to get better about regular posts... I'm not making any promises, though!

V got a new robe for Valentine's Day... The biggest problem is that she wants to wear it all the time (I'm trying to just limit it to after bath-time) - last night she wanted to wear it to bed.

Cop in training?

Storytelling

Singing/Reading bedtime stories

Lookin' at Daddy

Not much going on around here these days. Victoria is still loving school. She'd go every day if I'd let her (and if they'd let her!) Any hesitation we may have had about starting her early are gone. She will have to have 3 years of pre-school, though, since the birthday cutoff is Dec 1 and her birthday is Dec 9. So in the fall she'll be in 4 year old preschool (there's a little more leeway with preschools) three days a week, even though when the schoolyear starts she'll still be 3. We're trying not to get too far ahead of ourselves with it all.

I remember thinking when I was talking to friends with older kids about schools, and one mentioned that they need to write their names by Kindergarten. And that seemed like an improbable task - for a kid that young to know that?!? Now, after seeing all she's learning in preschool, I understand, and my frame of reference has changed considerably.

At this point, she'll take any challenge we send her way. Even some very basic addition and subtraction! (Just in the way of playing with items, taking one away, adding one back, etc.) Victoria loves a challenge. I'm not wishing her older, but I do love to see her grasp new concepts and come back eager for more!

Some art project photos:

Happy Valentine's Day (Or Else!)

The Valentine Enforcer

WHAT IS THIS????

Victoria and I were playing games on the laptop. I was moving the mouse (with the touch pad) and she would click. She and busha were doing something similar the other day. My phone rang and I told her I'd be right back.

This is what I came back to! Sorry it's so dark... Apparently I'm no longer needed - she can do it all herself!

Such a Ham

March of Dimes Walk....

Please check out our March of Dimes page and donate to our walk.

http://http://www.marchforbabies.org/personal_page.asp?w=181016775&u=rds9281&bt=2

Crazy Hair and Cop Chase

Today's Visitor

Elisabeth came to visit for the day today. For all the smiles I caught on camera, you'd never guess that naptime resulted in nobody napping, at one point Victoria screaming at me for an hour for not reading her a story (would've been easy to just read one, but then all she's learning is that if she screams long enough she'll get her way), and the day ending early for Victoria at 7:30 and Elisabeth crying as she was being carried out the door at 8:30. Overall, a fun time - just a few hiccups that come with the 3-year-old territory.

Fun Times

V helping me do laundry - sorting Daddy's socks!

Just clowning around.

You Made Your Bed....