The Last Month of The Year

It's the last month of the decade. Say what?! I wish I could say that we are in full swing Christmas mode, but truth be told I haven't even set up the Christmas Tree yet! It's just been so....comfortable here in this space. I've given myself permission to just not worry about the expectations of this holiday. I have bought some gifts for our children, and I have bought a gift for my daughters teacher...but that's about it! Here is a small glimpse of what our December has looked like. Starting next month I'm going to begin home preschool specifically for Xavier, so expect more educational posts in the coming months! 

I've set out some new books for the winter holiday season. 

Xavier has really started to enjoy the Paw Patrol train table. 

Olivia enjoys the change of season. 

She lost her first tooth!

We went to see Frozen 2 in theaters!

Xavier enjoys the change in season as well! We have been making it a point to get outside as much as possible! 

Xavier enjoys reading as much as I do!

I made an "I Spy" bottle for Olivia! 

We had family pictures taken last weekend and I would be honored to share some of my favorites with you. These two beautiful children of mine are my WHY. Why I do what I do. Why I am who I am. Why I dream of offering a safe, happy, healthy place for YOUR reasons why! So hear it here first, it is in the works! My goal is to open a home preschool within the next 6 months. A place where you and your child can become a part of our extended family. A place where love and learning go hand in hand! Stay tuned for more details, but I hope I have planted a seed! 

(Photo credits)

The photograph on the left was our announcement picture for our adoption journey. We didnt know who or when a child would become a part of our family. All we knew was that our hearts and home were ready to welcome a new bundle of joy to love and cherish for all the days of our lives. Olivia was so excited to become a big sister and swore she was getting a baby sister (haha!). On the right is our family 1 year later, finally complete and full with love. Xavier is the perfect ending to our adventures in growing our family. We have been so blessed. His birth mom continues to be a part of our lives through email and video calling. We are grateful that she is such an amazing, strong, beautiful woman who chose life and gave us new meaning for life!

 

November Shenanigans

While attending class with Mom as his teacher, Xavier and a classmate use blocks to create towers for their zoo.

My toddlers adore these dressing frames that promotes independence as they conquer the skills needed to zip, button, and snap! 

We are using real life objects to learn to recognize environmental print.

Stamping is always a favorite! 

Fall Activities

Happy Fall, Y'all! Dont you just ADORE the beauty that Mother Nature provides every year?! Below are some activities that we have enjoyed this fall so far! 

It's Been a While!

Hello! It's been a while. That little girl that you see in all of my posts? She's a BIG SISTER now! We have added a little boy to our beautifully blended family. He's my boy joy, that's for sure! I've been working as the Lead Pre-Primary (Infant/Toddler) Teacher at a local Montessori school and learning a lot about the methods of Maria Montessori. :)

This is where we are currently. A BIG five year old little girl and a nine month old little boy. We have been enjoying the fall and exploring all that comes along with it.....changing leaves, festivals, cool days, and time changes!

Our Fall Book List

Our Son, Xavier!

Our big 5 year old as "Senorita Mariposa"

Xavier enjoys exploring the pumpkin. He's creaping along furniture already!

This is our boy joy, Xavier. He's the sweetest thing in the world!

Gourd and Pumpkins exploration basket. 

Trying Kiwi for the first time!

Fall Festivals always equal face painting!

Boo Beans Dry spoon transfering activity....builds fine motor skills, concentration, and perseverance. 

Fine Motor/Scissors skill activity

Candid picture my husband took of me reading to the kids. 

Modified puzzle for the little guy!

It's SUMMER Time!

Our first trip to the library yielded us some great books!

I'm particularly excited about this book! After doing some research, I have come to find out that there is an entire series of "Baby Loves Science"!

Love Bug is "reading" to her fish, FiFi. She has had me read this book so many times, she actually has it memorized! (The book is Pete The Cat).

We were working on the letter "P" and discovered that a LOT of her favorite cartoons started with P. We did some coloring worksheets and made a list of all of the other words we could think of that started with the "p" sound. :)

We found a lovely green hill for rolling down at our local park. Love Bug enjoyed this lesson in physics!

Our local library was remodeled over the winter. Love Bug has a new activity table to explore!

What a fun way to encourage cognitive thinking, fine motor skills, and math!

Observing local butterflies and plants in our parks' butterfly garden.

Drums! In the park! Way cool!

Fun math game incorporated into our playground.

And of course, lots of opportunity for gross motor development!

We used natural resources to paint with. 

Our first trip to the local splash pad- always a blast! It's amazing to see how much she has grown from one year to the next.

The very first time we EVER visited this splash pad, Love Bug wasn't even walking yet!

I found a cute set of stampers with a garden theme at the local thrift store.