NatureQuest

 Miller and I tried to make the most of our last week of summer together. Miss Paula planned a fun playdate at Fernbank Museum for mommies and kiddos. Sweet Eliza Kate still takes her morning nap, so after a pit stop at Grandmama's house...we were off on a mommy & me adventure. Miller thrives on days like these when it's just like old times. If only we could have captured a shot of all the kiddos. Ansley, Landon, Wesley Kate & Bradley arrived later in the morning.

 Miller loved the hands on aspect of the museum. He was absolutely engaged in all the different nature environments. This kid has so much energy and is hard to keep track off in exciting venues like these. Being a smart mommy, I dressed him in bright green to track his hop- skipping energetic self around the exhibit. Kids R Kids also thought of the same concept and the whole exhibit was teeming with fluorescent green shirted kiddos on a field trip. Miller was camouflaged in with all the chaos. Better luck to us next time!

The exhibit is filled with live animals and hands on learning. Everywhere you look, there is something to "do." Games, interactives and live animals all held Miller's interest. Although he barely slowed down long enough before it was off to the next activity. He loved "walking on water". With each step, the stream lit up with live fish and currents...pretty cool!

 Scientist Miller got friendly with the microscope

 The dinosaur exhibit was a hit as well. The PBS show Dinosaur Train is chalked full of random dino factoids that has perked Miller's interest in these extinct creatures. He looks pretty tame for a T-Rex, I must say.

 Exploring the five senses...This exhibit was geared towards older elementary students, but Miller found a few things to keep him busy.

 Lots of fun exploring shells and sea life

 Ok, so these museum explorers climbed a little too close to take a seat next to the dino skeleton. Paula was sure they were going to kick us out for this. Their ferocious dinosaur growling only called more attention to their rowdiness...Anything we'll do to capture a memory:)

After a shaded lunch outside the cafe, it was off for round 2 inside Naturequest. His favorite activity was running up inside the netting of the tree. He loved the rope pulley system with the balls. Isn't that a boy for ya? Looking forward to more dates with my little man on our fun Fridays this fall.

last swimming hurrah

 Soaking in every last day of our vacation with the little guy. This is our last official week of summer vacay. I try not to get too sentimental as we still have one more beach vacation and no school Fridays to look forward to this year. Nothing like an exhausting pool trip with great friends to get school off the brain. Miller had a big time jumping and diving with the Ward kids.

 We could hardly get the kids to sit still for a photo op. It was all they could do to sit still for one moment. The thrill of the water was calling their names. This is the first summer with Miller that I've had to be intentional about inviting friends to swim with us. It's a lot more work on me if we go alone. Most of the time we can count on a neighborhood friend to be at the pool. We've notices lately that as summer is ending, our pool becomes a ghost town.

 All this wild child wants to do is jump & splash all the pool goers near the stairs. I've taught him to at least announce his jump and look for kids below. He plunges in near the steps as a precautionary measure of safety. Miller's great with taking more risks in the pool as long as he knows he can touch and that the steps are a fast way out!

 We're loving our lazy days of being pool bums and having friends to share in the fun. That's what summer is ALL about!

Can you even handle their matching trunks? When Noah and Miller showed up matching, it only confirmed that great buddies think alike!

he can read

A friend of mine, Auntie T, as she's affectionately called around our house shared a wonderful blog resource for fun activities to add to our summer school mornings. It's a wonderful resource for ideas on mixing up our activities at home. The blog author calls it "tot school". When I first dove into the site, it's a little overwhelming. Not to mention, it makes you feel like a second rate mom when you see ALL she does for her kids. I keep telling myself, she must have a maid, a chef, and a personal assistant for errands

http://1plus1plus1equals1.blogspot.com/

All of this to say, it inspired me to get the ball rolling with Miller man in the reading department. After all, He's been showing reading readiness signs for months...He's mastered his sounds, he's been identifying logos, signs, designers and slogans on shirts as a toddler. He holds a book right side up and has a great desire to look at picture books. This kid loves to be read to during the day and at night...he can't get enough! With one click on the "You Can Read" tab on her blog, I was inspired to create a program for Miller. Then I came across this site.

http://www.kidzone.ws/dolch/preschool.htm.

 We kicked off our "reading camp" this month with great success. I printed the Dolch PreK (pre-primer) sight word list on 3x5 cards and have introduced 5 words to Miller each day. I used these words in my classroom so I don't know why it didn't occur to me to use them with my tutoring tot. Miller used each mastered word orally in his own sentences which helped him form connections.  Repetition is the key. We review for 5 minutes here and there throughout the day. Last week, I put together the mastered words in phrases and sentences and the result was jaw dropping to me. Little man was able to read each word that formed the sentence & comprehended what the sentence said. He is a beginning reader! It was a little awkward at first, but when he read the phrase silently for 10 seconds and touched each card he had great success. My next goal is to print off the noun picture cards to add to our sentence construction to mix things up a bit. I want to purchase or make a sight word memory game as an added challenge. We're just a little giddy around here!

He does great with sounding out initial and ending consonant sounds to figure out the word. He still needs some coaching & prompting to sound out the middle of a challenging word. For example: red & run...both three letters, both start with the "r" sound.... We compared the vowel sounds and he now sounds it out. I want to add all the colors & numbers to our PreK list to build greater fluency. Go Miller man! We're so proud of you.

knoxville weekend

We "made a splash" in Knoxville this weekend. Really there is no other place to be in this sweltering heat than around water. Our new friend's to Woodstock ,the Pinions, pointed us in the right direction and gave us new insight into activities for families in Knoxville. A park just 5 minutes from Omi and Papa's house incorporated a new water feature to their grounds. We decided to give that a go on Saturday. The Pinions just so happened to be in town visiting their family and joined us. Fun was had by all!

This darling diva couldn't get enough of the fountains. She intentionally walks right through each spray with wide eyes blinking as to clear out the water droplets. As long as she's clenching her daddy's pointer finger, she had full confidence to woddle toddle her way around the park. Nose squirting water sprays didn't deter this girly from all the thrilling fun.

And then there's Miller man.... Within 5 minutes he introduced himself to two new older friends and they were traipsing back & forth between the splashpark and the playscape.
At this preschool stage it's " the what's your name and can you play phase?" I always feel like I need to share with the rough boys that Miller is only four years old to get them to understand his capabilities. His size and language make him appear to be older, but he's still not as rough around the edges as a 6 & 7 year old. But, I can't be one of "those moms" following my son around like a momma cub. I'm soo not going to be the cool mom!

Trooper baby. She played and splashed way past her lunchtime. Did I mention the oppresive heat wave. Good golly Miss Molly is was H-O-T!

Loving the dog days of summer as long as we're in the water!

 Miller sharpened his music skills tickling the ivory with Landon. I do hope that he aquires Landon's love of music. If you squint right over big brother's shoulder, you'll spy a tricky little climber. A big activity in her weekend was climbing Omi and Papa's steep, hardwood stairs.  Too bad we don't have climbing gear, harness and a helmet for this one. We finally got smart and moved chairs in front of them so momma could take a break from baby wrestling.

 Between eating home cooked meals & veggies from their backyard garden, night swimming and family games..... We had a good ole' fashioned weekend of togetherness. We so needed to get away from responsibilites at home for some R&R.

 We even squeezed in 15 month pictures in Omi and Papa's secret garden of a backyard. Omi commented that EK is looking like a little girl. I'm so not ready for my baby to be mature looking. Once again, her size ages her well beyond her months;) I must admit, I do see glimpses of it too. Her baby fat is melting away and she sure is acting toddlerlike. Her personality, expressions and drama are all pretty girly!  Pause.please!

Our one family photo. the camera striker displayed his stubborn refusal of smiling. He's been so cooperative lately that I gave him a little grace with this one. I thought I had him soo trained:)

Thank you for hosting us Omi and Papa. We had a wonderful weekend! Miller got over his sadness of leaving on the ride home, but he did ask when we were going to have another "spendy" weekend in Knoxville.

first movie

We celebrated a monumentous first this week with our little movie goer. The release of CARS 2 was incentive to  take Miller to his first show at the theatre. Being the mature age of 4 years had a whole lot to do with it too. Miller  finally has a longer attention span and sitting still span for that matter. Uncle Clay joined us for the highly anticipated event...and because he's really still a kid at heart;) In honor of Miller's first movie, I retrofied our pictures to mix it up a bit. And, to capture the feeling of reminiscing about first movies. My mom doesn't have pictures of our first movies. Partly because documenting  details like these weren't a trend back then. I'm sure if she did, they'd be faded with rounded corners just like most of the childhood pictures we have.

My first movie was Return of the Jedi...I was a tag along for big brother's movie of choice.  Landon's first movie was ET. While we're on topic, what was your first movie? 

Miller wanted to hold his official ticket. He knew this day was a big deal.

Another biggie for Miller was sporting his first Disney character t-shirt. I usually keep our guy pretty classic, but for this occasion I felt it fitting for him to sport his team colors... "Team McQueen" colors.  He was thrilled. Nothing like the preshow of movie trailers. Miller was entertained with the enormo family tub of buttery popcorn...refillable....thanks Landon for the bottomless snack! Oh, and red fruit punch kept him bright eyed and bushy tailed for the entire show. His pop up chair was a big hit too.  

We did hear all the buzz about the movie before attending. I knew Miller would be ok with the scary parts, but I didn't anticipate the sophisticated plot. The original CARS was a much easier story line to follow. Miller and mommy felt lost at times keeping up with the fast paced play by play. If anything, I appreciated the humor and Miller loved spotting and reaquainting himself with his favorite car characters. The new additions were a lot of fun too! Miller was not as engaged with the movie as I thought he'd be. Then again, he didn't know what was going on half the time.  He laughed a good bit and interacted out loud with the characters.  Movie social etiquette rules are a bit relaxed with the younger crowd.  There is a whole lot more noise and commotion going on.

All in all, we give the experience 3 1/2 stars and a rowsing preschooler's thumb up. His face looks less enthused. Because the air conditioner went out half way through the show, we got additional free tickets at the end. Two movies for the price of one made daddy give the show a thumb's up!

Another first checked off the list! You're growing like a weed, slow down sweet boy!

festive fourth

Happy Birthday America! I might as well add the the fourth of July is one of my favorite times of the year. Miller's taking notes too as he commented on a preschool end of the year craft that "July 4th" was his favorite holiday. Interesting...  I hope when he's old enough, he'll understand its significance. But for now I think it's safe to say that my little fella has grown to anticipate the loud popping and booming in the sky. He hasn't missed a fireworks display since birth. 

Our festive fourth weekend was the celebration that never ended for our family. It wasn't exactly planned out this way, but the weather extended our plans one additional day. Here's a recap of our festive few days leading up to the fireworks finale on Tuesday.

On Sunday we celebrated with the patriotic service at church. I always get sentimental during the service when men and women in the congregation stand as the song for their branch of service is sung. Miller reunited with Miss Sophia, his friend from class this year. I love how they always coordinate like prom dates;)...matching Americana plaids this go around.  A big highlight for Miller was touring the Hum-V's and the black hawk helicopter that visited the campus. The helicopter lift off left Miller's mouth open in wide wonder...and mommy clamoring to hold down her skirt and protect Eliza Kate's eyes with the large gust of wind and debris.  

Our family always looks forward to the Fay's annual fourth backyard BBQ. More kiddos are added to the mix each year.  Miss Allie Fay is the perfect hostess. Allie and Miller play so nicely together. She's such a sport and forgoes her dolls & princesses to play fire chief and trains with Miller. Now that's a true friend;)

This kid is living the life and he has no idea. Playing is his "work". He has a chef, a maid, and a pretty girly to push him on the hammock.

Eliza Kate loved this mini trampoline. She's finally tall enough to hold on and jump. She showed me her "firecracker" side when I tried to remove her from the trampoline for other kiddos to take turns. Yes, I think we're on the brink of the true toddler years with this missy. Miss Independence herself is making her requests known with words and loud grunts all mixed together to voice her likes and dislikes.

Mr. Blue Eyes was having quite the time of his life. He's his father's child and loves a party! The beautiful weather only lasted so long on Monday evening before dark clouds and blowing rain ruined our Roswell fireworks plans. Miller was more than bummed on our car ride home. We spotted a few pops and fireworks peering above the trees a few streets over making our way home. We parked the car and snapped Miller's glow sticks to view our own dry show through the windshield in the car.

Much to our surprise, Woodstock cancelled their show because of the weather and held off for another night. We waved our flags, washed our patriotic clothes, packed our bags and we were off for round 2. I knew we were on borrowed time with these two. There is only so much partying and 10:00 nights that young'ns can handle.

Did I mention that my men don't like to miss a party?

We made last minute plans with friends to set up our blankets along Hwy 92. We chose a great spot as neighbors and some other friends just so happened to pull up a blanket too.
 Impromptu gatherings are the best kind. Miller exhausted himself with a rowdy soccer game with friends while we all waited for the fireworks kick off.

Bubbles were a hit! EK says "bubble" in the sweetest of ways

Bubble blowing surely holds her attention. She thinks she can grab them like a ball..so cute!

Can you spot the 10:00 tiredness is their eyes? With ice cream and Icys in hand we counted down to dusk. The fireworks finale did not disappoint. It was a beautiful display celebrating our country's freedom. Happy 4th of July!

patriotic picnic

Nothing like celebrating America's independence with a loud patriotic "bang". On Saturday, we kicked off the holiday at the Zimmerman's pool for some pre-fourth of July fun.

We love a pool party. Miller's newly found confidence in the water is refreshing. All because he can touch in the 3 ft.! Eliza Kate's puddle jumper floaty has made pool trips a lot easier for this momma. Add an extra set of daddy's hands and we're made in the shade. Little dare devil has no fear and loves to walk right into the water..no hesitation...a blessing & a curse. Not exactly at the "sitbesidethepoolwithagoodbook" stage of life yet...but I can hold a decent conversation with friends without being overly anxious with these two this summer. Celebrating a little more mommy independence for sure.

It's nice to have such hands on daddies in our lives. Secretly, I think Landon feels left out of our weekly pool adventures while he's working hard at the office. I joke that our playdates are a work day for me, only I don't get a lunch break:) We do take advantage of family weekends and love when daddy joins us to swim.

These two claimed the mini pool that was just their size. Nothing like patriotic swim trunks to feel festive. These two stuck together form the American flag. Looks like Miller is trying to talk Jack into taking the plunge over the ledge. What is it about boys staking their territory and loving every minute of water guns? I wasn't even safe from the line of water soaking fun! Boys.

What's a cookout without juicy watermelon dripping from your hands and face? She's loving this summer treat! The kids dined poolside at the kiddy table. I love how prim and ladylike Sophia looks next to bare chested Jack and Miller.

These two bathing beauties sunned themselves on the swimming ledge..oh so perfect for babies.

EK looks up to Maggie, five months her senior. She watches Miss Mags to see what big girls are into. Do you see the popsicle envy in her eyes? EK was intent on stealing a lick from Maggie's treat. Fortunately for EK, Kristen treated everyone to their own pop. Popsicles are a new discovery this summer.

Popsicle bribery works well to get a group shot!

.

Big brothers hanging out above their little sisters
...oh-so-cute!

Sticky popsicle faces
and drips are less stressful around a pool...

I have a feeling EK's found her favorite summertime treat.

And to think, more fourth fun awaits!