Happy International Translation Day!

Happy Translation Day to me,

Happy Translation Day to me,

Happy Translation Day, dear me,

Happy Translation Day to me!

And many more!!!

Two weekends ago...

The grandparents were here...

We had a wonderful visit.

Not everything was immortalized on film, however.

Pop Pop playing horsey with Caleb...

or Grandmom being called to sit and play before bedtime...

the cooking and cleaning that lightened our load...

or even Ariana's best smiles...

never made it.

But we have really good memories.

Grandmom, Pop Pop - come again, soon!

Tales from Walmart

As you can see, this blog is quickly turning into a photoblog. That is what happens when a person has no time to write anymore. They upload pictures of their offspring (for the grandparents!) and call it good. Seriously, I don't remember the last day I didn't have to work. It's been a few weeks.

But today - I gave myself the day off today. At least the daytime hours.

So what, you ask, did I do with all this time on my hands? Well, let's see... I washed the dishes. I reconnected with old friends on Facebook. I read some blogs. I played with Caleb. I made lunch.

Then, I went to Walmart with two kids. In the rain.

It felt like an epic adventure, taking my 2.5 year old and my 2.5 month old to Walmart by myself. My little one blew out her diaper on the way there, but at least she didn't cry. A quick diaper change on the driver's seat of my car, baby deposited in the sling, and toddler in the cart (fun time lifting him in there once the baby was already in the front sling, even though earlier I had made a mental note to do it the other way around), running in from the rain, the doors opened and there we were: "Hello, Walmart shoppers!"

I bought the whole store. Let me show you. In addition to groceries, I also bought clothes for the children (as if they don't have enough already), toys and books for Caleb, FURNITURE (yes, on my first shopping trip with the two of them I BOUGHT A STORAGE OTTOMAN - for Caleb's toys! of which we have so many!), a comforter (so pretty), a variety of exotic spices, and oh so much chocolate (this one was fueled by Caleb's requests). Apparently I haven't gotten out much lately.

It was a pleasant trip. The baby slept most of the way through (she is very happy in the sling), Caleb loves to shop with Mommy, always behaving very well, helping to put all the stuff in the cart, and not once needing to go to the bathroom, both children slept on the way home allowing me to sing "Saturday in the park" uninterrupted, well at least until we turned into our development and Ariana started to cry...

It must be said that she hates car rides and I've yet to take a ride of more than 10 minutes without her screaming at the top of her lungs. ANY TIME AT ALL IN THE CAR without her screaming is considered a success. I know, this does not bode well for our upcoming trip with 3 hours' drive each way. I am being hopeful that somehow, magically, when she hits the 3 month mark, she will do better. Or in other words, I am in denial.

So, with whispers of don'twakeCalebdon'twakeCalebdon'twakeCaleb, I pull into our driveway, unload the screaming baby, unload the groceries and the FURNITURE as the rain is pouring down, and lastly come back for my sleeping son to carry him inside...

It must be my lucky day, for the one minute it took me to deposit sleeping Caleb into a bed, she took a break and stopped crying. Running back to her, whipping out her food, with groceries still sitting on the kitchen floor, dripping wet, waiting their turn, I now sit here, both children quiet and amazingly, I am actually writing a post on my Blog... I'm so proud of myself.

The face of my 2 month old teething

Yes. YES, she is.

My sentiments, exactly.

Want some chocolate cake, Mommy?

Want some chocolate cake, Mommy?

Photo of the Week

2009 Week 34

One of his favorite pastimes has been playing in the sandbox.

Another favorite has been "cooking" us food.

The result: chocolate cake sand.

Yummy!

Children playing

2 and a half month measurements

Weight: 10 pounds 6 ounces (25%)

Length: 23 inches (50-75%)

Head circumference: 15.5 inches (50-75%)

Learning All the Time

And now, you get to see a few glimpses from our homeschool preschool...

The curriculum in all its glory...

funny thing is, I've been doing similar things with him for the past few months,

things like cutting, tracing, folding... and he totally knows his numbers and a lot of his letters.

So when one already knows how to count, what's the next step?

Teaching the wee one...

Caleb does his schoolwork as Ariana looks on




This is only a small portion of his work from the first week



Caleb did this cutting job himself, didn't he do a great job for a 2 year old?



More paperwork: here he helps the bee find the flower.



These exercises strengthen his fine motor skills and prepare him for writing.



Help the bear find the honey...




Music and the arts...

Hungarian folk songs. An important part of his bilingual education at the preschool level.

Singing...

And dancing to it.

Painting out of doors

So much nicer than painting indoors

Nature study...


with a Charlotte Mason inspired nature notebook (more on this later)

Notice Caleb's depiction of the leaf, colored green, complete with veins?

The Masterpieces

Sculpture with Wedgits!

Inspecting his work


One of his first paintings. This totally looks like a dragon with eggs.

Don't you think so? I do!

So, this is some what we've been doing for the past few weeks.

Other than playing in the sandbox, his Gym and Art class, the park, the lake, the pool,

the train set, the Kipper videos, the bubble maker...

you get the idea.

Lesson in Photography

How do you get both your children

(one of whom is only 2 months old)

to make faces such as these?

All I can tell you is it is the result of taking

dozens of pictures at any one sitting.

10 weeks

Happy Grandparents Day!

To all our wonderful grandparents out there...

We wish you a Happy Grandparents' Day!

Love, Caleb and Ariana