4th Week of Advent/Christmas

December 21-25

• Books
• Music- Christmas Carols!
  
• Crafts- L is for Love Heart, Footprint/Handprint Reindeer, Stand up Paper Christmas Tree
  
• Baking- Gingerbread cookies, Cake
• Activities- A Charlie Brown Christmas Movie, Christmas Classics Movies, Wrapping Presents
  
• Experiments- making gak

It's been a fun week with Daddy, Pa-pa, and Gramsie while Mommy is being monitored at the hospital for pre-term labor. Zachary comes to visit me every day and participated in crafts here. We had a beautiful Christmas Eve here at the hospital.

3rd Week Advent (Joy) /Christmas

December14-18 and through Christmas break

• Books- The Story of Christmas by Patricia A. Pingry
• Crafts- Salt Dough Ornaments, Reindeer Puppets
  
• Music- Silent Night, Away in a Manger, Hark the Herald,
• Baking- Sugar Cookies
• Activities- Adding 3rd candle to morning prayers
• Field Trips- The Woodlands, TX and Opelousas, LA

Making salt dough ornaments


Decorating and playing with the Christmas tree
(Zachary actually asked to have his picture taken here!)


Ornament results



Making Reindeer Puppets with my friend Memay


Rudolph, Zachary and Daddy at the Sunset Station Party


Zachary, Baby Adelyn, and Mommy

Trains/ 2nd Week of Advent (Peace)

December 7-11

• Books- Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg, Trains by Byron Barton, Freight Train by Donald Crews, Thomas the Engine books
• Crafts-
  
• Music- I've Been Working on the Railroad
• Baking- Cookies with train cookie cutters
• Activities- Alphabet Train puzzle (at a friend's house), Transportation puzzle,
• Field Trips- Sunset Station Christmas Party, Bells and Whistles Park in Temple, TX
• For next time- SA Transportation Museum

Daddy and I at Sunset Station


What a big train!


Going up to see the engineers area in Temple with my family


Trying out some of the controls

Winter/ 1st Week of Advent (Hope)

November 30-December 4

• Books- Bunny's First Snowflake by Monica Wellington, Hello, Snow by Hope Vestergaard, Christmas in the Country by Cynthia Rylant and Diane Goode, North Country Night by Daniel San Souci
• Crafts- Decorating a house picture with snow (cotton), Winnie the Pooh skating coloring page, mittens coloring with letter M
• Music- Frosty the Snowman, Let it Snow, Jingle Bells
• Baking
• Activities- Dress up Snowman folder and dress up Penguin stuffed animal
• Science Experiments- Food Coloring Ice block
• Field Trips

Me and my crafts

The food coloring ice block experiement

Daddy helping me pour food coloring on the ice


My silly Daddy and me!

Thanksgiving

November 23-27

• Books- My First Thanksgiving by Tomie DePaola, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving by Charles M. Shultz
• Crafts- Paper Doll Pilgrims and Indians
  
• Music- The More We Get Together, Over the River and Through the Woods
  
• Baking- Banana Bread
• Activities
• Field Trip- Nannie and Poppie's house in Temple, TX

This week was a short and busy week with the traveling and gathering of family. We did the baking of banana bread to bring to Nannie and Poppie's (Scott's grandparents) and had the paper dolls laminated for an activity to play with.

Zachary loved playing with his (second) cousins and staying in the same house with them. We tried to emphasize the importance of being together on Thanksgiving to celebrate being together and all of the things God has given us.




Zachary playing in the leaf pile

A wagon ride around the house


Zachary and Cousin Ben


Aunt Michelle, Zachary's Godmother and Zachary


Cousin Gracie and Zachary


Cousin Gracie and Zachary on the "train".


Great Great Aunt Sandra and Uncle Lawrence's place


Mommy, Baby Adelyn, Daddy and Zachary


Zachary climbing a tree

Family

November 16-20

• Books- Spot Loves His Grandma-Eric Hill, My Mother is Mine-Marion Dane Bauer, The Very Best Daddy of All-Marion Dane Bauer
  
• Music- The More We Get Together, Two Worlds (Tarzan), We Are One-Hugworks
• Crafts- Family Tree-painting and gluing pictures
• Baking-
  
• Activities- Photo Albums
• Field Trips

My Family Tree 2009


Mommy, Baby Adelyn, Zachary, Daddy

This week I learned that families are one of our most important gifts. We learn about each other, support each other, play together, and love each other. When we were learning about families, my daddy ran a marathon here in San Antonio. Both of my families came to support him.


Daddy running his second marathon.


My Uncle Brian and me (I'm the one on top)


My Uncle Kevin and Me


Look at Daddy finish! He's so happy to be done! 4 hours 45 mins.


Daddy and his brothers


My Miller family eating while waiting for Daddy to finish


My Sylvester Family


My Families together- We wish Aunt Michelle, Uncle Matthew, Aunt Kitty, and Uncle Berchman could have been there for the finish.

Fall Fruits and Vegetables

November 9-13

• Books- I Can Eat a Rainbow, Karmel
  
• Music- Apples and Bananas
• Crafts- Fall Fruits Book-pictures from google images, Picture Place Setting- gluing magazine cut outs of food on a picture of a place setting.
  
• Baking- Pumpkin Cake
• Activities- Grocery store identification game, Pretend Restaurant, Produce Hide and Seek
• Field Trips- Grocery Store
  

Camping

November 2-6

Books



Curious George Goes Camping 



When we Go Camping, 



When Daddy Took us Camping



Matthew and Tall Rabbit Go Camping.


Fred and Ted Go Camping

 (All checked out at the public library. When we go Camping has beautiful pictures.

• Songs- Oh How I Love to go Camping (from the Disney CD 4), Popcorn by Greg and Steve, She'll be Coming Around the Mountain, Country Roads, Caissons Go Rolling, The More We Get Together.
• Baking- We made a Sweet Potato Dessert
• Crafts- Gluing pictures of camping objects/activities on a piece of paper (with a tree background on it). Pictures included a campfire, tent, lantern, backpack, picnic table, 2 people hiking and 2 people biking. Pictures from google images.
• Activities- Setting up a pretend camp ground in the house. We used Zachary's Train tent, 2 sleeping bags, play camping food and backpack, stuffed animals, a storage box for a table, two kid sized camping chairs, and an airbed with a green blanket tossed over my craft table which looked like rock with grass on top :)
• Field Trips- Camping at Pedernales State Park for the weekend!

Gluing pictures of camping items

Pedernales State Park

Mommy and Daddy took me to Pedernales State Park for a weekend camping trip! We went with Memay's family, her aunt and uncle, and another couple who are her friends too. We slept in a tent for two nights! Mrs. Mollie was so nice b/c she reserved the campsite next to the bathrooms. She's smart! We also had a camp fire and went hiking! I got to ride in the backpack. So did Memay and Feodore (Theodore).


Me and MeMay


Mommy, Baby, Daddy, and Me on our hike


Walking on the trail.


Memay wanted me to sit with her


Daddy helped me touch the water at the falls area


Memay and I loved the sand


We tried to innocently scoot close to the water.


Lying in the sand and kicking was fun.


Memay thought so too. She's taking a break here.


Walking together along the shore.


Time to put my shoes back on. My feet were full of wet sand!


I asked if we could go camping again. But Mommy and Daddy said that it was time to go back to the car and go home.


We had fun camping at Pedernales State Park!