Zoe's First Professional Photo

I found this on my old hard drive. It was taken at minus-5 months:

What's going on right this second in our house...

Sascha is playing with a giant train track.

Zoe and Matt are playing a reading game (Leap Frog); they just spelled "bog" (which is very close to "blog"!).

(Zoe is wearing a swimsuit top and shorts....she is hanging onto summer as long as she can!)

I am writing this entry. :) And about to get back to work.

Sascha had her first cleaning ever at the dentist's today - she did great! She was not ready last time we went, so they were cool about holding off for another few months. And she was all patient and following-directions like today. I was quite proud.

(I also am miffed that no one ever offers *me* toothpaste that tastes like cookie dough when I get a cleaning. It's mint and only mint....what's up with that??)

The leaves are leafing out all over, and it's outstanding. Every year, I try to take photos of the multicolored mountains and the photos never do it justice. You just have to stand and look and let your mouth drop open.

This week Sascha has:

- learned about negative numbers
- started getting back into reading, in earnest
- found a new caterpillar she's never seen before
- helped make up an original version of "Red Light, Green Light"
- learned how to play Connect Four (on paper, though)

Our version of "Red Light, Green Light" includes other colored lights as well. "Pink light" was jumping, "purple light" was hopping on one foot, and there was an "orange light" as well....I think that was slow motion. Mixed in with red, yellow, and green, it was a great workout for the kids and a nice relaxing time for me (lie on the couch and shout out colors every once in awhile while they run around...I can do that!).


Here's a pic from last weekend...we are still having glorious 65-70 degree weather, but the leaves they are a'turnin.

Some apple-picking pics...we went with Tessa and her kids, Miro and Emmett. They are the same ages as Sascha and Zoe.





Sascha and Miro in the wagon on the way back



Zoe with a mouthful of apple



Zoe, Emmett, Miro and Sascha climbing around on pumpkins



Girl with gourd

Apples and More Apples

Friday night: apple crisp
Saturday: apple picking (photos to come; have misplaced camera)
Monday morning snack: homemade applesauce (YUM)
Monday lunch treat: apple crisp

We are freezing some of the applesauce in zip-top bags (because I am too lazy to try to can it, and I have read the bag method works just fine). It is very easy to make (in a slow cooker) and warm applesauce with cinnamon will ALWAYS put a smile on your face.

Inside the Mind

I would love to be able to see inside Sascha's mind. Last night in the car we were playing "math problem." The first one was something like, you have 10 jellybeans and give away 8 and then get 5 more from someone else, and how many do you have. Seven, she said. So then Matt gave her this one:

Say you have 20 jellybeans, and you want to share them among yourself and 3 friends so you each get the same number of jellybeans. How many jellybeans does each of you get?

Silence for a moment.

"I know, it's kind of a tough one," Matt says.

"No it isn't," says Sascha. "Five."

I about drove off the road.

After recovering, I asked how many they would each get if she had 16 jellybeans instead of 20. She couldn't get that one (she actually guessed 4, but then guessed 2 before we could say anything, so she was doing something along the right lines, but couldn't explain what she was doing), and then we used 8 instead of 16 and she said that was too hard. "I do better with bigger numbers," she said.

At home we got out some little stones and did the same problem in a more visual way, so she could physically divide up the stones among four people. She thought it was fun.

Homeschooling Update - Phys. Ed.

Not much to update, but it's nice to check in every once in awhile. Sascha started a VERY l0w-key soccer program on Saturday mornings. One hour for six weeks. She seemed to like the first session. It is all 4- to 7-year-olds and they are just kicking the ball around, playing dribbling games, etc. She is still taking karate on Wednesdays, and soon we'll add skiing and ice skating back into the mix. Not to mention the intermittent gymnastics that take place in the living room (she is working on cartwheels and handstands), the biking, and the running (she and I are going on a run together very soon, or I will hear about it).

This has nothing to do with phys ed really, but yesterday we picked over a pound of awesome fall raspberries and promptly ate them all for dessert. Next time we will pick enough for jam AND for snacking.

Sojourners' Return

We are back from 15 days in the heartland (WI, MN, IL [just passing through], IN, and WI again). I have plenty of photos, just haven't gotten around to editing most of them. I also have videos of both my dad and Matt parasailing.


Here are a couple of photos, though.....

Reagan and Zoe (they are first cousins once removed, or something like that - Reagan's dad and I are first cousins):






Matt at his cousin JR's wedding in Duluth, Minn. - doesn't he look super cool?







Matt's cousin Eric holding Ming Li (also Matt's cousin) and Zoe at the wedding reception:






Eric and Sascha tearing up the dance floor! Matt's cousin John Henry is on the left.



More photos to come, including an impossibly large Volkers family photo, taken just before we broke out into song.

Why You Should Not Try To Take The Annual "Zoe's Birthday" Photo After 8 P.M.







See the August 23, 2007 blog entry for past years' photos....I think this year wins for "most expressive" so far.

Birthday Season Arrives

Zoe turned three on August 11....and our family birthday season is here. Matt is 9/12, I'm 9/26 and Sascha is 11/27, so we are all sort of "crammed together" in one part of the year.

Here are some photos from Zoe's sort-of party - she had one friend come over for cupcakes (everyone else was in Maine for the weekend). We only did video from her family party, but rest assured she had lots of chocolate frosting then, too.





The kids and I went to New Hampshire last weekend and Sascha caught her first fish! (And her second through fifth - there was good fishing on Friday.) I was completely icked out by putting on the worm and taking off the fish, but I did it, because that's one of those things parents do, right?

(and don't tell me if the answer is "no".)




Zoe caught her first fish, too (with a little help from Mom) but didn't want to look at it.



We also went to a really cool children's museum in Dover. I think we spent three hours there, and could have stayed longer! Here are the kids in the "Greek restaurant," busily making tzatziki or dolmades or something else I have probably misspelled.

Milestones

Sascha is a swimmer! She can jump in the pool and swim (above and underwater) for at least 15 feet. It happened all at once, just a day or two after swimming lessons ended.

And yesterday, she earned her yellow belt in karate! She and Matt were keeping her test a secret for weeks. She is so proud of this belt...she wore it over her clothes last night, and just took it to the library to show the librarian. :) I guess it's time to get her a gi (uniform) to wear with the belt - until now, she's just worn her regular clothes.

We're off to New Hampshire this weekend for some swimming, fishing, s'moring fun. And on Monday, Zoe turns 3. Time really has sped along. As they say: the years fly by, but some days seem to last FOREVER.

This is Just Too Fun!


Say what you want about the internet - sometimes it's just a blast to play around on! These come from Photofunia. I could spend a good hour on that site....but I must...go....to...bed......

Saucin'

Okay, so the jam turned out more like sauce, despite me following the directions to the letter. Thankfully, Dorothy came through with REAL directions, and once there are enough raspberries to pick 3 or 4 pints, we are trying again.

Please note that our raspberry sauce is still divine when spread on toast. You just kind of have to pour it out of the jar. ;)

Jammin'
We just made a batch of raspberry jam - 4 pints. I am amazed at the amount of sugar that went into it...but there's nothing like homemade raspberry jam in the middle of winter. It's a little bit of sunshine on a cold day.

Of course, these 4 pints are not going to last until December, so we will have to pick more raspberries....

I leave you with a portrait of Zoe, painted as...well, Zoe.

More Home Schoolin'

Here's some more of S's curriculum.

Citizenship, History and Government:
- understand neighborhood vs town vs state vs country
- importance of environmental issues (recycling, littering, etc)
- U.S. geography
- beginning world geography
- understand differences in people
- idea of family tree, relatives
- beginning Vermont history (maple syrup making, farming)

Phys Ed and Health
- identify body parts
- understand basic body functions - digestion, etc
- understand good health habits - toothbrushing, healthful eating
- basic safety
- phys ed activities to include running, walking, karate, ice skating, biking, skiing, snowshoeing, trampoline

Photos From the Fair

We went to a county fair yesterday - it was the perfect day for it. Sunny but not too hot. Breezy. Sascha is a great age for rides - she tried just about everything, including the Himalaya (a sort of circular mini-rollercoaster that goes REALLY fast, then backwards) and the giant slide. Zoe stuck to the kiddie rides, but really only enjoyed the merry-go-round (even the boat with the pink interior was not as exciting as she thought it would be).

Some photos....










(Zoe got on a pony, too, but once it started moving, she was done!)





This is Zoe checking out some angora rabbits...they looked a lot like what I'd imagine a "dust bunny" looks like. ;)



Zoe checking out the goats with her friend Lilly.



Zoe, Lilly and Sascha got a special "backstage pass" to hang out with some prize-winning goats.




This is an alpaca. It was talking to us. Sort of a mooing sound, but its mouth stayed closed. As this was the last day of the fair, I think it was ready to go home.

It Can't Be Normal....


For a 2-year-old to properly use the word "also."

But then....Zoe *is* almost 3, and I'm sure our kids are far from normal anyway.

Sascha has been asking about evolution again ("Where did the first person come from?"), so I finally tried to explain how humans evolved. I thought I was thorough and avoided most of the inaccuracies that many people believe (we are "descended from monkeys", for example. Not so. Humans and monkeys have a common ancestor in the fairly recent past, which is not the same as saying we're just a breath away from being chimps.).

Of course, two days later, she asked me where the first *monkey* came from.

So I got online and found a couple of good books. They should show up soon.

I also tried to explain nearsightedness to her, using the basic principles of optics. But since I don't remember optics really well (some stuff just falls right out of my head...I like physics, I just can't retain it), I'm sure she has some bizarre concept of how people's eyes worsen. Oh well.

R.I.P. Brando

Our dog, Brando, was put to sleep on Tuesday. It was time...he was very sick with a pancreatic tumor. He couldn't run or play or do much of anything anymore. The tumor was also changing his personality. It was a tumor that makes insulin, so it caused low blood sugar. That led to seizures, balance problems, and changes in his brain caused by a lack of sugar. He seemed out of it a lot of the time, and was becoming unpredictable.

We all went to the vet's together, and explained it in kid terms to the kids. They are so honest and unfettered with "shoulds" and second-guesses about emotion that they just did their thing. Sascha cried; Zoe asked "Why Bindo die?" but didn't cry. They petted him before, and after. They miss him, but they seem to know he isn't coming back.

If there is a place for dogs after this life, I know he's there running around, looking for someone to pet him, and asking for treats.

Today Sascha counted by 10s to 400. At least twice. Loudly.
She also can count by 2s. Thankfully, not to 400. At least not out loud.

She did another 1-miler last night in a neighboring town. She was 5th out of 9 kids, and got a ribbon (all of the kids' ribbons said "First Place," which I thought was a bit smarmy...but whatever, she can't read the ribbon yet). She also won this little handheld fan in the after-race raffle (there also was a 5K, with about 50 people in it). You push a button and the fan comes on, and little LED lights spell out what is essentially an ad for the drugstore that donated the fan. Still, it's mighty cool and the whole family has been playing with it. Plus, there was ice cream and watermelon for everyone...and that is almost a balanced dinner right there. ;)

Don't worry, we're not neglecting Zoe! She is gearing up to be three. In a big way. Suddenly she's doing those things that Sascha did that I couldn't stand...like demand something over and over and over and over until she gets it (she has no concept of "wait"), dawdle like crazy when it comes to personal hygiene or getting into her carseat, and cry/throw a fit when things don't go her way. None of this is new, just seems to be ramped up a bit. She does count all the way to ten, now, though sometimes she misses five. And she can identify three or four different birds, balance on her Kinderbike, and she almost has the hang of pumping on the swings.

Home Schoolin'

We got a letter from the state Board of Education the other day. I admit to skimming through it, looking for those magic words: "[Your homeschooling application] has been found to be complete."

So I figure Sascha is now officially a kindergartner, even though it's only June. :) This morning she was practicing counting to 100 both forward and backward. I can't say it was the most exciting thing to listen to while making coffee...but it was pretty cool.

Here is some of her curriculum:

Language Arts:
Creative listening (jargon, but oh well - she is already a creative listener, or is that more like "selective hearing"?)
Vocabulary development
Opposites
Review and write lower and uppercase alphabets
Learn some sight words
Create and write stories

Math:
Addition and subtraction - understanding what it means
Counting to 100 forward and backward (Yes, this is really on here, and we did NOT tell Sascha about the curriculum!)
Understanding written numbers up to 100
Understanding place value to 3 places
Solve written addition and subtraction problems
Beginning multiplication (she already does this, or I probably would have left it off)
Beginning fractions through concrete examples (pizza, etc.)
Recognizing patterns and continuing them
Recognizing the different coins and understanding their values
Knowing basic shapes (she's known these since she was 2 or 3, but this is on most standard K curricula so I put it on)
Beginning to tell time

Except for one or two of these, she's got all of this down, or at least somewhat.

Yesterday she asked me if I went to school or if I was homeschooled. I couldn't get a feeling for if she was interested in going to school or not, or why she asked. I think she was curious whether Matt and I met in school...which we did, but not until we were in our 20s! So I tried to explain about the different kinds of school, but who knows if I made it clear or not. Why do these conversations always occur when I am trying to drive the car?

Swimming lessons are going great - she jumps off the diving board and swam with a noodle today. I think we might be signing her up for a second course later in the summer......