Haircuts....One Special one to Honor Aunt Helen

Sigrid and Astrid got their usual trims today but Ingrid did something special. Ingrid cut off 10 inches of hair to donate to locks of love for making wigs for terminally ill children. This was done in honor of my Aunt Helen. Ingrid looks absolutely adorable and is proud of her new do.

Happy 8th Birthday ASTRID!!!!

Astrid is 8 on April the 7th. I can hardly believe it. She invited her class to a hot dog and marshmallow roast on Saturday night. They played in the tree swing Pop built for her last summer, they played What time is it Mrs. Fox? and they skipped rocks at the lake. All had a good evening. Astrid has the look of uninhibited joy in the second pictures as one of her friends got her a black fresian webkins. That is one of her favorite horses and webkins is the new fad toy. Ingrid cooked her cupcakes that were decorated like frogs and I guess I forgot to snap a picture of them. There are a few left and maybe I will get a picture of one. The phone rang when we had just started to make the cupcakes and I got caught up in conversation with a girlfriend and when I was finished Ingrid had made the cupcakes all I had to do was cook them. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASTRID.....YOU ARE ONE OF LIFES GREATEST JOYS!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Sigrid!!!

We got Siggie's birthday cake made while she napped. You can see what she was excited about when she woke up.....licking the beaters. Astrid and Ingrid decorated it and are very proud of themselves. We took a lesson from Aunt Helen.

Happy Easter!!!

Here are my beautiful girls!!! It is a little windy today but we still are having a beautiful time. Ingrid wrote these wonderful words during church....I love you and I love Jesus. Jesus is God's son. I know Jesus...Do you know Jesus? He loves you.

For Erin

Erin,
First you fold the washcloth in a triangle. Then you lay the point of the triangle at the center of the towel. Then you sew from that point down one side....see how I have it pinned. Then sew from the point down the other side. Then invert.....tada!!!!Ingrid was the photographer.....

Claytons quilt

SNOW DAY!!!!

Where is Asti?

Asti, Ingie, and Sigie had to go outside as soon as the awoke. Asti was not happy just playing in the front yard. She had to go check out the creek. Sigie had to come in because it was too deep and she couldn't walk. The big girls stayed out for over an hour. I paid them a dollar to clean the snow off my side porch.

Astrid at the Peabody

Astrid and her class made a presentation at the Peabody Hotel in Little Rock yesterday. They presented on what second graders are capable of doing with a computer. It was at the technology conference for educators and administrators across the state. Astrid and her class developed a car wash business and through powerpoint, word, and excell they made their presentation. Astrid's computer teacher, Mr. Yeager, has an A-team out of the class who are his front row and his brightest. Of course, Astrid is one of the A-team. Mr. Yeager describes Astrid as "focused". She did not want any speaking parts but gave her all to the work done on the computer. She really likes Excell and I think her Pop would too if he had access to it. She also is impressive with the Powerpoint and has written some stories in Word. Well I guess I will quit bragging and call it a night.

Two of a Kind

I have another picture of Astrid that I know would show more of the resemblence but this is the only one I could find tonight. I have one where she has the same serious expression. The second picture is of Eric's dad Mark at the age of 8 months. You can definetly tell these two are related.

Happy Birthday Ingrid!!!!

Pop got this dollhouse from someone and We have been working on it for Ingrid. Uncle Greg put a new floor and roof on it. Ingrid and I wallpapered it with the papers of her choosing and last night afterIngrid had fallen asleep a fairy came and painted her name on it and some other details. She was so excited this morning. Gigi made her a beautiful heart cake that was pink and purple. Pop and Gigi got her her own personal DVD player and her own copy of GREASE. She was excited about that. She has had a busy weekend with her nutcraker performances but was glas she did it and says she will do it every year till she has played every part. HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET ANGEL!!!!

Sigrid lights the Candle of Hope

Happy Early Birthday Ingrid!!!

Ingrid's birthday is December 10th which is the weekend she performs in the Nutcracker. With all the holidays and activities this past saturday was when she could have a play day with her friends. She took some to Playworld and they had a blast as you can tell by their red cheeks. The little girl with her at the table was her best friend from preschool whom she sorely misses and was so glad to see.

First Place!!!

Astrid won first place for the Keep Arkansas Beautiful contest across the state. She received a $50 gift card to wal-mart. She bought herself and each of her sisters something. She is a darling girl with a sweet spirit. Her picture will be in the paper soon. The artwork will hang in the rotunda of the Capitol building in April for Keep Arkansas beautiful month and will be used for promotional items. We are proud!!!!

Halloween!!

Well I think the girls had a fine Halloween. They went trick or treating and I made them special hamburgers for supper. I bought their costumes last year at Kmart for $0.90 each...mine too. I wore my costume at school and read spooky stories to the kids during language group...they loved it. When the pink poodle left each house she would look at her dad and say I want to go to another one dad. I was proud of the girls telling each door greeter "thank you" and using their best manners.....even when the pink poodle would ask to pick out the candy she wanted from the homes she did so with her best "I want that one Please". Pop rode by with his scary mask on his tractor and frightened Sigrid and Ingrid. He doesn't scare Astrid.

For Helen

1. What is your name? Laura
2. 4 letter word: Love
3. Vehicle: Limo
4. City: Little Rock, AR
5. Boy Name: Larry
6. Girl Name: Lucy
7. Alcoholic drink: Long Island Iced Tea
8. Occupation: Lawyer
9. Something you wear: Lingerie
10. Celebrity: Lucille Ball
11. Food: Lasagna
12. Something found in a bathroom: Lather
13. Reason for Being Late: Lost
14. Cartoon Character: Lucy from Peanuts
15. Something You Shout: Lord have mercy
16. Animal: Lion
17. Body part: Leg
18. Word to describe you: Loving, Laughter, Loyal,

Work Work Work

Well Life is busy here. Astrid and soccer and Ingrid with her ballet. She is going to be in the Nutcracker this year so that means some extra lessons. Other than that it is just work work work.

I get the pleasure of being paid to play. I work with 0-5 year olds and try to improve their speech and language skills.....one of the easiest ways to is to play with them. It is called parallel play....whatever they are playing you join in and play along beside them...providing language stimulation through simple dialog. Paralell talk is also important. Talk about whatever they are doing....provide them the language and vocabulary they need during each activity. Reading simple books and just labeling and naming objects around the house or whatever environment is also important. To start them vocalizing...animal sounds and other environmental sounds(car engine, car horn etc) are a good starting point. Repetitve syllable words are the easiest to begin saying....mama, dada, bubu for brother or bubbles, bye-bye etc. Another easy way to stimulate a child's language is by teaching them some simple sign language.....learning to sign "more" is the first sign I teach kids because they can use it to get "more" of anything. I took a picture of Ingrid signing "more". When Ingrid is sick, tired, or just in her daydreamy state she still will sign "more" while she verbally asks for more of something.

Towels

Helen how much should I start charging for these......Mom and Erin call on me to make these when there is a baby shower. Erin needs one for a doctor at work having a baby girl and Mom needs two for a lady at work having twins....a boy and a girl. Mom says to me Laura if you will make two towels for me for this girl at work I will put Eric's name on the card too....how bout that....I do all the work and she gets all the credit. The one in the middle is for a girl at my work....she is using beige and brown for her baby. Helen sent me two hooded towels she made when I was pregnant with Astrid. We still use them every night after our bath. From the two she has made I have made bunches for all my friends. I also make bandana baby quilts. I made a real pretty one a couple of weeks ago. It was pink and brown for a little baby girl named Loralie. My closest friend at work is having her second girl in november so when I get her quilt made I will post a picture of it.

THANK YOU AUNT HELEN!!!!

The girls were so excited about their new outfits. They all fit perfectly and they can't wait for the cool weather so they can wear them. Siggie wanted to sleep in hers but we compromised and she put on her pajamas but her clothes are in the bed with her. Ingrid loves to say XOXO so she thinks it is so cool that it is on her jeans. She said everyone will expect a kiss and hug from her because of her new jeans. Astrid was also very excited.....she was curious how Helen new the size to buy. I told her Helen new alot about little girls so she could just tell by the pictures. You made their day Aunt Helen and Thank You and I LOVE YOU.

First day of School!!!

Well we made it through the first day of 2nd grade and Kindergarten. Ingrid did well this morning she just wanted Astrid not her Mom. Astrid of course did excellent. Sigrid just wants to stay home and go to Pops.