A Frequent Sight Around Our House

Within the past few weeks, Ava has really enjoyed practicing headstands.  I mean REALLY enjoyed.  We don’t have too many bare walls in this house (we have quite a few windows), so she has found creative places to practice her headstands.  Evidence below.

What can I say?  This girl is most definitely a multi-tasker...

Peace, love and a good head on her shoulders (or is it below her shoulders?),
Shelly, Doug, Ava and Liam

Grandma Pam Packages

Ava and Liam ABSOLUTELY LOVE packages from the grandparents.  Mail is exciting!  My Mom, without fail, always puts a happy face in the return label of the packages she sends.  The kids ALWAYS know Grandma Pam's packages from the smiley faces she draws.  :-) 

Thank you for sending fun via mail, Grandma Pam!

Peace, love and boxes full of hugs and kisses,
Shelly, Doug, Ava and Liam

Latest Retaining Wall Progress / Movie Time

Taking shape!  He has four levels done in the back now.

What a dead man looks like, as it ties into the wall.

A temporary silt fence (the black fence), required by the county.

 Doug tied into the concrete silt block placed here when the house was orignally constructed.  He drilled a hole in the concrete and filled it with an epoxy adhesive.  He then inserted a stainless steel threaded rod into the epoxy.  This wall won't be going anywhere!

Back wall, built up two levels.  Doug is definitely doing this the right way.  Gravel behind the timbers for six inches, landscape fabric behind that to hold back dirt, drain pipes installed and coming out of the wall, dead men to reinforce and support the wall.

This is what a dead man looks like.  I always imagined they'd be a little more pale than this? ;-)

A view of the old (failing) retaining wall, toward the left.

Old wall.

Before laying out the first level of the front (outside) wall. In this picture you can see why I'm calling it the "outside" wall.  There is a piece of wood jutting out from the "back wall."  That will serve as the first step of a staircase.  We will use the staircase to get down to the creek, if a ball goes down into it, etc.  The staircase will be supported by an "outside" wall, which will be right up next to the creek.  There is one timber laid-out to the far right that you can see will become the first level of the outside wall.  The first step will be supported by level #3 or so of the outside wall. 

Yuck.  Before laying out layer #1 of the front wall and installing it.

Old retaining wall.

I guess it did serve a purpose since 1984.  It wasn't constructed very well, so I can only imagine how long Doug's wall will last!  

Our super nice neighbor Matthew Celender bought a pair of waterproof boots and told Doug he would help out this past Saturday.  Thanks Matthew!  And thanks to Kate for watching Scarlett while Matthew helped!  How funny...it looks like the required uniform for this job is a white t-shirt and ripped jeans.  Not exactly fun work to do, in the mud constantly!

I wonder if they made mudpies when they were little?  ;-) 
If not, they're certainly making up for lost time!

Laying out the front (outside) wall. This wall will tie into the steps.  Doug couldn't go any higher on finishing the wall toward the back, as this front (outside) wall will be tying into the steps.  The steps will serve as dead-men (perpendicular wall support that will pull the wall back from it's edge) back into the dirt.

Eventually all of the greenery (aka weeds) toward the left won't be there, after the digging occurs to install the dead-men.

Old timbers that comprised the old (and not very useful) retaining wall.  Some of the dead men were only 22 inches long!  Not really doing much. But, ever the resourceful guy, Doug will be cutting some of the old, longer timbers down to reuse as dead-men.

Without the retaining wall there, you can see how steep it really is!

Much nicer already!  This is row #1 installed, entire wall.  We tried to make the front wall parallel with the back wall, with exception to the angled portion.

You can imagine what it might look like, when the wall is built up nine levels.

While the boys were working on the retaining wall, I wanted to take Ava and Liam somewhere to occupy them.  We opted to go to see Mr. Popper's Penguins at the dollar theater.  I asked Kate, Matthew's wife, if she wanted to go and bring Scarlett.  It was Scarlett's first movie.  She did really well!  Although she was scared of the penguins in the movie, after a seriously close-up shot of a penguin's mouth...If I were her I would've been scared, too...I think you could see down the penguin's throat, it was that close!  We had fun with them, though.  She sat really well, too!

Peace, love and retaining LOTS of water,

Shelly, Doug, Ava and Liam

"One Rotten Apple Ruins Its Neighbors"

Ava has been LOVING school.  This month, her apple has been "in the sunshine" more than not.  Kids are allowed to put their apple in the "sunshine"only if they've done something outstanding, listened well, were kind to someone or followed directions well on that particular day.  The teacher sends a calendar home in their Kinder keeper, stamping a sunshine on that day, if they did really well.  If there is no sunshine, their apple remained in the tree, which is also good.  If there is a number and a letter, it is a code (referring to a legend) relating to a type of bad behavior and number of occurrences.  The apple can go down into the trunk, into the grass, onto the dirt and finally (drum roll please...) into the bucket.  Bucket = bad. 

Ava had been mentioning one little boy's name (Riley) for the first few weeks.  She sits at a table with Riley, Hannah and Marek.  Riley sounded like a smart cookie, reading "chapter books," an apple-in-the-sunshine kind of kid.  One day a few weeks ago, Ava had to move her apple "down on the tree" (to the trunk), for not listening to instructions, which was surprising.  She is normally a really good listener, so we assumed it was a one-time deal.  The next day the apple had to move down again.  We addressed the behavior with her that day, again. 


I noticed she would mention Marek's name on the days her apple moved down on the tree.  She mentioned that he had to move his apple down on some of those days, too.  When I inquired more about the behavior situation, she said "Marek likes to get me in trouble...He likes to try to bite me..."  The next day, on a Friday, her apple had to be moved down yet again.  Yikes.  I sent a message to the teacher (for another unrelated reason, as well), asking if I was hearing the entire story.  She told me she would call me the following Monday. 


In the meantime, I told Ava about horses and "blinders," telling her that horses wear them to focus on going the fastest they possibly can during races. I mentioned that if the horses don't wear the blinders, they probably wouldn't go as fast, because they might get distracted looking at something else.   I put my hands up to my eyes and showed her what blinders were like.  She did the same thing.  I told her that she should pretend like she has blinders on at school, so she can focus on her schoolwork only.  I also told her I probably should've mentioned that her new school is much more about learning than she was used to at Lighthouse Academy.  I mentioned she could play at Lighthouse during the day, but at this new school we definitely needed to follow the teacher's directions and learn as much as we possibly can, that there were specific times set-aside for playing.  She was game. 


Ava's teacher is THE. BEST.  In fact, when I picked her up yesterday from school, someone mentioned to me that she, too, loved Mrs. McKenzie, that "Mrs. McKenzie has the kids eating out of the palm of her hand...even though she expects quite a bit from them, they rise to the occasion."  Very cool.  So Mrs. McKenzie did call me that Monday.  She mentioned Ava is a great student, that she loves having Ava in her class, but said she can be a bit "playful".  I know this.  Mrs. McKenzie did mention that she was going to move the seats around anyway, so she would be sure to move Ava's seat away from Marek, to minimize any distraction.  She said she told Ava to not hesitate if Marek (or anyone else) tries to bite her.  Love Mrs. McKenzie.

That same Monday, Ava came home beaming, saying her "apple was in the sunshine."  Woo-hoo!  It was only later I found out that Marek was out sick that day and the next, when Ava's apple was in the sunshine again.  (Go Ava!)  Hmm...are you sensing a pattern here?  ;-)
 I honestly would be fine if her apple wasn't in the sunshine everyday, as long as she wasn't required to move it down.  If it is moving down, we definitely need to address the behavior.  The consequence of an apple moving down is fewer minutes playing in the "fun centers" on Fun Fridays.  I love that there are tangible consequences for the kids.  Great motivation to change the behavior. 

When I volunteered last week in Ava's classroom, I got to meet all of the kids.  It was so fun!  The kids learned all about apples.  Marek was a mild-mannered boy.  I did have to redirect his attention to the task at hand a few times, so I have a feeling that particular tendency most likely played into his interactions with Ava.  He really did seem like a sweet kid.  I'm not saying he is the bad apple, but thought the Chaucer quote was apropo here!  ("One Rotten Apple Ruins Its Neighbors")

Since Ava has changed seats, she seems to be doing EXTREMELY well.  Her apple has not since "moved down."  She seems to be liking her new table, too.  She wishes she sat at her friend Ella's table (as well as another friend), but I told her I'm sure that day will come, since they will be changing seats again later in the year.

Peace, love and sun-shiney apples for everyone,
Shelly, Doug, Ava and Liam

Helping with the McIntoshes :)

I am loving Ava's kindergarten class.  I wish I could've signed up to be a "room parent," but unfortunately wasn't sure how much time it would require.  The room parent sent a message to all parents, asking for volunteers to help with classroom activities.  Yay!  I can do that!  I picked a Thurssday and volunteered from 11:40-12:30.  Ava was excited when she learned I would be volunteering.  She said her friends were excited to meet me.  (Ha!) 

I helped with "apple centers" that day.  There were four different tables (centers) where the kids had a different activity to do.  I was responsible for a table where the kids weighed things on a two-sided scale. The kids had to determine if the item they were weighing was heavier or lighter than an apple.  They then had to color in a dot on a sheet of paper, underneath the item that was the heavier of the two items.  I felt bad for one little girl named Christina who said she couldn't write her name at the top of her paper (poor thing, she couldn't remember how to spell her name!).  (One table was painting apple trees, another was making "apple mouth" snacks using two apple slices, some peanut butter and some marshmallows for teeth).

When Ava came home that afternoon, there was a thank you note from Mrs. McKenzie in her Kinder keeper for me.  I was very impressed that Mrs. McKenzie was so prompt in thanking the parents!

I will definitely be volunteering in the future.  It was fun!  And I got home in time for my 1:00 p.m. meeting.  :)  All in a day's work!

Peace, love and all-things-apple,
Shelly, Doug, Ava and Liam

 Mrs. McKenzie leading the class in the "Hi, My Name Is Joe..." song.

Ava participating in the group song.

Mrs. McKenzie has them put their hands on their head when they are supposed to be listening. 

Wow, does this work!  

Her thank you note to me...

Liam at School

Wow, I wish I could be in the running for this award? :) 

Liam still takes a great nap every day. 

Ava stopped napping at 29 months, when Liam came home from the hospital.   

I love this one.  :-)

Liam has been going to school with quite a few of the same kids since he was born. 

Frankie and Ben seem to be his best friends at school. 

They did a craft where they sent messages to each other in a (plastic) bottle. 

Ben sent a message to Liam:

The message was too sweet.

Peace, love and manly BFF's,

Shelly, Doug, Ava and Liam