Toddler Naps

Although Eleanor will take the occasional nap, we are truly just down to one everyday napper in the Williamson household. He now likes to play a bit in his crib (yes, we still keep this boy contained!), usually a few cars, trucks or board books. After a little playtime I hear it get really quiet and he is out! He usually naps 2-3 hours a day and for that I am grateful! Love my cuddly boy. 

From Caterpillar to Butterfly

One thing we did this year to celebrate Spring was "raise" caterpillars. A friend told me how they were doing this same thing. I ordered a kit and in a week we received 5 wiggly caterpillars. The boys thought they were neat while Eleanor considered them to be "gross." "I don't like worms." I didn't document it, however I believe it was over the course of a couple weeks we watched them go from caterpillars, then form into their chrysalis and then maybe 2 weeks later emerge as butterflies. The children were mesmerized by the concept of metamorphosis as were Eric and I! After enjoying our butterflies we released them into the backyard a few days later. 

 Encouraging them to "be free in nature" as Everett stated. 

 Mid-flight

 Seeing if one of the butterflies would go onto their finger. He did not. He made a good choice!

We definitely look forward to making this a tradition every Spring!

Tuesday Morning with the Littles

Tuesday mornings the big boys go to their homeschool enrichment classes. This means that my littlest tots are home with me for a couple hours. I enjoy this precious time.

Watching an episode of Curious George-my favorite children's program.

 A couple of weeks ago I began a gentle introduction to school for Eleanor. Even though I won't be doing kindergarten with her this next school year, I want her to get used to sitting and doing a few activities that are more structured. She is learning her letters and doing some handwriting here. 

 Oh my Thatcher Reid. A ball of energy and even though he does not do much "seat work" he hears and absorbs everything!

 This past week our literature book was "The House that Jack Built." 

 Potty break. Much progress in this area has been made the past few weeks! He gets it!

 Based on our literature unit, Eleanor is making some homes out of her Magna Tiles. This is her favorite toy by far.

I love my sweet preschool time with these two. We do a little learning time, I sometimes clean the house and/or run an errand. Yesterday was the last day of the enrichment classes and they will start up again in the Fall. Eleanor will be joining the boys and so Thatcher and I will have Tuesday mornings to ourself!

The WNC Nature Center

A couple of days ago we went with friends to the WNC Nature Center. We had such a great time! The weather was beautiful and the Nature Center has made some updates since our last visit. I purchased an annual pass, so we will have a lot more visits in the near future. 

I think Everett and Eleanor were checking out the wolf exhibit in this photo. 

 A very happy Hampton.

 7 children on a tree stump! Baby Caleb was in his stroller. 

 Eleanor called this, "the Big Bad Wolf." 

 This may be one of my favorite pictures of these two. 

 The children called this "Charlotte's Web." We had just finished the audiobook. 

 The closest we ever want to get to a bear!

 The children helping with farm chores. Sweeping, raking, hauling.....

 and shoveling "cow poop!"

 Two seconds after this photo was taken I thought it best to remove the heavy shovel out of Thatcher's grasp for fear of the other children's safety! Good call. 

 Our crew!

He Has Risen!

We had a lovely Easter this year. Everett told us it was his best Easter! It was full of focusing on the Reason for the celebration, themed-food, and Beatrix Potter themed gifts. A happy day was had by all. 

The Luck of the Irish

No holiday is complete in my book without a Pinterest inspired craft. So this year we made leprechauns and created the beards by painting with forks. Our St Patrick's day was also filled with lots of themed reading and re-visiting what we had learned about Saint Patrick from our study last year. A fun day!

Potty Training Thatcher

There is no doubt about it-Thatcher Reid is one strong willed child. He will let you know if he is not wanting to do something, like nobody's business. So once he approached the 3 year mark, I knew it was time to just go ahead and get this potty training thing done. I was definitely not looking forward to it! And he was very articulate that he was not wanting to do it either as he often states "I just wear diapers." But our pediatrician let me know he would more than likely never voluntarily want to initiate this process. So I purchased a new potty, a bag of candy and prayed. The first few days he just held it until nap. At this point, a couple weeks later he has some successes and many accidents. I just keep telling myself, "this is the last one!" Eric and I have changed diapers for nearly 8 years now. That is amazing! He will get it.