Bathtub Classroom

The other night the children were in the tub playing with foam letters that, when wet, stick to the wall. This is what I heard while they were playing:

Jessalyn: "Look, Lee. A-E-I-O-U. Do you know what those are? Those are vowels. And let me tell you about silent E. He sneaks up on a word and changes the sound a vowel makes to the vowel's name. Like glob to globe and tub to tube…"

Enjoying the Fair, All These Years

We've been enjoying the county fair ever since we moved down here. My friend, Donna, had the great idea to compare pictures of Jessalyn at the petting zoo since I've documented it every year. We're missing just one year — 2005 — due to Hurricane Katrina.

2004 (17 months old and moving way too quickly for me to get any non-blurry pics of her petting animals)

2005 (2.5 years old in Nashville, during Katrina, enjoying the local "wildlife")

2006 (3.5 years old)

2007 (4.5 years old)

2008 (5.5 years old)

2009 (6.5 years old, wearing the same hat as in 2007)

Playmates

The Fair — A Photo Essay

We went to the fair yesterday with our friends Alison,

Noah and Connor. Apparently Jessalyn is fearless. Noah,

even moreso. Me...not so much. That's why I stood on the

ground and took all the pictures! I'll let them tell the story:

The ferris wheel and the SUPER HIGH swings were Jessalyn's

favorites, and she rode them a zillion times. Noah loved the

scrambler and I'm still surprised he was able to walk after riding

it 10 times or so (and it was L.O.N.G. ride). It was a fun day!

Homework

We are firmly entrenched in the school year. Other than school this means church activities, piano, dance and homework. Jessalyn is usually very good about tending to the task at hand. But Lee will not be left out. So, each evening when I announce that it's time to begin homework, Lee insists on doing homework, too. What a studious little guy.