Tea

My little four year-old lady is more and more so that these days

and so

 to celebrate,

commemorate, 

we gussied up, 

fancied up,

dressed it up

with a few little gals,

plus one gentleboy in suspenders.

We

donned the dresses,

some even the fur.

We laid down some lace,

made sure the flowers were just right.

Crumpets were warmed,

chamomile in cups,

(The caffeine-free selection was double, triple, quadruple checked for this shindig.)

berries served,

the jams were selected.

And then,

we

girls

we fancy girls

brunched our morning away.

With eleven four and under,

the chatter was lively,

the crumbs most definitely galore.

But  as tea was sipped,

and OJ slurped,

the manners actually quite impressive.

And when the fancies were brought out, 

the smiles grew less and less timid,

the necklaces were strung, 

bracelets beaded,

the girlie was in full bloom,

The beautiful so full.

All for my birthday gal

and her girl friends.

Yes,

these lovely

 

lovely babes, 

their mommas made quite proud.

(many thanks to most party pics from dear friend, Aud.)

Four

Four years ago tonight I didn't think you would ever be here.

I whined through the evening,

and moaned through the night,

rolling around the round that was you.

And then,

my little sunshine girl,

I'll never forget the moments of the next day,

the walking, the breathing, the heat, 

the everything that brought you,

your sweet, your soft, your cuddle,

the light that is you.

Tomorrow, you're four years-old,

oh child of mine,

I've said it before, little lady,

shine on, baby girl.

Ellie's new favorite shirt is from 40WinksbyJ. 

Use the coupon code 4thbirthday for 20% off any order!

And momma's new favorite headband for Ellie is from Knots.
"Like" Knots on Facebook for sweet deals!

Sledding

The snow is taller than one of the littles,

and halfway up another,

but there was just to too much memory making to stay cozy inside.

I remember too well the white of my own childhood,

the fort-building snow,

the tunnels we burrowed,

and there was nothing like Sleigh-Ride Hill at my Pop and Grandma's.

I even met the hubs simply because I couldn't pass up sledding on the first snowy night of my college years.

And so,

our afternoon was cold and wet and shivery

and there may be some bruises tomorrow

but, oh, was it good.

Reading

We've been snowed in around here. 

And other than the whole of six minutes spent outdoors before the gloves were too sopping and the noses too rosy, we're pretty much sequestered indoors. 

Which, 

has left plenty of time for the latest favorite around here.

Reading practice.

We've been practicing our letters for a long time,

(These are my favorite flashcards, the same illustrator as The Hungry Caterpillar, and just as whimsical and attractive as the book...)

We're taking the approach my own momma did in our six years of homeschooling,

starting with only the vowels, learning the short sounds only instead of the names of the letters or the long sounds.

(A would be taught as just "a" as in apple rather than ape, E would be taught as just "e" as in elephant)

(the research is crazy, teaching the short vowels first is the best way to learn how to read as most words in the English language use short vowels and allows individuals to transition smoothly from the sounds of letters to blending letters into words)

then graduating only once those are memorized by heart, to the same short, hard sounds of the consonants. 

(G would be taught as "g" as in goat rather than giraffe, C would be taught as "c" as in cat)

It's been a long process and with three under four years old, the entire thought of "teaching someone to read" is absolutely mind-boggling, 

until

 it becomes a quiet, special ten (sometimes just even five...okay, maybe even two) minutes at a time...

day after day after day after day...

until, now, we've started to just barely start putting two letters together...

sounding them out,

reading.

And, oh, is she proud of herself

And we're pretty proud of her.

(Below is a sneak of one of our reading times, initially intended just for grandparent viewing, but I thought I would share...ignore the mommy voice.)

(Also, if anyone is interested in the resources we've been using, the blend book as well as some other preschool materials, can be found here.)

Warm

The cold is here

(I'm on cup number three of the day. And, yes, that is a Dinosaur peering over the edge of my mug. And a lone slipper in the background as well. Not sure where its mate may lie at the moment.)

and more is coming. 

(yes, it is, son.)

So

(so...the haircut hasn't tamed the bedhead as much as we had planned...)

we're cozing in

(much needed quiet times are happening around here...as often as possible.)

and playing hard

(just look at dear friend Annie's curls, amazing.)

all in efforts to just keep

(five under four right there.)

warm.

Valentine

As mentioned before,

our week was full of nothing but these.

And fever and boogers and coughs. 

But,

a visit from Nana and Papa seemed to be the magic cure,

and a little Chutes and Ladders did some good as well. 

So the hubs and I made up for the lack of sleep over the last week with coffee

and snuck away for some just us time.

Dinner and a movie,

shopping and a night out-

a little stay-cation you might call it.

He's been my Valentine for ten years now.

And I think I'll keep it that way.

Slow

We're needing to slow down this week.

So far, only accomplishing a lot of this.

My poor sickie baby.

However, it doesn't slow me down from my retail therapy...

And I wanted to share a new fav with the bloggie world...

Introducing Ten 'til Joy.

A shop so affectionately inspired by and named after a momma's countdown through the ten months of pregnancy for her own precious bundle of joy.

And each piece reflecting a joy from the artist's life.

My own little girl has her own piece in the shop...

And the little girl here has a namesake as well!

But my newest fav?

Absolutely precious!

In fact, Ten 'til Joy is hosting a giveaway right now for this AMAZING piece...

Check out their Facebook page to enter!

So, while we continue to lay low around here...

 Enjoy some shopping for me, friends!