Most of you regular readers know Devon (Adalia and Tilly’s friend) and Owen. Well they have a new baby sister, Ashlinn! Ashlinn was born late last week and I got to go visit in the hospital to get these newborn photos.
First Ashlinn gave me this winning smile…
…and then this grimace, which I think we can all agree is just as cute!
Big sister Devon and little Ashlinn.
Ashlinn was wide awake and alert for her photoshoot…and she doesn’t seem any too sure of my lens.
When Apollo was sick a couple of weeks ago, he looked up at me with his big brown eyes and said, “Mama, when is the war going to be over?”
“What war, Sweetie?” I asked.
“The one in my body…between the viruses and the white blood cells”.
It took me a moment to realize he was referring to this book: Understanding Viruses with Max Axiom. I am so happy that reading him that graphic novel style book over and over and over again has done some good. I love reading picture books and chapter books outloud to my children. Graphic novels and comic books? Not so much.
Apollo misses his siblings while they are at school, but also enjoys the solitude of uninterrupted play…until his mom interrupts with her camera, that is.
Apparently there was a Playmobil massacre because I walked in and fell upon this scene of The Last Playmobil Man Standing…while the others were splayed out in various positions…along with an abandoned crepe…
While driving in the van the other day, Apollo asked, “Mom, were you alive when God came down to earth?”
“Ah…no” I answered.
“Aw, too bad. Cause if you were then you could tell me what he looks like…and take pictures of him!”
Yesterday we had the amazing synchronicity of: sunshine, unseasonably warm weather and a day off from school. You can bet I wasn’t about to let this combination of events pass us by. We took advantage of the day headed out to Squalicum Creek Park, a brand-spanking new park in our community.
I convinced Apollo to take his balance bike (which he informed me was actually his getaway bike). We bought this for him last summer, but he wasn’t quite ready for it then. It seems to be perfect for him now, however. I am guessing when summer rolls around he’ll be zipping through the parks on this baby.
The skies were blue, the sun was giving off heat…and most kids (in Bellingham) still had school, so the park wasn’t overly crowded. It was the perfect combination!
You would think with all the stars aligning and life being good, my children would be thrilled, right? Except then a horrible, terrible thing happened….
A couple of my children got hungry…ah yes, it happens to the best of us. Not only did they get hungry, I made them wait until we got home to eat. Ah, the tragedy. The sorrow! The gnashing of teeth…
On the bright side, we did get to meet up with friends…
It was a beautiful, wonderful day to reconnect as a family and with friends. It was a warm sunny day that made promises of springtime and new life. I have to keep reminding my self it is January and we are smack in the middle of winter, not spring…
Apollo’s LEGO Juniors set arrived in the mail late last week and I could hardly wait to surprise him with it. I set the box (and a cookie sheet) on his school table and told him he need to come clean up his table….It isn’t very often I catch a genuine smile from him with my camera, so I was thrilled with this shot.
Here’s the thing about being the youngest child in the family…you get introduced to things so much sooner than you older siblings. It happens by default. For instance, Judah received his first LEGO set on his eleventh birthday. We had LEGO in the house prior to that, but they were Chuck’s LEGO from his childhood. Apollo, on the other hand, has grown up in a house inundated with both LEGO and LEGO fans.
I loved watching Apollo with his new LEGO set. At age 4 and 1/2, he sat and focused on each step of the process…he opened the bags by himself, pulled out the instructions, and studied each picture. It was fascinating to see him study the picture, then scan the cookie sheet for just the right piece. Placing it called for spatial reasoning and fine motor skills. Following the directions, in order, is a great pre-reading skill. Seriously, LEGO is the perfect preschool activity.
Apollo has had just one LEGO Juniors set before, this Spider-Man Spider Car Pursuit. This piece had 55 pieces. Apollo needed a little bit of help, but did most of it on his own…an hour or so after putting it together, he took it apart. Then putting it together again.
He did this over and over again, learning and expanding his knowledge and satisfying his deep curiosity time.
He has done the very same with his new LEGO Juniors set (this one has 123 pieces). He has already taken it apart and rebuilt it half a dozen times (he’s doing it right now, in fact). So much learning from one little box!
Do we have a bazillion LEGO already?
Yes.
Do we need more?
Not really.
Do I regret spending $19 on this LEGO Junior set?
No way. It was worth every penny!
{This post is NOTsponsored. I just wanted to share my love of LEGO Juniors with you. I didn’t know these existed until just after Apollo’s fourth birthday. I had made the mistake of buying him this Chima LEGO set. I knew he wouldn’t be able to put it together, but also knew he would enjoy playing with in and the mini-figures. Unfortunately, since it was designed for older children it kept falling apart when he played with it. Shortly after that I learned about LEGO Juniors.}
Ashlinn was wide awake and alert for her photoshoot…and she doesn’t seem any too sure of my lens.
