D-I-R-T

It's that time of year again and we've been busy cleaning up the garden, raking leaves, and all other things in regard to fall yardwork.  Rosie always has to be right in the middle of it too!  She always loves to be outside and explore.  This particular day she found out what dirt tasted like!

 

Who says girls can't love dirt too?!

 

 

Another funny sidenote:  When Rosie is outside, one of the first things she goes for is the rocks that surround the outside of our house.  She usually picks one up, licks it, puts it down and repeats the process with many more. 

DANCE

We signed Vanna up for dance!  She is really enjoying it!  We thought it was time - she has watched Cash participate in sports and has so patiently waited until we thought she was old enough to be involved in something herself.  When we told her that dance classes were about to begin and that she could participate in dance if she'd like, she squealed and bubbled over with joy.  Even Cash wanted to join dance classes and he'd do very well at them I'm sure (he's always coming up with his own clogging dances and break-dancing type moves) but because he's such a natural at almost everything he does, and because he is extremely competetive, we thought it best to let Vanna dive into dance on her own rather than have to try to keep up and compete with her big brother.  We just want her to be able to try something that is fun and special for just her alone and enjoy it. 

 

I've been happy we made that decision.  It's all about Vanna when we go to dance class - she's making friends and having a ball!  It's fun to watch her.

 

 

 

She's learned several simple fun little dances appropriate for little girls her age but two in particular are my favorites.  1) Funky Chicken - below you'll see a picture where I tried to capture Vanna shakin' her little bottom but I just couldn't catch it.  I just love it - the way she gets down:).  2) I'm Bringin' Home A Baby Bumblebee.  Years ago, my dad was quite the performer (he has a beautiful voice and talent for singing) and when I was little, he used to call me up to the stage to sing with him and this is the song he always requested. It always brings back memories whenever I hear the little song and Vanna loved to hear that story when I told her about it.

 

 

Vanna has her first little recital in December and they're working on a Little Red Riding Hood number for that.  I'm sure it will be absolutely adorable!

What animal...?

One of our favorite games to play with each other in our family is: "What animal...?"  I think we made it up, I don't know, but it's something we do all the time, usually while we're eating a meal together or riding in the car, etc.  One of us thinks of an animal and gives the rest of the family clues about that animal until the correct animal is guessed.  Wanna play?  Now no cheating and looking at the pictures before making your guess!  :)

Some of Vanna's favorites:

 

 

What animal eats and has four legs?  She gives some of the most vague clues sometimes. It's hilarious. We have to say, "Well, honey, lots of animals eat and have four legs - how about giving us another clue?"  

 

 

 

So she provides: "It eats hay!"

What animal is pink?  Of course our little girl loves a pink animal.  Now if she could find one that was purple - that would be perfection! :)

What animal lives in the sea and swims up and down (she means this animal swims by waving it's tail up and down rather than side to side)?




And they always look happy.

Vanna says she wants to buy one!  She LOVES dolphins!

BTW - have any of you seen Dolphin Tale?  It's Vanna's new favorite movie - the whole family loved it.  It's just a great little family film that had nothing in it that I had a problem with - those are few and far between any more!

Some of Cash's favorites:


What animal can fly and hunts at night?



It likes to eat mosquitoes and can hang upside-down .

Ooo - don't they just give you the creeps!?

What animal has five eyes?




It also has five legs and when one of it's legs gets cut off, it grows back.

What snake is the fastest in the world?



It is also one of the most poisonous snakes.

Black Momba

Cash learns some of these from his dad or some from his LeapPad but he truly is so smart with his animals.  His new desire is to be a Zoo Keeper when he grows up.  I'm sure he'd really enjoy that and be really good at it too!

Some of my favorites:


What animal is black and white all over?



It is also furry and eats bamboo.

Awww- isn't it cute!?

I really stumped the family on this one for a bit. What animal is usually gray or brown and has tusks? 

 

 

 

 

The popular guess was an elephant but that wasn't what I was thinking of.  Need another clue?  It is roughly the size of a dog and it's babies have chocolate stripes running lengthwise on their bodies.  Got it now?

What animal is big and gray?



Has a huge mouth and tiny ears?



And is usually found in the water?

Some of Ty's favorites:



What animal is not much bigger than a human but has the strength of 10 humans put together? 

What animal is the largest animal on the earth?

The sperm whale!

What animal (or rather, insect) is the strongest animal in the world for it's size?

The power of one ant! :)

 

 

Our kids are getting so good at this game too - they love to really think about their answers and love figuring out what animal we think we've stumped them on.  They even stump us on occasion too.  Anyway, I just wanted to remember that it was something simple and fun that we enjoyed doing with our kids at this stage in their lives!