"So, are you ever going to write another blog post?"

Walter has been asking me for weeks when I am going to write another blog post. It's funny because he didn't even want me to start a blog in the first place, and since I'm a good wife who listens...I started a blog. I took his opinion under consideration. That's really all one can expect. Now he checks daily for a new post and comes home from work and asks when I'm going to post something new. 

This is simply a list of highlights and some pictures from the last month of our own Long Winter like Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote about in her sixth book. Isabella and I have listened to over twenty-seven hours of Little House on the Prairie audio since January 3rd (we skipped Farmer Boy). We've both enjoyed every minute of it and we've had some really good discussions about the books and new vocabulary. 

*Isaac's speech is on fire. It's really incredible that a year ago he said about ten understandable words and still mainly used sign language, and now he is forming sentences. Last night he tried to convince me that he should stay home alone and wait for Walter, while I took Isabella to ballet: "Ma, me stay me house. No go you guys. Me wait daddy come me house."  

*Isabella is learning how to cook. I don't really know how this started, because generally I like to cook without people talking to me and crowding my space, but then I realized that I don't want her to be helpless in the kitchen so I gave in to her participation. She's actually become quite handy. She can crack eggs, make homemade tomato sauce with some instruction, cook oatmeal for breakfast, and a few other things. 

*Isabella's favorite subject is spelling. I usually get so frustrated with her because she constantly asks when Isaac is going down for a nap which in turn makes Isaac scream because he is in denial that naps are vital to our well-being, so yesterday she spelled out the complete sentence: "When-will-it-be-nap-time question mark". She got an A for spelling since she spelled every word correctly. 

*Isaac can now say his name and no longer calls himself, "Ike". 

*We learned how to blend with oil pastels.

This is how she looks when she catches me taking her picture...

This is what I usually lead you to believe it looks like when I take her picture...

*As it turns out, Isaac loves unloading the silverware from the dishwasher.

*Isabella has exceeding my reading expectations for this year. It is so fun to see her read for pleasure and also for her own education on whatever topic she is interested in. We always have library books strewn about the house.

*Isaac keeps himself entertained pretty well during our lessons. Sometimes he even tries to participate during recitations.

Spelling dictation...

Building two syllable words as part of the All About Spelling (level 2) program...

*Isabella and I rearranged the living-room. The change lasted for less than twenty-four hours because Walter couldn't handle the new look.

*Isaac crosses his arms and looks the other direction when we tell him something he doesn't want to hear. I laugh every time.

Trying to change up a spelling and dictation lesson with dry erase boards...

*I've been knitting a scarf instead of reading or writing. And our big family news is that Walter will begin a new job on March 10th.

My next post will be a product review of Real Food Blends, so please check back for that and learn about what one mom is doing to revolutionize packaged food for tubies.