Reid!

I wanted to put in a picture of Reid since my last 2 updates were all about Sydney & Ethan. He has 8 teeth, says about 10 words, and will walk holding 1 hand. His balance while walking has really improved over the last few weeks, so I expect it won't be much longer before he's walking on his own. He loves to play outside, ride on his giraffe scooter, and vroom cars around (his word for car or truck is "go-go!").
Unfortunately, we are pretty sure he is gluten intolerant like Jeff, Ethan, and Jeff's mom. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. And since oats are highly susceptible to cross-contamination from wheat, we can only buy certified gluten free oats. His symptoms have been exactly the same as Ethan's at this age. The good news is that he was born into a family that is already used to living gluten free!

Gymnastics

Tuesday was Sydney's first day of gymnastics class. She had a great time, her teacher was super friendly and helpful, and they even sent home a sheet with the positions they learned so we can practice this week! It was really nice to be able to watch her class, something I was not able to do when she took dance last year. Here's a picture of her practicing her straddle.

First Day of School

Today was our first day of school! Sydney started 1st grade, and Ethan began K4. We had a great day, but I'm not sure who is more tired- Ethan or me! Below are some pictures.

In other news, Sydney lost her second tooth over the weekend! She was excited that the Tooth Fairy knew she was at Grammy & Papa's house!

Sydney led our Pledge of Allegiance today.

Ready to Learn!

Here is our curriculum list for this year:
Ethan:
Reading/Handwriting: Teach Your Child to Read In 100 Easy Lessons
Pre-K Skills: Kindergarten Readiness Book
Athletics: Fall Soccer

Sydney:
Phonics and Spelling: Orton-Spalding Method
Grammar: First Language Lessons
Math: Math U See (Alpha)
Writing: Writing With Ease
History/Geography: The Story of The World, Volume 1
Science: Animals, Human Body, Plants
Athletics: Gymnastics

Both:
Bible: Devotions, Community Bible Study, Scripture Memory, Children's Catechism Memory
Art: Artistic Pursuits (to be started later)
Physical Education: PE Class after Bible Study
French: Le Francais Facille (to be started later)

Smith Mountain Lake

We just got back from a week at Smith Mtn. Lake, VA with Jeff's side of the family. Jeff's dad taught Ethan to knee board. Here's a video of him in the open waters! I'll get some more pictures up soon.

End of Year Ceremony & Celebration

Last night, Sydney had her end of year ceremony and celebration for Classical Conversations. (Even though CC is over for the year, we will continue our homeschool.) For 6 weeks this past semester, the students studied American artists. Each of those 6 weeks, they would learn about a different artist, and then do a piece of artwork in that style. Last night, each of the students in her class brought in a piece of artwork they did this year to present. Sydney chose her painting she did after learning about Georgia O'Keeffe. There is a video below of her presentation. It's difficult to hear, so below it you can read her monologue.


All of the CC students in our Foundations program (K4-6th grade) reciting John 1:1-12


Sydney: My name is Sydney Chandler, and I painted this the week we learned about Georgia O'Keeffe. Georgia O'Keeffe is mostly known for painting oversized flowers and was inspired by nature.

Leaving the stage with her painting, certificate of completion, and her own copy of the Declaration of Independence. (We studied American history this year.)

Ethan and Olivia Beth

Oliva Beth and Sydney

Sydney with Mrs. Jordan, our CC Director

Sydney with Mrs. Vaughn, her beloved tutor

The Queen and Her Servant

Sydney & Ethan spend quite a bit of time playing outside, and it is always so much fun to see the fun things they come up with to do. Like most all kids their ages, they have vivid imaginations, and they rarely just play on the swing set; they will turn even that into some kind of journey they are taking. They are always making up games or scenarios.

One thing they did last week is pictured below. Sydney was the queen on her throne (a stack of plastic outdoors chairs), and her footstool was a wooden crate that we will use to collect our veggies from the garden. Ethan was the servant who had to keep her cool by using a piece of bamboo to turn the fan. In the third picture you can see a plant stand, and he had all kinds of string tied on it. This was the cookstove where he prepared her meals.



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Reid's Frist Birthday!

Reid turned one on March 13! The first two pictures are from his actual birthday, and the last three are from his party. He had a great day seeing his family, eating carrot cake, and playing with wrapping paper!
He weighs 22 lbs, and is in the 50th percentile for his length. He says "ball", and playing ball is his favorite thing to do. In fact, the other day he and I were rolling the tennis ball back and forth to each other when he figured out how to bounce it so it would land in my lap every time. I think we may have a future ball player! :-)