Addison's Writing Skills

Tonight we were practicing writing letters, numbers, counting, and drawing shapes in this dry erase activity book.  At the bottom on this page it asks 'How old are you?'.  I pointed to the question and told Addison what it was asking.  Then asked her if she could write 'how old you are' not meaning the question, but the NUMBER!  Instead, she wrote the question :)

Alyssa adores Addison and it's the sweetest thing ever to watch them together.  Whether they are playing or fighting, it's true sisterly love!

 Look at those pigtails!

Christmas Tree

Our tree starts off very bare, but by the week leading up to Christmas it's full of crafts, cards, and ornaments.

This year I found a neat way to store our Christmas cards after they come off the tree.  Using a hole punch and ribbon, I bound the cards and created a little book!

Here are a couple of crafts that the girls did recently.  We love to paint!

Hide-N-Seek & Hopscotch

 We've been soaking up the beautiful Texas weather.  Playing hide-n-seek and a little hopscotch.  Well, my version of hopscotch without rocks, counting or 'heaven'!  I confess, I don't know how to play hopscotch, but we had fun anyway!

1,2,3, ready or not, here I come! 

I'll be brushing up on the correct way to play hopscotch!  I don't want Addison going to school doing it the wrong way!

The court (or course)

To play hopscotch, a course is first laid out on the ground. Depending on the available surface, the course is either scratched out in dirt, or drawn with chalk on pavement. Designs vary, but the course is usually composed of a series of linear squares interspersed with blocks of two lateral squares. Traditionally the course ends with a "safe" or "home" base in which the player may turn before completing the reverse trip. The home base may be a square, a rectangle, or a semicircle. The squares are then numbered in the sequence in which they are to be hopped.

[edit]Playing the game

The first player tosses the marker (typically a stone, coin or bean bag) into the first square. The marker must land completely within the designated square and without touching a line or bouncing out. The player then hops through the course, skipping the square with the marker in it. Single squares must be hopped on one foot. For the first single square, either foot may be used. Side by side squares are straddled, with the left foot landing in the left square, and the right foot landing in the right square. Optional squares marked "Safe", "Home", or "Rest" are neutral squares, and may be hopped through in any manner without penalty. After hopping into the "Safe", "Home", or "Rest" the player must then turn around and return through the course (square 9, then squares 7 & 8, next square 6 and so forth) on one or two legs depending on the square until he or she reaches the square with their marker. They then must retrieve their marker and continue the course as stated without touching a line or stepping into a square with another player's marker.

Upon successfully completing the sequence, the player continues the turn by tossing the marker into square number two, and repeating the pattern.

If while hopping through the court in either direction the player steps on a line, misses a square, or loses balance, the turn ends. Players begin their turns where they last left off. The first player to complete one course for every numbered square on the court wins the game.

Although the marker is most often picked up during the game, historically, in the boy's game, the marker was kicked sequentially back through the course on the return trip and then kicked out.

Christmas 2011: Random

I wish that I would've taken a picture of my mom's Christmas decorated yard at night while we were there.  It's so pretty and the girls love all the lights.  Mom has many inflatable yard ornaments!  This year she added Dora and Mickey Mouse to the collection.  Addison loved both, but Alyssa wasn't too excited.

Christmas 2011: Louisiana

Christmas morning we woke up at Papaw's house!

Cabbage Patch Kids!

Addison is playing with Alyssa's toy and 

Alyssa is playing with Addison's toy!

Next stop, Memaw's house!

All of the toys and Addison only wants to 

play with the magnets off the refrigerator!

 Cousin Rae made the tutus

 We really, really need a picnic table like this 

(when we get a bigger house)!

 It gets harder, instead of easier, to get a 

family picture with the 4 of us together!

 Alyssa knows how to open a present!

 Good thing Memaw has a huge living room for 

all the people and presents (and a picnic table)!

 Logan showing off his Spongebob bandage

 Arabella (14 months), Addison, Alyssa

Christmas 2011: Texas

We started our Christmas festivities Friday night with Grams, Pappy, Aunt K, and Uncle J via webcam!    

Yes, that's a medicine dropper in Alyssa's mouth..  

It's one of her weird obsessions!

Technology rocks!

Australia, Texas, and Florida all in one place!

Addison was showing Alyssa how to work her new toy.

Christmas Eve morning we did Santa and stockings.  The girls didn't know what to do with all of the new toys!  We packed up afterwards and headed to Louisiana.

Eric the Elf left a note and a gift for the girls.  This was their one chance to hold him and tell him goodbye, until next year.

I Got You!