Random Old Point and Shoot Photos

It's been a while since I went through all the images and videos on our point and shoot camera, so here are a few oldies (and maybe some more recent ones)!  After looking through these again, I've decided Parker makes the craziest faces ever.  He looks different in almost every photo!  He's such a goof.

 This is what happens when Parker gets the camera.  Here is an introspective look at Baby entitled "Baby In Green Chair".

And here's me licking Baby.

  

  

Whoa, I have grey hair!  And Lauren has devil eyes! 

Be afraid of the camera.  Be very afraid. 

Someone was drinking chocolate milk and his name rhymes with marker.

  

  

 FACE PLANT.  Woops!  Guess I should watch her a little more closely instead of taking pictures.

 Sitting in her new travel chair.....a few months ago. 

  

 Visiting Aunt Claire and Kellen!

Haha!  Parker's face is awesome.

Driving to the science centre!   

 Doing science centrey things!  And making a crazy face!

 Driving a vehicle!  Not just any vehicle, but a science centre vehicle!

 Snack time.  Check out that lady in the background doing work on her laptop.  I wonder what she's doing?  Checking emails?  Facebook?  

 Mommy and Parker being cute together!

 Outside the science centre with his little bag of rocks.

 Crazy face!

 Watching some TV.

 At the Big Apple! 

More Swimming For Baby Lauren!

Here's Lauren in her new bathing suit!  I'm not a huge fan of the strings on the arm (although they are a bit reminiscent of the Ultimate Warrior) but it seems really hard to buy just a normal bathing suit for a little girl.  I went to 6 or 7 different stores and all the bathing suits were crazy.  This one has a little bird on the front.  :D

 Lauren and April having fun with a little hippo toy!

 Weeeeeee!

Sound Skills Screener

There's an assessment device used on kindergarten and grade 1 kids that determines their understanding of sound segments, initial and ending word sounds, sound segments, syllables, blending, and some other stuff.  We used this on Parker today and the results are that his sound skills are at a grade 1 level.  And according to Fountas and Pinnell he's reading at a grade 3 level and I think he's getting better every day!

Every parent thinks their kid is really smart, and we've always thought he was bright but he seems to have a real aptitude towards linguistics so it's interesting to see where he falls on the charts and stuff (he's still only 3 years old).  He's also able to do math, which is awesome because I suck at it so hopefully he can do it for me.  He can do basic adding and subtracting (what's 10 plus 10, what's 3 plus 2, what's 8 take away 2, etc) and is kind of obsessed with clocks and numbers.  He has a crazy memory and recalls the strangest things, like exits on the 401 or directions to get places.  He also seems really good at music, like keeping rhythm and doing different beats with his hands and feet at the same time.  He can also remember every song ever written.

Like everyone, though, he's good at some things and not so good at others. He has weird hangups and habits: he bites his nails constantly and chews the skin around his fingers, he's extremely cautious and sometimes painfully shy, he's not very physically dexterous and gets nervous about trying new things.  He's getting better now that he's older, but he sometimes doesn't want to go down slides (even though he actually loves them) because it sometimes freaks him out.  He's starting to do some imaginative roll play (which I think is kind of late compared to other kids) but it's fun to see him explore and pretend and try new things.  He's funny, goofy, smart, quirky, and cute and we love him!

All Parents Must Come To This Crossroads...

There comes a time in every parent's life that they need to talk to their kids about some serious issues.  This one has been on my mind a lot lately so I thought I'd take this opportunity to post a video that highlights the difficulties in discussing this topic with your kids.  You are not alone, my friends.  You are not alone.

Star Wars Talk to Your Kids PSA by asylum