The Holders

Missy and Miles do the same face in the same highchair. LOL

Miles loves playing with appliances. He’d pick a blender over a toy any day.

Miles loves to play. Like throw up in the air and tossed to and fro kinda play. He can’t get enough. Can’t believe he’s my boy. 

Missy at 18 months. Do you see the similarities between her and Miles? Looks like Missy had more hair and it was more auburn-toned. Love that curly hair!

At this point we had just left New York and were living in San Francisco. So I never knew what it was really like to live in NY with a toddler. We’re about to find out. :)

Grocery store run with the neighborhood gang.

5 minutes prior she said, “I don’t want to get wet.” 

Trying on a viking helmet and feeling a bit squashed.

Exploring the world’s largest viking ship, Draken Harald Hårfagre. Sailed from Norway to New York City through the same route the vikings first sailed more than a thousand years ago!

Love these friends!

Every year the community makes these lanterns for the parade of lights. Right across the street from us! This year the lanterns were quoting poetry from Pulitzer Prize winning authors of the last 100 years. Such a fun night.

Stirring up the soup in the pot.

So I asked Missy, “What do you want to learn this year?” She said, “I want to learn how to speak French and how to sew.” Great! Love it. She helped me sew the skirt in this photo for her doll, Rosie, and she learned a few phrases in French. We continue to learn a new French word every day. French is NOT easy! So many extra letters in one word that aren’t even pronounced. For my sake, a little bit of German gets slipped in there too. I love German because you read E-V-E-R-Y  L-E-T-T-E-R  Y-O-U  S-E-E. So the next time you see Missy ask her about her French. She’d love it! She also made the old lady from Princess and the Frog out of clay in this photo. Haha!

Our theme for this year is Have Courage and be Kind. These are the goals we want to achieve:

Have a positive attitude about learning.

Make new friends.

Play for hours every day.

Go outside every day to explore and play (weather permitting).

Progress with self-care skills: laundry, cooking, cleaning, sewing.

Progress with learning to read.

Progress with writing all capital and lowercase letters fluently, as well as numbers.

Read aloud and be read to daily.

Learn 20 words in French, how to have a brief conversation and count to 10.

Progress in Gymnastics.

Develop a musical talent.

Understand the calendar and time.

Progress with basic addition, subtraction, fractions, and money math.

Identify the 7 continents and begin learning basic world and US geography.

For gymnastics we first tried Little Gym and had a good experience. We ended up switching to New York Kids Club because of the lower cost.

Miles got to play with legos during her class. 

Reading Alice in the park across the street.

Climbing the stairs at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine on our way to the farmer’s market at Columbia.

Not sure if he’s allowed to be in there but he is. And he’s happy so I’m happy. The ball room at the Children’s Museum.

Missy put a piece of paper in between the keys so she would know which keys to play.

Here’s a look into what our typical homeschool day looks like:

7-8:00 Wake up, make beds 9:00 Breakfast, morning basket*  During our literature reading the kids will play (usually building Legos) while I read. This is my favorite time. 10:30 Go outside and play 12:00 Home for lunch and Miles’ nap, Missy and I continue to read, do art, play games, etc. 2:00 Miles wakes up and we play for the rest of the day. Some days we go outside and some days Missy plays with the neighbors in the building. 6:00 Dinner 7:00 Bedtime

*Morning basket: our basket of books we are currently reading. It includes Brain Quest- 300 Questions to know, a poetry book- currently on Hip Hop Speaks to Children, Children Just Like Me, National Geographic Kids Beginner’s World Atlas, National Geographic Wild Animal Atlas, Animals Animals, Around the World Art and Activities, and Little House in the Big Woods.

We are following Build Your Library curriculum “Around the World”. We also follow Missy’s interests. If she wants to know how bees make honey, we learn how bees make honey. On Thursdays she has gymnastics class.

So really only a few hours of formal learning. The rest is play. I try to get down on the floor with both kids and play with them. With Miles he loves to wrestle so we wrestle. Missy likes to play games, do hair, paint nails, and build legos together.

I took my two party preppers to the balloon store to get some balloons for Daddy’s birthday. Unfortunately the balloons had other plans and couldn’t make it to the party. :(

Mitch wanted apple pie. He also wanted to make it. Great! I bought white flour and white sugar per request (first time in 5 years) and he made an awesome pie!

Happy birthday, Mitch! Thanks for always making us laugh and for making apple pie. Maybe a new tradition? ;)

Mitch’s birthday bike.

Miles’ go to spot in Relief Society. My favorite.

Checking out The Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park.

Sorry for the blurry pic. This is the most popular piece at the museum. “The Unicorn in Captivity.”

Thanks for the pic, Miss! Little Miles wandering in the back, per usual.

I love my curious little girl.

Miles loves to help push the stroller. Thanks, bud!

Haha! I’m posting this because it is so funny. I wanted to get a picture in front of the restaurant but it was obviously not a realistic expectation to get smiling faces in there as well. The sun was painfully bright. 

The food, however, did not disappoint. Dutch pancake, eggs benedict, banana pecan pancakes, and french toast for Missy. Carb overload. The Holders are in full-on vacation mode.

Showing my baby the beach.

Fish tacos are all the rage in San Diego.

Every princess commented on how pretty her sparkly shoes were. So cute.

Miles was blushing big time with Tinkerbell. Trying to hide his face from her. Little cutie.

If coming to Disneyland wasn’t a big enough surprise as it is, Missy was also surprised by getting a princess makeover. First, she got a new change of clothes.

She got her nails painted...

her makeup done...

her hair fixed up with pink and purple hair attachments and lots of glitter...

and wah lah!

She is a beauty. Mitch and I were bursting with joy as we watched her feel so special. Such a sweet moment.

Watching Rapunzel in the theater. They did a great job and it was really funny.

One of those RARE occasions where we got treats. Ice cream felt good on a hot day.

Last show of the day was Frozen. It was way better than watching the movie.

We also got lucky to have family visit. Addison, Elliot, Naomi and Courtney.

Doing the “hand on the shoulder” pose. 

Uncle Elliot catching crabs and trying not to fall in the water.

Missy and Courtney are pretty much BFF. 

Sleeping 

The San Diego LDS Temple.

Here is all of us, painfully smiling with blinded eyes from the sun. Haha!

This little boy. I hope he always lets me kiss and snuggle him just because I’m his mom and I love him so.

We even got to hang out with Naomi, our sister in law! All the way from Australia.

We stayed in La Jolla. Really great area with great views of the ocean, a cute little park down the street where dogs come to play every evening, and lots of yummy taco shops.

Swimming in our friend’s pool was one of the best parts. 

I die over how much these two love each other. They’re so lovey right before bed.

Watching the seals at Children’s Pool Beach.

Digging in sand at La Jolla Beach.

Great food at Shorehouse Kitchen.

There was a sand sculpting contest. 

The Yo-Yo Man.

Riding the train home. Love these kids.

Exploring the MET with friends today.

2014 haute couture wedding dress by Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel. The train is 20-feet long!

Love the light in this room!

Little cuties mimicking the statues. 

Lunch with my girl while Miles naps is one of the highlights of my day. She is so clever, funny, and smart. The conversations we have make me so happy. Love this superhero mask.

Missy is such a sweet big sister, helping Miles be happy in this video. Love her. Not sure what Miles wanted.

Another, “Mom, take a picture” picture.

The final Uptown Bounce

Same outfit, different day. Checking out the Museum of Art and Design.

These sculptures are made from copper and bronze and create tones and different chiming sounds when they touch. Really cool of the lady to let us come up and touch the sculptures.

Miles was also a fan.

They thoughtfully interpreted a book about different animals and artfully went through different movements of each animal. Coincidentally, Missy and Miles were the only children there for storytime. All the others were students.

Missy had a turn reading the book.

The rest of the museum is really cool. Including two floors that look like a castle and have very fragile sculptures. This cake was my favorite.

Hello, giant inflatable Union rat.

Aw, these girls are so sweet together. Preschool buddies 2015-16.

Being silly on the ride ALLLL the way to Manhattan from Brooklyn.

Our first stop was the Crayola Factory in Pennsylvania. Missy is coloring a sea turtle and then it shows up on the wall from the projector.

Miles’ favorite was the pegboard.

Missy helped her purple crayon boat float through a working lock and canal system.

I’m lovin Mitch’s hat. ;)

The next day we went to see the new Latter Day Saint temple in Philadelphia. It is so beautiful and the peace I feel when I’m in the Lord’s house is so special. It’s something I wish everyone could feel. I need more of that peace in my life.

The Christus statue in the Visitor’s Center.

Because of God’s love and the restoration of His Priesthood, my family can and will be together forever. Not just until we die but far beyond into eternity. We are an eternal family. For that, I am grateful. Learn more here.

Sour Patch man at Staples.

Bus stop shenanigans.

He’s got his cracker and a playground. He’s set.

He is just soooo cute!

I adore this boy of mine. :)

Chelsea Piers carousel- the funnest carousel yet! Watch the video below and you’ll find out why. 

Played soccer next to the Hudson River with other NYC kids. This girl was pumped! She came to me during water break and ran back like she had a very important job to do. I love watching her play.

More bus stop shenanigans....My Little Pony editiion

These two melt my heart.

Cruising through Central Park to the Museum of the City of New York for Uptown Bounce. We are regulars by now.

Coloring in NYC landmarks in the arts and crafts room.

Prospect Park carousel- only a few carousels left until we’ve seen all the carousels in the city!

His faces crack me up!

Anyone else have boys who eat their shirt? Silly guy.

His little leg up on his seat kills me.

Blowing bubbles in the park on a nice afternoon.

Subway ridin.

“Mom, take a picture!”

She is so beautiful, isn’t she?

Madison Square Park storytime.

That tongue!!

That tongue, again!! LOL

Art Farm in the CIty crew showing us a chicken in Union Square.

Yoga storytime. So fun!

Broadway in Bryant Park. It’s free and they do it every week in the summer. Pull up a chair and enjoy the show. Try to get a seat in the shade...the sun is a hot one.

Next stop is Columbia campus for the weekly farmer’s market to pick up our sourdough bread and maple yogurt. Climbing on the stairs is a must with these cuties.

He then led the children on a scavenger hunt around the park.

A token to ride Le Carousel at the end.

“Shhhhh. Don’t wake up the lion.”

Now trying to wake him up with the loudest “ROOOAAARRRR!” 

Following Flaubert Frog along the NY sidewalks on a scavenger hunt.

Flaubert Frog’s final storytime.

Missy is the lucky volunteer. Haha! She was so cute up there going along with his act.