Kamy — November

I bought a new lens for my camera that I have been playing around with this month.  I really love a shallow depth of field effect, so I got a 50mm lens that has a wide aperture setting.  I am definitely still learning how to use it effectively, but the kids humored me and I got some great photos of them one evening.

Kamy’s newest phrase is “really badly like.”  She uses it to say she really likes something, but sticking “badly” in there isn’t working.  It’s a little awkward and I can’t quite tell her why it is not correct. Hooray for English grammar?

Kamy bought a princess bed canopy this month.  She had been thinking about it for a while, so it wasn’t an impulse purchase this time.  It is pink and has ruffles and bows, so what could be better?

Kamy and Caden helped me make apple sauce this month.  I am running low on my stock in the pantry, so I was happy to find apples on clearance at the grocery store.  The kids like helping with the processing and love the finished product!

We have been letting the kids make their own sandwiches at dinner time.  Since I cook a full meal at lunch, dinner tends to be sandwiches or left overs.  The kids are hooked on King’s Hawaiian rolls with salami and mustard.  We’re working on how MUCH mustard they put on their sandwiches, but they are getting more independent at dinner time.  I would love to be able to leave dinner up to them to take care of, but I think they’ll still need supervision for the time being.  =)

Kamy passed her level 2 testing at gymnastics!  She was very excited and she has been working hard to improve.  There are not any openings in the level 3 classes right now, so she is staying at level 2 for the time being.  I have her on the waiting list for a couple different classes.  Unfortunately, it will likely mean the kids have gym on different days, but we will cross that bridge when we come to it.  I am so proud of how hard she is trying!

We took the kids to Six Flags Holiday in the Park this month, which both kids enjoyed.  They weren’t too impressed by the holiday decorations, but they enjoyed riding the roller coasters anyway.  Kamy rode Titan this time!  She was a trooper because it is a very fast coaster.  Her response when it was over: “That was not at all what I expected. It was INTENSE!”  She does want to ride it again, but only one time per trip to Six Flags.  That’s fair enough!

Kamy is turning into a good little reader!  At the end of October, the library was giving away books to kids who were dressed up in their costumes.  Both kids picked out a short Disney princess chapter book.  Kamy has read both of them and is doing great!  I think she’s at a second grade reading and comprehension level.  Kamy is really good at taking context clues from the story and guessing what a word might mean, even if she is not familiar with it.

School is going well!  Both kids are memorizing poetry and like reciting poems to each other.  We read The Tale of Despereaux this month and started to study ancient history.  In particular, we are learning about the early civilizations in Mesopotamia and the Indus River Valley and began studying ancient Egypt.  Kamy is enjoying our science curriculum too — learning about the different human body systems and how they work together.  Most of what we are covering is done at a high level, but it is really just to introduce the kids to the topics and see what sparks their interest.

We enjoyed hosting Thanksgiving again this year.  Unfortunately, Opa and Oma were unable to come and Regine was stuck at home with an unreliable vehicle, but most of the Giacomarros were there.  We had a great time visiting and had plenty of eat.  I remain thankful that our home allows us to host comfortably and enjoy each other’s company.