Our Family- November 2011



STACEYALECK.COM	Amanda Rachel & Robin Beatrice Amanda was born on Wednesday, June 28, 2006 at 3:16 pm Robin was born on Thursday, August 6, 2009 at 9:24 pm November 2011 Gobble Gobble! Our month was filled with turkey, friends, school, fashion, and fun. In addition to celebrating Thanksgiving, we got a special visit from our friends Elijah and Maggie, participated in the Homeless Walk, and got a new member of our extended family: Baby Katelyn (Katy) Johnson, daughter of Piet and Stef. The girls had a great time at Babies R Us picking out presents for her. Amanda picked out an outfit involving ruffles, because as everyone knows, ruffles = fancy. Robin chose a shiny rattle for her because she thought Katy would like to shake it. Amanda continues to do well in school. We had a parent-teacher conference this month and found that Amanda was tested at an end of first grade/beginning of second grade reading level. This was an exciting discovery for us and explains how Amanda got her special job for the class Thanksgiving show (see below). Amanda also has homework 4 nights a week and is very good about doing her work independently. One of her assignments this month was to draw and label a picture of her bedroom. She drew a very intricate representation of her bed and dresser, and then apparently ran out of steam. The rest is a bunch of shapes labeled "randme stuff." Robin also had a good month at school, playing with her friends and learning lots of new songs. She also is getting into song writing, often making up songs about what she is doing or thinking at any given moment. When we put Robin to bed at night, we usually sing a song to her that we've sung since she was a baby (in fact, it was one that we made up for baby Amanda and continued to use for Robin). In it, we name all of the people who love Robin. In the beginning, we would sing Mommy, Daddy, Amanda, and Luna and be done with it. Now Robin makes demands. "Sing Gabby and Riley love Robin. Sing Dora loves Robin." And some nights, we find ourselves singing "The wall loves Robin" and "Barrettes love Robin." And, while she completely loves her big sister, she is also the first one to throw her under the bus. When Amanda is throwing a fit, Robin pipes up right away with a reminder to her parents: "I not crying."







	Overheard this month: Amanda
	That didn’t work well-ly enough.




	Fashion Forward
	We begin this month showcasing the wonders of freedom of choice in clothing.





	Amanda felt so good about herself here, she just had to sing about it (1 minute).



	Overheard this month: Robin
	Robin had 2 orange slices and offered one to Stacey
	Robin:	"Do you want the mommy or the baby?"
	Stacey:	"The baby."
	Robin:	"No."
	Stacey:	"OK, the mommy."
	Robin:	"No. It's my orange. I'll eat them both."




	Tot Shabbat Time!

	Amanda got to be Torah helper and carry the real Torah while Robin selected the mini one.



	Robin's job was to hold the Kiddush cup. Ms. Carol helped her hold it up high!



	This week's Torah portion was about Noah's Ark. The children got to wear animal masks and pretend to board the ark.



	Overheard this month: Amanda
	"Why does that taxi say 'Yellow Cab' when it's really orange?"





	Pretty Posers










	Overheard this month: Amanda
	"Can I have sidings with dinner?"




	Visit from Elijah and Maggie!





	Leafing Through the Street




	Overheard this month: Robin
	"My banana is not working."



	Crime and Punishment
	Stacey and Aleck visited the National Museum of Crime and Punishment





	Aleck got put in a lineup. Looks shifty, doesn't he?




	Robin Got Schooled


	Robin makes music, hangs out, and paints with Gabby.



	Overheard this month: Robin
	From the other room, we hear: CRASH!
	Stacey:	"Robin, where are you?"
	Robin:	giggle
	Stacey:	"Where are you?"
	Robin:	"In here."
	Stacey:	"What room are you in?"
	Robin:	"This one!"


	Construction Junction
	Construction moved along this month and invaded the inside of our home. The side door that leads to the carport/garage area was walled off with a wood frame and plastic sheeting. This was a little disorienting for us, as this was what we used as our main door. We adapted, though, and found a new place to dump our coats and bags by the front door.






	Help the Homeless Walk-A-Thon
	For the final year of the Homeless Walk, our family turned out in support of Stacey's workplace, Bread for the City.





	Overheard this month: Robin
	Stacey:	"Do you want plain cream cheese or strawberry?"
	Robin:	"Ummmm.... chocolate."



	How Fancy Can You Get?


	The girls arrived at their cousin Kate's 1st birthday party in high fashion.


	Overheard this month: Amanda
	"Robin, here's a purse. Let's accessorize!"






	The Thanksgiving Show
	Amanda's class put on a Thanksgiving show for their families. The kids were dressed as Pilgrims and Indians and took turns at the center microphone saying what they were thankful for, playing out small skits, and also singing songs as a group.

	In the days leading up to the show, Amanda was tight-lipped about what we were to expect. She finally said that during the show, she was going to "read a big paper, and everyone will do what I say."

	When we arrived for the show, we were given a program that listed "Mistress of Ceremonies, Little Miss Amanda Johnson." She had her own microphone into which she led the show, indeed telling everyone what to do!








	Overheard this month: Amanda
	Amanda completed a worksheet at school about Thanksgiving. She had to fill in the blank after things like "I saw____" and "I heard____." She wrote that she smelled food, she heard talking, she tasted squash, and she saw her friend Hannah. The last one says, "I felt ________" and Amanda wrote "turkey."
	Stacey:	"You felt turkey?"
	Amanda:	"Well, I kinda ate it with my hands."





	Thanksgiving!
	We had most of our usual gang again this year: Chris, Barb, Katie and Cameron in from Ohio, as well as Marie, Jee Hang, Hannah and Nat.


	We had some pre-dinner crafts as well as pre-dinner manicures courtesy of Katie.



	The kids ate a little bit of dinner, but mostly wanted to go downstairs and play with toys.





	Overheard this month: Amanda
	Brainstorming a list of compound words: "I know! Starbucks!"





	See all of these pictures and more at our photo gallery

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