super summer 2013

No posts in May... too many final exam grading, cheating on final exam sorting and over seas business trips... yikes. But aside from all that, we managed to get back on our feet slowly.  I seem to be rushing through things really fast although having a lot of time in my hands this summer.   Here are some of what we've been up to.

Arah seemed to finally slow down in her counting.  We use the point, touch and count method which seems to be helping her focus on enumerations a lot.  She counts completely up to 20( symbol recognition, quantity) and counts up to 40.

 She particularly likes to involve her stuffed animal friends in her 'lessons=dars' and teach them to do it with her! Here they are learning how to count  with ten bars and the units and find the symbols for teens using the bead system. The giraffe seemed he was really learning something!

 One of her favorite games: Rhyming words!

 cat, rat,  nose, rose! these are the rhyming words mommy!

Playing with her wheel and axle. ( notice her do-it-yourself marker nail polish)
 But I must admit at this stage, she has also a real passion for spelling, writing our names( all with her own original writing) and find all the rhyming words there are in the world.  She's started reading the BOB books series one in which she makes sounds of all letters and puts together simple words like Mat, Sam, sat.  A future lawyer, poet, auction dealer, doctor, Realtor? God knows! She's passionate about talking about everything to everyone!! :S

 Grand ma works over 50 hours a week mostly night times so she doesn't get to see us all that much these days.  When she does, this is what they come up with as their project.

Cleaning the tareh=chives, basil, and taragon= tarkhoon that I brought with me from L.A.  Also we had some delicious Japanese style eggplants that were so sweet and made a delicious ' khoresh Gheymeh'= split pea stew mixed with rice which Arah refers to as 'polo germezi' . Arah claims that daddy doesn't know how to make polo germezi but mommy does a good job!  I was so thrilled she likes it especially the stew beef part which I used to resent passionately as a child!  I had some hope! I like to claim it's my cooking but I believe Mehdi's genes take some credit too.
I have also been telling Arah about God lately and how we pray to him.  She then proceeded to ask' but mom, if we want to talk to God, how do we go to the sky?' funny and innocent perspective!  I told her of course, God is everywhere and we don't need to go up there so he can hear us from anywhere.
We also play lots of 'I spy' games any time we get a chance especially at bedtime.  Arah still explains her objects with ' I spy with my little eyes, something that is my book, rectangle, yellow and blue and...' although I always remind her of her mistake it makes me laugh inside every time.
Our favorite children's book at the time is Lorax.  We've been reading  it to her every night for the past 7 nights. I like the message of the story a lot.
Her favorite color right now is Purple!
Still lots of memory games, matching letters/numbers puzzles, rhyming word objects, and socken zokens!
The only lagging issue to work on, is teaching Arah how to help me with cleaning up her toys, the accidents and light household chores.  I have to come up with some strategies on that!
We go to Swimming lessons, 2x per week and Gymnastics lessons once a week, and 2 days of summer camp.  She's been enjoying them all a lot.  Although a bit tiring for me with all the driving and sitting in the sauna like pool area (with having 2 heart beats now) but it keeps me busy too which is what I may just need as an adjustment phase right now.
I ordered a 70-300mm telephoto lens on line which I can't wait to receive and start experimenting with during the summer time.

Pictures of California visit at Farnaz next( hopefully!)