Todays Activity

While Sam and Seth were watching Frosty the Snowman this morning (for about the 20th time this month!) Aaron and I decided to tackle our own little project.... RECYCLED CRAYONS!

He had a great time helping me unwrap little crayon bits... unfortunately, he's a pro at that. My kids are not so anal as I was as a kid. I hated to break a crayon and when the time came to peel one, I did so very carefully so as to peel it nice and straight and only as much as needed. Nope, my kids didn't inherit an ounce of my perfectionist ways and are quickly ridding me of mine. I am learning that things like this really don't matter in the long run... but I definitely struggle with this every day. My boys are constantly breaking things. Anyway, enough about that....

I found this Wilton baking thing at Goodwill the other day and just knew I needed it for this very purpose... I have had this project in the back of my mind for a few months now. We just put several bits into each star, trying to follow a color theme somewhat, and put them in the oven at 225 for 15 to 20 minutes. How easy is that? I was worried they wouldn't come out of the pan well, but they just popped out very easily. It was a perfect craft project to do with Aaron. It was so cute to watch him run to the oven every few minutes to peek at his stars... he was thrilled!

And here's my little girlie modeling her Christmas clothes... I am a sucker for stripes I guess. Note the little hair barrette as well. So cute!

6 months!

My little girlie is 6 months old today! She has brought so much joy to our family in those 6 months... I really can't even imagine life without her. I love having another girl in the house. I was never really a "girl-e girl", but it is so much fun dressing her up and making girl-e things for her.

Her personality is starting to come out and it is just so sweet. She is a crack up, and she smiles and laughs constantly. Her newest thing is a fake cough that she thinks is pretty clever. I caught her and Aaron in a coughing battle yesterday and it was so adorable.... my kids are so stinkin' cute!

I love all this personality!

A Handmade Christmas

So, just in case you were wondering where I've been the last several weeks... I've been busy!

3 little dollies for 3 adorable little girlies... I hope they are loved.

4 capes for my 4 little superkids... matching jammies were totally unplanned but AWESOME!

8 little fishies for my little man... who now says fish. Who knew the word "fish" could sound so cute :)
Side note: my awesome hubby whipped up this fishing pole for me on Christmas Eve... such talent!

1 big fort building kit... which has already been made into tunnels, houses, puppet theatres, etc.

Yep, we've been busy around here... and seeing my little people enjoying their gifts was so worth every late night. Anyways, Christmas is over and I'm back!

Christmas Baking

Normally, I do a little bit of baking with the boys before Christmas each year. We usually make some sort of candy, sugar cookies and all kinds of good (not very healthy) stuff... (my favorite is peanut brittle - Mmmm!) But this year I was occupied with other things so my poor kids were out of luck. I mentioned one night that Ad should make some cookies with the boys, not really thinking he would. He surprised me and jumped right in. They turned out so cute! Now, I guess Sam will have to teach me how to use the spritzer-thingy as I have yet to try it out.

The cookies were yummy, the boys had a great time, and I got a lot done in the process... woohoo!

Merry Christmas to all...

and to all a Good Night!

Hope you all had a wonderful day celebrating Jesus' birthday... we definitely did! There's so much to show ya, but I'll wait for another day... Merry Christmas!

It's beginning to look a lot like...

CHRISTMAS!!!

We've been very busy around here... as you can probably guess due to my lack of posting much of anything lately. Sam and I have been in the Christmas making mood. He has been cutting snowflakes, snowflakes and, yes, more snowflakes. I diverted him away from the snowflakes for a while to make this cute wreath. I love how it turned out. He was basically able to do it by himself too... which is a good thing for Mr. Independent. He did get a little bored toward the end and asked for some help. I have found that this kid is much happier when he is creating something, so I do try my hardest to keep him busy. Thank goodness for Google and all the awesome ideas I can get there....

We went out to cut our tree last week too... typically my favorite Christmas tradition. It's such a different experience here than back home. You go to a farm and pick your tree from rows and rows of trees... I miss hiking up the mountains and searching for that magical, glowing tree. But, it's probably for the best because we ended up carrying two and practically dragging the other two through the lot. I was so sore the next day. It wasn't really the funnest experience to be honest, but in the end we did find a beautiful tree, and the boys really enjoyed decorating it.

I just love all these pictures of my rosy cheeked kiddos (well... except for Seth who was already in the car trying to get warmed up. It was FREEZING!). And Adalie totally reminds me of the little brother in the Christmas Story... cracks me up!

Welp, back to work for me! I have so many Christmas projects to finish before the big day.

Fun Times!

The picture says it all... we are just having too much fun! Actually, we are not really even working on potty training right now (still working on kiddo # 2), but he does ask to go potty quite a bit... just because he thinks it's fun and I'm definitely not going to discourage that. He's only really gone potty in the toilet a couple times, just so you know.

Christmas Preparations... already!!!

I've finally gotten around to taking some very adorable pictures of my 4 little munchkins and just can't wait to show them off. In fact, I'm thinking some Christmas photo cards might be the perfect way to do just that. With Shutterfly's 2010 Holiday Card Promotion (50 free photo cards for bloggers) there's no stopping me... and while I'm at it I might just have to print off some of the bajillion (yes, I know that's not really a word, but it sounds cool) pictures that have been sitting on my computer for the last couple years (no lie!)... or possibly make a calendar, which I've wanted to do for several years now.

There are so many cards to choose from, but I think I have narrowed it down to just a few favorites. So... act surprised when you receive one of these adorable cardsfeaturing some of these adorable kiddos!

P.S. Blogger friends... you should totally do this!
After all, it is FREE!!!

Success!

Our Kandinsky project was a success today... the kids loved it and so did the parents. I was amazed by their interest in this one. Usually it is a struggle to keep them busy the full 45 minutes (kindergarteners dont really have the longest attention span), but this project kept their attention very well. They all did such a great job, and I loved all the extra creativity they added... especially the girls with their hearts and flowers :)

And this is Addie's new habit... she figured out how to keep her thumb in her mouth yesterday, and it has been there quite regularly ever since. Such a cutie! Love this girl!

Family Art Night

Since becoming the art teacher for 12 K4/K5 homeschoolers, I've had art projects continually in the back of my mind. I am always trying to think up some great idea that would be fitting for these little guys. The age range in the class is so close yet it seems their abilities are so very different. While many can follow directions pretty well, others must be guided every step of the way. I have one boy that must be "helped" the whole way through his art project or he'll destroy it within seconds... honestly, you can't turn your back for even a moment. At the last class, we had to start his over several times because he kept cutting it into tiny bits and pieces. We'll see how it goes this time around... no scissors involved :)

Anyway... all that to say we've been doing a little bit of art around here. I am trying out each project on Sam and Seth beforehand because I figure if a 3 and 6 year old can do it, surely 4 and 5 year olds can.... right?!! Hmmm... not really, but it sure is fun! This Friday we will be doing paintings inspired by one of Kandinsky's color studies... No, I'm not really a Kandinsky fan, but I do love the color, and I think Kindergarteners can pull it off just as well as he.... if not better. So... after dinner (Adam grilled some absolutely mouth watering burgers... so delish!) I declared it "Family Art Night." I'm thinking we should have these nights regularly... it was fun!

The Finished Products

******

And, this just cracked me up.... Seth has been playing with this cooler, filling it up and carrying it all over with him, since our field trip last Friday.

Well, today he came out and declared "Mom, I'm a BIG BUTT SEAHORSE!"

Boy, you just never know around here, but it sure cracked me up. :)

Pumpkin Seeds... Yumm!

It seems as though every year I go on this quest to find a really good pumpkin seed recipe. I've tried all sorts of flavors and spices, but each time I've been pretty disappointed with the outcome. Well... the first few seeds are usually pretty good, but then the flavors become too much and they end up going to waste. So, I've decided to go back to the original yummy way of making them... no more experimenting for me. A few tablespoons of melted butter + lots of sea salt + a touch of garlic salt + 45 minutes in the oven = perfection. The boys and I were gobbling them up :)

It was such a busy weekend around here... we had to send Adam back to work so we could get some rest :)

Carving Time

So this evening I put the boys to work making works of art of their pumpkins.... while Adalie and I sat on the sidelines chatting away with Grandpa and Grandma and fixing PB&J sandwiches ;o). Notice Grandpa and Grandma even made it into the family photo... lol!
Sam and Seth made their own designs and Adam used a little artistic interpretation and created the following pumpkins... I think they represent the boys ideas quite well.

That marks the end of our 3 day weekend, a good weekend, a busy weekend... so sad to see it go. I just love having my man around.

Hope you all have an awesome week!

The "Fairy" Farm

We went to the Fairy Farm (as Seffer's calls it) with our homeschool group yesterday. It was loads of fun! Farmer Tom gave us an awesome tour of his farm... starting with the baby cows on up to the cows that are on maternity leave and about to deliver. He showed us what they eat and how much (a lot!!!) and where they milk the cows each morning. Did you know that cows have 4 stomachs? And, they have no top front teeth? The boys were able to feed and pet as many cows as they wanted... and amazingly enough all 3 really enjoyed this! I think learning beforehand that they had no top teeth and therefore couldn't bite them was a huge help in that :) After all this we took a hay ride out to the pumpkin patch and picked out some nice pumpkins to bring home. Adalie was great through the whole thing.

Afterwards, we took our picnic lunch to a park we found nearby and played in their GIANT sandbox. It was huge! It had 4 or 5 of those digger tractor things (I have no idea what you call them) that the boys (including my biggest boy... aka Adam) thoroughly enjoyed before going on a treasure hunt. We ended up coming home with a frisbee, 4 hot wheels cars, a tennis ball, a hockey puck, and a ping-pong paddle, a shovel or two, and I'm sure a few other things that I can't remember at the moment... a profitable day I would say!!!

This week I received my birthday present in the mail... a pair of sewing scissors and pinking shears. I am so IN LOVE with these already. I have never had a pair of nice sewing scissors so I was so amazed at how great they cut... LOVE! So having received those, I went on a little shopping trip to JoAnn's today. Well... I needed something to use those scissors on you know :) Can't tell you what I'm working on though because it just might be a Christmas present for a couple of little girlies I know... well.. I don't know actually... because I've never met them.... but I hope to... someday :)

Anyway, this is Adalie today... couldn't leave you without another collage of her... lest you forget how adorable she is :)

15 Weeks!

Our little princess is 15 today!

It has been a great 15 weeks and has just flown by. She is such a sweet little thing... eats well, sleeps through the night, and smiles constantly. What more could I ask for??? God knew just what we needed in this boisterous and crazy household. We've nearly finished Adalie's room and it's so happy and sweet to match her cute little personality... pictures coming soon!

We woke up this morning and declared today an art and reading day for school... we just needed a little break from the usual. And you can do that when you're the mom/principal/teacher/counselor... one of the many perks of homeschooling. So, after a nice long soak in the tub by Aaron (and lots of playing outside by the other 2) we got to work making goofy glasses for Awanas this evening. We even did a little modern art on the computer... Sam's learning Photoshop early.

I have officially decided that fall is my favorite season in Wisconsin... so beautiful! Hope it lasts a while.

A Question & Disclaimer

Question?
Who is the David that has posted comments? The only David that I can think of would not refer to my photos (or anything else for that matter) as dear. Just wondering....

Also... a little Disclaimer
I every so often go back thru and look at my collages (I guess I just can't get enough of my kids..... either that or maybe I enjoy them that way -- silent, still, and smiling :)-- anyway! While looking thru the photos I was a little embarrassed by some of the clothing (or lack of... ha ha!) worn by my children. I just want you to know that I give them complete liberty to wear whatever they want at home. I really don't pick these outfits out for them... i.e. the jeans UNDER the sweatpants that Sam was sporting in the last post :) And Seth actually wore the same shirt at least 4 days last week... his favorite orange giraffe hoody tee, a hand-me-down from his buddy James (thanks Lisa!). I had to practically pry the thing from his clenched fists to finally get it in the laundry. And, he usually has no pants on as you may have noticed. For some reason, the chances of an accident when wearing pants increases significantly... like 150%!... so he just goes without. I promise, I do try to dress them a little nicer when we venture out into public.

So there you have it... hope you all have a wonderful night!

Just Bragging :)

I know it's (supposedly) not good to brag and all..... but when you've got this much talent... why not???? We've got an artist in the house! In our homeschool curriculum there is a list of 5 or 6 seatwork items that the student needs to complete each day. For some lessons the last item on the list is to draw a zoo animal or favorite pet... I enjoy this so much that I put this on the list EVERY day (whether the curriculum calls for it or not). I make up my own 1 or 2 word theme and he can interpret that however he wants... The "rainbow" day resulted in the Noah's Ark picture, complete with Noah and the alter. The "house" day resulted in our house complete with the HUGE oak tree, Sam's bedroom window, and 3 little faces peeking out the front window (a common sight around here, especially in the winter when they love to watch the snowflakes fall). I just love to see how he will interpret and embellish that one word each day... and he really looks forward to finding out what that word is.... BONUS!

School has had it's ups and downs but, overall, it's going pretty well. Some days Sam can stay really focused and finish up by lunch time, but other days it's not till 3 in the afternoon. The latter are very hard for me. That leaves very little cleaning, cooking, playing, or basically anything besides school time. I get really grumpy on those days! Last Thursday was one of those days, and I finally had to just call a stop to school for the day and we saved the rest for Friday. He was able to get the remainder of Thursdays lessons as well as all of Fridays done by noon. Imagine that!!! Sam is an amazingly quick learner and has gotten As on both his math tests and phonics tests and a B+ on his writing test. His cursive is really good... I think he got the Weller handwriting genes.

We spend a lot of time outside each day, really enjoying the beautiful fall weather while it lasts. We've had picnics out there every day this past week. And, I've been having Sam run around the playground and count his laps or do laps back and forth between the neighbors fences... that counts as Math and P.E. right? :) Today I even let him do his handwriting out at the picnic table under the fort... with the promise that he would do his very best or he wouldn't be allowed to ever again.... It was nearly PERFECT!

Aaron is officially one of the big boys now... we moved him upstairs to join the boys, and it's going well... so far anyway. He loves his big boy bed :)


And, Adalie got to wear her first ponytail.... I know it's a little early for this, but I just couldn't resist. She is such a doll... as you can see I couldn't stop at just one photo. She is developing quite the personality these days. I LOVE it!

Hope you all have a wonderful night...