Making caterpillars

Eliot is my shadow in the morning. This morning she got into some puff balls used for art projects. There was also a caterpillar rattle in the box. So of course she started to make a caterpillar. It makes me smile when children invent play like this. I work so hard to teach children how to do this at my job. A lot of the parents I work with don't see the importance of this skill and belittle these activities. Creating something with meaning out of the pieces of the world around us ties into some many higher level skills that how can you ignore this process? Besides, it's fun!

Look at the positive....

Banishing Negativity

That is the title of a post on one of my favorite blogs today. Go check out Authentic Parenting to read the whole thing. Well, that post inspired me to write about the positive things about my children. I love parenthood. Even when I am separated from my children I miss them and think of them every moment. Each one is unique and special. Some parents seem to only see the negative things about raising children. For me it is my lifestyle. It is not just a part of who I am it is one of the most defining aspects of my role in this world. I have the power to change the world! I am a mother! (I promise to use my power for good.)

Danny

You remember everything. You are honest and tell me exactly how my meals taste.

Lyn

You are eager to learn all you can about the world. You are the most responsible 11 year old I know.

Connor

You play so well with your younger brother, Evan. You have patience beyond measure while dealing with an 3 year old with limitless energy.

Annika

You are my dancer. You twirl through my day and are always ready to share a hug to brighten my day.

Evan

You know exactly where I keep the coca-cola in the fridge and won't hesitate to bring me one when I am thirsty.

Eliot

You are the funniest 2 year old I know. You actually know how to tell a good joke.

Ben

My baby, you are so sweet. You have the biggest belly laugh I have ever heard from a 5 month old baby.

I positively adore my children and cannot imagine my life without them.

"I did it..." (Bubble blowing)

It is so hard sometimes for a two year old to blow bubbles. Most parents and caregivers have seen many a toddler lick, eat, mouth, and just plain do everything with a bottle of bubbles but blow bubbles. Today Eliot must have been missing Mrs. Sara a lot so she dug deep in her bag of toys and pulled out her bubbles. These were great. She was able to do them all by herself! And best of all they don't spill even if you turn them upside down.

I need some shade...

I have been meaning to plant some trees in the yard for some time now. We get a lot of direct sunlight in the morning in the front of the house. It really heats things up. Seedlings cost a good bit of money.  So we went on a tree hunt near our home. I prefer native trees instead of all of the ornamentals that most people plant in their yards anyway. We found a redbud and an oak tree to transplant. They are tiny. I am hoping they weather the move OK because they are so young. We'll see. They will take a long time to get anywhere near shading the house but it is a start. Maybe in a good 10 to 15 years they will do the job a little bit. Lyn, Evan, and Eliot had fun digging and planting.

Learning in the grocery store

As always we are nearly out of bread, milk, and juice. I tried to slip past Evan asleep on the couch but no such luck. Evan and Eliot went to the grocery store. The grocery store is such a great place to work on social and language skills for young children. They have to follow so many age appropriate rules in a hyper stimulating environment that it is the ultimate practice ground for toddlers and preschoolers. I provide boundaries for the kids in the store but I also let them explore within their ability. This is how they will learn. If they sat in the shopping cart and never asked questions and never touched the world around them they would never learn how to interact with that world. In this picture they are holding onto some wax wrapped cheese. Eliot is jumping and using hers as a yo-yo.

Another saturday....

We made a trip to the library again today. We made it there 15 minutes after it opened and it was already packed with kids and families. We hung out in the preschool section for a while and picked out a few books and puppets to check out and headed home. Lyn and the little kids had a little impromptu puppet show before Granny came over to visit. They put on a bigger show for Granny. Dad and I took advantage and went to a dollar movie. We watched The Clash of the Titans. It was worth a dollar. If they would have worked on the storyline more than the 3D effects it would have been better. Over all it was a good day.  

He's a little creepy right?

This little cat lives in my purse most of the time. He used to belong to my grandmother. After she passed away and before we bought her house I was going through some of her old belongings. This little guy was found in one of her old purses. He is pretty worn. I am thinking she picked him up when she was working at the thrift store. Maybe he is worn from lovingly being handled. I am not sure. I can see her possibly rubbing him absentmindedly while she had to wait for something. Maybe he was kept in a pocket and rubbed for good luck throughout the day. Who knows. All I know is that whenever I come across him hiding in my purse I remember my grandmother so in there he stays. Maybe one day my granddaughter will be going through my belongings and find this old, worn out, sort of creepy little cat and wonder about him.

Summer solstice lemonade...

Tomorrow is the first day of summer. To get ready for the season we made lemonade and ate clementines in the hot sun today. Everyone had a chance to help mix everything together and squeeze the lemons. Afterwards we enjoyed some fresh corn with dinner. Take a minute to notice the flowers in the background. The kids planted them on Earth Day and they are blooming nicely. I added a new slideshow on the sidebar with more pictures taken today. Take a look.

The girls got their hair cut.

Before and After

Can we go to the beach? OK, the creek then?

I have been meaning to take the kids to Buck Creek to swim and play in the water. Well, today we made it. Annika, Lyn, Evan, Eliot, and Ben had fun. I put Ben's feet in the water but he did not like that at all. Granny was visiting the farmer's market nearby and came over to visit. We played for a while and made it home before lunch. My trick lately has been to not take any snacks and only have water on hand to drink. That way the kids are happy to leave when asked with the mention of snacks and drinks at home.

At the playground again!!!

Yesterday I loaded the kids up and headed to the playground to blow off some steam.

Ben at work again!!

Ben came to work again today. He is getting so big. Here he is getting a little attention from his "Aunt" Sara. He had an appointment today to check his growth. He weighs in at 16 pounds and 5 ounces! He is 24 inches long! I guess milk does a body good. He is exclusively breastfeeding. He hasn't shown any interest in food yet. We'll hold off till at least 6 months or later. Check out those thighs (Ben's not Sara's!!)

Two of my girls!

Lyn and Eliot hanging out at the creek! (This post is for Beth.  She said I've been neglecting my blog.)

Away from Mama for how long?

Lyn and Eliot went with their Granny to the beach for a whole week. I wasn't sure how Eliot would do being away from her mama for as long. She did great though. It is taking her a while to get back in the swing of things at home but she had fun. Lyn had a blast too. The oil from the spill in the gulf came onto the beach the day they left. They could smell it and see some tar balls but it wasn't too bad as they were leaving.

Helena Market Days

We were out of the house before 9am. The farmer's market in Helena started at 8am. We walked around and looked at all of the fresh fruits and vegetables. There was fresh homemade bread and goat cheese. I even spotted someone selling goat's milk soap. I assume it was goat's milk. The sign said goat soap. After seeing what was at all of the tables we walked down to the creek. The kids enjoyed that more. Evan enjoyed the "beach" the most. I uploaded a new album on the sidebar of all of the pictures from today. Enjoy!

Evan the big brother

I tried Ben in a booster seat for the first time today. Evan helped out by bringing him some toys to play with. Being only 4 and a half months old Ben isn't quite ready to sit in this type of seat but he did okay. He was able to handle the toys and balance himself for about 5 minutes and then he had enough. He's getting bigger everyday.