Ordinary Days

I cherish my days at home with the kids.  It's starting to get really interesting around here.  Dale's inventions are all unique and special, and I just never know what I'm going to see when I enter a room.  On this day, Elmo joined the fun.  So did a chip clip, a glow-in-the-dark bat, and a leather purse.

Rose, since she wasn't all dolled up in a pretty fancy dress, decided to ham it up for the camera.

 

On a different day, we built a large tented fort in Dale's room, where the kids spent a lot of time reading and giggling.

There was also some dress up play.

What one child does the other must do too.

Ordinary days at home aren't really so ordinary after all.

But why?

Emergency Turkeys

Time to do more art!

 

 

It didn't last very long.  The kids were getting restless, there was sibling rivalry, and Rose started climbing the furniture.  Things were starting to spin out of control.

 

I could see where this day was going.  Time to get out the serious crafting supplies and make some turkeys.

Some days I surrender to the climbing Rose.

The kids were happy, and the turkeys turned out great.

Pig Art

Ever since Dale started preschool, his drawing skills have increased tenfold.  He is drawing things I didn't know he could, and he's becoming more creative with his art.

 

With Rose's help, Dale drew a pig initially, but then it morphed into something much more interesting.

The X on the bottom right corner is a kiss.  Dale puts kisses on all his pieces.

Love this photo!

Once the kids finished their masterpiece, Rose showed it off for the camera.

Dale hung the art on the fridge under Uncle Scott's portrait, while Rose climbed her kitchen, where she picked the sink to sit and poop.

Rose:  Cute, but stinky.

Elf Crazy

Okay, so I went a little crazy with the elf thingamajig online.  I didn't mean to, but once I got started, I couldn't stop.  Merry Christmas anyway!  Here's a whole bunch of cute elf kids.

 

These Kids Make Me Smile

The week before Thanksgiving, Dale came home from school with some pretty cool accessories.  The head piece with bright yellow feather became Dale's new favorite toy at once.  He wore it for days and played various imaginary games with it.  The gorgeous stunning necklace immediately became my very favorite thing anyone has ever given me.

 

 

Generally the first thing Dale does when we return home from school is put his jammies back on and start to play with whatever it is that he brought home that day.  Dale is crazy creative. He has been known to come home from school with pieces of yarn or feathers or other small bits and then make unusual creations with them.

 

Don't bother taking it down.  He'll just rebuild it somewhere else.

 

Dale's creativity often extends to his wardrobe.

 

 

Never a dull moment with these two!

 

Adorbs

One morning as I was getting Dale ready for school, he looked so cute I could barely stand it.  I grabbed my camera and snapped a few pre-preschool photos.  It was worth it.

 

On this day, Dale carried baby wolf around in his "bed."

 

Not to be outdone, Rose stepped in front of her big brother for her morning photo as well.

The cuteness overfloweth.

A Rainbow of Ribbons

I love rainbows.  I love ribbons.  I love pretty dresses, my running children, and big backyards.  I love my husband.  I love dormant grass, falling leaves, and berries on trees.  I love little kisses and bright blue eyes.  I love tippy toes and giggles.

 

 

I am thankful for every day.

Dale's Fourth Birthday

November 8, 2012

Dale's fourth birthday

 

On Dale's birthday, he got to be the special birthday kid at school, which meant he could bring a favorite snack and a favorite book to share with the class.  Our snack choice was homemade cookies with extra messy sprinkles, and our book choice was "We're Going on a Bear Hunt" by Oxenbury and Rosen.  We made a big deal out of Dale's day at school and even got all dressed up.

 

Cute kid.

Pretty school.

 

Once school started, Dale got to sit in the special birthday chair, where everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to him.  Then he got to pick a little gift from the birthday box and show the class his pick.

 

Ms. Armstrong and Ms. Grogan are Dale's teachers.

Rose entertained herself with all the toys.

Where on earth does he get this from?

 

Once we left school, Rose, Monga and I ventured to Starbucks for some coffee, treats, and chatting, and then we shopped for new dresses at The Gap.  Rose is unbelievably adorable in the mornings after dropping Dale off at school.  It makes me want to buy her things.  I'm in big big big trouble.

 

Cookies For Kids

At Dale's preschool, the kids are required to bring a special snack on their birthday, so we waited until the last possible minute and made some super-messy-fun-to-make-but-only-kinda-yummy cookies.

 

Dale and Rose had such a great time decorating.  We let them go nuts with all the frosting and sprinkles, and we ended up with some very interesting cookies.

 

We also ended up with a very messy Rose.

 

Family Heroes

Who do you call when there's a spider on the ceiling?  SUPER DADDY!

Who do you need when a light bulb goes out?  SUPER DADDY!

Who is going to smash the trash down instead of taking it outside?  SUPER DADDY!

 

Yeah, he's cool.

Who do you call when there is a cheerio on the kitchen floor?  SUPER ROSE!
Who do you need when a baby doll needs a kiss?  SUPER ROSE!
Who is going to run across the room at super speed when you tell her she's stinky?  SUPER ROSE!

 

We need them.  We love them.  Our family heroes.

Fishing With PawPaw

For Dale's birthday, PawPaw got Dale his very own fishing pole, and the next day, off they went to a local pond to try it out.  It was hard for me to hand over a "first" to someone else, but I have never been fishing before.  This was something I couldn't teach my son.  But that didn't stop me from tagging along to watch!

 

 

Dale wore his biker vest that PawPaw had made over a year ago.  There are several patches on the vest, one of which says, "My PawPaw's biker buddy."  Dale was so proud to wear his vest and fish with PawPaw.

Meanwhile, Rose cuted the crap out of the nearby playground.

When we got back home, the kids thought they deserved some candy for being so wonderful that morning.  These are their yes-I'm-cute-give-me-candy faces.