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Showing posts from July, 2013

Chuck the Tumblin' Truck

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One of S's favorite toys right now is Chuck the Tumblin' Truck.  My parents got it for him for Christmas.  You push on his light and he tumbles, exercises, tells you to push him, and plays music.   S thinks it's the greatest thing to push him around the loop of our house.  He goes down the hall, through the kitchen, into the dining room, out the toy room, and back to the hall.  All the while S is laughing, running, and falling down.  Chuck plays faster music as he gets pushed around.  This makes S laugh and laugh. I was able to catch some photos of the fun this afternoon.  I especially like when Chuck went under the kitchen table.  S wasn't quite sure what to do but quickly figured it out. Here we go! Uh-Oh ... crash   Made the turn a little fast ... Chuck's on 2 wheels Now what? Escape under the chair

Messy Monday - Frozen chalk paint

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Pinterest projects and I just don't mesh well apparently!  This is the 3rd Messy Monday activity we've tried and NONE of them have gone like they should; at least according to the websites and Pinterest. Yesterday we made frozen chalk paint with water, cornstarch, and liquid watercolors.  The mixing and freezing went fine.  The problem came when D and S tried to draw on the driveway with them.  Nothing happened!  The colors just evaporated and you saw nothing at all.  So they waited for them to melt and then played in the melted mixture.  They loved doing this.  D mixed the colors together and was intrigued by how they sometimes mixed and sometimes stayed apart.  S like the feeling and enjoyed holding the partially melted pieces in his hand.  So even though it didn't go as planned the kids had fun and got messy!

4.5

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D turned 4.5 yesterday.  Her birthday is just over a month after Christmas so she racks up a bunch of new toys in a VERY short time.  B and I decided to celebrate her half birthday so she could get a few new things later in the year.  I can't believe how quickly the time has gone! Weight:  36ish pounds Height:  42 inches Likes:  Princesses, pb & j sandwiches, strawberries, playing with S, singing, reading, learning Dislikes: Time out, rainy days, trying new food with a smile, being alone She has an amazing vocabulary that constantly amazes us.  Not only does she pick up words quickly but she knows when to use them.  Right now we are working on learning to read.  She wants so badly to read a book to S and that desire can get in the way of the learning.  Some days she can't understand why she just can't know all of the words.  Her energy level is through the roof!  She loves to DO anything and talk to anyone! Here's a peak at our day. First there were donut

Project 52 - Weeks 4 and 5

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Week 4 - City Lights Week 5 - I Dreamed a Dream

Not on the Floor ...

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Seems like a say "No, not on the floor!" at least a thousand times a day.  Most of these comments are directed to S. One of his favorite activities is to dump baskets of toys on the floor then walk away.  He doesn't play with them, just dumps them and leaves.  He has an amazingly long reach and grabs at things everywhere.  Items you want left on tables and counters must be strategically placed in the middle, out of his reach.  I forgot this yesterday while I got out tissue paper squares for a craft with D.  I put the box (of thousands) of squares too close to the edge of the table and walked away to help D.  When I came back the box and ALL of the squares were on the floor.  Fun times picking those up! Here's an example of just a few times I said repeated "No ... not on the floor!" B's X-Box controllers after I picked them up Blueberry Bread  The joy of dropping yogurt bites to hear them hit the floor Yogurt Bites  Tissue paper sq

Swimmy Fish

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D started swim lessons at Swim Kids 5 weeks ago.  When she started she shook just looking at the big pool.  She held onto the coach's neck with a death grip and refused to be let go into the water.  She didn't cry and enjoyed being held while the coach moved around.  Slowly she let the coach hold her while she reached for a floating toy with one arm.  Then she wore a noodle as a float and kicked while the coach held her arms.  She "walked" along the wall in the water and went down the hippo slide.  I watched in amazement as her confidence grew each and every week.   This past Monday she graduated level 1 and began the skills for level 2 (blow bubbles, go under water unassisted, and open eyes underwater).  I assumed these skills would take her a couple of weeks to master ... WRONG!!  She mastered them and graduated level 2 on the same day!  B and I cheered and applauded like she'd just won a gold medal.  But for a kid who was scared 5 weeks ago to go in the water

Messy Monday - Cloud Dough

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We actually did Messy Monday on Monday this week!!  YIPPEE!! I found a recipe for cloud dough on Pinterest.  Basically you mix flour with baby oil and it makes a soft fluffy feeling dough.  D and S were less than impressed with it!  I thought the texture was neat and you could mold it into different shapes.  I tried to get them to create snowballs and animal tracks but neither was interested.  They kept running to the sand table and the pool.  Oh well ... I have something cool planned for next week.  It's extra messy! First touch S isn't too sure Trying again  D decided to add some water ... made a goopy, sticky mess S found messy mud under the sand table Nothing messy here - just silly!

First Movie

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B and I took D to her first movie today, Despicable Me 2.  We'd been talking about going but weren't sure what she'd enjoy seeing.  Plus the price of a movie is RIDICULOUS!  For the 3 of us it cost $30.  We went to a 12:15 showing so that's not the highest priced tickets.  If we had gone before 11:55 it would have been a lot cheaper ... oh well!! D did pretty well in the movie.  She got a bit antsy towards the last 20 minutes but hung in.  There were no potty breaks and we didn't have to get up because she was talking.  It was great for B and I to have a chance to do something special with just her.  All in all it was an awesome experience for everyone! Standing by the Planes sign "Racing" the cars before the movie

A Boy and His Dog

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S has the Scout dog from Leapfrog.  Recently he has figured out how to push the paws to make it talk and sing.  He LOVES this dog!  He'll lay on it, carry it around, and play with it for minutes on end.  Yes, minutes ... which for a 17 month old is big! D had the Fisher Price version but we got rid of it.  It would randomly (think middle of the night) sing and talk to you.  One night B went downstairs to check on something and the dog said "Play with me." Keep in mind D had been in bed for at least 2 hours and no one had touched the dog in that time.  After that the dog got marked for a consignment sale.