Walk this way...

step....

by....

step....

 

ooh baby...

gonna get to you girl!

Cursive

Brooklyn has been learning cursive alongside printing this year.  It is absolutely amazing what kindergartners can do.  I didn't learn until 3rd grade but she has almost mastered it already!

Poor Jessie

Jessie had an unfortunate accident this weekend.  

Brooklyn's words of comfort to Ellie..."It's okay Ellie, the same thing happened to Woody."

Studs and Stick-ons

 We've got some new accessories around here...

Brooklyn was incredibly brave and didn't shed a tear- she was very proud of herself for this.  Ellie made it very clear to the Claire's worker that she was not getting hers pierced, and was perfectly content with a set of stick-ons.

100 Day of School Project

Brooklyn has officially finished 100 days of kindergarten!  Wow...100 mornings of often resistant uniform dressing, 100 rushed breakfasts, 100 not-so-creative hairstyles, 100 times nagging to "brush your teeth- and hurry up please", 100 lunches packed, 100 hugs and kisses goodbye, 100 on-time school drop offs (okay, there were actually only 99, we had one tardy)...and only 2,000 or so more to go until graduation!

So for her 100th day of school, she completed a project displaying 100 items.
Here's what she did...

 Sorted and counted 100 buttons...

 Left handed cutting (sometimes quite a challenge)

 Glued 100 buttons

 Finally all 100 are in place~

 Bubble gum anyone?

I must have...

...one of these quilts for my bedroom!  I'm always drawn to Anna Maria Hornor, but then again, Amy Butler can do no wrong in the fabric department.  I am in love with both.

A few of her favorite things...

 stairs- she scrambles up them on her knees and slides down backwards on her belly...fast!

 baba- she asks for it as soon as she wakes up.

 books- she loves to look for pictures of dogs, fish, monkeys and bears 

and I love watching her little fingers turn the pages.

dishes- she helps me unload the silverware by throwing it on the floor- 

good thing I always have a sparkling clean floor right?!

and last but not least...mama

which she started saying just this week.

Paint

With both girls home and Leighton down for a nap, it was the perfect time to create with paint.  

 Ellie soon gave up her paintbrush for a finger...

then tried both at the same time...

 and before you know it this...

turned into this..

 and then into this!

All the while Brooklyn kept her paints perfect and didn't get a speck on herself.

Moster Cookies

I'm a big frequenter of the snack bar at Target.  The popcorn combo (split in 2 bags please) allows me an average of 30 minutes of shopping peace when the girls are with me.  And when I'm alone (thanks to my mom), a diet coke as I shop makes the Target experience that much sweeter- with a refill on the way out the door of course.  Anyway, I usually just stick to the soda, but am verrrrrrrrrrrrrrry tempted by the enormous cookies in the display case each time.  I have to admit, I've indulged twice (it was the Christmas shopping stress I tell you) in the most amazing cookie possibly of all time.  And for a cookie lover like myself, that says a lot.  Its called a monster cookie (probably because of its monstrous size/calorie count).  I actually found the Archer Farms frozen dough but they weren't quite as good.  But never fear folks, I have perfected the cookie myself.  Here she is in all her glory.  One word... amazing.   And a few others... chewy, crunchy, chocolaty, nutty, delicioso!

Monster Cookies

2 eggs

1 c. packed brown sugar

2/3 c white sugar

1 t vanilla

1 t corn syrup

1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/3 cup butter

1 c peanut butter

3 c. rolled oats

2/3 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

2/3 cup m&ms (never mind the leftover Christmas ones I used)

1/2 c. peanuts (I used cocktail peanuts)

Directions:
Beat the eggs in a large bowl and add the remaining ingredients in order, mixing well (don't think you forgot the flour- there isn't any).  Use an ice cream scoop (yes a full sized scoop, you have to make them BIG) to put on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake for 12 minutes (they may not look quite done but you must not overbake!).  Makes 30 cookies (if you have used some restraint and havn't eaten half of the dough).

Playing Barbies

This was Brooklyn's homework assignment this weekend.  I love the way she drew herself and Ellie kneeling and Leighton on all fours.  And look at those adorable little Barbies.

I wear my tutu everywhere

If you've seen Ellie lately, you've seen her in this.  Under pants, over leggings, over tights, under dresses, with a sweatshirt. You name it.  She digs to the bottom of the hamper to find it and her little heart is filled with glee when we let her wear it alone.  We tried to give her some options by buying her 3 others for Christmas but none can touch the "pink ballet outfit with tutu 'tached and diamonds right here."

Thank You Canvas People

Every morning when I walk downstairs (in a half-sleep stupor) I see the beautiful faces of my adorable little girls thanks to The Canvas People (and their Black Friday sale!).

Handmade Toys

I wanted to make Leighton some toys for her birthday. I was tired of all the store bought things I kept seeing and wanted to try to give her something more original- plus I think we own every age-appropriate toy on the market.  I was looking for some simple things that she could play with now and as she got older.  I found these ideas on etsy, very easy to make and cheap too.  Counting bean bags (which by the way don't take a 10 pound bag of beans to fill-looks like we'll be eating beans for a while now), and little wooden people.  Each one has a color on the bottom that corresponds to a little "sleeping sack".  I bought the little people (3.5") here if you would like start a family of our own.

Old McDonald had a farm...

Leighton got this adorable felt barn complete with livestock for her birthday.  I think it may have been from the dollar bin at Target?!? Anyway, I was thinking they would make really cute gifts and be super easy to make myself.  Then I stumbled upon this and fell in love.

But what I really want to make it this.  Maybe if I start working on it now, it will be done for next Christmas.

 

Can you tell we have an organizer in the house?  

I find things like this all the time...by color, by type, by size, by shape...and she does it for fun. 

Preparing for Parenthood

Check this out... its for all you pregnant mommies out there!

Thinking of Having Kids? Do this 11 step program first!

Lesson 1

1. Go to the grocery store.

2. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office.

3. Go home.

4. Pick up the paper.

5. Read it for the last time.

Lesson 2

Before you finally go ahead and have children, find a couple who already are parents and berate them about their...

1. Methods of discipline.

2. Lack of patience.

3. Appallingly low tolerance levels.

4. Allowing their children to run wild.

5. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child's breastfeeding, sleep habits, toilet training, table manners, and overall behavior.

Enjoy it because it will be the last time in your life you will have all the answers.

 Lesson 3

 A really good way to discover how the nights might feel...

1. Get home from work and immediately begin walking around the living room from 5PM to 10PM carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 8-12 pounds, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly. (Eat cold food with one hand for dinner)

2. At 10PM, put the bag gently down, set the alarm for midnight, and go to sleep.

3. Get up at 12 and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until 1AM.

4. Set the alarm for 3AM.

5. As you can't get back to sleep, get up at 2AM and make a drink and watch an infomercial.

6. Go to bed at 2:45AM.

7. Get up at 3AM when the alarm goes off.

8. Sing songs quietly in the dark until 4AM.

9. Get up. Make breakfast. Get ready for work and go to work (work hard and be productive)

 Repeat steps 1-9 each night. Keep this up for 3-5 years. Look cheerful and together.

 Lesson 4

 Can you stand the mess children make? T o find out...

1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains.

2. Hide a piece of raw chicken behind the stereo and leave it there all summer.

3. Stick your fingers in the flower bed.

4. Then rub them on the clean walls.

5. Take your favorite book, photo album, etc. Wreck it.

6. Spill milk on your new pillows. Cover the stains with crayons. How does that look?

Lesson 5

Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems.

1. Buy an octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh.

2. Attempt to put the octopus into the bag so that none of the arms hang out.

Time allowed for this - all morning.

 Lesson 6

Forget the BMW and buy a mini-van. And don't think that you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and shining. Family cars don't look like that.

1. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment.

Leave it there.

2. Get a dime. Stick it in the CD player.

3. Take a family size package of chocolate cookies. Mash them into the back seat. Sprinkle cheerios all over the floor, then smash them with your foot.

4. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.

Lesson 7

Go to the local grocery store. Take with you the closest thing you can find to a pre-school child. (A full-grown goat is an excellent choice). If you intend to have more than one child, then definitely take more than one goat. Buy your week's groceries without letting the goats out of your sight. Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys. Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.

Lesson 8

1. Hollow out a melon.

2. Make a small hole in the side.

3. Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side.

4. Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane.

5. Continue until half the Cheerios are gone.

6. Tip half into your lap. The other half, just throw up in the air.

You are now ready to feed a nine- month-old baby.

Lesson 9

Learn the names of every character from Sesame Street , Barney, Disney, the Teletubbies, and Pokemon. Watch nothing else on TV but PBS, the Disney channel or Noggin for at least five years. (I know, you're thinking What's 'Noggin'?) Exactly the point.

Lesson 10

 Make a recording of Fran Drescher saying 'mommy' repeatedly. (Important: no more than a four second delay between each 'mommy'; occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet is required). Play this tape in your car everywhere you go for the next four years. You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.

Lesson 11

Start talking to an adult of your choice. Have someone else continually tug on your skirt hem, shirt- sleeve, or elbow while playing the 'mommy' tape made from Lesson 10 above. You are now ready to have a conversation with an adult while there is a child in the room.

 This is all very tongue in cheek; anyone who is parent will say 'it's all worth it!' Share it with your friends, both those who do and don't have kids. I guarantee they'll get a chuckle out of it. Remember, a sense of humor is one of the most important things you'll need when you become a parent!

On a Scroll

If you know my husband well, you may have heard the story of his first grade class.  He was apparently way above the average first grade student at his school (big surprise right?) and would finish all his school work for the day before the teacher could even finish explaining the directions. This left him with a lot of time on his hands.  And lucky for him, he had some pretty creative hands and access to miles and miles of computer paper.  You know the kind that was in one long roll with perforated marks every so often.  Anyway, he would start a drawing and continue it on and on and on and then roll up his work into an enormous scroll.  As time went on the scroll got fatter and fatter so he would have to carry it with both arms. One day he ran into a serious snafu when the whole thing shot out from his hands like a Chinese yo-yo as he boarded the bus.  So in honor of her dad, this Christmas Grandma Judy thought Brooklyn could carry on the scroll tradition and got her over 300 feet of coloring pages all rolled up just like Daddy would do it.  She is planning on bringing it to show and tell tomorrow- let's just hope we don't have a repeat of the Chinese yo-yo incident.

Very Hungry Caterpillar Birthday

One sunny morning our little caterpillar turned one...and she was still hungry!

Inspired by Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar, 

we celebrated Leighton's first birthday this weekend. 

I found these party supplies at Target months ago planning for Leighton's birthday, 

which comes way too soon after Christmas 

(next year I'll plan her party in October- a much slower month!).

 We made egg carton caterpillars and coffee filter/clothes pin butterflies...

 Had lots of fun with green paint...

And did some Eric Carle coloring.

I couldn't believe I found gummy caterpillars (thank you Walmart) 

and they ate their way though peach and apple O's... but they were still hungry!

 I planned on a Very Hungry Caterpillar fruit salad with lunch, 

but didn't count on the fact that strawberries and plums are very hard to find in December- 

none at 3 grocery stores!

 

Brooklyn shared the story of the Very Hungry Caterpillar 

with everyone before Leighton opened her presents.

Grandma, our traditional cake baker was out of commission for the weekend 

so I had to step up to the plate and make the cake this year. 

 

  Then she at through one cupcake and she wasn't hungry anymore...

 Happy 1st Birthday Leighton!