Saturday, March 27, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
We're off!
We head out tomorrow for a visit to the Burgh! I'm excited to see my Mom and Dad, and Pittsburgh can be pretty great in spring. And friends. How fun. I'm only a little worried about the flight with two babes by myself, but I figure, what's the worst that can happen?
I found Makili asleep in his bed like this this week. So cute.
I found Makili asleep in his bed like this this week. So cute.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Before My Camera Died
Before my camera died yesterday, I took SO many pictures of this pile of boys rolling around together at the Masterson's awesome house. Dreamy. And so fun to watch these boys play.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
When Spring Comes Early
When spring comes early (very early in fact!),
we can try to climb trees that are out of our league.
We can go for LOTS of walks.
We can touch EVERYTHING!
And have fun with a big pile of logs.
We can discover dirt and start watching things grow!
we can try to climb trees that are out of our league.
We can go for LOTS of walks.
We can touch EVERYTHING!
And have fun with a big pile of logs.
We can discover dirt and start watching things grow!
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
A new Day
On Monday afternoon, after relentless rain and being stuck inside, we got in the car and headed up to Ann and Larry's house. Raph didn't have work on Tuesday, so we decided we'd spend the night up there and get things done. Halfway there, Makili puked ALL. OVER. HIMSELF. in the car. We could have turned around right then, but I tried rationalizing - "maybe he got carsick," etc. We got there. He puked more. Then Raph started puking and didn't get off the couch for 36 hours. Remick joined in the action in the middle of the night too. While I did manage to get some things done, I felt pretty bad for bring Pukefest 2010 to Ann's house.
Today, things started out with a HUGE pile of Remick poop, which not only managed to cover his entire back, but somehow got all over my back too?!?! Gross. All over the chair (thank god for slip covers). Yuck. BUT then the tide changed. I went outside to take out the trash and a whole flock of geese honked at me in V formation over my head headed NORTH! That made me smile. I went to gardening class while Larry watched my kids (JOY) and came home to find no screaming! I went for a 3 mile run and when I got home, I found 16 garlic had come up and THIS:
And things are looking up!
Today, things started out with a HUGE pile of Remick poop, which not only managed to cover his entire back, but somehow got all over my back too?!?! Gross. All over the chair (thank god for slip covers). Yuck. BUT then the tide changed. I went outside to take out the trash and a whole flock of geese honked at me in V formation over my head headed NORTH! That made me smile. I went to gardening class while Larry watched my kids (JOY) and came home to find no screaming! I went for a 3 mile run and when I got home, I found 16 garlic had come up and THIS:
And things are looking up!
Monday, March 15, 2010
Bath time
While our house is nearly in the bathtub (that is our yard underwater out there)
my boys are loving takin baths together. So cute.
my boys are loving takin baths together. So cute.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
My Greatest Joy
At the moment, my greatest joy is watching my boys play and love eachother, which they do with increasing frequency. Remick will chase Makili across the house and back again while they both giggle. Makili will lay on Remick and Remick willlay right on him. There are so many moments when they love each other. It is absolutely adorable. (Not that there aren't moments when Makili is sitting on Remick's head to keep him away from his toys, but still...)
Friday, March 12, 2010
Happy Gilmore
We've been blessed with some absolutely wonderful weather around here. In a panic, I ordered my seeds, planted the greenhouse full of stuff, and started fretting about not having enough compost. Makili got out every toy he could find and has spent many many hours outside, doing things like riding the hotwheels I got for free at the dump up and down the driveway, digging holes in the garden with his new shovel, and playing hockey golf as seen here. I love spring.
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
Freezer Paper Stencils
While my mom was here, I got really ambitious about a project I've been wanting to try with Makili: freezer paper stencils. To be fair I got the idea from Amanda Soule's book (The Creative Family), but the idea is also all over the internet, so I don't feel too bad about sharing. It is an awesome way to make cool shirts or repurpose some old fabric (like Dad's ripped pants, which is what we used).
Start with a drawing (I traced this from google images, which I'm sure will disappoint my artsy friends, but come on, I'm on a timeline here with two kids!)
Traced drawing onto freezer paper (shiny side down). Cut out with exacto knife (obviously my job, not MAkili's )
Iron paper onto fabric (again shiny side down). You can put a piece of freezer paper inside a t-shirt (shiny side up) to keep paint from going through.
Paint inside (or outside depending on your preference - we did both) the stencil.
Let dry for 24 hours (or until you're tired of waiting.) Heat set it by ironing it per the instruction on the fabric paint and voila! you've got awesome stuff. I heart this project.
Start with a drawing (I traced this from google images, which I'm sure will disappoint my artsy friends, but come on, I'm on a timeline here with two kids!)
Traced drawing onto freezer paper (shiny side down). Cut out with exacto knife (obviously my job, not MAkili's )
Iron paper onto fabric (again shiny side down). You can put a piece of freezer paper inside a t-shirt (shiny side up) to keep paint from going through.
Paint inside (or outside depending on your preference - we did both) the stencil.
Let dry for 24 hours (or until you're tired of waiting.) Heat set it by ironing it per the instruction on the fabric paint and voila! you've got awesome stuff. I heart this project.
Monday, March 08, 2010
Learning Annma's Trade
Makili got his first bread-making lesson from Annma last weekend. I did my duty and tasted his first product. Pretty damn good.
Of course, he and Kane had to do some playing too. They hopped onto the vehicle together by themselves. They love all the toys that Paka finds for them!
Of course, he and Kane had to do some playing too. They hopped onto the vehicle together by themselves. They love all the toys that Paka finds for them!
Sunday, March 07, 2010
Embracing Mom and Imaginary Friends
My mom came to visit last week and sadly I did a terrible job of documenting her stay. In fact the picture below from our trek at Fort Foster are the only pictures I have to show for a wonderful, if too short, visit. Part of my lack of photographs owes to the fact that Remick boycotted sleep for a while last week (perhaps due to a little dabbling in regular coffee) and there were days that I was completely exhausted. But, we did have an absolutely terrific visit and can't wait to see her again.
One thing I love about seeing my mom is that she always reminds me of something I ought to be doing with my kids, just by modeling behaviors for me. I remember when Makili was a baby, my mom came to visit, and my mom would read him books with baby faces in it. She would point out all the features of the baby's faces, and I remember thinking to myself, "I should be doing that."
On this visit, my mom really impressed on me how much I need to ramp up the pretend play. She spent countless hours with Makili on the floor, racing the police car after Lightning McQueen, giving him tickets. Makili LOVED this. He would beg her, "Give Lightning McQueen another ticket." My mom would indulge every time telling him over and over that he was driving too fast, and it wasn't safe, etc.
This week, Lightning McQueen came to visit us. He pooped on the potty and Makili wiped his bum. He went with us to music class and we all sang "Hello to Lightning, so glad to see you." He played in the road and had to get yelled at (per Makili's request) many times. Makili held his hand in the road. The two of them would take naps together. Every once in a while, Makili would ask, "We're pretending Lightning McQueen is here?" I think he was just checking to make sure I didn't actually thing he was there. In any case, this was certainly a developmental step Makili was waiting for. Thanks Mom.
One thing I love about seeing my mom is that she always reminds me of something I ought to be doing with my kids, just by modeling behaviors for me. I remember when Makili was a baby, my mom came to visit, and my mom would read him books with baby faces in it. She would point out all the features of the baby's faces, and I remember thinking to myself, "I should be doing that." On this visit, my mom really impressed on me how much I need to ramp up the pretend play. She spent countless hours with Makili on the floor, racing the police car after Lightning McQueen, giving him tickets. Makili LOVED this. He would beg her, "Give Lightning McQueen another ticket." My mom would indulge every time telling him over and over that he was driving too fast, and it wasn't safe, etc.
This week, Lightning McQueen came to visit us. He pooped on the potty and Makili wiped his bum. He went with us to music class and we all sang "Hello to Lightning, so glad to see you." He played in the road and had to get yelled at (per Makili's request) many times. Makili held his hand in the road. The two of them would take naps together. Every once in a while, Makili would ask, "We're pretending Lightning McQueen is here?" I think he was just checking to make sure I didn't actually thing he was there. In any case, this was certainly a developmental step Makili was waiting for. Thanks Mom.
Monday, March 01, 2010
About art
So I got this book at the thrift store for 25 cents called Young at Art. It looked interesting and I started reading about kids' development in various artistic endeavors. I realized that at Makili's age, he really ought to be doing more than drawing circles and H's, which is all he ever really seemed into. So I sat him down and give him a bit more attention and encouragement. And almost immediately, he amazed me. He drew this tractor and then a little later he drew me! I thought this tractor was pretty impressive though! It actually looks like a tractor.
And this is the tutu we made for Gabrielle.
We're back on the grid now, but my mom is visiting so we're kind of busy. But I thought I post this while I'm thinking about it.
And this is the tutu we made for Gabrielle.
We're back on the grid now, but my mom is visiting so we're kind of busy. But I thought I post this while I'm thinking about it.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Powerless
We are one of the million homes without power. So you won't hear much from us for a few days...
Thursday, February 25, 2010
One last look
Before I totally move on from our trip, I wanted to leave one more image. I can't wait to watch these munchkins grow up together. I feel lucky that they are so close in age and will hopefully see eachother with some frequency. Makili LOVED Gabrielle, and I think in her own way she liked him too. Look at what a great big sister she is already. It is so interesting to see how kids' personalities really are innate. They come out a certain way. Sure, we can influence those things a bit, but fundamentally they are who they are. Can Oliviann really be this mellow forever?
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