Weekend full of Fun!!!

This weekend was very busy and very FULL of Fun all at the same time.

Saturday we spent time as a family and got a lot accomplished. Grocery shopping, errands supper out that night- and then on to our Cousin A's 7th birthday party at the bowling alley.

I was very impressed with how T bowled.....my mom took him this summer when I was in Peru and he still remembered and did a great job. C did pretty good too- for a 3 year old. The adults had a lane and B and I got a chance to bowl too- mine stayed in the gutter most of the time.....but hey it was Fun right?!?! A got lots of fun new toys and clothes at her "Princess Party"- we all had a great time!!

Then Sunday after church we had three guests for lunch- my friend Erin and her twin girls A & L came to eat soup and salad. The are soooo precious and their mom is pretty cool too!! Their daddy was out of town on business.....we will have to have them over again sometime when he can come too!!

OK.....I am pretty sure.....this is A on the left and L on the right.....I think.....maybe......NO WAIT- It is L on the left and A on the right.....Yeah that is right......pretty sure?!?! Are they not beautiful and who doesn't LOVE a bumbo seat.....we had one with C- and we were so glad we did. They are so neat for the babies to sit in and are very useful!!

Today we have had a productive day.....I bought theses wooded pieces from Hand Writing without Tears. The boys loved them!! I let them play and see how many letters they could make and then to see if they could make their names. It was fun. T is writing very well, although he starts most of his letters at the bottom and then goes up- or just and awkward direction. He seems to be left handed also- but writes better using his right hand....ugh....so hopefully this curriculum will get me and him both straight as far as writing goes!!

We also started "hooked on Phonics" level 2 to help C learn his alphabet- His teacher at pre-school says he knows the sound of most letters, just doesn't know the LETTER!!! I think that is because we work with T more on sounds than letters.....back to the drawing board when reading books now.

This book is an intro to letters and sounds plus reading. It has a DVD you watch- book you read- and workbook also. I went through A-H with boys today- T is very ready to read, in fact he can read some words- and sounds them out if he cannot. He spelled LOEPOP "lollipop" with the wooden letters from HWT it was cute.

Well, this starts my second week of fasting Facebook- and honestly, I can say it has been worth every minute of each day. I told B yesterday- I feel like the old me is back. I may never go back to it. As a confirmation last Monday, the first day of giving it up- T told me "mama you have not had your phone in your hand as much and you have not been cranky!!" talk about feeling as big as a pebble!!

I guess I didn't realize how much I held my phone and looked at text messages, fb and everything!!!! I can say that my mind is resting better at night and I feel much more refreshed when I wake in the mornings. This morning we all slept in......it was nice- and as you can see by the pictures above- Mondays are PJ's day in our house!!!

We don't leave the house and it is nice.......it is a day I actually feel like a stay at home mom!!!!

I read this post from my friend Meredith back in November- but it has crossed my mind many times since about facebook. I will elaborate more on this in my post tomorrow!!

Mollie

Finger Painting FUN!!!

Yesterday we did a little painting project.....started out with paint brush.....ended up FINGER PAINTING!!! WHOO HOO!!! PARTAY!!!!

I forget where I saw the idea but I thought it would be cool if they painted a canvas in the colors of my living and dining room, then I could hang it up in my house- and cherish it forever!! Well, I found a great deal on some canvas at Hobby Lobby- so I then thought we could make some to share with others too!! SO......we did.....here it is.......so much fun!!!

C is so funny here.....hhhmmmmm....do I paint my hand?? the canvas?? my hair?? He did end up with a streak of BLUE in the front.


When they were just using their brushes- it was showing a lot of WHITE....so that is when I said- "hey just use your hands and rub it in." It was as if you could have heard a pen drop- they were like....mama- you want us to make a mess?? COOL!!!
C was like this is too cool- He kept looking at his hands saying "I make mess....I make mess!!" Seeing how that is his FAVORITE pass time!! He was in Heaven!! T was okay with it- he wanted to wash his hands asap!!

Check out those grins!!! PRICELESS!!! I LOVE IT!!!!

Well, I took C to the other room to wash his hands- and came back T had taken the brush and started to write all different letters in the paint. Gave it a really "different" look!! That is what he thought looked good- So I know the people who receive them will also think that is cool!

I just set them up on some boxes to dry in the shop. I am going to write

a little note or poem on the back.

The FINISHED Project......Saving them for some special people......for a special day????

Mollie

Puzzle Time

Well, I have not fallen off the face of the Earth- I am BAAAACK!!! Just really really busy catching up on things around the house last week- after being gone so many weeks prior!!



Last week the weather was just too nice to stay inside.....so we didn't we stayed outside almost all day every day!! Boys just LOVE to be outside. T already has a BUG collection!! Hopefully I will get to sit down a post a story on it this week.



And I reeeeaaaaallly need to catch up on my recipe blog....been taking lots of pictures just need to add them and the recipes!! Have you ever bought some thing.....put it back for birthday or Christmas.....then pulled it out on a rainy day!! Yep...that's exactly what I did today.



I bought this book of tangram puzzles for T & this Melissa & Doug (YES my favorite) one for C. They LOVED them. And it took up about an hour that we would have spent out side- due to the rainy weather.....we stayed inside and put puzzles together!!



Not to mention it is busy work- for busy hands to be doing something useful!! I know we own at least 20+ puzzles. From LARGE floor puzzles to 100 pieces dinosaur puzzle (only one 100 pieces one) Most of the ones we like are non other than Melissa & Doug!!! They are SO DURABLE.....and if you have boys......you know what I mean. A puzzle piece might just become a hammer or a sword....never know??



What do you do for inside play on a rainy day??

Mollie

A hunting we will go..

With the weather being so cold some days and others nice. It is hard to get ONE WHOLE week of good outdoor play weather!

That is when you take it in doors....hunting that is. This week we had only two real good days to play outside- so the others we built a deer camp/deer stand. Using just an old sheet that is our "tent" sheet now- even has it's own peep holes in it.

How I got under the dining room table is beyond me?? I do however know that B would never make it under there- Clearance is way to short for that big fella!!

I was in on the excitement of killing a 10 POINT BUCK in the living room....so fun I tell you- I didn't know whether to laugh or cry at times. Seeing how their imaginations were so full of these vivid pictures of BUCKS & DOE!!! EVERYWHERE!!! And then to think that they were so big to make up these big stories and talk so plainly to understand EVERY word that C says now- Time is going by way to fast.....I know in 20 years I will look back and be glad I took the time to "hunt" in the deer camp with them, under the table!!

So, I asked the hunters if the wanted a snack- Of course, any hunter gets hungry with all that hard work of hunting. I gave them a snack- returned to the kitchen, as I started doing the dishes all I heard was giggling & crunching of Cheez-its!! Every so often I would hear a loud BOOM of the play gun....other than that- they were being very good hunters.

There was a KING snake that crawled in under the camp- He didn't last long, got shot too!! Can't have snakes in the camp!!

When I was through with the dishes I went back to the "camp" and asked if they had killed any deer yet? T replied "YEP a 10 POINT BUCK..... he's a biggin' too!!!" So I was then asked being the "cooker" of the camp... "here cooker go skin and fry us up that big buck!!"

I proceeded to unfold myself out from under the dining room table oh, excuse me Deer camp. And I walked into the living room and started to string up the pretend deer on the ceiling fan...where else right?? I pulled out my very sharp pretend pocket knife....very very sharp T said!! As I made the first slit in to the deer and began the process I was quickly corrected... "No, No, No, that is not how you do it...here let me, see watch me- I'll show you the right way......see like this...." He then finished skinning the deer- handed me a pretend pieces and said "here now go cook it!!"

We had a great time hunting together....and I will cherish our hunting day for a long time!!

All I can say Children Learn What they Live!!

Mollie

a Visit to the ZOO

Here we go... a flash back to September... Labor day weekend. Hence the shorts!! It has taken so long to upload these pictures. I took my new camera.... and my goodness when you take a million pictures it is really hard to decide which ones to use on the blog. Then you can only upload 2 at a time because of the size of the pictures. I have learned that OUTDOOR pictures take MUCH longer!!! And we all know the ZOO is definitely OUTDOORS!! Could you imagine the smell of an indoor ZOO!!! UGGHHHH- Don't even go there!!

So here are the pics from our visit to the Tulsa Zoo!!

Lots of FUN!!! I really enjoyed it this time. I grew up going to this ZOO my whole life- they have done a lot of remodeling. The last visit we had was when I was 8 months pregnant with C.... I definitely had swollen ankles after that trip... and we were potty training T at the time. We knew were all the restrooms were!!

We were glad to take T back and C for the first time of many I am sure!!

Grana, Poppie, Daddy & the boys in the jungle rider

C enjoyed the elephants and T showed us he is the same as a monkey!!

Rhinos


I did give T an "old film camera" hahaha that sounds funny !! He loved it- we would crack up at him to see him take a picture as if he could see the picture on the back like a digital camera. His pictures I paid $13 for a bunch of grass or a elephants tail!! Priceless though to him- he took them for show & tell!!

At the petting ZOO the boys found a log..... this cracked us up so much. They just were holding onto this log and petting it. While the goats & sheep were dodging all the other kids!! They did pet the animals but, went to the log first!!

PINK COLUMBIA

That is what T use to call them!!

I like this picture a lot because I cannot tell you how many pictures of me & my sister that we also have at this same fence looking a the sea lions!!

Waiting on the Train ride.... waiting.... waiting.....

FINALLY.... HAPPY BOYS on the TRAIN!!! Choo Choo!!!

If you have ever seen poppie.... here he is 50 years younger...... T

C loved the Train... every time the whistle would blow he would just crack up laughing!!! Then yell out "all aboard"

Our piggy back rides to the car... our little monkeys!!!

Have you been to the ZOO lately?? Which one.... Got any favorites??

Mollie

Some one's in the Kitchen with Mama

We baked some pumpkin cookies the other night...... I will let the pictures do the talking......

The wardrobe change would be.... bath time while cookies baked-

then a GOOD NIGHT SNACK !!

Mollie

Paint & Pumpkins.... what a fun mess

We picked up some pumpkins from Mr. Buddy the other day. Thought we could paint a few faces or designs on them....you know carving with a knife, 4 & 2 year old boys....scares me!!

They did a good job....I did pretty good to with my diva pumpkin. T saw mine and said- "I want eyes!!!"

And C on the other hand was just plain messy. I looked over one time and he would paint a little on the pumpkin...then his arm.....pumpkin....arm......pumpkin.....arm......

I finally told him "OK all the paint ONLY goes on the pumpkin- then I looked up and it was in his hair??

I forgot to take a picture with my real camera- so as the boys played out side for a few minutes I took this with my phone.

I just love paint- I have no clue why it is just fun. I like to color with the boys too. I guess it just takes me back to when I was a kid. On rainy days it is the best. Little messy but LOTS of MEMORIES!!!

I love the crayola washable paint....it really is washable!!

Have you got any pumpkins yet?? What is your favorite thing to do with them??


Mollie