Tyler's t-ball game

Tyler finished his t-ball season on Saturday. He enjoyed playing with several of his buddies from school. He's always a good sport, but never overly enthusiastic about chasing balls. But he has a good time, and of course, loves having snack at the end :). After his last game, they had a pizza party, and we brought "baseball" cupcakes. And now we are on to new endeavors. He'll do swim lessons in July, which he loves, and he's starting karate through the YMCA next week. We'll see how that goes, at the moment, he has been inspired by Kung Fu Panda!

Super Sidewalk Paint

We checked a book out from the library called The Ultimate Book of Kid Concoctions and it is full of easy "concoctions" for the kids to make. Today, we made super sidewalk paint, and the kids loved it. There are only 3 ingredients: cornstarch, water, and food coloring. It makes kind of a soupy liquid, and when you paint it on the sidewalk, it dries just like chalk. And after a while, the colors get even more vibrant. I'll put the recipe at the end in case you want to try it!

Mixing the water and cornstarch

Ready to go paint

Working on his name

Having fun!

Super Sidewalk Paint

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 cup water

6-8 drops food coloring

1. Mix cornstarch and cold water together in a small plastic bowl/container.

2. Add food coloring and stir.

3. Repeat this process to create different colors of Super Sidewalk Paint. (Can easily be washed away with water.)

4. Have fun!

Creative puppets!

Tyler and Laynie recently rented a craft video from the library and they loved it. One of the crafts was making your own puppets. Well, today they decided to make their own puppets. They got out all of their own art supplies: crayons, paper, scissors, glue and tape. After cautioning them to make good choices with their art supplies, I went into the kitchen and let them do their creating unmonitored (a risky choice for sure!) I could see them both coloring and Tyler was busy cutting out different shapes. Next thing I know, he emerges with the coolest puppet and the most creative "puppet" system. He created the entire thing by himself...I love it!

Tyler and Laynie getting started on their puppet design.

The front of Tyler's puppet. The blue stripes are suspenders, according to Ty. He cut, colored, glued and taped everything by himself!

Tyler's innovative "puppet" system. He cut out rectangular strips and taped them to the puppet so that he could hold it up. So cool!

Laynie never completed a puppet, but she had fun creating anyway!

Since they had such a great time I have been inspired to reorganize and improve their art supplies. I've also been inspired by a book I'm reading, "The Creative Family: How to Encourage Imagination and Nurture Family Connections". Great for a summer time project!

3 Blessings

I am so thankful that God has blessed me with 3 sweet children and a loving husband to share life with. Wishing a happy mother's day to all you mommy's!

Gotta love those cheeks!

I've been trying to capture this sweet smile for a couple of weeks now and finally caught it today! Josie is such a sweetie. She is sleeping great at night and takes great naps in the day...I'm trying to enjoy that while it lasts! When she's awake, she likes to play in her little jungle gym, making music with her feet by wiggling the chimes. Most of the time, she is very easy-going, especially when she is toted all around town for her big brother and big sister's activities! She also likes to snuggle with her mommy, a great excuse for me to take a nap!

This picture is a little dark, but shows Josie happily playing in her jungle gym :).

Papa's visit!

Papa (my dad) came to visit us for a week from California! Here are a few pics from the visit :).

Holding and meeting baby Josie for the first time!

Laynie is "making" ice cream scoops for Papa at the park...one of her specialties ;).

Papa discovered that Tyler is quite the Lego enthusiast! He is constantly building, taking apart and rebuilding his projects. Papa got him a new airplane creator set and two brick separators. Tyler was so excited!

Papa, Tyler and Laynie posing in the wind in front of the U.S.S. Texas.

Papa reading bedtime stories.

Papa and his Norcross grandkids!

The latest family of 5 pic! Tyler loves to hold Josie, he's so sweet with her.

What's for dinner?

Seriously?! Finny has officially become a counter surfer. Over the weekend he consumed two muffins and almost an entire loaf of banana nut bread (thankfully the recipe made two loaves!) Usually I don't encourage his behavior by stopping to take a picture, but had to capture the moment. Two of his favorite things (besides going on walks) include sneaking food off the counter and chasing the cats. As if I'm not busy enough with two preschoolers and a newborn! Oh well, we love our pets and enjoy the silliness and especially the cuddles that they bring to our lives :).