Quatro de Mayo

We had a fun Cinco de Mayo party this year.  We just did it on the fourth instead.  You may or may not know that May the 4th is also Star Wars day, so after the party we had a Star Wars marathon with the kids.  It was a really fun day!

At the party we made maracas out of our old Easter eggs, plastic spoons and duct tape.  We filled the eggs with rice, beans, macaroni and popcorn.  It was a lot of fun and I still have about 10 maracas left in my house four months later.

We also had a marvelous time smashing a pinata.  It was so much fun watching all of the kids - the little ones who were hitting a pinata for the first time, up to the big ones who swung the stick with purpose.  In the end it was a girl that broke the pinata open.

After everyone was inside, I looked out and saw Charlie smashing the remains of the pinata to bits.  He was so happy out there, destroying something that was perfectly allowable.  It was one of those moments that you wish you could have frozen in time.

Our kids really enjoyed their Cinco de Mayo party and I enjoyed doing something to celebrate the day. We may just have to make this an annual tradition!

Recycled Trash Sculptures

Charlie had a special homework assignment for Earth Day this year.

To use recycled materials to create a sculpture.

He had a lot of fun assembling it.

Andy was there to help him figure out how to put things together and to prompt him for ideas.

Charlie loves anything that he does with his dad.

It was about this time that Ephram decided that he wanted to make one, too. 

Luckily we had saved up plenty of recyclables for a second sculpture.

Charlie's sculpture kept growing and getting more complex.

And then it was finally done.

(Ephram wanted to roll around on the floor for a picture too.)

All that Charlie had left was to give it a name and write a few things down.

We were sure this was going to be a Star Wars rocketship of some sort.

But, nope... he went with Andy's favorite instead.

This turned out to be a super fun project for the whole family!

Lucky 2 Dollars

My mom sent each of the kids cards for St Patrick's Day.

Inside the cards were a sheet of stickers.

And a $2 bill.

They could not believe their luck!

Yes, somehow even the baby understood how special it was.

She had a sweet brother that gently showed her how to open her card,

Take out her stickers,

And her lucky bill.

Here I was, all prepped to tell him 

"Please let Macie have it, you have yours and she has hers,"

But I needn't have had the thought.

He carefully handed it to her,

And even let her hold his for a time.

(A short time.)

Then he sat there and showed her all of the words in his card.

And all of the words in hers.

Meanwhile Charlie was saying

"Take a picture of me mom!"

"Please take a picture of me!"

"Mom!"

So I took a picture of him.

Ephram started playing peek-a-boo two dollar style.

And then Charlie,

"Look!  It really is lucky!  See how it stays on top of just one finger?"

Ephram,

"Ah!  Oh!  Ya-ya (Ephram)!"

And so there were some amazing two dollar bill balancing feats.

And here I thought we were just opening a few cards.

But we had more than an hour of "lucky" fun.

The next day,

While I was vacuuming upstairs,

Ephram wanted to do some art.

So I took out some paper,

And some crayons,

And gave him his card so that he could use his stickers.

When I came back he was so incredibly proud to show me this.

He used all of those stickers to stick that two dollar bill right to the page.

I guess, when you're three, a lucky two dollar bill

Makes for a great piece of art.

Her Blanket

I have a few obsessions in life.
Taking pictures of my kids is definitely one of them.
And another, that I've had since a college freshman
Is crochet.

I love to hold a hook and whip some yarn into something special.
Blankets are my most common creation.
How many have I made?
At least 50.

Baby blankets became my preoccupation.
At a time when I could not have babies,
Friends, coworkers and acquaintances could.
And rather than feel sorry for myself,
I kept busy.
If you knew me and you had a baby during about a 5 year period,
Okay closer to 10 years,
You got a blanket.

Then life changed and I found myself with much less crocheting time.
But I continued to make a few things.
Some booties,
Some hats,
Christmas tree ornaments,
The occasional scarf,
And baby blankets for special families.

Both of the times that I have learned I was pregnant,
One of my earliest thoughts has pointed to
The blanket that I would make my baby.

So Macie's blanket was started before we even knew she was a girl.
And put aside for a month or so.
And then finished in the hospital,
The day before her birth.

Finishing the blanket made it feel okay,
That she could be born.
Although so early,
The blanket meant that I could be ready.

I love her blanket.
Truly.
And that may sound silly,
But I do.

And so does she.

Before the blanket starts to pill,
And age,
I wanted to put up a couple of pictures.
Of my babe, asleep with her special handmade blankie.
I poured so much love into this blanket,
And I like to imagine that she can feel it wrapped around her as she sleeps.

Ephram Builds and Paints a Train

His first model building experience, went without a hitch.
(Except the stickers that wouldn't stick, but who cares about that.)
I think his favorite part was pouring glue into the wheel wells.

Creating Christmas

I love Christmas.
Well, I do love the day.
But more than that, I love all of the days leading up to the day.
(And the days in the week following, because I do not believe on stopping the celebration that day.)

I love them for the fun that they bring.
I love them for the excuse to be silly.
I love them for helping me to think about those I love and how to make them happy.
I love them for the movies, and the syrupy-sweet television specials.
I love them for the music.
I love them for the vast library of piano music I delve into.
I love them for the baking.
(I love them for the eating.)
I love them for the smiles they bring to my kids' faces.
Every day.
Mostly, I love them for the wonderful feeling that they hold.

To me, the best part about the Christmas season has to do with the way we spend our days.
And in our house, that always includes a lot of art.
At this time, the creations are simple... But I know they will evolve as my children grow.
I can't wait.

Every year I "put up" Christmas on Thanksgiving weekend.
Every year the kids add to it little by little until New Years' Day.
And every year, I "take down" Christmas by my birthday on January 15th.
It's always a nostalgic day...
I always cry a little,
But smile a lot,
As I remember everything we did to create Christmas that year and in years past.

Taking down Christmas is possible for me because I know that another season will come soon enough.
And with it, that wonderful feeling.

Here are just a few of the things that we did this year.
(Believe it or not, I know I take a ton of pictures, but I actually miss a ton of things too!)