Outdoor Cooking

I found another fun idea online (sometimes I feel like I spend my time looking online for fun things to do with the girls while they actually just sit, quiet and alone, in the next room) that I thought the girls would enjoy.  The blogger suggested allowing the kids to pretend cook using some real ingredients.  I had some old pasta in my pantry (so old that I had earmarked it for child use anyway—I figured the macaroni would end up in a kid craft at some point, and I had labeled it “old” so it wasn’t accidentally eaten) and some old spices (not to be confused with Old Spice) and a bit of Play Doh to hold it all together.

I filled a couple of spice containers with things to shake, which N. could do all day long.  The girls are always asking to season their dinners, and most of it is, I think, the joy of a salt shaker.

Similar to the rock sensory boxes, the girls played differently.  K. was more interested in making specific creations, and N. scooped and poured and transferred from container to container.

Here are K’s creations.  She had names for the creations, but they were not in English and I failed to write them down phonetically so I could remember.

After taking a picture of K’s creation, N. held up a piece of rotini for her photo.

It is so much fun to have a chance to play outdoors!  I’m also very optimistic for this spring/summer because N. is old enough to really enjoy playing with her sister and running around our playground.

Facetime Fam

While goofing around on a newish piece of technology, we took this somewhat candid photo of the family.  Here’s the crazy foursome.

Delightful Day

We had a delicious dinner with our friends we meet with every spring.  All of the children were healthy and everyone was able to attend—it was a glorious day!  The company was good and, well, you can’t beat a steak dinner.

After the meal, we took a walk with the kiddos (N is the littlest, K and C are the same age (within, I think, three months), and C’s brother is a couple of years older than him.

The kiddos got to throw rocks into a pond, which is always a favorite game.  At least it was until my youngest, showing minimal awareness for others, hit her buddy square in the back of the head with a rock.  She claims it was an accident and that she was just too young to note what the trajectory of the rock was going to be; I know she aims well enough that I’m suspicious…

Every time N. threw a rock, she would turn around, say “yaaay,” and clap for herself.  Then she would walk to the rocks and select the largest one she could find and begin the process over again.

The girls with Dad, Grandma, and Great-Grandpa.

Sweet sweet K. and her daddy!

Oh, those girls.  I love them so much!

And N. thought that Great-Grandpa’s cane was pretty cool.  It was almost as tall as she was and she looked like Moses parting the red sea when she picked it up.
Then her buddy C took a turn.

Heading home.

Fun February

This is my final month of caching up blogging—here comes a fast February.  Please keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times.

I made the girls “sensory boxes” to play with inside, especially since it was the unfortunate combination of being cold but without glorious snow for most of the month.  These have an ocean theme, so I used blue aquarium rocks and added a couple of plastic plants, seashells, and plenty of cups and spoons for scooping.

It was interesting to see how the girls played differently.  N. spent her time scooping and pouring and K. sorted out the seashells, set up scenes, pretended to bake cupcakes, and even took two of the little rocks and pretended they were people.

K. has a pair of pajamas that match a pair her baby doll has, and one evening they both wore them.  Matching is always cute!

Auntie D. made the girls matching knit jumpers—so cute!  They fit fantastically and the girls look just darling in them.  They wore them to church and got so many compliments!

At school, K. had a week with themed dress.  One day they wore hats and silly socks (sorry, no picture, but picture K. in a hot pink cowboy hat).  Another day was “dress like what you want to be when you grow up” day.  K. chose to be an Artist.  She showed me a picture in a book she used for inspiration—an old Sesame Street book of mine with Prairie Dawn dressed up in a giant shirt as a smock and making a painting—and we found an old shirt of Dad’s to use.  We put some paint brushes in the pocket and Dad and I made her a palette (I sketched on a piece of foam board which Dad cut out and I added some paint splotches.  Don’t worry—they dried overnight).

K. had another ballet recital.  It was especially fun this time because she had three friends in her class—I mean, everyone K. meets is considered a friend, but these were friends from church that she actually knew before.

I don’t think I had a field trip quite as fun as this as a child, but K. got to go to a local bakery, watch how they made doughnuts, and even try her hand at making one.

Interestingly, she didn’t eat much of the final product.  I know.  I’m sorry, Aunt J., I don’t know how she missed that gene.

Journey through January

Here’s January, all in one post!  We spent most of the month just playing around the house (besides the mornings K. was at school, of course).

One activity I created for the girls (I found the idea online) was to make some salt pink and let them play/write in it.  The girls were fairly focused, and I think it was a fun change from the norm.

K. did a lot of drawing in hers; N. spent more time picking up little pinches of salt and putting it back.

“Heeeeeey”

More random playing.  The green ottomans in the loft are nice for putting Mom feet up on while the girls play; they also open for a number of creative uses.

I walked into K’s room and found the girls, sitting together after baths and reading books.

K decorating cookies with her buddy S.  Thanks to his mom for taking this picture and the next several, and thanks also to her for watching the kiddos while I was at a piano lesson.

Because it had freshly snowed, I sent the girls’ boots, hats, snowpants, mittens, etc with them to play, and they got to go sledding and play outside!  As you can see, N wasn’t always certain what she was doing: “why are we out here again?  It’s cold!”

K. sledding down the hill in their backyard.

And a cute picture of K. and her friend A, who is so nice and one of K’s favorite friends!