Charming Chandler Chatter

Read This and Pray Please

2010-09-01T22:46:00.002-04:00

Dear friends and followers,

I have much to discuss and catch up on, but that's not on the agenda for tonight's post.

I want to link you to my aunt's (actually my husband's aunt) blog. Aunt Nancy is a vibrant, fun-loving, God-following wife, mom, and grandmother who was recently diagnosed with ALS. Our family members and her countless friends are heartbroken over this diagnosis. We covet your prayers for her, her husband, four children, two son-in-laws, one daughter-in-law to-be, two grandsons, and the rest of us, all the many who love Nancy. Please read her blog "More to Say" and pray.

If you are interested in helping in another tangible way; you can purchase a "Helping Nancy Fight ALS" bracelet for $3. Her daughter, Anna Grace came up with this fantastic idea. If you are interested in a purchase you can contact me and we can get work out something.

Thank you - Ashley

New Home

2010-07-08T22:32:00.004-04:00

We've now been in our home for a week. On July 1st Brady and I moved in to our new rent house. Adam came the next afternoon. He was a day late because the movers were a day late picking up our stuff and he spent some much needed time catching up with his cousin on the way here. Brady and I have now been in Little Rock for over a month. Without our stuff. Well, we packed our bags full of clothes, some books, a few toys, but really without our stuff. Why are we still here without our stuff? Because the movers still haven't arrived and we can't get them to answer our calls!!! We are beyond happy with our new place and feel so blessed to be where we are. So, another few days without our stuff, we'll take it.

No pictures of the new house yet- that'll come, so for now a picture from our last moving announcement.

This Place

2010-06-05T21:46:00.004-04:00

In April of '07 Adam and I traveled to Durham to find a place to live. I remember viewing the lush green trees, meeting friendly strangers, seeing college girls dressed in familiar (although shorter than HU regulation) ways, eating tasty fare and thinking, "I can do this. This is far, but not so different. We're gonna like it here. "

Our time in NC has been plagued by residency. It's taken a toll on us, on our marriage, but we have survived. (Or at least, we've almost survived as it is not quite over.) I think we could have REALLY loved this place had we not come here under these circumstances.

Ever since thinking about starting a blog I've wanted to have a post titled "I love this/hate this town." We quickly tabulated the places and things that were better and those that were worse than Little Rock-our only reference point. My list has changed somewhat over time and perhaps someday I'll write that post. In fact writing after moving back to LR might give it a whole new perspective.

As with any place, it's not so much the place as it is the people that make the place. And by golly, do I know some people that have made this place great for me. I'm going to miss them deeply. Too much to put into words here. So, we'll just skip all that. But, I'll also miss this place. This city. It's sights. This house. This is the house where my baby became a girl. We've had some times here. Oh this place, this city, this house, this yard. I'll miss it.

Moving

2010-05-21T22:01:00.003-04:00

Brady in the backyard shortly after we moved here.

So we are in the midst of moving. We're heading back to our home in Little Rock, Arkansas. And we couldn't be happier and yet it is so bittersweet. I feel overwhelmed at almost every turn. We still have lots of uncertainties looming ahead of us. I know that God is in control and that He WILL work out all things for us. I am certain of this, but I must remind myself of this over and over throughout the day. We are working out the details of a possible home to live in, the date and time we are moving, the method of moving we'll use, and countless other details about what to take, what to sell, how to sell, etc....... I'm looking back at this post I wrote several months back. This is still my desire.

My presence on this site is obviously absentee. Between losing my laptop, moving, and life this place has fallen in the ranks of priorities. I still have high hopes, someday perhaps.

Duke

2010-04-24T22:00:00.003-04:00

Lost River Duke Chandler 8/28/2000-4/22/2010

a quick photo tribute, written post to come

Bug Unit

2010-04-19T20:24:00.004-04:00

Last Spring Brady and I did a lot of fun learning/playing about bugs. Here's a quick review. We played our bug band instruments and danced. (This bug band was a present for B's first Birthday and it is still a loved toy.)
I made up a quick and easy game. Think I got the idea from My Montessori Journey. I took a piece of construction paper and cut it in 2, then added flower stickers (4 rows of 3) on each half. Put stickers with 1, 2, and 3 over the dots on a die. Grabbed some bee grahams. Each player simply takes turns rolling the die and then places the correct number of bees on the corresponding flowers. Once your board is full- eat up and then play again! This is great for turn taking and one-to-one correspondence.
We took a trip to the NC Museum of Life and Science, which we frequent since we are members, but on this occasion we really took time to do a little extra learning in the butterfly and bug house.
We read a bunch of great bug themed books from the library. This one is called Remainder of One. I think it's a Math Start book. The basic plot is that there is a bug parade and one little bug is left out of the marching rows. The bugs keep changing the number and size of rows until they all fit evenly. Wow- great math skills! One day we used our dollar store bug erasers to fit each scenario.
We even ate bugs for lunch one day! Spider hot dogs with spaghetti, ladybug apples with peanut butter and chocolate chips and a cheese stick and almond caterpillar. Fun stuff! This weekend we went to a great bug Birthday party at the Museum (the one I mentioned earlier) and had lots of fun learning about and touching some real bugs. I'm inspired to re-visit some of these ideas this Spring, hope you are, too!

Rainbow Activities

2010-03-24T20:45:00.003-04:00

Last Spring we did a little learning about rainbows. Look how little Brady looks! One of the activities we did was to make a rainbow (fruit loopy) necklace. You may recall we did this at B's Birthday party this year. This is a great activity to work on fine motor skills, sorting, patterning, etc. And then you get to eat a sweet treat- always a bonus!
First she sorted the cereal by color in this divided dish. I think I got this at Dollar General-it's meant to be a dip serving tray, but works great for sorting and for holding various materials for collages and what-not. Then she laced them onto a string of yarn that had masking tape around the end. I think she choose not to do ROYGBIV order, but if we revisit this this year I'll make her since I know she's ready for that.
She proudly wore the necklace for a short while before gobbling it up!
We also attempted rainbow cookies. They were cute, but the dough was really crumbly. After making a couple we decided to mix all the colored sprinkles together and top off circle cookies with the mixture.

We did some other activities that I failed to photograph. B used dot markers on a rainbow sheet; we made a wind catcher out of a paper plate and crepe paper streamers of all the colors of the rainbow; and I'm sure some other things that have slipped my mind. It was a fun "theme". That we may look into again.

Valentine's Day Re-cap

2010-03-18T19:40:00.005-04:00

I realize that we are now well into March, but I feel the need (for myself) to post a little about our Valentine's Day gifts. This year Brady was really able to get into the gift-giving and Valentine-making, which made the Holiday so much fun! Above are the Valentine's she made for her school friends. I drew the half-heart outline ;and then she cut them out, decorated them with stickers and markers, and wrote or stamped out her friends names. On the back she wrote Love, Brady. I thought they were really cute and I was pleased that she wanted to make her own rather than buy the boxed character ones. I hope we can keep that up for many years to come.
I made a little maze set for each class mate as well. I photocopied 4 mazes on card stock, tied them together with a pencil and a tag that said "Valentine, You A MAZE me! Love, Brady" This set went in a big envelope along with the heart Valentine she made. She then put each kid's name on the envelope with alphabet stickers. Lots of little steps, but I think they turned out cute. One thing I learned was that copying on my printer takes forever. I'll never make that many copies on it again. And, I'm not making any promises, but next year I'll try not to wait until post-bedtime the night before the Valentine party to do my part of the treating.
We made a few special treats for a few special friends. I married two cute ideas I saw somewhere out there in the blogosphere. Sorry, original creators, I merely made a mental note so I can't give you credit. We took sand shovels and tied on a bag of treats with the note "I dig you! Love, Brady". B and a few friends thought this little pun was pretty funny (after we told them what it meant of course.)
The treat was candy-coated M & M popcorn. For this we simply popped popcorn, melted candy wafers (purple left from B's Birthday Party), and then drizzled the melted candy over the popcorn, and mixed in some Valentine M & Ms. Then you let that sit in the fridge for a bit. This was so yummy. As I'm thinking about it I think this recipe or a variation on it came from Make and Takes a favorite site of mine. These ideas were simple, inexpensive, and fun (and yummy). We will probably do all of these same gifts next year since we will be in a different state with different friends.

St. Patrick's Day Tradition

2010-03-16T14:57:00.003-04:00

Tomorrow we will be celebrating our 3rd "All Green All Day" St. Patrick's Day tradition. I'm a sucker for any holiday and any chance to celebrate in a special way. And a day full of green? I love it! So here's a look at some of our food and fun the past couple of years. How do I manage all green food? Well, I do cheat a bit. We eat lots of green veggies and fruits. In fact B and I made a Trader Joe's run this morning to choose green foods. In addition to those I use food coloring for water and milk. Once I added green to mac and cheese; I add it to laughing cow cheese and smear that on bread or crackers; we've had green pancakes; used green pasta, etc. We'll have green yogurt and treats of some sort and I bought a can of split pea soup- not sure if we'll like it, but decided this would be a good time to find out.

The last picture shows Brady searching for gold (Chuck E. Cheese) coins in her St. Pat's sensory tub- green lentils last year. She had a ball with this, but unfortunately stuck a lentil or two up her nose pretending they were smell molecules, thanks, Sid the Science Kid! Dr. Daddy and his attending couldn't see the lentil so it was decided to let it be, since it wasn't obstructing her breathing and was a natural material, her body would (did) absorb it eventually. We've done some other fun things over the years. When B was 2 we gathered all the green things we could and talked about the different shades and items. We'll revisit the lentil tub after a stern reminder and make some fun crafts over the next couple of days. B's preschool will be celebrating and we're going to a party at a friend's house tomorrow afternoon. It's sure to be a fun day!

Happy St. Patrick's/All Green All Day Day to you!!!

NC Snow

2010-02-19T20:50:00.004-05:00

Like most of the country (has Hawaii had a snow yet this winter?) we experienced a big snowfall here in Durham. People who don't know about this area sometimes think it's normal to have snow here. It's not. Central Arkansas and central North Carolina have very similar weather. And they are no better equipped to deal with it here either. Snow on Saturday, no school until late delay on Thursday! This was the most snow seen here in quite some time. We had it on the last weekend in January. The flakes were big and beautiful. The snow was powdery, not right for making snowmen and too deep for making snow angels, but there was plenty of other fun to be had.
Brady's friend A goes to school with her and lives a street over, so we were able to play with her on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday there was still precipitation and lots of strong cold wind coming down, so the play didn't last long. But, on Sunday conditions were better and the girls played for a good bit. Lots of hot chocolate and treats were consumed over the weekend. Unfortunately there are no hills or inclines of any sort in our neighborhood. Adam was working all weekend, so there was no chance of exploring other options. Brady got sick with a high fever on Monday, so we sat around for several days after the snow weekend.
Duke is our snow dog. He really enjoys being in the snow as long as someone is out there with him.

Birthday Countdown

2010-02-19T20:34:00.003-05:00

We enjoyed counting down to Halloween and then Thanksgiving and then Christmas. In fact we celebrated Advent so much that I thought it was a must to count down to Brady's big day. In fact I keep thinking we'd start on January 1st (3 weeks before) and then we didn't and then I thought we'd start 2 weeks before, but she wasn't interested in making something, then I thought surely we'd start with 1 week left, but it still didn't happen. So finally 4 days before her Birthday I came up with this very simple idea which I think we'll do each year (for as long as she lets me) starting a day earlier, making a slightly bigger cake and adding a candle each year.

Here's what we did: I drew a very rough outline of a cake and 4 candles. Then she cut them out. She got to decorate her cake with markers and glitter glue however she wanted. And then she tore some yellow tissue paper to represent the flames for the candles. B then glued those to the candles. We taped the cake onto a door and each day she taped on another candle until we got to her Birthday!

Celebrating with Great Friends and Family

2010-02-19T20:05:00.003-05:00

We had lots of special friends attend Brady's Birthday party and even a few special family members were able to be there! Adam's mom (Nana) and grandmother (Mammaw Twila) made a last minute decision to make the big drive up from Arkansas. And we are so glad they did. Not sure if the party would've been pulled off without them.
Of course Brady's bestie was there and her mom, my special friend offered to take pictures for me! I gladly accepted.
See- lots of special friends!
And it's always a special treat for Daddy to be with us.
Brady was so excited to have so many people she loves be there that she could hardly contain herself!

Last-minute Valentine Crafts (last year)

2010-02-13T15:04:00.004-05:00

We've been celebrating Valentine's Day in several ways this year, but as usual I'm late on uploading pics and updating the blog. So, I thought I'd post a few things we did last year that you can do right now with your kiddos or tomorrow on heart day! These shaped pizzas of mine are probably getting a bit old to you, but this one is so simple, I had to mention it. A heart-shaped pizza; I have a tiny heart cookie cutter, so I cut the pepperonis into hearts as well. Last night I made this with a twist- individual heart-shaped pizzas. (not as big of a hit because there was too much crust involved)
Next up conversation hearts math activities. I'm certain you've got a box of these or something similar lying around.

-Have your kid sort them into colors, then see how many there are of each color. This year we really talked about most, least, equal (2 colors had the same amount), etc.

-Take a piece of paper and draw hearts (trace around a cookie cutter or draw free hand), circles, or divide into a simple grid. Then write numbers in each shape. Do whatever numbers you like, but remember they add up, be certain you've got enough heart candies or whatever you are using as a counter.

-Do some patterning with the hearts (again be certain you have enough of each color in the pattern). You can begin the pattern and then have your little one finish it up or if they are ready (Brady was this year) have them create their own pattern. I did have to help her see that having only one purple didn't lend itself well to making a pattern.
After all that hard work- eat up (if you like those nasty conversation hearts)!

We've also done lots of activities with heart shaped stickers. I wrote the letters of the alphabet randomly on some sheets of heart stickers and then had her place them in alphabetical order. I wrote the numbers 1-30 on some foam heart stickers and had her place them in numerical order. We are working on recognizing 11-30. Those seem to be tricky so I helped with these and I could see her little brain working as we went. It helped that I had the numbers on 3 different colored hearts so that they made a pattern as well.

Happy Valentine's Day! I'm sure you can come up with these or some other quick easy crafts and learning activities.

Pony Party Part 2: Activities

2010-02-09T14:21:00.006-05:00

As the guests entered the party I had coloring/dot marker sheets for them on the big table we borrowed from Brady's school. About half of the girls went straight back to B's room and changed into dress-up clothes and played with toys. The other half sat down at the table and had a great time with the simple craft projects. Do-a-dot markers are always a huge hit particularly with kids who have never used them and there is no mess. I highly recommend them. (Buy them at Michael's with the 40% off coupon.)
After some time passed I brought out fruit loops and yarn to make rainbow necklaces. My friend Emily was a huge help with this project. Again some girls were interested and some found Brady's toys to be much more enticing. Brady herself bopped about from room to room for the most part. I knew that at a kids' party the activities may or may not go over well, which is why I kept it simple. As necklace-making was wrapping up I called all the girls in to make pony puppets. Unfortunately no pictures were taken, probably because all hands were on deck for this one. I'll try to post about it soon.
Then we had a pin the tail on the pony game. I drew/painted a big pony on a piece of poster board. And made individual tails out of shiny basket filling stuff (I don't know the correct term). The girls put a sleeping mask over their eyes and were spun around one time before placing the tail onto the pony. After this we had the Birthday cake and other snacks.
Then it was time for the pinata. A pony pinata, of course. Watching a bunch of 3 and 4 year old girls hit a pinata was a laugh riot! Fortunately we had one big girl friend who helped it along; she even knocked the body off the head. But eventually I had to grab it and tear it apart, then sprinkle the candy on the ground. Notice the hanging pony head in the next picture. I was amazed at how calm the girls were while picking up the treats. The next day there was still candy in the carport. We finished up the party by opening the Birthday gifts. (And, wow, was she ever gifted! Thank you, thank you, dear friends!) I think the party had a great balance of activities and free play. It was a fun day!

Pony Party Part 1 : The Food

2010-02-09T13:41:00.004-05:00

Brady's 4th Birthday party had a "My Little Pony" theme. Taking this theme on was a true act of love, because I would have never chosen this theme. For months I tried to change her mind, but she held firm (as she always does) so a My Little Pony Party with NO boys is what we had. I tried my best to make it a classy pony party! There is lots to share, so I'm breaking it down into several posts. First up- the food!
I made this rainbow cake. It's made from white cake mix which is divided into 6 bowls, then each portion is colored a color of the rainbow, assemble it in rainbow order with frosting between each layer and all over the top. I first saw this on whatever , one of my favorite blogs and was smitten. The cake proved to be simple and delightful. When it was cut there was much oohing and aahing. Thanks to Nana for frosting it the morning of the party- huge help!
We had scads of pony cookies. B also took some of these to school on her actual Birthday. They are sugar cookies with royal icing.
Then there was pony food- apple slices, carrots, and haystacks. Haystacks are a delicious and simple dessert; if you've never had them you are missing out on something great.
And we had pony cupcakes. I tweaked a recipe from the Hello, Cupcake! cookbook my mom bought me. The necks are sugar wafers and the heads are circus peanuts covered in melted candy wafers.

We also had some pony punch (punch juice boxes) and pink lemonade for the grown-ups. Yummy, yummy!

Somebody is turning 4 Tomorrow

2010-01-21T10:40:00.004-05:00

This sweet little bud has blossomed into this beautiful flower.

(She was very proud of transforming herself into this flower with dot markers during rest time one day this summer.)

Pictures with Santa

2010-01-15T14:43:00.003-05:00

I'm so over Christmas, as I'm sure you all are, but I feel the need to finish up a few Christmas posts before moving on to 2010. As always Brady was in awe and in love with Santa Claus. I think these turned out great.

Letter to Santa

2010-01-08T21:55:00.003-05:00

This year Brady personally wrote her letter to Santa for the first time. I spelled for her (she sounded out what she could) and wrote a few letters, but otherwise it was completely her own doing. Be still my heart, was it ever hard for me to send this off to the North Pole. Check it out: Dear Santa, Why do you say Ho Ho ho? I would likePinkie Pie & Movie (a My Little Pony that was packaged with a movie), a laptop, & scooter.

I love you!, Brady
She also included illustration. The large green oval is a balloon, the orange object is a scooter, the light pink rectangular object is the laptop, the hot pink images at the top are Pinkie Pie and her movie, down on the bottom in blue is a paper airplane, scattered through-out are taste buds. Interesting, no? ( I think she included the paper airplane because she had recently seen some for the first time at the Advent Party. And the interest in taste buds was sparked by Sid the Science Kid- see below.)
And here is her self portrait. She included bangs (although she has none), a hair bow, eyelashes, ears with earrings (which she does not have), and taste buds lined up above her mouth. Can you see why it was difficult for me to part with this?

More Christmas Activities

2010-01-08T16:17:00.003-05:00

Okay, I'm done with Christmas, but really wanted to post some more Christmas activities. I'll try (not promising anything to keep it brief and move on with 2010 as quickly as possible).

You may have noticed a theme of making pizzas shaped like something. On a whim one night we had a wreath-shaped pizza. So simple!
This is the reward for the hard work of making 10 dozen cookies. Grams' Famous Sugar Cookies-mmm and hot cocoa!
Some simple ornaments we made and gave to family members. We rolled out Model Magic (a great material for the littles. If you've never tried it get some. It's play doughish with no mess!) and then cut it with cookie cutters. B put beads for ornaments in some and drew with permanent markers after drying on others. We used a straw to make a hole at the top; after drying I placed a little hoop of ribbon through the hole, so that it can be hung easily onto a tree.
This is a creation we made with our Gingerbread play dough. The dough turned out very sticky. I think I got anxious and pulled the pot too quickly. We couldn't keep the dough for further use, but we enjoyed playing with it for awhile until our hands were tired of the stickiness. We added beads and rice to act as icing and candy on our pretend gingerbread creations. And as a side it smelled so good!
Here's my trusty assistant stirring away at the play dough pot. Sweet girl!

3rd and 4th Weeks of Advent Activities

2009-12-20T15:43:00.006-05:00

15-Pick out Daddy's Christmas Gift (at Dollar Store)

16-Make Model Magic Ornaments

17-Exchange Gifts and Make Cookies with Ally

18-School Christmas Party and Mail Letter to Santa

19-Various Paper Christmas Crafts

20- Sunday School Birthday Party for Jesus and Watch Polar Express

21- Go See Santa and Play with Friends at the Mall

22-Get ready for Gammi and Grandad and Wrap presents, foam Christmas lacing cards

23- Gammi and Grandad arrive! Look at lights!

24- Christmas Eve- make Santa cookies and reindeer food

25- CHRISTMAS DAY!!!!!!!

Advent Calendar Crazy

2009-12-15T20:40:00.003-05:00

Our original felt Advent Calendar
The Chairbacker Present we use for books
The Magnetic Cookie Tray Calendar

In addition to our Activity Advent Calendar (scroll down a few posts) we have several special ways to count-down to Christmas. We have a fairly elaborate first-thing-in-the-morning routine. As soon as Brady wakes up we walk through the house searching for Ernie, our Elf-on- the- Shelf. Then she heads over to the felt and magnetic Advent Calendars. She loves finding the little felt ornament to add to the tree. Adam was first to notice her linear arrangement. I wondered if she would stick with that and thus far, she has. Then she chooses a magnet cookie to place on the magnetic cookie sheet calendar (Thanks, Grams!) She often has a plan here, too- note the mittens placed side by side. Next up is our Activity Advent Calendar. She has to remember what date it is or go back to the "cookie sheet" and look under the last cookie. This has been a great and fun way to work on her number recognition for numbers higher than 10. I read her the activity. Finally, she heads to her dining room chair and grabs the book (or books) out of it. Last year I saw that several smart bloggy moms were wrapping their Christmas books and letting their children open one a day leading up to Christmas. I liked the idea, but didn't really like the labor or waste of wrapping that many books. So, I was hoping to find an alternate way to do this. Luckily, I found this little present chairbacker on clearance after Christmas at Pottery Barn Kids. This has been really fun. We have so many Christmas books that there are many days when she finds 2 or 3 books inside the present. Our little morning ritual has been a lot fun! And I'm already thinking we'll have to have some sort of countdown to Brady's Birthday (exactly one month after Christmas day) after Christmas.

2nd week of Advent Activities

2009-12-14T23:39:00.005-05:00

Our (graham cracker) Gingerbread House
Christmas Sensory Tub- white rice- snow, dyed green pasta- holly leaves, dyed red pasta- berries?, beads- ornaments

8-M/ Moose Day (see post below)

9-Make and Play with Christmas Sensory Tub

10-Go to Gingerbread House Party (our friends had a gingerbread house open house)

11-Go to Parents' Night Off (hosted at Brady's school- full of snacks and Christmas movies)

12-Go to Advent Party (at Brady's school) and make Gingerbread Play dough

13-Write Letter to Santa and Make Draw and Cut Crafts

14-make Grams' Famous Sugar Cookies and Hot Chocolate

M is for Moose, Muffins, and Museum

2009-12-11T15:59:00.007-05:00

One of our Advent Activities was an M Day. We recently checked out a few moose themed books so I decided we should have an M/moose day. And then this little "letter M antler moose" came to my mind.

1) Materials: regular yellow construction paper and large brown and blue (or color of choice) construction paper , googly eyes (you may be tempted to use big eyes, but as we learned in our moose research, moose actually have tiny eyes on the side of their head and rely largely on their senses of smell and hearing), black marker and glue stick

2)I simply drew a free hand a moose head shape, ears and a capital M. Here's a quick trip- I folded a piece of construction paper in half and drew a large capital M on it, so that when I went to cut it out I had 2 identical M's!

3) Cut it out! We shared in this duty.

4) Glue the head onto the background, glue ears, eyes, and M antlers. (You'll see below that initially our eyes were too close together.)

5) Have your kiddo draw large nostrils (remember they have a great sense of smell) and mouth.

Isn't this guy adorable? I'm pretty crazy about him!

To go along with our M theme and If You Give a Moose a Muffin book by Laura Numeroff we made and ate blueberry muffins for breakfast. We went to the Museum with some friends (this was already on our agenda).

We read several fantastic moose books!

1)The Elusive Moose by Joan Gannij and Clare Beaton is a hide -and -seek -book where you find a moose on each page spread. At the end of the book there is a section titled "Animals of the Northern Lands" which gives a quick factual blurb about each animal featured in the book. This book is put out by Barefoot Books, which I think are great. The illustrations are photos of embroidery and other embellishments.

2)If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numeroff is one in the great If You Give a... series. We love everyone we've ever read. I won't go into a detailed description because I'm guessing you know about these.

3) Moose Tracks by Karma Wilson and Jack E. Davis is a fun silly book. The narrator tries to figure out why there are moose tracks throughout his house and in the end the narrator is revealed to be a moose himself.

4) Mooseltoe by Margie Palatini is a fun Christmas book. The main character is a moose father who has a huge mustache who is going to extremes to ensure the perfect Christmas for his family. It seems everything is going to be just right until they realize he's forgotten the Christmas tree. It's Christmas Eve and there are no trees to be found, so they twirl his mustache around him and decorate him!

I attempted to make "chocolate moose tracks". They were yummy, but awfully messy and difficult to work with, oh well, sometimes that's what you get when you cook on the fly.
We also made this cute moose puppet out of a lunch sack, googly eyes, a yogurt cup, glue, and construction paper. The antlers are Brady's hand prints. I got the idea and instructions here.

It was a fun, or maybe I should say a Marvelous M Moose Day!

1st Week of Advent Activities

2009-12-11T15:48:00.004-05:00

Brady and her pal Ally enjoy ice cream as a tribute to Uncle Andrew.
Dad and Brady put the last touch on the tree.
B stirs the cereal for Snickerdoodle Chex Mix
1- make Snickerdoodle Chex Mix -get the yummy recipe here
2-make Christmas Wooden Spoon Puppets
3-celebrate "Uncle Andrew Day" and watch "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (more on this later)
4-go get Christmas tree
5-decorate Christmas tree and watch lots of Christmas shows
6-Make Felt Christmas Tree Ornaments (we simply cut out basic tree shapes and adorned with foam stickers on some, glued "jewels" on others)
7-Paint Christmas Crafts (Store-bought wooden Santa and Snowman frame)

Christmas Themed Wooden Spoon Puppets

2009-12-11T13:36:00.005-05:00

One of our first Advent Activities was to make wooden spoon puppets. We brainstormed about Christmasy characters , then B quickly decided on Santa, Mrs. Claus, and Olive, the other reindeer. (Brady is pretty crazy about the book and movie Olive the Other Reindeer. If you haven't read it/seen it I recommend it.) Making the puppets was fun and easy! And you could do this a million other ways. It is so simple and straight-forward and adaptable that I feel silly posting steps, but here they are anyhow.
1) Gather your materials. We used googly eyes, felt, pom-poms, beads, pipe cleaners, cotton balls, markers, glue*, and scissors. And of course, wooden spoons- I found mine on clearance at A. C. Moore for 35cents! (Why is there no key for the cents sign?) *I'm fond of Beacon's Felt Glue. I think it's easy to use and has a strong hold.

2) Then just get to it. Cut felt and glue materials where you deem necessary.

3)Draw mouths and other small details with markers. Let it dry and have fun playing with your adorable puppets! We sure did.

Activity Advent Calendar

2009-12-09T17:11:00.004-05:00

Last year for Advent Brady pulled a little treat attached to a ribbon out of her stocking each day leading up to Christmas. This was a tradition started in my family and boy do I love it. But, this year I really wanted to focus on activities rather than fun doo-dads and yummy candy. I have seen many a fun, cute, holidayrific advent calendar out there on the worldwide web. None seemed to fit my needs (use materials I already own, be changeable or add activities one at a time, fit in our space, be 3 yr old friendly) quite right, so On November 30th I stayed up half the night creating one. (That's classic me, in case you didn't know.) Good news is it was pretty simple.

First, I painted a tree on a foam core board. You could easily cut one out of scrapbook or construction paper if painting isn't your thing. Then I punched 24 circles out of various scrapbook papers that I had lying around, although I've never done any scrapbooking. I then placed the circles which are serving as ornaments around the tree until I came up with a layout I liked. Then I wrote, painted, or stickered the numbers 1-24 on the ornament circles in all sorts of ways. I used what I had within reach (paint, brushes, some # stickers, and an ebony pencil). I thought about getting up to get a sharpie, but at 1 am that just sounded like too much work. The last step was to hot glue tiny clothespins onto the tree to hold the ornaments and then, of course place the ornaments onto the clothespins. If I were to do this again I would either use larger clothespins or another means of attachment, those tiny ones are hard to open if the board isn't flat; ours is propped up or frame it somehow so that it was flat and a little fancier. Next year I'll probably stick with the same idea, but might change the whole shebang- who knows?!

Each night I write our activity on the back of the ornament. Every morning Brady pushes the clothespin top to open it and hands me the ornament to read the activity to her. Our "activities" are sometimes somewhat elaborate, other times it is something that is already on our agenda like decorating our Christmas trees, and sometimes they'll be downright simple such as watching a Christmas movie. It really doesn't real have to be that big of a deal, it just makes the "activities" that much more fun and festive and it takes the focus off of material things a little (maybe). Each week or so I'll post our activities.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T14:18:00.003-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving to our family, friends, and beyond!

I Chronicles 16:34 "Give Thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever."

Turkey Pizza

2009-11-24T20:53:00.004-05:00

It is pretty common around here for our sandwiches to be cut with cookie cutters or for a lunch or snack to be artfully arranged to look like an animal or object of Brady's desire. So, on a recent pizza night when she asked for a "turkey pizza", I wasn't surprised. Initially I wasn't sure what to do, but then quickly came up with this guy. Actually this is the original's cousin; on the first night that we had "turkey pizza" my camera's battery was dead.

You could make this much more elaborate with colorful veggies and what have you, but I went with what we had on hand. First I took a little dough ball and placed it in the oven for a few minutes, so that it would keep it's dimension on the pizza and still be cooked through. Then I shaped the rest of the pizza dough into a basic turkey outline shape, using my fingers and a knife to keep the feathers slightly separated. I used 2 different types of cheeses (over regular sauce) on every other feather so there was a little variety. Pepperoni and roasted red peppers alternated each feather as well. The turkey's eyes are raisins, his nose is a leftover pumpkin seed, his waddle (is that the right term) is a piece of roasted red pepper, and the wings are covered in pepperoni. SO SIMPLE! It only took a few more minutes than our ordinary pizza and was such fun!

Fall Activities

2009-11-18T14:01:00.002-05:00

We've been having fall fun around these parts. The first photo is a hand/arm print tree B made for my mom's 60th Birthday! Below are pictures of our fall rice/sensory tub. We dyed rice orange, red, and brown. To do this you simply put white rice in a zip top baggie, add a little food coloring and a small amount of rubbing alcohol (this keeps the rice from expanding or cooking in the liquid). Then squeeze and smoosh around until the rice is fully coated in the color. Then place on a baking sheet to dry over an extended period of time or put in a really low oven to speed drying time. I think I put it in at 300 degrees for about 7 minutes. Before mixing it together in the tub Brady and I spent some time drawing shapes and writing letters in the rice on the baking sheet. Great practice in a new, interesting manner. Check out the action shot of the red rice being poured into the tub. Once it was mixed we took turns hiding orange pom-pom "pumpkins" and finding them. Again using those fine motor skills. Funny story, when I told B that we were going to dye rice, she said in a panicky voice, "Die!, I don't like dying!" She was really relieved when it was further explained. And I realized to far in that I could have used brown rice for the "brown rice"- oh well.

Next up was a little leaf-hunting. We took turns placing silk leaves around the living room and finding them. Kids love hiding Easter eggs so why not take that fun into other seasons and holidays? (This picture is not B's best-ha ha!)

First Best Friend

2009-11-18T13:57:00.005-05:00

Brady has surely been blessed with many wonderful friends from birth. But, she has never quite had a friendship like she has with Ally, her first true best friend. These girls are like sisters, fighting one minute and giggling the next. Brady asks about Ally everyday. Are we going to go to Ally's house today? When are we going to see Ally? When can Ally come to our house? Is Ally at school today? Can I call Ally? Everyday! It is such fun to witness the pure joy a great friend brings to my girl. (Oh, and an added bonus: her mama brings me much joy as well!)

Thankful Turkey

2009-11-18T13:54:00.005-05:00

We've added a "Thankful Turkey" to our daily rituals this month. We did this last year as well. I think I first got the inspiration from the great site make and takes. Here's how it works: First I drew a simple turkey in 4 parts- head, body, and 2 wings. Brady decorated and glued them together. Then I cut out 26 feathers out of various colors of construction paper, one for each day of November. Each night Brady names something she is thankful for, I write it on a feather and add it to the turkey. On our dining table we keep a little cup holder full of the needed items: sharpie, feathers, and glue stick. This serves as a helpful reminder. Last year we keep the materials near the door where the turkey is displayed and many nights we forgot all about it.
Brady says a prayer right after choosing the person or thing she is thankful for that evening. It's important to me that she realizes whom we thank. One night she had two thankful items, because we had eaten out the night before. Her prayer was extra sweet that night, "Dear God, Thank you for Daddy and Ally. Thank you for everything in my life. Amen." Looks like the thankfulness lesson is setting in!

October in Arkansas

2009-11-14T20:50:00.005-05:00

Sadly, I took very few photos of our fantastic trip to Arkansas last month. Our trips are so full that it is hard for me to remember to get any pictures. Here is a quick run-down of our busy, fun schedule.

Wednesday - made the trip, arrived in the evening and ate dinner with all 4 grands!

Thursday-Brady went to Gammi's school all day and pretended to be a 4 year old while I slept in

Friday- We shopped, ate, and got Brady's hair cut with Nana and Lilly Kate. That night we went to Gammi's school carnival. (the top pic is of Brady at the carnival)

Saturday- We visited my Grams (mom's mom) , Aunt Bliss and cousins in Searcy. (And even ran into Anna Grace.) That evening we headed to Nana and Papa's to spend the night.

Sunday- Little Rock Church and lunch with the Chandler Clan and Will, Chandler, and Wyatt's football game. Then dinner at the Thomas house. The second picture is of B with Mary Claire and Paxton. Stayed at Papa and Nana's.

Monday- Win and Erin came over to play in the morning. The third picture is of the two crazies in their costume garb! Then we went to Conway to visit Meme, Papa (dad's parents), and the Bishops. Beth and I got to have lunch alone! We stayed so late Brady crashed on the way home and ended up sleeping in her day clothes. (that has never happened) The last picture is of Brady and Papa. One of my favorite pics ever.

Tuesday- We had lunch with dear friends Angela and Indy and their girls Violet and Johanna. That evening we went to a special reception and fundraiser for Andrew's Memorial Garden (we are still working on a more appropriate name) at CAC. The fundraiser was a special basketball game with the girls basketball team playing celebs from a local sports radio show. A great crowd showed up, much fun was had, and lots of money was raised!

Wednesday- We made our trip back home.

A Lovely Day

2009-11-14T20:43:00.003-05:00

Today was a lovely day. Nothing all that extraordinary, but quite lovely just the same or maybe even more so. The weather was beautiful and much needed after five days of dreariness. We had a music and movement class at the library, then ate lunch and played at a favorite park. We ran into old acquaintances and made some new friends. At both locales Brady was on her best behavior. She was happy and quite independent. Climbing up playground equipment and going down slides while I watched on from afar! (not the norm for her) I overheard her introducing herself to other kids, "Hi, My name is Brady. What's your name?" So charming! Our time there was extended because it was so enjoyable. And when it was time to leave there were no fits, tears, or pleading.

We came home to a rested daddy and Duke eager to join in our fun. Brady had a quick rest time and then we set up a scavenger hunt of treats for Duke in the backyard. As the afternoon turned into evening there were books read and shows watched, tickle fests; dinner was made and eaten. Our day was seasoned with Brady's witty comments and thoughtful observations. Many times throughout the day I thought, "Man, I love this kid!" It was the kind of day I want to hold on to forever. The kind of day that makes all of those other kinds of days worthwhile. It was a lovely day.

These photos were taken of another lovely day this summer.

Brady's Big Haircut

2009-11-04T09:26:00.003-05:00

While we were in Little Rock (post coming soon) Brady got her first major haircut. She had had one cut months ago, but it was really just a trim. This time inches were cut. B's hair is of many types much like her mama's. The hair underneath was comprised of somewhat tight spiral curls which were much shorter than the straight and often stringy tresses on the outside. So, the goal was to even it out a bit. It looks much healthier and is much easier to deal with and she was quite proud. So here are the before and after pictures. The hairdresser did a quick blow-dry job on her hair so it's much straighter than usual.

Halloween Food

2009-11-04T09:22:00.003-05:00

The night before Halloween we had a little Halloween style dinner: mummies (hot dogs wrapped in crescent rolls and cheese), witches' fingers (apple slices with a dab of laughing cow cheese and almonds), and pumpkin roll-ups (tomato basil wraps with turkey, laughing cow cheese, and basil).
We also had some H'ween inspired lunches. Orange carved to resemble a jack 'o lantern filled with mixed fruit and jack'o sandwich (food colored l.c. cheese with dried fruit face details and snap pea crisp stems.)

Halloween Friends

2009-11-04T08:48:00.005-05:00

The Halloween festivities gave great opportunities for spending time with friends. The above picture shows Brady with some of her classmates at her school costume parade. I love that picture because it captures the excitement and love these girls have for each other. (And also the differences in their height!) One of B's school friends is in the picture below. We were able to spend a little time with her at Trunk-or-treat and the dinner afterwards.
This next picture is of Brady and her BFF Ally. These two girls act like sisters- fighting one minute and laughing the next. A couple of days before H'ween we went to a special storytime and then to eat at our usual spot afterwards. These smiles are authentic!
On Halloween night we ran into a few of our favorite boys, too. Holidays are so much better when shared with good friends.

Halloween Queen

2009-11-03T20:24:00.003-05:00

Here is my lovely little Queen. Brady decided months ago that she would be a queen for Halloween. And so it was. She wore one of her gorgeous princess dresses and Nana made her a perfect cape to transform it to the next level of royalty. Add to that a scepter and crown (it doesn't match, which bothers me and not B, so I let it go, although obviously not completely or I wouldn't be writing this sentence) and we're good to go. Almost everyone got it wrong as I knew they would, but her majesty was quick to correct! First we went to Trunk-or-Treat at Brady's school and then we did some trick-or-treating in a nearby neighborhood and to a few houses in our hood.

The night before Halloween, Brady said,"How about our family dresses up for Halloween?" I said, "Well.." And she replied, "No, not our whooole family, just me and you and Daddy." Ha ha! It was decided that Adam would be a doctor, since he was heading to work after the first event.
And I was given the role of "star performer". I pulled together a simple outfit, lots of jewelry, too much makeup, and teased hair. Most importantly I carried Brady's play microphone, so I received her approval. Pretty sure most everyone else was trying to decide whether I was in costume or just had bad taste. My Queen was happy, so all was well.

The What, Not The Where

2009-11-03T20:20:00.003-05:00

Our time here in North Carolina is dwindling. Adam's residency will be over in 8 short months. Adam's interview process begins tomorrow. The light at the end of the tunnel is growing brighter. And that is a VERY good thing. But, it is also scary. There are just so many unknowns in this situation. For a long while I was focusing on the where. Where will we live? Don't know. Where do I want us to live? I'm still not sure.

Then one day it came to me: I'm focusing on the wrong questions. I should be concerned about the what and not the where. So, what do I want in our next home? I desire a home, a true home. There have been a lot of great things about living in North Carolina (and there will be more in the months ahead), but it has yet to really feel like home. I desire a good job for Adam that will leave him fulfilled, yet challenged, happy and full of peace. I desire deep, spiritual relationships; transparent friendships for all of us individually and as a whole. I desire a neighborhood that is neighborly. I desire a church home that is welcoming, engaging; where we know and are known, where we give and take.

Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart."

The Real Danger of Leaving The Room During a Bath

2009-10-19T14:37:00.003-04:00

First Pair Of Jeans

2009-10-19T14:15:00.005-04:00

Brady wore jeans for the first time last week! I know, I know she's 3 1/2 (technically 3 3/4 -yikes!). I am a bit of a kids' clothes snob. I don't judge others' choices, but for my little gal we've waited on the jeans. I thought about it last year, but just couldn't quite go for it, just too grown-up, I suppose. She did have a pair of denim overalls. The first day (and maybe the only?) she wore those I could sense her own intrepidation. She was quick to find the largest bow and girliest purse possible to complete the outfit. This fall I decided it was high time. So, we set off to buy her first pair of jeans. Who knew shopping for toddler jeans was nearly as tricky as getting a pair of women's? She was smack dab between a 3T and 4T. We went with 4T and a cuff. She was so proud! Too bad my camera was on some odd setting that turned these all super blurry because she was really into this little shoot. Hopefully you still get a sense of the excitement and cuteness anyhow. Below is the essential booty shot.

Constant Chatter #8

2009-10-17T23:11:00.005-04:00

In the constant chatter there are lots of forgotten quotes, but here are a couple of gems we've heard lately.

One day after getting dressed Brady said, "Don't I look cute?" (The girl is not hurting in the self-esteem department.)

I answered, "Yes, you do. And, how about me?"

She cocked her head to the side and slowly said, "Hmmm... not so much the yellow, mama." (Indy, if you are reading this I was wearing your favorite highlighter yellow cardigan. In all fairness, it is a tough color for some to swallow.)

Brady was on the phone with Gammi thanking her for the latest package full of goodness (that Gammi!) , but was quite distracted with my chocolate chip pumpkin muffin baking prep. She said , "I'm going to let you talk to mom; my breath is tired." And then mere seconds after she handed me the phone she said, "Mom, put the call on pause."

Thanks, Aunt Ashley!

2009-10-16T22:00:00.005-04:00

We are in love with this dress made by Brady's talented Aunt Ashley! Thank you! Thank you!
When I tell B that I'm going to take her picture, this is the sort of stuff I get. A natural model I tell ya.
And thank you for the dresses (not handmade, but oh, I'd love an Amy Butler get up, too) that you treated me with this summer. I'm pretty rotten about writing thank you notes. Just call me "Good Intentions Girl". In college we had a friend we called that, but now I think I fit the bill. But, trust me I am so thankful for the dresses and for all you do for us. Thank you!

Pumpkin Patch Post 1

2009-10-16T21:41:00.006-04:00

Here is the seemingly mandatory Pumpkin Patch Post, only it's in 2 parts because Blogger won't allow me more than 5 pictures per post- what is that about? So, post 1- We went on a hayride. I have a thing for pics of legs and feet.
We had some really great (and cute) company. 2 of the 3 wouldn't cooperate for a photo op.
Brady choose this perfect little spot for some pictures. It was a beautiful day. See part 2 below. Oh, and mom (and Shea Lea and Jenna) doesn't she look like me when she sports this 'do I practically always had?

Pumpkin Patch Post 2

2009-10-16T21:22:00.003-04:00

The rest of the Pumpkin Patch Post. "Milking the cow" was Brady's favorite activity. She loved this last year, too.
This year they had a corn pit. She was slightly bewildered by the behavior of the MANY big kids there. I think she would have gotten really into this had there not been so many kids.
Here she is with her chosen pumpkin. She was so proud, as you can tell.
My big girl! Here we are enjoying our lunch. Well, we enjoyed it until the yellow jackets ran us off! Look closely at B's eyes here- hysterical!

Halloween Projects

2009-10-14T08:23:00.006-04:00

We've been very excited about Halloween this year. Here are a few projects we've completed. First up, this little clip frame. We love these little raw wood $1 frames from A. C. Moore. We've used them for several holidays and occasions. I set Brady up and she painted it. On the other side she drew the face on with a sharpie marker after the paint dried. (This pic was taken during the process.)
Then we painted a T-shirt. I helped quite a bit with the pumpkin itself. Spreading the paint out thinly is tricky. Brady painted the rest with little help.
Isn't that little face adorable? I asked if she wanted to paint her name and quickly realized that wasn't such a great idea. What was I thinking? Using a brush to make such fine lines is hard for experienced painters, much less a new writer! I should have let her use a Sharpie. Nonetheless, I think she did a great job. And she was definitely proud!
We had some paint left over so we made a stuffed brown bag pumpkin. It's in the back left. B also used a permanent to turn these mini pumpkins into pseudo jack-o-lanterns. This is a picture of the pumpkin patch she made and played with after all our crafting. The play was cut short when we suffered from a pumpkin casualty. Duke ate one of the little guys. No worries, there's plenty more Halloween Fun to come!

Umbrella...ella....ella

2009-10-12T20:57:00.006-04:00

A month or so ago rain was a bit of a novelty in this part of the country. One day Brady and I were greeted by a light shower during an outdoor lunch. I let her have full reign of my umbrella.

She was thrilled! I mean grinning ear to ear.
Some overheard quotes include, "Look, mom, I'm under here!" and "Mom, I'm a grown-up!"
What joy it is to see a child enjoy such a simple pleasure! And also, I'm pretty sure a kids' size umbrella will be gracing this year's Christmas list.

Slowly Letting Go Strand by Strand

2009-10-12T20:42:00.005-04:00

Ever since Brady could reach out and grab, she's had a hold of my hair. It's been her obsession, her security blanket. Oh, sure I thought about cutting my locks when she was a mere babe. But decided it would be of no use since she was determined to hold on to even the tiniest little piece of hair, showcased by her love of grabbing hold of the flippy ends of her Nana's short 'do.
Initially, her first love was to put the death grip on my bangs while nursing which kept my head bent at an unfortunate angle. She moved on to grabbing, pulling, holding, and chewing any and every bit of my tresses she possibly could. This is when my perma-ponytail came into use. That didn't exactly work either because she transferred her need for hair into holding on to the entire tail. In these photos* taken when B was around 6 months old, you can see a ponytail holder and my lovely Timex watch on my wrist. Adam and I were both annoyed that I had forgotten to take them off before the photo shoot. But now, I'm glad they are there because they were an important part of my life at the time. The ponytail holder for obvious reasons and the watch to keep up with our feeding sessions.
Anyhow, this love/obsession continued on in many various forms. She loved to take the very ends of the ponytail and pounce it on her lips; she adored running her fingers through my hair tangling it and damaging it with her every move; she loved to lay her head upon my hair... I could go on and on. It did seem to get a little better as she got older, but it was always present in our lives. That is until the last few months. Recently full days have gone by without Brady giving my hair so much as a stroke. I find myself making it through the day without ever taking the ponytail holder off of my wrist. (WOW!) Every so often when she is scared or tired, she needs to get a quick hold, but in general she is over the hair!!! I have been longing for this day, but of course, part of me is a little sad to see this sign of letting go. Is it a coincidence that this milestone coincides with amplified behavioral issues? Probably not. (Something about independence vs. autonomy from my Child Development Class comes to mind.)

*Photos taken by my lovely and very talented friend Angela Alexander.

Sidewalk Drawing/Writing

2009-09-28T21:17:00.002-04:00

The lion pictured above is possibly my favorite drawing of Brady's to date. One evening after dinner we spent some time doing a little shared drawing and writing. Brady worked on writing some letters off and on all summer. Sometimes she was very interested, other times she didn't care about it a lick.
I've found that using less conventional writing materials peaks her interest. She seems to feel much more free to explore both writing and drawing with interesting materials. I'm guessing this is true for most little ones. Sidewalk chalk, bathtub crayons, a stick in the mud are all much more fun and more forgiving than paper and pen. On this night we focused on drawing some animals and items we had recently seen in the Madagascar 2 movie and then labeling them. Brady wrote the letters she knew and even tried a few new ones and I filled in the rest. It was a lot of fun and she was so proud of our creations.

3 and 1/2

2009-09-28T21:12:00.007-04:00

Oh, 3 and 1/2 you came (back at the end of July) with a vengeance. There is something about the halves that are always hard on my girl. I've heard others tell of similar woes and I've read about it in a book or two. Anybody out there feel the same?
We are hoping, crossing our fingers, lifting prayers up that this is in fact the case, that this is just a developmental glitch. The first half of 3, she was easier and more fun than ever. I really miss it. Not that there aren't any bright spots. We do have lots of fun. The fun is just peppered with lots of screaming, crying, gnashing of teeth. I painted this 3 1/2 T-shirt for Brady and she is quite proud of it. Sassy and sweet even at 3 and 1/2.

Not So Simple

2009-09-26T21:36:00.007-04:00

This picture taken at the bathroom mirror was created shortly before B's 2nd Birthday.

We've been dealing with some major meltdowns for the past few months. It has wreaked havoc on all of us. Today as the calm was making it's way back over me I thought about the words I've spoken to Brady over and over again. "It's very simple, obey and be happy and things go well: you get to have treats... do fun things... But, if you disobey and act the wrong way, you'll be punished, ...you won't get to have good, fun things." And then it hit me; the Lord pricked my heart. How many times has He tried to tell me the same things? How stubborn am I in my disobedience? Oh, Brady, my dear child, I'm working on these simple lessons, too.

There's Nothing Quite Like Old Friends Part 1

2009-09-16T13:49:00.004-04:00

About a month ago Brady and I met up with my college friend Beth (Meeks) Garza , her daughters, and her mom at the NC Museum of Life and Sciences. Beth's parents live about 30 miles north of Durham and she and her girls were staying with them for a bit before moving to a new home. I was glad to get a chance to see them. Beth's oldest, Camilla and Brady are only a few weeks apart in age. Despite not being together in over a year the girls were thrilled to see each other and played quite well together. I was pleased to see my friend, too. It is always a joy to be around Bethers.
We explored the new Dino Trail, the Butterfly House, rode the train, ate at the outdoor cafe (Thanks Cass!) and explored the indoor play area. It was a fun-filled morning.
Unfortunately, I was never able to capture a great picture of the big girls. But, check out this adorable little one. She was so easy. Very different from the older two! As in the previous post, I am so thankful for old friends. We may not see each other often, but when we do it is just like old times with a few extra little blessings added.

There's Nothing Quite Like Old Friends Part 2

2009-09-14T19:20:00.008-04:00

The last weekend of August we found ourselves graced by the presence of these two lovely ladies. (Two of my absolute favorite.) Beth was my college roommate, my maid of honor, and my personal childbirth nurse. I think I might start referring to her as St. Beth. Isabella is her

precious 5 year old daughter and, I think it's safe to say Brady's idol.

The two girls had the best time together. As wonderful as it is to be with your best friend, I think it might be even sweeter to see our children get along in the same fashion. Beth and Isabella's flight got in late Friday night, but that didn't stop these girls from living it up. They stayed up chatting and giggling until 1 in the morning. Which meant we big girls were up until 3 or so. (These apples didn't fall far from the tree.) Oh, but perhaps they slept in.... nope, they arose around 7 am.
We took it pretty easy Saturday. The little girls were content to play in B's room and the big girls didn't feel like doing much other than chatting. Because it took us so long to get up and going we ended up grabbing a bite at Chik-fil-a (so exciting) and a little Starbucks boost for the mamas. Then back to the house. That evening we packed up a picnic and headed to the Sarah P. Duke Gardens. It was quite lovely. Isabella and Brady rounded out the night with a dip in the tub and they were out pretty quickly. Of course, Beth and I had to stay up talking for awhile.

Sunday morning we woke a little later, so we went to late church. We then walked across the lot to Jason's Deli. (Can you believe they came all this way to eat in the same, boring restaurants that are readily available in Arkansas? Oh, well, it's really not what the trip was about, I suppose.) After that we headed to the fantastic Marbles Children's Museum in Raleigh for a full afternoon of fun. Here the girls are playing in an outdoor water area.
And here they are showing off their fabulous collaged dogs. You've probably noticed that these two girls are nearly the same size. Your eyes aren't fooling you; Isabella is only a couple of inches taller than Brady despite their nearly two year age difference. They were so fun to watch. That night Beth insisted on giving Adam and I a little time off, a rare treat. While we were out eating the rest of the bunch ate a pizza.
Monday morning the girls tried to cram a few last items of fun into the visit while Beth packed. On the way to the airport the girls made little "friendship cards" for each other to keep and remember their special friendship. We were so sad to see them go home. It was a wonderful girls weekend. I will treasure it always. I'm reminded of the old Brownies song, "Make new friends, but kee-eep the old, One is silver and the other gold." So true.

1st Day of 3 year old Class

2009-09-12T14:33:00.004-04:00

This Wednesday Brady had her 1st day of school for the year. She is back at the preschool she went to last year, but this year she is going on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings 9-12. Several of her "old" friends from the 2 year old class are back in the 3's this year so that has been really nice. She's even in the same room since the 2's and 3's are on opposite days. One of her teachers is new to the program this year and one subbed in B's class quite a bit last year, so she was a familiar face. Here we are about to get into the car to head to school (which is nearly walking distance away.) Can you tell we are excited?
Brady has been ready to go back to school for the last few weeks. The afternoon before school she had a visit from "the back to school fairy" who filled her school bag with new colored pencils, animal cards, and other goodies. (I got that idea on ? some one's blog, but tweaked it to my own liking.) She was wound up all afternoon and night! Thankfully, she did go to sleep promptly; but woke up early and ready to go right away.
We started a little tradition last year of going to Dunkin' Donuts to grab some breakfast on our way to drop daddy off at the hospital. She was thrilled to choose a donut with pink icing and sprinkles. When I took her in to her class she was a little apprehensive as I took pictures of her with her teachers. That was short lived; as soon as a couple of her friends arrived she was glad to start the school day and for me to leave. Brady had a great morning and so did her mom!

Hands On Art

2009-08-20T14:51:00.004-04:00

This summer I went back to my art teaching roots. Thanks to the connection of a friend a nearby church allowed me to use one of their classrooms to teach art classes. The classes are titled "Hands On Art" to convey that the kids would be taking charge of their art and it would be an all hands on deck process.

(I think this sweet girl got the message loud and clear!)
Hands On Art is for the littlest artists, 2- 5 year olds. We meet nearly every Monday morning all summer long. And three 4 day long themed "mini-camps" were held as well.
A great time was had by all. I'm so glad I set out this journey, a reconnection to my vocational love. Brady attended with me, missing only the first mini-camp. That had it's own set of issues a time or two, but went well for the most part and she's been playing "art class" all summer. Over the next week(s)? I'll be posting about what went on during our Hands On Art summer session.

Attitude

2009-08-19T22:29:00.003-04:00

We're getting a lot of this around here these days.

Constant Chatter #7

2009-08-19T22:22:00.004-04:00

Conversation at dinner tonight: Me: "These are fajitas. Fajita is a Spanish word.... not sure what it's Spanish for..." Brady: "burritos"

A Dozen Years

2009-08-16T21:12:00.005-04:00

Twelve years (crazy, right?) ago today I married my high school sweetheart. They say life is a roller coaster. We've certainly had our share of ups and downs and there will be more. Through it all I am ever so grateful that he is the one by my side for the ride.

*FYI This picture from New Year's Eve 2005 is the only one of just the two of us on this computer! Goal for this 12th year: have a few pics taken of just us.*

Constant Chatter #6

2009-08-13T15:17:00.006-04:00

Last night Brady was talking herself out of being fearful before bedtime, when in walks Duke (our dog). Brady: "Duke will protect me." Me: "Yes and Daddy will protect you" B: "Yes"Me: "...and God will protect you." B: "No, he went out shopping." Shortly thereafter laughter ensued and her story got sillier and sillier (I believe there was a God store mentioned among other things). Good news is the momentary fear was gone.

Painting on a LARGE scale

2009-08-06T14:12:00.008-04:00

Several months ago Brady made the switch from crib to "big girl bed" (a toddler bed). I know, I know we waited a little late to move her. We tend to believe in the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" philisophy. So, we decided to make the transition when she turned 3; then she was so close to using the potty all the time that we added that to the prerequisites. Well, once both of those milestones hit it still took us awhile to have the bed purchased and assembled.

It's gone really well. And I've loved having a toddler bed despite once thinking they were kinda dumb. She can easily manuever her bed and it has added a good bit of space to her room. Also, since we knew we'd only be in this house for a year or so after the switch, it made sense to not have to purchase a pricier bed, new mattress ,and new bedding. She's using her crib mattress, crib sheets, and quilt. A new pillow and case and we were down. (Stay tuned for pics of her big girl room soon after I finish up a few more things.) Anyhow, this post is really supposed to be about large scale painting. Once the bed was up and in use, we had this large box, actually a top and bottom to contend with. I plopped them in the carport until I could take them to a nearby recycling center. There they sat for days, weeks, perhaps. Finally, I was ready to be rid of them and then it struck me that this was the perfect oppurtunity for large scale painting.
It's rare that a kid is encouraged to paint on something this large. What fun! I asked Brady what colors she'd like, got them ready, grabbed some brushes, smocked her up, and let her go to town. In hindsight, I would've protected the carport driveway. Or at least quickly tended to scrubbing up the paint spills that were left behind. The paint is washable, but has soaked in for quite awhile and I've yet to face it. As you can tell from this post, I'm quite the procrastinator.

Constant Chatter #5

2009-08-05T22:56:00.003-04:00

Brady's first words upon entering my bed for a little more snoozing yesterday morning: "Mom, it's already morning. When I first woke up, I didn't realize it, but then I saw the light and then I knew."

Today while shopping Brady was pretending the mall was her house, a new constant anywhere we go. "This is my house. Did you recognize it?"

What's funny about that? What three (and a half, it's important, mind you) year old says realize or recognize completely out of the blue. Brady Lane, that's who.

Playing Store

2009-07-30T14:11:00.006-04:00

One of Brady's latest obsessions is playing store. Recently during rest time she turned her room into a store, complete with all the hanging clothes she could get her hands on hung onto the foot board of her bed. She will pretty much take any opportunity to play store.

One afternoon in June we had a grocery store out on the deck. She choose some food items from her play kitchen, basically grabbing whatever she first got her hands on because she was anxious to set up shop. Then she told me the name and price for each item. My favorite product was the hamburger top (one half of a bun). I still crack up thinking of that. We displayed the signs and food stuff on her picnic table. And then we took turns playing the roles of customer and cashier.
This was a great way to review number skills. She can count with the best of 'em, but doesn't always recognize numbers after 10. So, when I was the customer I would ask questions to prompt her such as, "How much are the cookies? What does that say... twenty....?" And when I was the grocer I would say things like, "The drinks are fifteen cents (while pointing to the price tag), is that okay with you?" She loved this. And got better and better at recognizing the numbers and grasping the concept of twenty-nine being a 2 with a 9 on it's right side and forty-three being 4 and then 3,etc. (I have no idea of the technical name for this.) I love when I can sneak a little learning into our playtime. She also used her imagination to the fullest adding a doll to be the customer's baby and such. It was a fun, long-lasting activity for a not-too-hot summer day.

Constant Chatter #4

2009-07-28T21:37:00.006-04:00

The other day I made some lemonade popsicles. Brady had one as her after dinner treat. As I walked out on the deck after cleaning up I hear, "Mmmmm... ummm...mmmmm....it doesn't get any better than this." She continued to sing it's praises as she pranced around the deck in her little mini skirt one hand upon her hip, the other holding her popsicle. "Nothing ever, ever, never was as good as this." Offering me a taste, "Here mama, suck on the straw, slurp it, now lick it." Oh, boy is this girl dramatic!

Fancy Nancy Parade

2009-07-28T21:31:00.001-04:00

One day in the early Summer the Little Miss came out of rest time declaring a Fancy Nancy Parade was in order. She fancied up a few stuffed dogs and pulled them in a little wagon. She gave me the boa to wear and I twirled a rhythm ribbon as we walked up and down our street a half dozen times. Thankfully for me nary a neighbor saw us.

I'm grateful for my girl's imagination and sense of adventure. It was a wonderful spontaneous afternoon.

I heart Pullen Park.

2009-07-28T21:23:00.002-04:00

During my parents' recent visit we went to Raleigh's historic Pullen Park. This isn't just any park. It has many special features. There is a wonderful old carousel. The animals (which aren't just your run-of-the mill horses) are over-sized and beautifully hand-carved. Brady and Gammi enjoyed two rides. Grandad and I joined in the fun for the first ride.

TV Land bestowed this sculpture of Andy and Opie from The Andy Griffith Show to the park since it is in the heart of the capital city. The fictional town of Mayberry was based on Mt. Airy, North Carolina where Andy Griffith once lived. My parents actually visited Mt. Airy on their way to visit us. They now have their own copy of this statue.

There are plenty of play areas throughout the sprawling landscape. There's a kiddie boat ride and a train for all. The best news is that every ride is one ticket per person and tickets are a dollar each. (The only exception is the 6 ticket paddleboats, which were of no interest to the adults, anyhow.)

It was a great way to spend an afternoon. I highly recommend it to all Triangle residents and anyone who visits the area, although I'd avoid it on hot days. Look at this picture. I love my girl's sweet profile.

Constant Chatter #3

2009-07-11T22:45:00.003-04:00

Brady went to Vacation Bible School all last week and loved it. But, a great deal of time at the beginning and end of each day was spent sitting in pews in the sanctuary. On the morning of the second day she said, "I don't like to sit and sit and sit in the rows."

One morning she chose to wear her 4th of July dress. When I asked which socks she wanted to wear with her tennis shoes she said, "Red, that'll be more Americanish."

Embrace the Strange

2009-07-11T22:16:00.003-04:00

So, I've been avoiding writing a post about Michael Jackson. But, I can't hold back any more. Here is my quick take.
Like most children of the 80's, I have strong memories of Michael Jackson. For a period of time watching the Thriller video every hour on the hour was not only a top priority, but also a major bonding experience for me and my brother. So I was quite sad to hear of his death. I choose to remember the good. I truly believe that while he did some questionable and even inappropriate things, he never did anything to hurt a child in any way. I just don't think he was capable of that. A few years back I had the unique privilege of working at a party held for Cher and all her tour crew. One member of the entourage was a costume designer who had worked with Michael Jackson. He felt that MJ was a really good person who was completely out of touch with reality. (Not earth-shattering news, but interesting to hear that from an insider.) I think that pretty well sums up his life.

I was struck by Al Sharpton's words. When speaking to Michael Jackson's children, he said that there was nothing strange about him. Huh? This man won countless awards, gathered many records for his albums and singles, had a giant amusement park on his home property, lived with lots of different exotic animals; the list could go on and on. That's all pretty strange. Strange, unique, different, dontcha think? I get what Rev. Sharpton was getting at- he was telling the kids not to think about the negative things they are going to hear; as well as telling the world not to bother them with that. His intention was good, but the wording wasn't quite right. I wish I could tell those kids to embrace the strange. (at least the "good strange") Because the strangeness is what made him who he was. And the same is true of all of us. Our unique idiosyncrasies are what make us who we are. Don't think you are strange? Well, either you are wrong or I feel sorry for you. We are all created unique. Embrace the strange.

Constant Chatter #2

2009-07-01T14:40:00.003-04:00

Tuesday at Harris Teeter Brady was doing some sort of imagining in her rocket grocery cart while I was working my coupon magic when I heard the word "cusidy" (custody) come out of her mouth. I was initially shocked and then I realized I might have let a little too much Michael Jackson coverage seep into our lives! (Don't panic, I've only had it on once in front of her!)

Brady's love of books (a post will be coming soon) has morphed with her love of movies. Now she asks me if I want to see a movie and then she flips through each page of a book and asks often, "Do you see that?" On the way home from the library she said, "Mom, do you want to see this movie? , it's PG-13." This is thanks to the book Big Words for Little People by Jackie Lee Curtis. They talk about the words inappropriate and appropriate and use the example of a PG-13 movie as being inappropriate for young kids.

1 Year To Go

2009-07-01T09:34:00.003-04:00

Today marks the 1st day of Adam's 3rd year as an Emergency Resident. That means only one year left! It is very exciting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Our countdown begins. We are so proud of our Dr. Daddy and all the hard work he does to be a good doctor and provide for us.

Constant Chatter #1

2009-06-27T17:44:00.001-04:00

I'm going to try to use this blog as a source for keeping up with some of the funny or insightful things heard amidst Brady's Constant Chatter. Here's our first installment, vacation in Arkansas edition.

Brady and I were negotiating her meal.

Me: "Have 3 more drinks of your milk and then you can have some ice cream."

Brady (big eyed): "I was actually thinking the EXACT same thing."

While at the lake Brady was attached to my 10 year old cousin Lizzie. And Lizzie was usually glad for her companionship. One morning Lizzie went out on the boat before B had arisen. Brady was heart broken. She said (very dramatically with a little mist in her eyes), "Why is Lizzie not that into me this year."

Uploading Photos Help

2009-06-27T17:33:00.001-04:00

I can't figure out how to arrange photos once they've been uploaded. The photos are rarely where I want them to be. It is very frustrating. Any advice?

To see cute pics of B at a farm scroll on down to the previous post.

Farmer Brady

2009-06-27T16:41:00.000-04:00

Back in March our playgroup went to Spence's Farm in Chapel Hill. This place was amazing! It is an actual working farm that does tons of fun stuff with kids. They have after school programs, summer camps, etc. I knew it would be a fun experience, but because our playgroup is mainly compiled of the 3 and under set I was skeptical about how much could be accomplished. Man, did they ever exceed my expectations! The farm and the guides who work there were fantastic. I seriously think this may be my favorite activity Brady and I have done thus far.

The events for the day were digging for worms and weeds, feeding worms and weeds to the chickens, gathering newly laid eggs, observing various other farm animals, brushing ponies, riding a pony and/or a donkey, eating lunch and playing on the playground at the farm. What a fun-filled outing!

Brady is socially and academically confident, but when it comes to the playground or physical activities she is cautious and clingy, overall unsure of herself. You can imagine that this can make for a frustrating playdate when I am longing to speak with adults and she won't leave my side. So, I was pleasantly suprised when B acted as though she was born and raised on a farm. She led the way from activity to activity, pulling the guide's hand rather than mine. She held a chicken for longer than any other kid. So long that the chicken was running for her dear life by the time she put it down. She also held a rooster and a baby chick. She was thrilled to ride a pony and a donkey. And I got to sit back and watch with great pride at my little farmer.

33 Candles

2009-06-06T23:22:00.000-04:00

This is what 33 candles look like. My mom sent me "a Birthday party in a box" for Brady to help create in order to celebrate my Birthday! My mom is crazy like that. It had cupcakes from a cupcake shop in Little Rock, candles, frosting to put on the cupcakes (the bakery wouldn't send them frosted), sprinkles, napkins, plates, and balloons.

A friend took me out for breakfast to eat a local legendary chocolate croissant on the morning of my Birthday while our kids were at preschool. Then I picked up B and we had hours of fun shopping, eating, and playing. We grabbed a bite to eat at a favorite resturant with Adam once he got off work, and of course we had our party in a box. It was a great day!

ABC's and 123's Birthday Party

2009-06-06T17:44:00.000-04:00

A few months before the big day I was so struck by the cuteness of some little alphabet pretzels that I got the idea to have letters and numbers be the theme for B's party. Brady has been very into the alphabet since she learned the letters at 18 months old and into counting since she was teeny tiny, so it seemed like a fun theme. I knew it might be my last year to dictate the theme, colors, etc. So, I went for it. Ironically, they stopped selling the pretzels when it came time for the party. No problem, we had plenty of great food that fit the bill. Alphabet pasta salad, letter-shaped PB&Js, number cheese slices, letter-shaped brownies, cookies, and cupcakes with tiny letter cookies on them.

Some of Brady's good friends from our playgroup came to the party. I made little coloring sheets that featured the first-letter of each kid's name. They used crayons and dot markers on the sheets. Then they spelled their names with little foam letter stickers and stuck them on acrylic frames. The guests also strung little foam beads onto pipe cleaners to make simple bracelets. We sang Happy Birthday, ate our refreshments, and the kids did a lot of playing. For the parting goody bags I stenciled the kids' initials and filled 'em up with gummy letters, alphabet stickers, and foam letter puzzles or hangman game for our big kid friends. (This pic was taken well after the party, notice the cluttered table.)

It was the perfect party for our little 3 year old Brady! Thank you friends for helping celebrate our girl's big day with your prescence. And we're thankful for the presents, too.

B turns 3!!!

2009-06-02T22:11:00.000-04:00

So, it happened, my girl turned 3! On her actual Birthday she missed school in the morning because of the snow (see the previous post) and then got sick that night. Darn winter Birthdays. My own Birthday was always marked by either snow or sickness. We did make the most of the day, however.

That morning I made her a cinnamon rolls (Pillsbury) with pink and purple sprinkles and then she opened up her Birthday gifts. She went with me to run errands for her party, that ended up being postponed. Then we picked up Adam to have lunch at Chick-Fil-A. She had fallen asleep in the car on the way there- that should have been my first clue. Adam went to work afterward. We spent the afternoon relaxing and playing with the new toys. That night she and I went to dinner at this fun local bakery/cafe called Madhatters. The kids' meals include a build your own cupcake dessert. They bring out a plain cupcake, a piping bag full of icing, and sprinkles. I realized she was sick during dinner. These pics aren't the best, but I had to have some of her on her actual 3rd Birthday. The little doll you see is named Minty Mindy. She turns into a cupcake: her skirt folds up around her and she has a little hard hat that looks like icing. It was one of those cheap finds at T.J. Maxx that is a hit- gotta love that!

Snow in NC!

2009-05-25T16:40:00.000-04:00

It snowed twice this year here in Durham, NC. The first time was 2 days before Brady's Birthday. People go as crazy here over the snow as they do back in Arkansas. Schools were canceled for 2 days and then there was a delay on the 3rd day. I found this to be rather insane because I am a bit of a wimp when it comes to traveling in rough weather and I got out and about with no problems on the second day. This meant that B's school would be cancelled. We heard the news as we were making cookies for her school snack. Bummer- we had to pop those in the freezer.

Anyhow, Brady loved the snow. She mostly enjoyed eating it. Both times it was a beautiful soft, powdery snow. It was lovely, but it was impossible to create a snowman or even a snowball.

Maybe I'll post more often?

2009-05-25T16:31:00.000-04:00

So, I'm going to give blogspot a try. Maybe I'll post a little more often?