"OUR" Big Backyard

I might should have titled this post Slow and Steady wins the race. We started working on our backyard awhile ago but with all of this crazy weather we were just now able to really get started. Luckily for me... the concrete truck and workers provided hours of entertainment for the boys (and me!) We even ate our snack and lunch in front of the backdoors. We still have lots of work...sod, flowers, furniture but luckily neither Chris nor I are instant gratification people! So for now we are enjoying riding our scooters on the new patio!

HOT Donuts...COLD drinks...50 cents

The Chef

Sprinkling and Powdering

Most Saturday mornings, Chris takes the boys to breakfast while I run! However every so often Chris makes donuts! Tanner has decided this could be his business...we made trays and the boys spent an hour selling us donuts, sprite and strawberries. Tanner was happy to trade food and drinks for a nickel...Sam would pretend to give you something and then decide he preferred the food over the nickel!

ROYGBIV

HAPPY ST.PATRICKS DAY!
We didn't have any plans today so I just followed the boys lead! We ended up following the footprints of a leprechaun, talking about the colors of a rainbow (ROYGBIV) and making a pot of gold! We hit the "gold" all over the yard and went on a scavenger hunt. We walked outside this morning around 8 and we just now came in to eat...well we ate some "gold" the leprechaun left (yellow finger jello)!

the oTHer mOrninG

(not sure why photo wasn't working???)

The other morning...
I was in the kitchen cleaning up when I suddenly realized...
I had cleaned the entire kitchen, put in a load of laundry and had let out the dog(who takes foreverrrrrrr)!
Getting more than one task done at a time without an interuption typically does not occur in my house.
This
is
how
I
found
the
boys!
Isn't it sweet...between wrestling, pillow fighting and crashing/banging,
I really treasure finding my boys reading.
What can I say they love books!!

Disclaimer...this was followed by lots of screaming, a GIANT tantrum over a matchbox cars(we must have 100) and the dog scratching at the door even though he just went out...argh!!

Medieval Feast

Tanner just spent the past few weeks talking about castles, knights and fairy tales at school.
He was very interested in the knights and dragons so we took several trips to the library to find some books. Our sweet librarian helped us find these:
The Dragon Machine by Helen Ward
There's a Dragon in my Sleeping Bag by James Howe
which we loved!



Tanner loves to make his costumes...he always has this vision in his head and it's my job to figure it out! I showed him several costumes on Etsy but he was not thrilled. We took a quick trip to Hancock's and his picked out this BRIGHT orange fabric for the "scales and wings" he said. I was determined to keep the budget low so the only thing we bought was the fabric! As we were headed out the girl was carrying to cardboard pieces that the fabric is wrapped around so I asked if I could have them...SCORE...spikes!
We used cereal boxes to make the front and back pieces for the scales. Egg cartons became the eyes and everything else was scraps we had laying around...wire, felt, google eyes, paint, ropes, glitter!

Sam adores the costumes...I'm thinking Halloween costume!

EUMK MEDIVAL FEAST
...the feast was so much fun...we had drummies, tarts, cakes and sparkling cider
...they drank from mint julep cups...so fancy
...and ate biscuits with butter they made

NOTE...the fabulous castle was made by my husband!

Wanna be like Bubba!

Maybe it's a second child thing but Sam skipped the baby toys...he wants to be BIG so badly and it's breaking my heart.  I want him to stay little forever! 

The boys went to my mom and dad's this weekend so Chris and I could go on a date.  They spoil my kids rotten...they take being grand-parents very seriously!  And I must say they are excellent grandparents!  Sam is obsessed with all sports and he is obsessed with everything Tanner does.  So after some Big D and DeeDee time, Sam came home with soccer gear: Umbro's, shinguards and cleats.

Heaven, Heaven, Heaven

I think he would have slept in the cleats...adorable!

Between Tanner and Sam I for see lots of sporting events in our future.

Thanks Big D for our new soccer gear!

OOBLECK...Happy B-Day Dr. Suess

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DR. SUESS

The boys say...today in honor of your birthday we will make a giant mess in Mom's house just like the cat in the hat...can we borrow the machine that cleans please!!!

Mom says...thank you for making funny stories that boys enjoy...some of the first books(besides BOB) Tanner read pages from independenlty were written by you!

 

THE CAT IN THE HAT

Sam is very into scissors...he did not cut his of course but I let him make snips on some paper while Tanner cut the strips.  He is also into glue...I frequently hear "I unna cut...i unna gwoo."  I also find him with scissors from places no 22 month old should be able to get in his 5-10 unsupervised seconds!!!

Tanner has been into his journal lately...thank heavens we made the journal in the fall.  He read parts of HOP ON POP by Dr. Suess to me. 

He picked a page to copy the words into his journal and drew a picture to go along with it.  We try to do this once a week...Tanner loves art but he loves to create.  Drawing is not his favorite.  I hope this journal will help encourage him to draw about things he loves to do.  I am thinking about art classes again but I just don't know if I we can handle one more thing!

BARTHOLOMEW and the OOBLECK

by Dr. Suess

OOBLECK

1 box of cornstarch

water...it's hard to say exactly how much

you should be able to move it like a liquid but a thick liquid

***oobleck is liquid in the bowl, hard like a rock to pick up and then once in your hand it melts***

SO FUN

...both of my kids love making this...today we dyed it green in honor of Dr. Suess and the kings oobleck

I have to admit that I have never read this story.  On our trip to the library last week I reminded Tanner that is was Dr. Suess' birthday soon.  We have been working on finding books during our weekly trip to the library. We look for the first letter of the authors last name...he can find the aisle about half the time pretty impressive since I see adults still asking. He now knows where to find different types of books: chapter books, fiction, non-fiction, easy-readers and the section with sports, science, comics etc.