for daddy, from the little guys

for the mommies, from the little guys

a hunting we will go

with the promise of brightly colored ovum bursting with sweets and prizes. never mind the 20 mile per hour winds and wintery temps. the little guys were undeterred in their quest, bundled in fleece and jackets, easter buckets in tow.

Celebrating 2

Our littlest guy turned 2, much to my dismay. But we did celebrate with a few dear ones from near and far and with some of Nanuk's favorite things: the animals of our local wilderness, lots of balloons, and lots of cake.

animal invites for my animal loving babe, with a balloon attached. A special birthday wreath for every special occasion, plus a borrowed bunting. Plenty of balloons tethered in corners. Animal coloring pages and quick-to-make raccoon tails for entertaining the kiddos. (I have to say these were a hit, even with the dads!) A light homemade dinner, and an old fashioned cake with animals (for keeping) on top. And as a "thanks for loving our little one" favor: trail mix in coordinating bags. Nothing fancy or elaborate or costly or at all chic. But it worked just right for us, and for our not-at-all-terrible 2 year old.

sending loves

for far away grandmas and grandpas, a valentine made by the little ones.

a single project suitable for both boys: multi-sensory finger painting, with white chocolate pudding and a little food coloring. paint a little, taste a little, paint a little, taste a little. and our littlest one is so pleased. several times a day he points to the displayed artwork and says "I made a heart! I made a heart!"

embracing winter::number 3

so many days spent entirely indoors means priming the pump of creativity. I'm grateful for the tiniest morsel of inspiration to occupy little minds and hands. the latest: mixed media snowmen.

little Nanuk was happy to swirl the glue and pat down the "snowballs" with a little guidance,  and Piglet was especially fond of dabbing (not so lightly!)  the glitter gel. Mommy knotted the scarves and the little ones glued.

book faves

I'm so glad both my little guys like to settle onto my lap for a good story, any time, any place. Especially when the weather bounces between blustery and icy, or sloshy and mucky and we are bound indoors. A current favorite for all of us is Tikki Tikki Tembo. Pretty illustrations, a clever little story, a funny name to tongue twist over and over.

we are also fans of audio stories on CD. Hooray for audible.com and .99 downloads.

maybe next year

wish I'd noticed this  before now. it might have made it's way under the Christmas tree for a little athlete I know. it's very cool.  although I'm not sure Lacrosse has much of a following in Idaho.

all aboard!

Today's advent activity: Polar Express play date.  Not an elaborate party, just a few special activities with a couple of little playmates from the neighborhood. A nod to Piglet's undying devotion to all things Polar and Express.

Wooden trains to play with, a perfect story to read, a special art project, and hot cocoa as thick and rich as melted chocolate bars. Even candies with nougat centers. Happy little boys indeed! 

...candy canes and silver lanes aglow...

Today's advent activity: christmas ornaments, like last year. Positively simple, a reproduction of an ornament my mother hung on our family Christmas tree all through my childhood. It was always a favorite of mine. I like that they look old fashioned and shiny.

white pipe cleaners, cut in half

red tri-beads

clear tri-beads

scissors

This was really easy for my little guy to do on his own, and a fun lesson in patterns and fine motor skills. Not to mention visually fun to look at, all those shiny beads. 

The original, far left, and our reproductions

Mr. Santa

We ventured into the frigid evening air to take part in the local Christmas celebration along the river. Though it was a somewhat lackluster event overall, and really really cold outside, we had a pleasant visit with jolly old St. Nick. A darling fellow, really, who stood to greet all the children with a warm "Ho Ho Ho."  A sentiment little Nanuk has been repeating ever since.

a first letter

this letter is the first of its kind in our little family, and thus, a treasure. why he insisted on wearing his shades while writing is a mystery to me, but he refused any assistance, save some spelling. he was positively giddy to sign his name and put it in the envelope, ready for the mailbox. (wink wink). I can't bear to part with it.  I love that his requests are so few and so simple: a nitro ade truck and a bouncy ball. I love the crooked and imperfect letters. I love that he believes.

mustering

My little ones are naturally enthralled and energized by snow and seem impervious to the chill. This photo was snapped at the onset of our first snowfall 2 weeks ago. He perched on the windowsill for nearly an hour, watching each flake build upon the next, anxiously awaiting some play time. And Santa.

I wish for a smidgen of such excitement.  I'm just never quite prepared, mentally, for the first snowfall of the season here. I know it's Idaho, I know winter is inevitable, yet still the first storm of the season takes me by surprise and puts me in a funk. Here we are with our second wave of snow piled and drifting and I'm no more welcoming of it than before.  I tell myself  it's just a fleeting storm and that the skies will brighten again soon before winter really truly sets in. But I also tell myself to muster every bit of fortitude I can find because it might just be here to stay.  And those thick grey skies above and icy earth at my feet will serve as my prison cell for the next 6 months and oh just say it ain't so. it's too cold, too much, too soon, for far too long.

 

If it weren't for Christmas to look forward to and for the delight on my little ones' rosy faces, it really would seem the depths of despair. Brrrrrrr.  I even put on the Christmas music last week in an attempt to bring some kind of cheeriness to my outlook. Muster some positivity I must. Somehow. In the meantime, another round of hot cocoa please.

boo!

happy haunting, all.

as for our Jacks-o-lantern, Piglet was the [very specific] designer, Mr. J the manual labor, yours truly project manager. Nanuk--dozed off on the job.

Happy Haunting

What makes me happy about halloween? 
re-using costumes from previous years, especially these clearance rack cozy little get ups that my boys think are totally cool. spookily bedecked pathways of the local zoo for trick-or-treating. multiple days of costume-wearing fun. Piglet's very specific design for this year's jack-o-lantern that daddy engineered precisely. that Piglet wanted nothing whatever to do with scooping out the guts of the pumpkin because he feared he "might get messy." my two blue-eyed and rosy cheeked and roaring dragons. pumpkins pumpkins everywhere.

gettin' our crafty on

the weather has a distinctive autumn-with-a-hint-of-winter vibe to it, so our time indoors has been filled (sometimes desperately) with little autumn-y and halloween-y craft projects. if it's do-able for a pre-schooler, it's probably do-able for me, too. i know my limits.

clockwise, from left:
paper & felt tree--felt doo-dads from the craft store.  little footprint ghosts to send to grandma and grandpa--these look especially cute in a black frame with a white mat, not shown here. paper mosaic leaf--we did this together. diy trick-or-treat bags--even my littlest got in on this action with foam stickers.
magnetic mr. scary bones--thanks, ashlynn for the link.

book pick

checked out from the library this week and we have all become fans:

Owl Babies

wonderful illustrations, a cute little story, a bit of a seasonal vibe. we like it. 

little punkins

they sure do love themselves an afternoon in the pumpkin patch. a little straw maze action, some butterscotch suckers, and a pumpkin each made for two happy little guys. really, the pumpkin fields dotted profusely with giant orange gourds make me happy, too.

disneyland, more pictures

upper right: after splash mountain, totally sopping wet and drenched and rearin' to go again!
nanuk: wide-eyed bewilderment at every turn, in this case, during Monsters, Inc. but never any fear.

already they are asking to go back. me, too.

disneyland, in pics

a smattering of the fun times, including a meet-n-greet with a first sweetheart, shoulder-napping at Pirates of the Caribbean and meltdowns in the stroller. totally worth it, i say.  warning: many pictures to follow.

totally and absolutely certain he's going to get that sword out of that stone. the veins in his stubborn little neck were bulging.  I'm so happy we did this trip now, when everything is still magical to my little guys.