Doing "School"

Doing "School" ~preschool style. 

We are part of a weekly homeschool co-op that gets together every Tuesday for classes. Besides having a chance to hang out with a whole group of friends for the day, the boys have music classes, and art, show and tell (public speaking) and all kinds of fun stuff. The co-op is in addition to the regular school that we do at home, you know the "important" things, like language arts, math, science...

I often take the little girls to hang out and "do school" with the preschool class. At first both Claire and Little Miss H were shy and didn't really know what to do. But now after a few weeks they really enjoy spending and hour or two in there with the bigger kids (mostly 3 and 4 year olds) while I help out where I'm needed in the co-op. 

 Little Miss H can't play with play-dough yet. She just doesn't get it! She sees all of those plastic knives and cooking utensils, and hears the other children talking about making "cookies" and food and she just tries to eat it. No matter how many times I've explained it to her that we are just pretending, she still tries to eat it. Every. Single. Time. So, I just let her play with something else while the other children play with play-dough. 

 See those adorable hair bows? They are turkeys! My mom made them for the girls last week. So cute! They got lots of compliments on their hair bows this week at co-op.

Doing "School" ~a field trip.

 On Monday afternoon I took the kids on a field trip to the Sequoya Birthplace museum. Matthew and Ethan are studying Native Americans. And Matthew needed to write a report on the first people in Tennessee.  I went to this museum as a child... it is exactly the same as it was when I was in 6th grade!

 I spent almost the entire time chasing the girls down, thankfully baby Emmett slept in his sling through it all. The boys enjoyed themselves and I think they learned quite a bit. Matthew and Ethan both chose to talk about the Indians the next day in their show and tell class at the co-op.

Forest Gnome Babies

On Thursday afternoon Rodrigo and I were talking and we decided to take the kids to the park the next day since he would have the day off. That night after the little ones were all in bed I made gnome hats for Emmett and Claire. I have one in the works for little Miss H as well, but didn't have time to finish it before we headed to the park the next day. 

For Emmett's hat I used a beautiful dark blue felted wool sweater and appliqued a little squirrel out of cream colored wool felt on one side and a pair of leaves and an acorn on other side of his hat. I then made a little running stitch with yarn around the brim of his hat and made the ties out of the same yarn braided. Claire's hat I made out of a warm fuzzy piece of dark grey polar fleece and trimmed it with bright red ric rac and appliqued a cheerful red toadstool out of wool felt on the side of it.  The ties are also made out of the same ric rac trim. 

I think the hats turned out absolutely adorably! The day was quite cold and windy and both babies' heads were kept warm and snuggly! The kids enjoyed playing in the fallen leaves, I enjoyed spotting the cute little forest gnome playing among the trees!  And the puppies also enjoyed their first trip to the park. (We got 2 English Bulldogs puppies a few weeks before Emmett was born, back when we still had 2 more foster children. So there I was, 9 months pregnant with 4 toddlers under the age of 3, three big boys to homeschool and 2 puppies to house-train while Rodrigo was at work all day... I was really really tired! Which was why I didn't post much craftiness or anything else for a few months!) 

I am hoping to post a tutorial of how to make a gnome hat like these in the next few days! It's really easy (even if you are a beginning sewer) and they are so cute! 

Linking up at Natural Suburbia's Creative Friday, The Magic Onion's Friday's Nature Table, Fabric Bows and More and Skip to My Lou's Made By You Monday, and at Crafty Moms Share.

Light Show

The boys were playing around tonight with a flashlight putting on a light show for their Dad. He grabbed the camera and took a bunch of shots of them and their homemade light show.

Light show by Ethan and Matthew, photos and editing by Ro{drigo}

Coffee with Claire

Quiet times with my girl... Claire is my earliest riser. She is up by 6:30 every single morning. So while the rest of the house is still nestled all snug in their beds (Except Daddy, who usually leaves for work by 6:30!) Claire and I get to spend about an hour alone together. This morning she asked me for a cup of coffee, "I want coffee too please." 

So what was a mama to do, but make her girl a cup of coffee! {No, I didn't really give my 23 month old a cup of coffee... I made her about an inch of hot cocoa in the bottom of a sturdy coffee mug. And sat with her at the table, in case she spilled, which she didn't.}

We talk about all sorts of things during these quiet mornings together, this girl of mine and I. Here she was telling me "I love it, my coffee." Then she giggled. We giggle a lot together, she is a very witty conversationalist.

I am so thankful for this little girl. And these moments that we spend just the two of us fill my already full heart to overflowing with happiness and gratitude. 

Birthday at the Park

Friday was my birthday (as well as our foster daughter's birthday, which we celebrated with her family). For my birthday I asked if we could get out and go walking somewhere to enjoy the beautiful Autumn leaves. But Friday was very cold and poured rain all day long. Saturday morning we woke up and it was beautiful, cold and sunny. So Rodrigo announced that we would go to the park and take a picnic lunch in honor of my birthday! What fun! So we packed up a quick picnic and headed out.

 Can you find the two boys hiding in the picture below? Click on the picture to see it larger...

It was a happy birthday. I really love spending the entire day with my family!