Archive for April, 2013

Serenity in March

Monday, April 15th, 2013
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Our last kiwi crate from Grandma… a pet playground! Serenity loves to pretend to be a kitty, so this one was a lot of fun for us! She made a pompom pet out of yarn, a swing, and a slide! Plus a couple of nests.

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One of our kindness day activities was to plant a wildflower garden for butterflies! Serenity loves nature =)

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She also helped me plant a bunch of strawberries =)

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Aunt Tiffany taught her how to use the Cricut. She would have kept at it all day I think! =)

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We visited Braley for her birthday. =) She is such a sweetheart!

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Making Salad Supreme, a dessert salad for Polly the Giraffe

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A playdate with Harper. They were sisters =)

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Cut apart a giant pool noodle for a car track or ping pong ball ramp =)

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3/22

Serenity is telling all sorts of fascinating stories while she’s playing today.  Right now she’s making a present for her best friend Polly (her imaginary giraffe).  She’s picking the leaves off of wildflowers and filling up a bowl. It’s a dessert salad.  Earlier she was talking about how she has to attend a Royal Ball this Saturday and has lots of princess things to do.  She knows just how to dance at a Royal Ball.  There were also lots of complicated plots involved in play-doh time.  I just love it! 

 

Donovan is 22 Months

Tuesday, April 9th, 2013
Popping Bubbles on Easter =)

Popping Bubbles on Easter =)

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Donovan is such a sweet boy, with a strong streak of mischief.  First, the sweet.  One night we were late getting home and had to go straight to bed.  I tucked Donovan in after a diaper change, but his normal routine involves books and usually someone patting him for at least a little while.  However, Serenity had an upset tummy and both she and Daddy needed to wash off the evidence, so I told him I had to go help them.  He started to cry a little so I walked back to the bed and offered to sing.  He said “yes,” and stopped crying, but as soon as I got to the bed, he changed his mind and said “Go to Daddy and Sister.”

He loves giving good-bye hugs and kisses, especially when Daddy goes to work.  And he make certain that everyone gets hugs and kisses too.  “Kiss sister!  Huuuuuug Mama!”   He often runs across the room to with his arms open wide to give big hugs. =)

 

Huuuuuug

Huuuuuug

“Idea!” with one finger up.  I love this little phrase, and am endeavoring to get it on video.  When I ask him to say it, it’s just not quite the same though.  He looks up at you with this bright, eager little face, holds up one finger and says, “idea!”  It’s musical, the way he says it, and oh so cute.

 

He’s usually really understanding if we just take the time to explain what is going on.  If I have to leave for a yoga class, for example, he will just smile and ask for kisses, and wave happily.  He’s not always so understanding if he wakes up and I’m just gone.

 

He loves to do lots of things himself.  He usually just declares “self!”  but sometimes he says “Donovan do it.”  He likes to climb into his own car seat, so I usually allot a little extra time to get to the car these days.

 

He definitely knows all his colors now.  Not color blind after all. =)  I just worried because he’d always call red blue-yellow, but he’s got it down now, and delights in telling me the colors of things.  He also points out a lot of letters around town.  He knows all the upper case letters, so we can move on to playing with lower case!  He likes counting too, but usually prefers to start around 6.  He doesn’t skip 5 anymore when he does start lower though, which he did for awhile.

 

He still really loves music class.  We did tonal patterns the other day and he actually wanted to sit in the teacher’s lap, and when he was done, he held his arms out like wings, bowed forward and let his arms go up behind him.  It was a very fancy and very adorable bow.

 

His favorite show these days is Diego, with Sofia the First and Backyardigans tied for second.  It’s so cute when he asks for “Fia.”  And he usually asks for Pablo or Tyrone when he wants the Backyardigans.  Diego is by far the winner though, and so his birthday will probably have an animal rescue event. =)

Riding the horsey while Sophia rides in the flying derby.

Riding the horsey while Sophia rides in the flying derby.

 

 

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Hanging out with his cousin Braley

 

 

Hammering play-doh. =)  He loves it when I roll balls for him out of play-doh.  He squishes it then asks for "more balls!"

Hammering play-doh. =) He loves it when I roll balls for him out of play-doh. He squishes it then asks for “more balls!”

Found a pool noodle with a big interior space that works for a ping pong ball run or a hot wheels track!

Found a pool noodle with a big interior space that works for a ping pong ball run or a hot wheels track!

 

Our Easter 2013 =)

Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013

Our Easter =)

 

Introducing Donovan to Easter fun and games was such a blast!  His first taste of it was our kindness day activity, egging the cousin’s houses.  We took a big bag of Easter Eggs over to their house and hid eggs in their front yard for them to find when they got home from school.  I was surprised that he actually willingly hid the eggs and didn’t try to keep them.  He loved putting them on rocks and wherever I pointed.  Serenity, in the meantime, ran all over the yard finding great spots.  Too great, each set of cousins had one egg that remained hidden.  She’d toss them into the middle of bushes, put them in drainpipes, all kinds of fun!

Photo: Kindness day a little early since its sunny. :). Egging the cousins house.  18 Easter egg surprise.

The next week we went to an Easter Egg Hunt at a local park.  I always forget how FAST these go!  They did divide the kids by age, but 0-5 is a pretty big range.  Serenity managed to get plenty of eggs, but Donovan just got one.  He loved running in the pack with the kids though, and a little boy dressed as Batman gave him another.  Just enough to shake like crazy, and then throw clear across the park.  I’m not sure that we explained Easter Egg Hunting well enough to him.

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Saturday we had a little Easter Egg hunt at home.  I printed off coupons for treats and activities, and put a single mini marshmallow in each one, so I didn’t have to worry about policing how much candy they ate.  Serenity has already cashed in her coupon for staying up past bedtime, getting ice cream, picking dinner (Wendy’s of course) and for building a huge crazy fort.  It’s a castle surrounding her bed.  She still has huge hug, park pass, and undivided attention for 30 minutes to go!

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We also dyed Easter Eggs, (some ombre) and some Serenity colored with this nifty egg holder contraption and stencils.

We also dyed Easter Eggs, (some ombre) and some Serenity colored with this nifty egg holder contraption and stencils.

Sunday Morning we had our traditional Easter Bunny Scavenger Hunt.  We typed up clues and Serenity followed them to find bunnies.  Donovan really loved this.  He hugged the bunnies they found and said “So happy, so happy bunny!”  The final clue led them to their Easter baskets, which held some books I got at the school book fair, some fruit snacks, and the best bubble blowers I’ve ever found.  Serenity’s puts little bubbles inside big bubbles, which delights me every time. =)  Donovan doesn’t want to hold his blower (it’s motorized) but he adores chasing them around the yard.

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We enjoyed lunch Sunday with Jen’s family.  Donovan idolizes his older cousins, especially Casey right now.  They are both so good with him, and Barrett really goes out of his way to find things Donovan will like.  We hunted more eggs (filled mostly with raisins and fruit snacks, because Billie is a genius.)  and enjoyed a yummy lunch with the first ham I have ever eaten.  I’ve tried ham before, but Casey’s smoked ham I actually ate.  =)

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We did also manage a few Easter crafts.  I’d been pinning things all year, so it was about time we did them =)  We did q-tip Easter Egg painting, which turned out super cute and both kids loved!  At least Donovan loved it until he realized it meant washing off the paint afterwards.  Serenity was still ready to craft so we made an Easter egg collage using flowers she gathered from the yard.  Then she wanted to get out the do-a-dots, and both kids joined in to make eggs out of that.

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