After just over three years at this website, I have filled it to capacity and am moving to a new one.
This site will still be accessible but I will no longer post here. Be sure to bookmark our new page once you click the link!
Monday, May 9
The Switch
After just over three years at this website, I have filled it to capacity and am moving to a new one.
This site will still be accessible but I will no longer post here. Be sure to bookmark our new page once you click the link!
Saturday, May 7
Little Monkeys
There is a lot of monkey-see monkey-do around here between siblings. Evan and Chloe love to imitate each other and laugh hysterically. Chloe watches everything Evan does and tries her very best to be just the same. The other day, Evan was being Wall-E compacting trash and Chloe joined right in.
Having a "shadow" can really bother some kids, so I feel relieved that this is one less thing they have to fight about. It's entertaining for all of us. Now if I could just get them to do their turkey strut on video....
Having a "shadow" can really bother some kids, so I feel relieved that this is one less thing they have to fight about. It's entertaining for all of us. Now if I could just get them to do their turkey strut on video....
Friday, May 6
Headbands
Part of our deal with Evan when he wanted to grow his hair l-o-n-g was that he's have to keep it out of his eyes on a regular basis. Without the headbands it is usually impossible to see his face.
It's almost long enough to tuck behind his ears but he doesn't like that feeling anyway, so he may be using headbands for another six months.
It's really starting to get past the latest in-between stage and looking really great again. (Anyone with curly hair knows this cycle....) Doesn't it look nice??
Thursday, May 5
Her Corner
Evan and Chloe share a small room. With a twin bed on each side (for now) there is less than four feet between beds. There isn't much space in the house that is really just their own, so on the wall by their bed we allowed the kids a bit of decorating freedom. They each have a calendar hung up on which they methodically track each passing day with a highlighter.
Each of them has framed art from Uncle Chris, some horse paint-by-numbers I did years ago, a kitten poster from Granny and a handful of photos and always a changing array of random personal drawings. Right now, Evan has just one tracing of WallE displayed. Chloe has the snowflakes she's been cutting out, but it is usually her favorite tracing paper pictures of horses. They just grab the tape and decorate whenever they want to.
I love that Chloe has her two enlarged photos of Trip right by her pillow.
Each night at bedtime Chloe arranges her "stuffies" -- usually a snake or two, a pile of puppies and her white tiger. And always Moonlight. Sometimes the beanie babies join her too -- turtles, the rat, a robin, a blue-jay. There is barely room for her once all the pillows are in place! Her bed has a really pretty rainbow stripe quilt and polka dot sheet that she refuses to use. She likes covering up with her big yellow blanket which keeps her plenty warm.
It's her corner and this is just how she likes it.
Each of them has framed art from Uncle Chris, some horse paint-by-numbers I did years ago, a kitten poster from Granny and a handful of photos and always a changing array of random personal drawings. Right now, Evan has just one tracing of WallE displayed. Chloe has the snowflakes she's been cutting out, but it is usually her favorite tracing paper pictures of horses. They just grab the tape and decorate whenever they want to.
I love that Chloe has her two enlarged photos of Trip right by her pillow.
Each night at bedtime Chloe arranges her "stuffies" -- usually a snake or two, a pile of puppies and her white tiger. And always Moonlight. Sometimes the beanie babies join her too -- turtles, the rat, a robin, a blue-jay. There is barely room for her once all the pillows are in place! Her bed has a really pretty rainbow stripe quilt and polka dot sheet that she refuses to use. She likes covering up with her big yellow blanket which keeps her plenty warm.
It's her corner and this is just how she likes it.
Wednesday, May 4
A Morning with Chloe
We played with playmobil horses in her bedroom.
We shared a big bowl of popcorn and some apples and pears.
We decorated and braided hair on her big horses.
We read the next chapter in her horse book, Barbaro.
We enjoyed each other's company and chatted
about her favorite things -- mostly horses.
about her favorite things -- mostly horses.
******************
I've resorted to just snapping random pictures of Chloe all the time now, since she has adopted Evan's run-away technique. Some of them (when not too blurry) are actually kind of cute :-)
Tuesday, May 3
Deck Project
Our deck feels like a cage.
Maybe when we built it we thought we needed a cage since Evan was not yet two years old and we knew we'd be having another baby around soon, but we are tired of the cage. It's time to open things up.
Todd started dismantling the handrail spindles last night and the kids helped.
He showed both of them how to use the drill to get the screws out. Chloe wasn't such a fan of it and preferred to just haul away the loose spindles to the garage. Evan was a pro.
The boy likes power tools. Just like his dad.
Todd left a spindle here and there for stability until the next phase of construction. You can see Chloe at work (also trying to dodge the camera).
I love the Superman cape hanging down out of Evan's coat. He still dresses up all the time.
Since Todd has quite a few house projects going right now (swings to hang from the backyard tree, front yard landscaping and grass, sidewalk cement pouring, building a bed with drawer storage underneath for us, building a loft-type bed for the kids), the deck getting opened up to the yard might not get done immediately but we will chip away at it.
The plan is to put in a large staircase and support posts for the overhead pergola so there will be no more cage!
Maybe when we built it we thought we needed a cage since Evan was not yet two years old and we knew we'd be having another baby around soon, but we are tired of the cage. It's time to open things up.
Todd started dismantling the handrail spindles last night and the kids helped.
He showed both of them how to use the drill to get the screws out. Chloe wasn't such a fan of it and preferred to just haul away the loose spindles to the garage. Evan was a pro.
The boy likes power tools. Just like his dad.
Todd left a spindle here and there for stability until the next phase of construction. You can see Chloe at work (also trying to dodge the camera).
I love the Superman cape hanging down out of Evan's coat. He still dresses up all the time.
Since Todd has quite a few house projects going right now (swings to hang from the backyard tree, front yard landscaping and grass, sidewalk cement pouring, building a bed with drawer storage underneath for us, building a loft-type bed for the kids), the deck getting opened up to the yard might not get done immediately but we will chip away at it.
The plan is to put in a large staircase and support posts for the overhead pergola so there will be no more cage!