Paint and Toys

 We saw a great idea online - to use plastic animals and HotWheels to spread and stamp paint.

 The kids loved this project.

 It wasn't long before May gave up and started using her hands.

 But James really stuck with it.

 May even gave up on the paper.

What fun!

Zebras

I've been clearing the clutter from our home.  Here are some zebras that the kids made during a day camp they attended over the summer.  James' zebra is above.  Pretty cute, even with the crooked eyes, yes?  May's zebra is below.  She colored on some orange cheeks, and then apparently assassinated it.  When I asked her about the red spot she explained that it was "an owie."  Something is wrong with that child . . .

Fashionista

May really enjoys putting together her own outfits, and sometimes even doing her own hair.  (Can you see the mis-matched socks in the pic above?)

The outfit she chose for our Red Butte Garden adventure, however, was altogether too charming.

Although we talk often about how May is "good for more than just being looked at," she sure is cute!

Life Cycle of an Art Project

First, while the kids change into their art shirts, I lay out all the materials in the kitchen, taping down the paper (in this case old grocery bags) and pouring paint.

 Then I step back and watch the kids do what they do so well.

 Soon enough they get the hang of it.

 Then they decide to change up the project to suit their little curious minds.

 As they finish up, their concentration never waivers.

Then it's time to clean the kids.  (This was a "balloon bath," just because it sounded like a fun idea.)

 After the projects are dried it's time to clean the kitchen.  (Relatively easy considering how tidy the kids are.)

The Big Guy

May brought me a picture she had drawn on the wipe-off board.  "Mommy, look what I drawed!"  I asked her to tell me about it.  "Well," she said, very solemnly, "it's God."

Breakfast at your Leisure

Here is May as she usually is each morning, noon, and evening about 45 minutes after a meal is served.  After everyone else has finished their food, cleared their dishes, and moved on to other activities, May is still sitting in her spot chewing her tiny bites of food what must be one million times.  I try not to impose time limits willy-nilly, and I figure when else in her life can she devote this much of her day to savoring food?  Still, it kind of bugs me.

Coldest. Field Trip. Ever.

On Fridays May and I take a morning field trip.  This Friday I thought I would delight her with a hike - she constantly asks to go "into the forest" or "up in the mountains."  However, we had a big dip in temperature that day and although we wore our insulated pants and hoodies, it was still incredibly cold (there was frost on the leaves.)  As you can see, she was very unhappy.

 So I gave her my hoodie and offered to carry her.  Which cheered her right up.

 We hiked up to donut falls, which is about 1.5 mile round trip.  Halfway to the falls we found the sun.

After viewing the falls and having a short snack, May was ready to do her own walking back down the trail (a good 3/4 miles).

At the bottom we stopped in the very stinky port-a-potty.  May was crying "smells bad" the whole time!

I praised May for being such a good sport and such a tough girl.  We picked up James, had some lunch, and she went into her room to read.  This is how I found her 40 minutes later.  That hike really took it out of her!