Land of Snow and Ice

Scott made this Borax creation at Cub Scouts on Sunday.
Get the directions at Steve Spangler Science.  

This is a sight we rarely see in Georgia - our Valentine's decorations backed by snow.  Yet, as we are one day away from Valentine's Day our ground has several inches of snow.  The kids have had a blast.  

Amanda found some tattoos the other day and stuck them all over her face…all by herself…with the bathroom door closed and locked.  :)

Andrew enjoying the sled that I had as a child.  I remember my parents purchasing this sled and our other sled when I was about his age.  We went to the hardware storm just before a predicted snowstorm and these were the only two sleds left.  Who knew we would still have them all these years later.  

Scott found the Spiderman mask in our dress up box and decided to use it like a ski mask.

This girl shows so much expression as she sleds.  She is not one to hold back her excitement.

Eating snow is really good.

We headed up the street to see if we could find some better hills.  You can see that one 4WD truck had passed…but that was the only traffic we saw all day.

We went around the corner to a street called Hilltop.  The name fits, and it is a great street for sledding!  I have to say, when I'm running, I don't always think of it in such positive terms.  It is the last hill at the end of my three-mile course, and I'm ready to get home when I reach the top.

Playing in the snow makes hungry and tired children,  We made a big dish of homemade mac & cheese.  Amanda had three big helpings.  I think it was the first time ever that we had no leftovers!

We ended the day with a fire and movie.  Guess who didn't  make it through the whole movie?

It snowed more last night, so we are gearing up for another day of fun before it melts tomorrow!

Farley's birthday

Farley is 7 today!  As Andrew very accurately pointed out, that makes him 49 and the oldest member of our household - "Older than Daddy!"  

We love celebrating our dog's birthday because it is a good chance to sing and torture him by making him wear a hat.  

Amanda, of course, is the planner of all celebrations.  

The only way that we can encourage Farley to sit still is by offering him a banana.  He will do ANYTHING for a piece of banana.  (You can see Amanda retrieving more birthday hats out of our party drawer.)

When we offer him a banana, he not only sits, but immediately lies down.  He knows the sequence before he can receive his treat.

Our sweet, sweet dog.  He really is a good friend and companion.  We are thankful for him.

Art in Excess

Amanda's teachers are cleaning out their room and they sent gobs of art home yesterday.  According to Amanda, there will be more in today's Friday folder.  She was so excited about it that she wanted to open her book bag on the way home from school.  But sifting through book bags in the car is one thing I don't allow because inevitably some papers are lost and others stay in the car, destined to be stepped on and torn.  So she showed restraint and maturity by telling me that she was going to wait, but that she wanted to be the one to open her bag when we got home.

I'll say…this opening-the-bookbag-in-the-car was a battle I chose to fight at the beginning of the year.  After all, preschool is training Amanda for real school…years and years of book bags and papers that Mama needs to see.  Amanda is strong and does not want to have to wait for things, so we have had many days of tears about having to wait. (Lest you think I'm torturing her, we have an eight minute commute, all right turns and only one traffic light.)  So I was thankful for this day when all of my efforts seemed to have paid off.

Her book bag was full!  Look at the spread.

My first thought was one of thankfulness…thankful for a school where she can live in the art center…thankful for a school with the resources to have paper and paint and markers…thankful for teachers who let her use as much as she wants (a luxury she does not always have at home).

Here are some of my favorites:

A family picture.  She was clear to point out to me that "Daddy is bald!"  I think she tried to spell my name above me.  

No surprises to me that there was at least one rainbow.  Amanda loves making rainbows.  They are featured in most of her coloring.

This one was clearly directed by the teachers, but I love it anyway.  Amanda has creative teachers who send home such cute artwork.

This set of self-portraits reminded me of an artist's series.  I think they also show great self-confidence.  And I just love the one in the middle with the giant "Amanda."

We are half way through the school year, and I think Amanda is definitely ready for kindergarten.  She is starting to learn to read, although she doesn't really have the patience or interest to sit long enough to practice.  She is far more interested in playing with her babies or practicing gymnastics when she gets home.