potato prints

miles' mother came to visit and we decided to do some crafts together. we made potato print cards. we used cookie cutters to imprint the shape on the potato and create a stamp. i have made these kinds of prints before for t-shirts, but i haven't tried them on paper. i don't think we were using the right kind of paint this time. we were using washable tempera paint. it was too gloppy and we never got a clean print. after a short time we kind of abandoned the idea of the potato and just let the kids paint with brushes. that seemed to produce better results. i was thinking these would be our valentines this year, but i might try to come up with something else that will look better. we did enjoy spending time and crafting with granny though. it was a fun visit.

3 months

connor is 3 months old today. he is 8 lbs 12 oz. he has started cooing and smiling all the time. it is impossible to not smile back. he is just so darn cute. he is off the monitor now. hurray. it is gone. i don't miss it at all. it is so nice not to have a cord attached to him.

he still sleeps in his crib. yay us. we finally got one kid to sleep in it. he is actually pretty good at sleeping lately. he will still wake up every four hours to eat, but he usually will go right back to sleep. he is not an easy baby though. he wants to be held all day. my kids need so much attention. i have to admit not much is getting done around here with me holding the baby all the time. oh well. i will just have to do it later.

another day

just another day of hanging out with our cousin bodhi at the happiest place on earth.

rainy day crafts

today auntie jen and bodhi came over to play. we have all been stuck in the house with the rain and the kids are getting bored. we decided to do a craft project and make little banks. we took travel cups left over from a restaurant and covered them with paper. the kids glued cut out shapes to them and colored them with markers. jen and i cut out a hole in the top and glued a ribbon around the edge to finish them. it was a fun project that held their attention for at least 10 minutes. not bad for a craft project with toddlers.

green

today is green day around here, although it looks more like a blue day with all the rain. we made green cookies and ate green peas for dinner. the kids practiced writing the word green and we searched around the house for green things. they are really good with their colors. they didn't need my help at all. just help with writing the word. we all thought green day was very fun. i hope to have more color days soon.

happy new year

2010. wow. that is just crazy. where did 2009 go?

we had a fun new years eve party at my house with my family. we made a nice dinner and played games until midnight. the kids had so much fun. both dahlia and mason stayed up to say hello to 2010. those party animals. everyone stayed the night and watched the rose parade this morning. i made my traditional veggie chili so we could get some black eyed peas in our diet. they are supposed to bring prosperity. we could use some of that around here.

i have lots of goals for the new year. i really want this year to be different. i want it to be really really good. so here are my new year resolutions:

1. reduce the clutter from my house. - this is one that makes me crazy. i need a clean house or i just get depressed. looking around i realize we just have too much stuff. time to throw it out. too much little junk.

2. lose my baby weight. - man. here i am again having to lose weight after a baby. i think i am going to cut out most of the sugar from my diet. i have a serious cookie problem from the holidays. no more. the belly must go!

3. spend more time teaching the kids. - we do lots of playing and art projects, but i really want to focus on teaching them the alphabet, numbers, reading, etc. i have some good ideas on how to make this a fun process. i just need to do it.

4. listen to more music. - i do not play enough music for the kids. i find that putting on music makes too much noise with all the screaming the kids do so i just avoid it. they need music though, and so do i. it makes me happy. i miss it.

5. be more organized. - this one pretty much says it all. if i could get organized and not feel so scattered all the time i think everything else would fall into place. this should be number 1.