Shower Painting

I recently came up with a way for Annabelle to paint to her heart's content without worrying about the mess.

When she's done, I just take the painting off the wall, turn on the water and let her take a shower. Instant clean-up! It's a lot easier than dealing with this:

Conversation Snippet 7: Pretty

Alternate Title: Why Everyone Should Keep a 3-year-old in the House

I was standing out on the utility balcony this morning hanging a load of laundry. It is a hot and humid day, and I was sweating after just a minute of being out there. Add that on top of the fact that I've been sick all week, haven't showered in over a day, was sporting a very sloppy bed-head, and was still wearing my pajamas, and you can picture the sight.

I noticed Caleb standing in the doorway watching me work. Then, out of nowhere:

Caleb: Mom, you're really pretty.
Me: Thanks, Caleb.
Caleb: I mean, even though you don't have good clothes on, you're still really pretty.
Me: Thanks, Caleb.
Caleb: You're welcome, Mom. (and off he went to play)

I think he was probably the only person who could have given that complement in complete sincerity of heart. There really is something wonderful about having a 3-year-old!

Conversation Snippet 6: When I'm the boss

On Friday, I was singing a rousing rendition of "What Can Wash Away My Sins?" as I was putting away laundry first thing after breakfast. Apparently, it was too early in the morning for Caleb's liking (either that or he thinks I can't sing!) because he came into my bedroom, flopped on the bed and we had the following conversation:

Caleb: Mom, you need to stop singing that song.

Me: Nope. You can't tell me what to do because you're the son and I'm the Mommy. You may ask me politely, but I might still say no because God made me the boss of you when He made me your Mommy.

Caleb: When do I get to be the boss?

Me: When you grow up and you are the Daddy then you can be the boss.

Caleb: Hmm (thinking quite seriously). . . Well just so you know, when I grow up and I'm the boss and I'm singing really loud and my son comes and tells me to stop, I will listen to him!

What we've been up to lately. . .

Finger Painting (or, in Annabelle's case, Body Painting)

and. . .

Pretending to be Elephants at the Zoo. . .

and. .

A little bit of "Crazy Time".

The Thankful Tree

I thought I'd share an idea I had for a simple craft to make with your toddlers to help them prepare for Thanksgiving. (I'm sure I'm not the first person with this idea!)

The Thankful Tree

You will need:

• Construction paper: brown, green, orange, red, yellow
• Scissors
• Glue
• Marker
• Bigger sheet of paper for "canvas"

I cut out a tree trunk, limbs, and leaves. Caleb was in charge of pasting. We started with an empty tree and then I asked him to think of something he was thankful for. I then wrote that item/person on a leaf and he pasted the leaf to his tree. When the tree was full of leaves, we prayed and gave thanks to God for each leaf on Caleb's Thankful Tree.

You could make this as simple or complex as you wanted. If you have more than one preschooler, you could use a different color leaf for each child. Or, you could even make it a family tree with larger leaves and more room to write (our little leaves only had room for one word, which worked fine for a three-year-old) . The possibilities are endless ;-)

Banana Pops!

I know it's the end of summer for most of you, but if you're in the mood for one last taste of summer, give this a try. I'm not a banana fanatic, but these are delish and super easy to make. This is a great "cooking" project for toddlers. Caleb was able to do almost every step (with help) and he was so proud of the finished product.

Mmmmmmm!

(sorry, this is a terrible picture)

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Banana Pops

4 Bananas

8 popsicle sticks

about 1/2 cup chocolate chips

2-3 Tbs peanut butter

2 tsp butter

sprinkles

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the bananas in half, leaving the peel intact. Insert a popsicle stick 1/2 into into each banana and then peel (this keeps the banana from breaking apart). Place the bananas a parchment paper lined baking sheet and freeze for about 15 minutes to chill the bananas (this makes the chocolate stick better).

Microwave the chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter for 30 seconds. Stir and repeat until melted. Dip the partially-frozen bananas into chocolate mixture. Sprinkle with decorations and return to freezer.

Allow to freeze for at least 3 hours.

What Boys Love

If you've ever wondered what two-and-a half-year-old boys love, wonder no more. . .

Oh, and happy half-birthday, Little Boy. It's hard for your mommy to believe you are already halfway to three!

Chaos

Several of you have been wondering why all the pictures I post are either one cute kid or the other, but not both at the same time. Here is why: when I try to get shots of both of them together chaos ensues.

Just see for yourself. . .


P.S.- Thanks, Kirsten, for your tips about photo processing. I've been having fun over at Picnik. =)

Sharing a Room

Today I decided that Annabelle could graduate from her Moses basket in our room to the real crib in the room she'll be sharing with Caleb. So, for nap time this afternoon, I tucked Caleb into his toddler bed and put Annabelle in her crib.

Caleb was so excited to have her in his room that he could hardly contain himself. I knew that sleep was unlikely, but he was so happy to finally have his sister in the room, that I figured one missed nap wouldn't hurt.

I left the door open and went to the living room to enjoy a bit of peace and quiet. I could hear Caleb in there talking and singing, and Annabelle cooing. I listened carefully and when I heard Caleb saying "giddyup" I decided it was time to take a peek to make sure all was well. This is what I found: