A Weekend in Photos

We are doing it up right this week, here at the Farm.  The weekend was hot and sunny and beautiful and perfect for little girls to have fun outside with cousins and aunts and uncles.  

There was mud digging and splashing

Sand castle building

Frog catching

And butterfly chasing.

The girls did plenty of drawing with sidewalk chalk.

We went exploring and treasure hunting.

Miss got her hair done like her older cousin.

I need to learn how to do this!

The girls battled with some swords.

Check out her form!

Baby Sis observed happily.

There was a rousing game of kick ball.

To top it off, a campfire with s'mores and fireworks.

And, somebody is two months old already.  Holy smokes.

Gotta go.  I have some mud-pie-making to do.  Or treasure hunting.  Or maybe swing pushing.  Or sidewalk-chalking...

The Preschooler

I'm playing catch-up a bit tonight.  We are at the Farm, and due to traveling and then visiting with family, I have not had a chance to post about Miss's preschool graduation party until tonight.  Of course, she didn't graduate from preschool, but a three or four of the other kids in her school did, so there was a little party last Thursday to celebrate the end of the school year and say farewell to those kids heading off to Kindergarten next year.  I love that her school is a mixed age school and that it is so small, so that she sees her older classmates taking this step to Kindergarten and yet doesn't lose too many of her friends from the past year.

The party was lots of fun.  Miss spent almost the entire time intently focused on making a necklace for herself.

Once she finished it (you can see how long it is in the photos below!!) she went over to the face painting area.  She was a little unsure about the face painting at first.  She is my cautious girl, and she wanted to think this one over a bit.

She eventually sat down and allowed one of her teachers to paint a flower on her cheek.  A blue flower of course.  I love that her teacher knew that blue is her favorite color and commented on it to her (Miss wears a blue shirt to school almost every day).

Though she didn't graduate from preschool to Kindergarten, she did get a certificate for completing her first year of school.  I am so proud of how far she has come in this past year.  She has learned so much and really gained in confidence.  My girl who used to cry every time I dropped her off at school now doesn't want to leave when I come to pick her up.  Every day she says, "Mama, I had so much fun at school today."

When we got home Miss proudly showed off her necklace and face paint (which took three days to wash off, by the way).

Then we had our own little party with some treasures from the Target dollar aisle (have I mentioned how much I love the Target dollar aisle?) and some new sunglasses purchased for our trip to the Farm.

I have so many great photos already from the past weekend of the girls with their cousins at the Farm.  I will post them very soon.  'Night.

Wednesdays with Lass

At least once per week, on Tuesday or Wednesday or both, I have a special morning with Lass while Miss is at school.  Sometimes we run errands or just go home and play.  Often we go to a local cafe where they have a big play area for little ones.  Sis comes along of course, but mostly she just sleeps or chills in her car seat or wrap, so it is special time for Lass and me to hang out.  Her little personality just seems to blossom during these times.  She is so curious and chatters away about everything she sees.  She loves to look at the mural at the cafe and point out each animal she sees.  She plays in the little house and with the train table.

We have a snack.  She likes to climb up in the chair at one of the other small tables, point to the other chair and say, "Sit?  Mama sit?"  Then we sit at the table, just the two of us and chit chat.

Yesterday she wouldn't take off this paper bib after her snack.

She is growing and changing so quickly.  She's 21 months old today.  Her vocabulary seems to grow every day and she now speaks in full sentences.  She has little things she likes to say a lot, like "No yet," if you ask her to do something or "Okay?," meaning, "Are you okay?"  She pats or rubs my arm or leg if she can when she asks this one.  She is very interested in taking care of her baby sister and tries to be able to do all the things her big sister can do.  She is now wearing a "big girl pony tail" like her big sis.  She looks so grown up.

I love my mornings with my middle girl.