Chalk Animals

I purrchased a Crayola chalk making kit at Walmart on Monday and yesterday the girls and I made chalk animals.

It wasn't that hard or messy.  You add a few capfuls of water to the chalk dust provided and shake up the bottles. 

Once mixed you pour the liquid into the molds and let it harden for 15-20 minutes. 

It worked well and the girls had fun coloring with them.

It was a fun project, not expensive, and not messy!  Gotta love that!

Love,
Michelle

Playhouse

My mother-in-law generously offered to buy a playhouse for the girls.  Sophie and I spent some time looking at many, many playhouses online, showed Brian our favorites and we all picked one out.

It arrived Thursday and we enlisted the help of a neighbor, also named Brian, to go with my Brian up to Walmart to pick it up in his truck.  The box was so big it took up the entire bed of the truck!

Friday night I began putting the house together.  It wasn't too hard as each wall was one piece of the giant puzzle.  The front of the house has a full size door with cut out windows.  It also has a little planter, a mail slot, and a working doorbell!  (Lydia spent a good 10 minutes just standing in front of the house ringing the bell).

The two side walls have windows with shutters (The side wall picture, shows our friend Jack).  The back wall has a large window that holds a folding table/stove/grill.  The table folds in to be a stove and out to be a grill.  There is also a clock, two little shelves, a phone, and a mirror inside.  I must say this playhouse provides a lot for a good price.  The playhouse does not have a floor, but we're keeping it on the patio, so that will provide the floor.

Monday we went out and bought a few toys specifically for the outdoors and for Sophie and Lydie's new house.  We bought a few dishes, a small plastic tea set, a basket of food, a watering can and a dog bowl.  Sophie said her dog, Anna, might get thirsty.  For around $20 these additions really make the house.

Now Sophie said all they need are beds!  Um, I think we'll skip those!

Love,
Michelle

Ni Hao!

Sophie has started to like a new TV show, "Ni Hao, Kailan."  It's about a little girl, Kailan, and is somewhat like Dora as it teaches another language, Chinese, and good lessons.  Such as, what it means to keep a promise, how to share, and how to help your friends.

Sophie loves learning new words in different languages.  We have been working on Spanish and she has quite a few words under her belt.  However, now she wants to learn Chinese.

We went to the bookstore to see what kind of chilren's books we could find to help Sophie learn Chinese.
While at the store the following took place:

Sophie apparoached an Asian mom with three children in tow.
Sophie: "Ni Hao!"  Said a little too loudly.
The mom gave me a strange glance as if to say, "What did your kid just say to me?"
Me:  "She said 'hello' in Chinese."
The Mom:  Bending down to Sophie, "Oh, baby, we're Korean."
I stifled a laugh as Sophie looked over at me and said, "What?"
I explained that just as Chinese people are from China, Koreans are from Korea.
Sophie:  "Is Korea far away like China?"
Me:  "Yes."
Sophie:  "Is it as far as Wisconsin?"
Again stifling a laugh, "It's much farther than Wisconsin."
Sophie:  "Ok."

Through this whole episode the mom and her oldest child were laughing a bit too.  She was really nice and such a good sport with Sophie.  Thank goodness she was a mom herself and understands a bit how little minds work.

Zai hui!  (Good-bye)

Love,
Michelle

Summer Flowers

A few weeks ago Sophie and Daddy went to the plant nursery and Sophie bought a pink petunia, with her own money, to plant in the front yard.  It has been doing so well that today I took the girls to buy a few more for them to plant with Daddy.  Well...apparently petunias don't like the heat, so the nursery isn't selling them anymore. :(  However, they did recommend zinias and vincas.  So we bought a few of each.

Here are some pictures of the girls digging and helping Daddy.

Lydia had decided she had had enough shoveling, so she started picking the petunia flowers.  Check out the deviant look on her face!  Is she trouble, or what?

Sophie and Daddy

The finished flower bed.  (You can see the lovely, pink petunia.  They may not like heat, but I think they get just enough shade to do well).

One happy, little zinia.

Love,

Michelle

Making Cookies or Making a Giant Mess!

I decided to make cookies with the girls on Saturday.  We mixed and rolled and baked.  It was pretty tame.  They helped, but didn't make a mess.  I was grateful, thinking "we had such fun and I won't have a mess to clean up."  I should have removed the girls from the counter just as I finished the thought, but no...I had to get the camera to document their cleanliness.

However.....I forgot that I left the flour on the counter between them. Well...you can imagine what happened from there.

At first they just moved it around on the counter.  Then Lydia tried to fill the Pyrex with it. 

Then Sophie poured flour on Lydia's head. 

Then Lydia decided to try to eat/drink the flour that was piling up on the counter.  Needless to say I had the biggest flour mess I have ever had in my kitchen. 

But, at least they had fun, right?  Right?

Love,
Michelle

101 Things in 1,001 Days

I have accomplished many items on this list of late, but today I did #78!

#78.  Catch up on all ironing.  (I suggest not letting it get to this point!)


#18.  Go a whole week keeping every dish in the house clean.  Today is day seven!

#25.  Teach the girls to swim (or have them take lessons) - In progress for Sophie

#41. & #42.  Go to San Antonio and Go to Sea World. - This is planned for Labor Day Weekend with Brian's family.

#51.  Read a spiritually awakening book. - Read "Prodigal God" and finished it in April.  It is a must read and one that can be read over and over.

#54.  Make all the beds, every morning, for one month. - This is in progress and I began it 5/11/2010.  Today is one week and I think that is a triumph too!

#60.  Have a couple (we don't normally have over) over for dinner.  On Thursday, May 13th, we had Jack & Lael Arrington over for dinner.  Jack was our previous pastor at church.  They are heading out to South Carolina to their new church in just a few weeks.  They will be missed.

That's it for now!

Love,

Michelle

Sophie's Dictionary

Two new words for Sophie's Dictionary:

Famungous - Very Large  (I suppose she means humungous!)

Scrumdaleecious - A combination of scrumdiliumptious and delicious.

Love,
Michelle