Color-Crazy

With birthday money from Mima and Pa, the boys received our new coloring utensils in the mail the other day and I just couldn't wait to see how the boys liked them. I'm not sure who was more mesmerized - me or them...

We love our Stockmar blocks and crayons! I've read reviews on these for years. People have raved about the brilliant color, smooth application, lack of waxy film on the paper and the fact that they last so long and are break resistant. As a mom with a bucket full of broken crayons, I was itching to try them. Keegan loves stacking the blocks and all of the boys have been experimenting with how to color with the blocks and enjoying the bright color of the crayons. I'm thinking leaf rubbings are in the near future.

I'm also loving our new Lyra Ferby pencils. These chubby pencils sport a triangular shape which is helpful for little hands! Not only does it help them hold the pencil correctly, but the larger size also prevents their hands from tiring out as quickly. The colors are so vibrant and beautiful. Xander loves how exact he can get with his drawings.

And yes, we are still obsessed with anything outer space related!

Juice Bliss

Discovering the joys of undiluted juice!

Nesting, Stacking and Rhyming, Oh My!

After the home school convention this last weekend, I am freshly inspired to interact with and teach my little one's! I was reminded of the importance of spending individual time with EACH child, EVERY day.

So today, I pulled out our stacking/nesting block set that Mima bought for Trey! He had so much fun stacking it up and pushing over his tower creation. He loved having my undivided attention as I cheered him on in his play! He did "fairly" well at stacking in descending order of size.

Each boy then proceeded to have private time in the play-yard with the blocks. What was so fascinating about this amazing toy was seeing how each child played with it in a way that was developmentally relevant for him. Trey simply stacked and knocked over. Keegan, was obsessed with sorting them from largest to smallest, counting them and making sure they were stacked "just right". He was then equally interested in nesting them. It took him several tries, but he kept at it until he figured out how to do it. Xander stacked them up, but then studied each side - the 1,2, Buckle My Shoe rhyme on one side, the alphabet on another side and then a picture of a Mother Goose nursery rhyme. He's quite the story teller and enjoyed relaying the story to me.

One toy, so many ways to play with it!

This really is a wonderful toy - and beautiful too! All of the blocks made by this company are beautiful. My mom has another set from the Metropolitan Museum of Art that is also stunning.

I'm in the process of putting together a "Learning Box" for Keegan (and Trey too) that will store my educational toys that I can pull out and spend one-on-one time with him. This will definitely be going in there!

Soaring Dreams

I just love seeing little imaginations at work.

Xander has been getting into everything "space" related. Yesterday, he ran up to me, to show me his latest costume.

"Houston, do you copy"

He told me the other day that he wants to be an astronaut when he grows up. He then asked me:

"Mom, when you grow up, do you want to be an astronaut too?"

Nesting

What are we doing?

Nesting, of course!

During recent trips to the zoo, the boys developed an interest in eagles.

Naturally, one thing led to another, and we started reading up on them. This reminded me of an idea a creative friend of mine found -making an eagles next using rolled up newspapers. We were supposed to paint them, but for some reason the boys lost interest in slapping copious amounts of brown tempora paint, so we quit half-way thru.

The boys still enjoyed 'pretending' to be eagles and collect 'sticks' for their nest. They proceeded to then go and find food to bring back to the baby birds.

...and showing off their impressive talons!

Trey, is in a "must be near mommy" phase and not at all interested in birds nests yet

Color-Coded

I'm terribly unorganized, but every once in a while I stumble on a good idea that makes my life just a little more sane.

Color-coded cups (and toothbrushes) have been a life saver here!

No fighting, no confusion.  No spreading of unnecessary germs...

And well, they are so pretty to look at!

We love our Klean Kanteen water bottles! They even come with a sippy top for Treyton!