Monday, December 17, 2012

Nut Crackin'





I picked up this great nut cracker at the farmer's market a while back. Very utilitarian in it's design. Heavy duty, easy to operate and fun to use. 

I knew Coen would love it. It's a very Montessori type activity IMHO. Learning through work and play. Just choose your nut...

Make any adjustments if needed...
Pull the leaver...
Eat.

Enjoy.

Repeat.
That's hours of fun right there.

Friday, December 14, 2012

Do you do-a-dot?

Do you do-a-dot?





We do!

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Is it Christmastime?

How do I know that it's Christmastime at our house?

Well, the Holy Family has made an appearance.

Decorations are out.

The tree is up and already missing several ornaments.

Gifts are wrapped.

The stockings are hung.

 Merry Christmas Mr. Owl!

Christmas books are strewn everywhere!

As are Christmas crafts.

Christmas music and movies are playing continuously. 

Our Christmas Countdown Chain/Advent Calendar is getting shorter!


Homemade goodies are being boxed up and are awaiting neighbors and friends.

How do I know it's Christmastime at our house? 
.........
I'm out of butter for the second time this week.

Monday, December 10, 2012

My Grandma

Norma Pinkerton, my Grandma, passed away this past week. December 6th, actually.

You know when people say someone is enchanting? Like, you know, in "You've Got Mail" everyone says Kathleen Kelly's mother was "enchanting". Well, so was my Grandma. She was enchanting. Lively, loving, tender, sweet, playful, happy. I'm not 100% sure what a "sing-song" voice is but It's how I would describe hers. She sang when she talked. When my grandparents would visit she would sing-say "Yoo-hoo!!" to announce their arrival. When she laughed she sounded like she was singing. Beautiful. She sang a lot actually, humming little tunes she made up, just being silly and fun. She would dance and shuffle and saunter into rooms humming like she was in a sweet little chorus line only she could see. It's one of the things I remember most about her.

I remember her hands. Her beautiful, beautiful hands. Dainty, perfectly manicured and extremely soft. Always gentle and slow, never quick and harsh. Always serving someone. Always smelling of some flowery lotion.

She loved flowers. I remember going to The Botanical Gardens with her. She took pictures of every flower there. She always had potted plants and flowers around the house. Especially Aloe Vera. Any time me or one of my sisters would trip and fall, scraping a hand or knee, she would snap off a piece of Aloe Vera and ("Doot doot doot!") daub it on our wound. Of course it would never hurt, nothing Grandma ever did would hurt.

My Grandma was a child at heart. She was never too busy to play with us. I remember it like it was yesterday. My sisters and me and sometimes my cousin, Candice, huddled under the desk in their den, or, rarely, in their immaculate front sitting room. My Grandma would come in and sit on the floor with her legs straight out in front of her, place her hands on the controls of our imaginative plane, start up the engines (which were her very girly sounding motor sounds) and fly us to Disney Land. She would bounce her knees and point out all of the Disney characters below us, waving and "sing-songing" hellos to each one. We would land and she would either oblige us with another trip or return to the adults, leaving us elated.

At Christmas, she was always in our corner, interrupting conversations and hurrying everyone through their coffee and dessert because she wanted to open presents for which us kids were eternally grateful.

Later, when she would see my boys she focused all of her attention on them and never seemed to tire of playing "pee pie" (Peek-a-boo) or doing whatever else would grab their attention. It worked, every time and they would watch her intently as long as she would entertain.

She loved unconditionally. She was sweet and feminine. She was.....enchanting.

Love you, Grandma.

Friday, November 9, 2012

Trunk or Treat/ Pumpkin Carving

I joined a Mom's group over the summer and it was a great decision, if I do say so myself! I've been to a handful of meetups and it really is a great group of moms and kids. Trunk or Treat was a must attend! Everyone brought bowls of goodies, be it candy, toys, snacks and the kids got to go around and collect their loot. Then, when everyone was done, we had a potluck style lunch and there was some really great food! Because it was held at a park the kids spent the rest of the time running off their candy and making friends!

 










  
We waited unitl the last moment to carve our pumpkin. Coen loves scooping out the insides!



Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Coen's Fourth Birthday

We have a four year old. It's still hard to believe. I look him over and I can't see "baby" on him anywhere. It's all giggles and ribs and scrapes. Hair that's a little too long and pants that are a little too short. The baby boy traits are only visible when he's sleeping. I hope they stay there. 
 Anyway, party talk! We had to do a Toy Story party! Really, it was just a family party but I went ahead and bought Toy Story party supplies. Easy peasy. I apologize in advance for all of the underwear shots.
 Here's Coen looking at the decorated table right after he woke up. He stopped, sleepy eyed and said, "The CLAAAAWW!"

 Daniel's gift idea.




Coen had been wanting a train wash for a while and I found this one on Amazon. Paid the express shipping, yes I did.

Made cupcakes after the morning festivities. It was my first time to decorate cupcakes like this. 


My mom's dog, Murphy (or "Furfie" as Coen says) was invited to the party.

Birthday Buzz!






This was Coen's first year to be physically able to blow out his birthday candle. He is doing so well with his speech therapy and motor planning. Sweet guy.


FURFIE!!!