Ornaments - November 17, 2011

Avary's violin teacher gave us some extra clay she had, so we made some Christmas tree ornaments with it. I love this Crayola clay because you don't have to bake it, and it's so versatile. After a few days, these were dry enough to paint. I forgot to take a picture of the finished products. Some of them ended up broken before Christmas, but others made it and are packed up for next Christmas.

Camping in the Backyard - August 19 - 20, 2011

We had quite the exciting weekend. After swimming in Gelterswoog, we camped out in our backyard that night.

The kids had a great time running in and out of the tent after we got it set up.

Snug as three bugs in a rug.
Daddy read them the story of Robin Hood once we were all in bed, and then after some adjustments (Avary felt too squished so she ended up moving to the other side of me and Mike), we all got some sleep.

The kids were all very happy to wake up in the tent the next morning.

The first thing Will's face did after he woke up was break into a big grin!

Sam was also a happy camper and had his froggy pillow with him too.

I just couldn't resist trying to capture the joy on this kid's face!

Avary's Fairy House - July 16, 2011

Avary built a fairy house out in the backyard. We checked out a  book from the library awhile ago about a couple of little girls who built a fairy house, and we thought that would be a fun thing to do. All she had me do was dig some holes to put the sticks in the ground, and tie some of the sticks together. It started sprinkling while she was building it and she was determined to finish so the fairies would have a place to go to get out of the rain. :)

She had so much fun building it, and she was really proud of it.

Sidewalk Chalk Art - June 25, 2011

The kids drew some fun pictures with sidewalk chalk out on the patio. So Mike took pictures. Those are Grandpa's feet. 

Look at the cute little footprints. :)

Our patio has been covered with sidewalk art for the last month or so (except after it's been raining).

Shelves for Toys

Avary's shelves.
They sell these shoe shelves at Hornbach, and they make the perfect little all-purpose shelves. They are stackable too. So I painted some to put under Avary's and Sam's beds to store their toys. Later, I painted some for Will, too.

Sam's shelves.

Bench and Scrub - May 31, 2011

I decided to move our rocking chair upstairs for all the night-time feedings that I know we'll be happening in a few months. But, we needed more seating downstairs, and our coffee table was just sitting against a wall in an extra room not being used, so I turned it into a bench. I just used a body pillow for the back. It's not the most comfortable seat, but it works. :)

Avary made this sugar scrub at girl scouts one day for a Mother's Day gift to me.

More Birds' Nests

The week of birds' nests also included making some yummy birds' nest treats.
(April 8, 2011)

We also made these nests out of yarn and twine dipped in liquid cornstarch and wrapped over upside-down bowls. then we made the birds and eggs out of clay and painted them. Avary even made worms, bugs and seeds for her birds to eat.
(April 11, 2011)

Girl Scout Daisy (October 2010)

Avary started Girl Scouts in October. This is what she made at her first meeting.

Open the wings on the ladybug, and there's the girl scout promise.

Her troop meets in a classroom at Landstuhl Elementary School on Mondays. It's been fun.

Slugs, Snails, and Baby Footprints (September & October 2010)

September 29, 2010

The kids got to know slugs really well this year. They are all over the place here, and our backyard was no exception. One day, Grammy was home with the kids while Mike and I did some shopping. When we came back, Mom told me that Avary had watched a slug for such a long time, as it climbed the steps on our patio. She was fascinated. On every walk we took, Avary and Sam pointed out all the slugs they saw. We also checked out books from the library about slugs and snails, so we all learned quite a bit about them.

September 29, 2010

When we were outside taking a picture of the slug on a leaf, Will came out and got his feet wet.

October 6, 2010

Of course, where there are slugs, there must be slug eggs.

October 7, 2010

We actually put those eggs in a container and brought them inside to see if they would hatch. Then, we would have let them go somewhere other than our backyard! But they didn't hatch. I was not very disappointed about that. :)

October 7, 2010

Our neighbor found this "schneckenhaus" in her yard, and gave it to the kids.

October 11, 2010

Our neighbor also found this baby snail and gave it to the kids. Now, normally "cute" is not a word I would choose to describe a snail. But this little thing was actually really cute. It was so tiny!

Family Night (September 27, 2010)

Avary and Sam love building all kinds of things with blocks. They even use books and other toys if they run out of blocks. This is a little city they built one day.

Later that night, we had family night and the lesson was about General Conference because it was coming up. We talked about when King Benjamin addressed his people. The people came and set up tents and had their tents open up toward the temple while King Benjamin spoke to them from a tower. 

So we built a tent in the living room to sit in while we had our lesson.

And our tent faced the temple that Avary and Sam had built out of blocks.

Concert in Luxembourg (September 17, 2010)

Also in September, about a week and a half after Grammy got here, Mike and I went to a concert in Luxembourg. It was Iron & Wine, and we really enjoyed it. The group that opened for him was called Musee Mecanique, and I wasn't sure what to expect because I'd never heard of them. But when they came out, one guy was holding a violin bow and a saw, which we thought was a good sign. :) They were pretty good. Their music was nice and relaxing, and they're from Portland so it was kind of fun to be in Luxembourg and see a band from close (kind of) to home. Sam Beam's music was the highlight. It was a small, casual setting, and he was really nice and funny. Mike and I had a great time there, and the kids had a great time partying with Grammy at home.

Luxembourg is only about a one to two hour drive from where we live.

A long tunnel right after crossing the border into Luxembourg.

A street in Luxembourg, near the concert location.

Mountain Biking... Backyard Style (August 19, 2010)

One day in August the kids were playing in the backyard. When I went outside I found them doing this:

Pulling their bikes up the hill.

Then riding...

...or pushing their bikes across the yard.

Then riding down the hill next to the patio.

I was a little nervous about that edge of the patio, but they weren't really going very fast since they were on grass. I guess it's a good intro into mountain biking.