Foggy Day, Fun Day...

Once again, we're socked in the valley fog that has the ability to quickly turn our cheery dispositions into  melancholy and somber moods.  I KNOW if I lived in a rainy climate, I'd be investing in sky lights, solar light tubes and daylight bulbs.  I NEED the sun.  Hopefully, by this afternoon, the fog will lift and within moments of seeing and feeling the sun, it will be an instant mood-fixer.  If not, I'll have to turn on the Beatles... "Here Comes the Sun..."  That might help a bit!

 

But for now, I'm making the most of having the kids home on MLK, Jr Day.  Greta, full of her red-headed energy, is helping entertain John Michael in ways I never could've in my 40+ years.  She has more energy and enthusiasm than a jet engine.  Right now they're playing catch with large balloons and laughing...

Earlier, though, which prompted this new post, John Michael came to find me changing Luke's diaper to show me his latest creation. 

"MOM!"

and he lifts up his Lego creation to show me.

"BOY!"

Me:  "Wow, John Michael, I love it!  You have a boy and Kai Lan, and a baby cow"

"Yeah!"

(I write with exclamations, because he is literally so excited to show me.)

"Very cool, John Michael, I'm so proud of you!"

BIG grins!  I run to get my iPhone to snap a shot.

For the longest time, he would only build towers with Legos and is starting to use other pieces.

 

So we have a boy, a girl and a cow.  I guess we'll have a story to make up about that, later.

The fun didn't stop there... John Michael climbed up on Greta's bed and started playing with her Dora glasses, Disney Princess snow hat and cute scarf from her Kindergarten teacher.  I'll admit I helped with the glasses since he couldn't get them to stay on.  But check out my silly guy!  Love his smile!

Finally, Greta and John Michael decided they were taking their babies on a trip to Hawaii.  They grabbed the babies, climbed up on Anna's desk chair together, and were off on their airplane to Hawaii.

I'm envious!  I don't think I had such a vivid, playful imagination as a child.  Maybe I did.  But I love how these two have so much fun pretending to go places and take on different roles for the sake of fun.

As I sign off, I just saw John Michael running after Greta down the hall with Anna's 1st Communion purse on his arm while holding a baby in the other.  They don't always play dress-up and girl stuff... matter of fact, JM's most favorite thing to do is to play catch or kick balls and to play with his Matchbox cars.  But having two imaginative sisters keeps him well-rounded. 

Can't wait to see how he and Luke play together. 

I think this will be a fun year...

(Cheap) Summer Fun...

Summer has hit our region. Yesterday was our first mid-90's hot day and the kids were melting.

It's funny, but when you don't have a built-in swimming pool, the kids get creative.

Last weekend, the kids set up a homemade "Slip n Slide" on the front yard lawn that has a slight slope with tarps and a water hose running.  (Yes, I know it's wasteful... so we didn't let them do it for very long...) It also wasn't very smooth, so this didn't last very long. 

During the week, they begged to run through the sprinklers to cool off. John Michael wasn't a fan of spraying water hitting him at first, but with a little help from Greta and a bucket, he happily joined in the fun.

Yesterday, the kids reminded us that we still had an old plastic pool on the side of the house from last year. So they pulled it out, rinsed it, and filled it. John Michael didn't need any coaxing to get in this time. He kept saying "Baaah" (bath) and "Bubbles". And, yes, that bucket came in handy for dowsing big brother, Nic.

I don't know about you, but I don't think you have to spend lots of money to get some smiles like these. Just some good old-fashioned backyard fun.  What do you do for (cheap) fun?

And in case you wondering... my blog pause is finished. I just can't stay away for too long!

Wordless Wednesday -- Miso Cute

                                                                               Photos by my 10 year old, Anna

So what's the big diff?

John Michael made quite an impression on families at the park yesterday.

You could say he was his own self-advocate.

A walking poster boy for the "We're More Alike Than Different" campaign.

He walked up to children and waved. One little boy kissed John Michael on the cheek and then put his head on JM's chest.  Very endearing.  John Michael didn't seem to mind at all. 

He walked up to adults, tipping his head to the side and smiling, until they would acknowledge him.

He played "soccer" with the 4 to 6 year old kids, chasing and hitting the ball with his hand or kicking it.

And generally made people smile.

So, what's so different about that.

Well, actually, it is different.  None of my other three were quite as social as John Michael.  It's impossible to go somewhere without someone talking to him (sometimes ignoring me!).  There is a difference, but it's a good one.  In so many ways he's like every other kid, but I like the fact that his personality makes him stand out... in a good way.  :-)

Friday Fun at ArtBeast

After what turned out to be a busy week, it was nice to let John Michael and Greta relax at ArtBeast this morning. The Sacramento County Infant Program sponsored the morning and we decided to take advantage of some fun.

The last time we visited ArtBeast was in July when it was very hot outside and John Michael was only standing, not walking. His level of play has increased greatly since then and this morning he spent time in most areas of the studio. Sand play, water play, imaginative play, climbing up into a kid-sized 2 story loft, parachutes and tubes, coloring and glue, musical instruments and a mock space shuttle. It was all very fun, but they were very content playing with the Moon Sand and later the outdoor sand and water for quite a while.

It was a little chilly this morning, mid-5o's, but the sun came out just in time for some outdoor water and sand play. John Michael and Greta loved this station and could scoop water and sand for what seemed like an hour.

Here's the mock space shuttle. I should've taken a photo of the outside. It's so cool and only has room for 2 kids. There are lots of dials and knobs and the steering wheels turn as well as go in and out. My little astronauts literally had to be pulled out to go to lunch!

BLAST OFF!

Oh, Play Doh!

Greta was playing with Play Doh, so I thought I'd see what the little Mr. would do with it.

At first, he didn't want to touch it. Then, I made "spaghetti" and "worms" with it and taught him how to roll it with the rolling pin.

Shortly after, I introduced the wavy cutter and he was sort of getting it.

I was so proud of him for NOT eating the Play Doh. And then it happened...

He took a bite out of one of the "worms" and it was over. Fortunately, the stuff is non-toxic and tastes horrible, so hopefully that will motivate him not to eat it next time.

Has anyone else tried Play Doh?

Is that James Dean, or...?

Yesterday was Greta's preschool's Halloween Party.

Greta was a cowgirl and John Michael was James Dean, minus the cigarette.

I'd originally planned to dress him as a cuddly teddy bear, but when I stumbled upon this faux leather jacket for $2 while searching for Halloween dress-up stuff for Nic and Anna at Goodwill, I couldn't resist!

I love how the light and shadows play upon his sweet face.

Whenever I ask John Michael to smile, this is the face he gives me.

He loves taking Greta to preschool. There are always fun, tactile things to play with.

Greta and her friends had fun hammering golf tees into a pumpkin.

I wonder what the pumpkin looked like at the end of the day :-)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!