the month of "b"

may (i know...it's WELL beyond the month of may, but better late than never) was brought to you by the letter "b."

more details on our letter months here and here.

here's what we did for the month...

introducing the letter h:













bumblebee:
found this bee craft here, though instead of printing the template i just used yellow and black construction paper to make the bee shape. then we "personalized" it with stick on eyes and pipe cleaner antennas.













butterfly:
we made a butterfly and used mirror painting to decorate. emma also felt the butterfly needed something a little more so she embellished it with little stars after the paint dried. this site gives you helpful directions in mirror painting. i had also planned to do this one since i had saved up lots of TP rolls but we didn't have time.














boat:
we made a paper boat out of large construction paper, and sang row, row, row your boat as she decorated the boat with paint.








b foods:
we made banana muffins (i had originally planned on banana bread, but emma wanted muffins)...






































...smelled, tasted and cooked with fresh basil...













...made bakso (and threw in some bok choy into our dish)...













...and of course enjoyed a family favorite: bacon.

b themed books we read:
bible, berenstains b book, puppy mudge and his blankie...i know there were 2 or 3 more "b" books we read but may was such a long time ago that i don't recall what they were.

b things we came across day to day:
bricks...

















bubbles...











a blue balloon...















and biking (sorry no photo, but i'm sure you can figure out what to do for that one).

and the grande finale for the month of b...
baby brother!












there were so many more "b" things on my list that we didn't get to do or go over, but there will be a next time. for now, our monthly letter activities will be postponed until september as we enjoy our summer and our new baby.

until next time!

pretty purple

one of my origami cards is listed on cleveland handmade's etsy treasury (hand picked featured items from our members): treasury west...purple haze :).

my cards are also being sold locally at lilly's handmade chocolates in tremont. we just stopped by this past saturday for a little chocolate fix, and they've got a couple of new creations. they're also currently displaying artwork from emily dove.

chocolate and art...puts a smile on my face.

wordless wednesday::snack break

one by one they filled the bench, pretzel rod in hand...






























































...the quiet moment didn't last long. soon they were all on their way again.

more wordless wednesday here and here.

and the heavy-weight title goes to...

me: "i can't believe he gained that much!"

doctor: "he's in the 90th percentile for height and weight...[long pause]...5 lbs. in 2 months...phew..."

[we both laugh in disbelief]

doctor: "he's a sturdy little guy."

2 month stats for our baby boy:
13 lbs. 5 oz. and 24.25 in. long.

chubby legs, chubby cheeks, and a double chin.
**photo added at the request of daddy**

no cars allowed.

a whole lot of walking. a whole lot o dancing. a whole lot of fun! all on the street.


















































































































there was plenty going on during the streetwalk. as long as your feet, bike, board or any other non-motorized vehicle was your mode of transportation, you had free reign on the street. we rocked out to coffinberry, popped and locked with a breakdancing crew, got our groove on during zumba, and checked out some skateboarding action. emma and her cousin ben couldn't get enough dancing, while gibson was content to sleep through the whole experience.

a little company

my sister and family came by for a brief, impromptu visit. what a delight to have them over!

wordless wednesday::a summer favorite

rainier cherries. i look forward to them every year.
















more wordless wednesday here and here.

a girls' afternoon

with a new baby who is virtually attached to me on a daily basis, it's not always easy to find mommy and emma time. usually, i squeeze them in when gibson is napping. but today was a special day.

aaron took the day off, and while he stayed home w/ baby boy, emma and i escaped together for an hour.

what did we do? we scheduled a last minute haircut together at crazy mullets salon (no, we did not get matching mullets, in case you're wondering).
















emma did fantastic for her first haircut. she was very serious, and seemed to enjoy looking at herself in the mirror while the stylist trimmed her hair.
































and i felt like i lost 5 lbs. it was a much needed haircut for me.

this was our first experience at crazy mullets, and we absolutely loved it. it's a super cool atmosphere, and prices for cuts are much more affordable compared to other salons.

it was fun to go out and do something "girly" together. i think this might have to be a new special mother/daughter tradition.

then and now thursday

from stationary to completely mobile...
































brought to you by:

wordless wednesday::a sweet reward

the sleepless nights seem more worthwhile when i get to see this...















































...and listen to the sounds of his sweet coos and giggles.
more wordless wednesday here and here.

kid fest

each year our church sponsors a free event for families in our area. this is our third year attending the event, and it's always fun to watch the kids bounce around the inflatables or cool off with a snow cone (or two, or three, or four...).














































































while gibson slept through the whole event, emma kept busy bouncing in the inflatable dinosaur or going dow the giant inflatable slide. she managed to score a few snow cones from mom and dad (who also enjoyed plenty of that sweet, shaved ice goodness). we all came home with blue lips and blue tongues.

wordless wednesday::fantasy to reality

taking crafts to the next level.

more wordless wednesday here and here.