color, color, cut, cut

Well, it appears that Bayli's "craftiness"  has rubbed off onto her siblings.

Chase loves to color.  But, it has to be on colored paper.  We bought a large pack of colored paper for them at Christmas time.  Chase has taken full advantage of having colored paper within his reach.
Although he loves to color, what this little guy truly loves is cutting.  And seriously, one sheet of paper can go a VERY long way when he is done with it.  Pretty much he is the human paper shredder, I think he got his influence from this.  He could sit and cut for hours.

Lily has recently realized that she does not want to be left out of craft hour(s).  She points to the counter and proclaims "cu cu."  Which took us a while to realize that she was saying color and not cracker (ca cu).  Embarrassing to say that we still get mixed up a bit. 

 She is frequently found walking around with a book in one hand and something that looks like a writing utensil in the other (tinker toy, spatula, mixer, etc). 

Since we finally realized that she wants to color, we have since decided that we despise her coloring.  Not the art that she creates, but the naughty messes that she is so driven to make.  Peeling crayons, throwing crayons, breaking crayons, pulling the lead out of twist-able crayons, breaking the twist-able crayons, and our favorite eating crayons. 

 She very much loves to sit at the counter and very sneakily one by one release the crayons to the wild (the floor).  This behavior is quickly followed by tears from being told no and her muppet face (our favorite face that we have yet to capture).  Then we remove her from the bar-stool, hand her the bag of crayons, and instruct her to clean up the mess.  Which she does very well.  After pleading with puppy eyes to color some more, we give in and set her back up on the bar-stool to repeat the process until we are finally sick of letting her make a mess.  

We sure love our two little imps.  Even though one can make a mess with anything she comes into contact with and the other puts Edward Scissor Hands to shame. 

Flamingo flyby

Over the weekend, Bayli underwent her first Great Backyard Bird Count.  GBBC, as non-first-timers refer to it.  Props to her Aunt Angie for introducing us to the event.  

Bayli committed approximately 20 minutes on Sunday morning to count the birds in our yard.  Her results, "WE NEED MORE BIRDS MOM!!!  Why aren't the birds that are usually here not coming when it is really important for me to count them?"  

I think she counted maybe 6.  And they were probably the same 3 House Finches making trips back and forth to our feeder.  

As sad as it was, it was pretty entertaining to listen to her chatter about her non-bird-sighting.  She finally decided that the birds weren't coming because it was too noisy in our house.  Her efforts to quiet down the household were in vain.  She came to the conclusion that she needed to make a wildlife viewing tent to hide in. 

I wish that we had taken a photo of her make shift wildlife viewing tent stationed in the middle of our family room with a direct view out the back windows.  It was complete with pillows for seating, drinks, stuffed animals, and whatever else she managed to hide in it before we started to get on her case for making a mess. 

My favorite part of the event was her Flamingo non-sighting, which went a bit like this:

Bayli:  Mom, I see one!!!
Me:  What was it?
Bayli:  I don't know.  It was small and maybe black or brown.  I think it was a Flamingo.
(long pause)  I mean House Finch.

i scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!!!

 

shoe palooza

Her fascination with shoes has, well...grown.  

Her favorites now being, anyone's that are not hers.  Although she still loves her own.

I love watching her slip on a pair and trudge around the place.  That or slip on one and pack around the second.  I guess that she thinks it is okay as long as they are near her person.  

My other favorite thing, the infamous blue glove she also has been sporting on her person.

Don't you just love her funny shadow that makes it look like she has two crazy piggy tails instead of one?

We could watch her try on shoes all day long.

Funny Chase

Chase, just emerging from the bathtub (he has been obsessed with his penis lately):

Me:  Chase please don't touch your penis
Chase:  Mom, what's this? (Now holding onto his scrotum)
Me: (very uncomfortable at this point)  It is your scrotum.
Chase:  (pause)  Oh, a scrotum penis?

almost dejavu

 Just like her brother.  

Frequently found packing around a water bottle.  

Can't leave home without it. 

 Pees up a storm.  (Now we have two little bodies whose pee we will fight over when we are trapped in a desert.  Just in case you needed to know.)

Has to have a straw.

 If packing a water bottle was the only behavior she was picking up from her brother, life would be a lot less difficult.  

We could definitely do without her need to vocalize in the same manner as her brother...LOUDLY with high pitched ear piercing screeches.  

I think that he is beginning to wish that he hadn't taught her those skills as well.

we teach 'em young

7

Bayli had a delightful day with her family and bestie.  A visit to the Aquarium, Wendy's, and cake was all that she asked for.  Well, not all, mother nature didn't provide her in way with much snow. She wanted to go sledding.  

this unusual weather...

has made for two happy kiddos.

I mean,what little nearly 18 month older, isn't thrilled to be outside, in January?

 And what little 3 year old wouldn't try to soak up every opportunity to be outdoors, in January?

What little baby lets you swing them for nearly an hour straight, in January?

And what little guy, gets to say "higher, HIGHER!!!" in January?

And then slide nearly 50 times, in January?

And what little gal wouldn't be tickled to tag along with the hens, in January?

 And what mom wouldn't give up a day of chores, to share in an adventure outdoors with their littlest loves?  

That and try out their new lens on wintered plants?