Happy Bday Buck

Today Westley, Will and Grandma Kathy pretended it was Buck's birthday and had a prentend birthday party for Buck (Grandma's dog).
I missed the party as I was teaching :(

They made party hats, a birthday banner, pretend cupcakes and sang Happy Birthday.

Too cute!! Westley and Will had a great time!

Buck may have been less enthused by it all...especially his hat

Easel Trick

At Westley's school they have a pencil on a long string tied to the easel so they can write the children's names on the easel paintings.

It gave me the simple idea, one of those where you think, why didn't I think of that sooner?

We have an easel, but it doesn't get much use as Will is the kind of child who will paint, draw, and marker on anything - the couch, walls, furniture etc.

But I have been wanted to have more opportunities for them to write and draw.

So I tied a dry erase marker to a string and taped it to the easel. They can draw all over but the marker stays in the confined space.

Will especially is loving it!

Might as well Jump!

Today we spend the afternoon with Aunt Lisa and cousin Drew at our house. We played, walked to the playground,  made homemade pizza, and had a little dance party while waiting for the pizza to cool.
They danced and jumped to the song that goes Jump! Might as well jump!

Maybe Lisa knows the name of it.
I was glad she could jump big with the boys since I cannot do so on my once broken ankle.

Snailoligy

Today I pointed out a baby snail to Westley in our backyard.

He immediately asked what does it eat? And asked if we could look them up on the computer (either he is truly interested in biology or will use any excuse to get to use the computer. I will pretend it is the first)
I asked him how this snail was different than the horned caterpillars we looked at a few days ago. He first mentioned that the snail had a shell, and that he was crawling on the ground.
I also pointed out to him his tentacles. He asked if his eyes were at the tips. I didn't know
Online we read that snails prefer dying plants, but also eat live plants and fruit. We learned that their eyes are at the tips of their tentacles.
Westley took this picture of the snail

and then he (and Will) drew the snail where we found him... crawling on our bricks and then we put him in a bug container to watch him some more, before releasing him back outside.

Letters

Westley loves doing "letters" on the computer. That is where I open a blank Microsoft Word document for him, make the font real large, make it the color of his choice and he types letters.
The only reason this is probably so exciting to him is because it is the only thing I allow him to do on the computer (besides look at our pictures).
I think he would be the type who would be on the computer all the time if he was allowed to (hmm, wonder where he might get that from?) and I feel like he has the rest of his life to be on computers and this should be his time to play in a 3D world, so that is why he doesn't go on the internet or play any computer games.
Occasionally, I do let him do letters
Today we added a new dimension which is why I found it noteworthy.
He asked me how to write computer. I told him I would write it down for him and then he could copy and type it.

I wasn't sure if he would be able do that all by himself, but he did it perfectly.
Then he said he wanted to write a letter to Grandma Martha. He told me want he wanted to say and I again wrote it out for him.
He lost the attention for it though and only wrote Hi Gran
sorry Grandma, you won't be getting a typed letter...yet

Watermelon Act of Kindness

Today I prepared extra of what we were having for dinner to take to friends who have a young baby. I remember the days of trying to cook everything with a baby in one arm, so whenever a new family lets me, I like to bring food. I was explaining to Westley just that, about how it is hard for moms with tiny babies to cut up fruit because they cannot hold their baby and the knife at the same time. I asked him if he wanted to help cut up some watermelon for them. He jumped at the opportunity. Will was two steps behind Westley.
So I sat them both at the table with their little butter knives and gave them a large piece of watermelon minus the rind. They cut away.

Westley can cut in nice chunks, Will's turned into watermelon mush (which we did not give away). Westley was happy to help package up the watermelon and Will went with me to deliver it. He said baby! the whole way there. I'm not sure he knew what to expect, but he had fun anyway.

Double birthday party

We spent the entire afternoon after naps at a birthday party at Kidopolis in Boomers. Will helped me wrap the presents, and then both boys spent the whole time at the party in the play structure. Westley is a champ at climbing through the whole thing up to the big slide and down it. Will wanted to be able to follow Westley but isn't big/brave enough to do all the climbing.

Happy Birthday Elias and Alan!