Flour

Well, our clean mud and water beads both went bad on us.  So it was time to find something new for the sensory box.  I found a bag and a half of wheat flour in my cabinet that I didn't see using any time soon.  So, I added some measuring cups and spoons and they went at it.  Connor, of course, played until he realized he was getting dirty.  Then he was done. :)

Apologies

To my wonderful family and friends.  I apologize, I'm SO behind!  :)  Last week was a crazy week.  Dustin had a rush project at work and was working 16 hour days.  This made for a long week for me on my own with the boys.  I was also sick all week and taking care of a sick Connor.  So not much blogging done then!  This week has been a little better.  I finally gave in and got some antibiotics from my OB, so I'm on the mend.  Nathan seems to have caught a mild version of what Connor and I had so we've just been taking it easy this week.  Now, to catch up...

A Halloween Preview

 If you know my darling oldest child at all, it should be no surprise that he's going to be Batman this year. :)  He wanted to be, "Batman with the shiny belt".   This means the blue batman.  So...the search began for pieces and supplies to put it together.  I was able to find this mask and cape on Amazon.  They came in the mail Friday.  He wore them for the rest of the day. :)  He saw this picture of himself and said, "I look pretty cool" :)

Our little dynamic duo.  Connor is actually not going to be Robin for Halloween.  He's going to be Thomas the Train.  However, seeing big brother running around with his cape on inspired him.  I wonder if Thomas the Train will end up with a cape on Halloween...

Dustin's Birthday

 This is the sign and 30 balloons we had waiting for Daddy when he got home.

I didn't get a very good picure of it, but the boys painted a picture frame for Daddy for his birthday. 

Reunion Highlights

Well, last weekend was the Lichty reunion.  It was gorgeous weather, and a good time was had by all.  I have way too many pictures to post all, so here's some highlights:

 There was an old barn turned basket ball gym to play in.

 The guys playing some corn hole

 Dad was able to run back to the burg to get Grandma so she could come visit for a little while.

 Saturday we had a "Night at the Oscars".  This was one of the commercial skits

 Connor enjoying some popcorn while watching the show.

 Another skit

 Cousins playing.  Nathan and Collin were "best fwiends" all weekend. :)

 Ready for the bonfire

 Oh yes, lots of smores were consumed!

Connor and his buddy Aunt Meg.  He really latched on to her this weekend!

Our picture from the Oscars

Ultrasound news!

Well, I had my 18 week ultrasound today.  We're having a boy and a girl!  The babies measure within a couple of days of how far along I am.  So they're as big as they should be.  They both weigh 8 oz and looked great!

 This is the best shot she could get of both babies together.  Baby girl is on top.  The circle on the top right is her head.  Then below the line is baby boy, laying on his side.

Baby girl laying face up.

Baby boy, facing down.  He wasn't as cooperative with giving a good picture.

Oktoberfest

It's that time of year again!

 Waiting for Pommes Frites.  Seriously, the best fries!

 Connor really enjoyed his corn dog :)

Papaw got us doggie marionettes!  They walked those things all over Oktoberfest. :)

Sensory Box

Well we made a new sensory box over the weekend.  I had ordered some Water Beads, which are used in flower arrangements I guess.  They come as little beads that you put in a big tub of water over night and they swell up.  They end up being gel like balls.  So we tried some out this weekend.  They were definitely a hit.

This morning we stacked the water bead box on top of the light box for a little added interest.  Fun fun. :)

Light box

So, as I've been playing on Pinterest.com I have come across some DIY lightboxs.  They looked like something fun to try for the kiddos.  So I made one.  I had an empty tub that I lined with foil to reflect the light back up towards the lid.  I put a string of Christmas lights in the box, covered it with an old pillow case I cut apart, and put on the lid.  So, that's it.   It does give an added element to play by adding light.  The kids had a ball with it this morning.

 The little ones chose to just play with the colored discs.

I had several transparency teaching items left from my school days, so the big boys ended up play mostly with those.  Especially the clocks and coins.

Bible Verse

Posting this the normal way in hopes that you Non-facebook people can see it...

Clean Mud

Today's adventure: we made clean mud.  I had done this with my kids at the daycare, but had forgotten about it. Then I stumbled upon the directions for it again and new my kiddos would love it.

 I shaved 2 bars of ivory soap, and the boys help me shred 2 rolls of toilet paper into it.

 Then I poured warm water in and we mixed it up.  As the soap "melted" it all combined into our "mud".  Very fun!

Mr Fussy Hands ended up being the one playing the longest.  Quite surprising!  The face is because he didn't want his picture taken. :)

Puffy Paint

Today's project was puffy paint.  The big boys had a lot of fun with this.  Connor was busy playing cars and Hannah was still napping, so Nathan and Jacob and I did this one.

 This one was pretty easy.  We mixed 1 tablespoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of flour with enough water to make a smooth consistency.  Then we added the food coloring of their choice.

 Connor did come see what we were up to, so he painted a little too.

The boys painted the paint onto cardboard and then the fun part was next.  We put their pictures in the microwave for 30 seconds and they puffed up and got hard.  It was very neat. :)  They each had to stand on a stool in front of the microwave to watch the magic happen.  I was spotting them, or there'd be pictures of that too! :)

Nesting, I think

So, this afternoon I got the bug to revamp the playroom a little.
I think I'm nesting already.
I seem to be doing everything else early with these babies, why not nest too? :)

 The first thing we did was create a reading corner.  We took the books off the bookshelf and put them in the baskets.  It's funny how changing where something is kept makes it like new.  They both sat down and looked at books after we put this cozy little corner together.

 After taking the books off the bookshelf, I was able to completely devote it to the craft supplies.
Nathan has dubbed this the "project center."  The little trash can and alphabet poster were added after a quick dollar tree run.

 My wonderful husband hung this felt board up and I attached a section of a shoe organizer to the bottom to hold the felt pieces.

I ran out of steam (and it was time to make supper) before I got to this section of the playroom.  So when the mood strikes again, this will be my next project.  It could use some serious organizing.

Crayon Letters

So, I recently discovered pinterest.com  It's described as a "virtual pinboard". You can "pin" pictures and links of things you find on the web to your board.  Anyway, I found this idea on there and had to try it. 

I think they turned out great!

 A few boxes of crayons, a couple of frames, paper, and some tacky glue and we're off!

 I printed their initials in BIG font and we glued them to some scrapbook paper.  

Oh look, Nathan picked green!

 Tada!

Not too bad for an afternoon if I do say so myself!

Cookies

Dustin helped someone from church move this afternoon, so after naps the boys and I made cookies. :)

 Enjoying the finished project

Yep, they're green.  Guess who picked the color? :)