Robot Hulk!

Dear Green Monster,
I caught ya!  While I was finishing up laundry, I put you on the back porch with some markers and paper...pointing out that you shouldn't draw on the deck, the house and/or anything other than the baby in front of you.  I forgot to add your body, but as long as it isn't Sharpie I don't care.  So I watched...and then I noticed you were covered in green. 

You were trying to change your skin color to the Hulk.  You did a pretty convincing job on one entire hand and forearm.  

So proud of yourself for getting, "even your fingernails," I told you to give me your best Hulk poses...here is what I got, minus the guttural rumblings coming from deep within your throat as you strained to flex your muscle into a display of tuff glory.

 After this display I ushered you into the shower as fast as possible as anything you even brushed against had a green smudge on it.  A green puddle gathered around your feet.

I love my creative dude, even if you are a little message.
Love, Mama 

Spring Flower

Dear Hazelita and Henny, 
You seem to be an outdoor kids.  Hazelita, you love the breeze, the sun, the trees, the grass, and even little rain drops rolling on your bitty nose.  Since the temperatures have been a kinder, warmer welcome to the outdoors we've been spending more time in it.  Last week Henny and I cleaned the garage out and you had no problem playing in your jumper-roo while we worked.  Henry, you are a super outdoor worker, never afraid to get dirty.  After the work was done we traced our bodies on the driveway.  You both giggled and twitched as the chalk went around your middles and fingers.  It turned out cute.

Henny, you made certain we were all holding hands.  I think it took on the look that I had floating baby balloon children.  Last Sunday we took our first walk on the B Line since the nice weather.  It started out great but an over exuberant Henry took over and the wildness that getting in the outdoor brings out burst forth.  

We got back to the van to reel it in quickly but not before you (Henny) got to run and jump off of everything and Hazel got a great ride on Daddy's lap, clinging to his side like a munchichi.  Then, just yesterday we had outdoor art time, painting with things we found in nature.  We used big sticks, little sticks, pine cones, smooth rocks, textured rocks, dandilions, grass and our fingers.  The soft breeze picked up and so did little Hey-Dizzle's smile.  

You love the wind, little puff.  You squealed.  Henry and I started to gather our things as little rain drops started spitting down on our paintings and heads, you just squealed some more and threw in a couple of hand claps.  Hey-Dizzle and Mama took a walk this afternoon in the neighborhood.  I left your feet natural and you smiled and clapped all the way down the street, cranking your ankles in circles and scrunching your toes.   When we came upon a dogwood that had showered its blossoms on the sidewalk, already giving way to miniature green leaves.  They covered the conrete like a fluffy pink cloud, I just had to take pictures of you on top of them.  

You dipped your hands in and pulled petals to pieces, watched intently cars passing by, and I could have sworn you garbled out, "Oooh! This is cool!" 

I enjoyed our little photo session.  I look so forward to spending copious amounts of time outdoors this spring and summer.  I think we were all getting a bold case of cabin fever!  Let's have lots of fun together!
Love, Mama              

How Much Art Can You Take

Dear Hazelita Kahlo and Henry Matisse, 
We've been having some pretty awesome art times lately.  A few weeks ago we created the greatest chicken legged monster with Henny and Hazelita hands for a tail.
We also explored color, mixing and learning warm colors and cool colors.  

Just noticed I bent one of the tail feathers.

You did the green tree and red fire

We tested how color impacts the way we see things by making drawings of things we love in the opposite color pallet.  We made red trees and blue green fire.  To my surprise when I asked you to write the words hot and cool on the paper I spelled them and you wrote it.  HUH!?!  We have worked on letters since day one but holy shock to see you knew all these letters and could write them down with very little direction from me.  I was so proud!  Last week we looked at different line types; zig zag, straight, wavy and curves/arcs.  

We went on a search of the house and yard to 
find these lines then we drew them ourselves.  We enjoyed looking at a painting by Juan Miro, The Man and the Dog and The Purple Robe, by Henry Matisse and talking 
about their lines and how they represented the people. You really liked finding the dog, took pride in discovering the different line types and seeing an entire new image by turning the painting upside down.  We read a little thing about what illustrators do for stories and picked out some of our favorites from your large book collection.  Then you picked a favorite toy to draw, thinking about the different lines as you went and here is the awesome result...It is a dinosaur and you on the bottom far left.

You had me stand up and model my arms.  Your first more than a line arms.

Learning about lines really improved your representational drawing skills tremendously.  This week I started off with the plan to read two versions of The Three Billy Goats Gruff and watch three versions on You Tube (a traditional telling, a horrible rap, and two kids using Legos).  We had a funny conversation about the worded descriptions of the troll and how the various artists depicted the troll.  Then I wanted you to become the artist and draw or sculpt your vision of what the troll would look like.  We planned for about five minutes and set to work on a red bodied blue armed and legged sculpture, reserving the plans for the head for after we saw the results of those. Then our plan got derailed when we were waiting for our red toilet paper roll, the trolls body, to dry we started painting.  I asked you to tell me a story while you painted and you did as I wrote it down.  

The deer is the yellow line on the right and you are the left just under the red line.

    "This is a forest.  This is a creek, that is at the bottom 
    of it.  There is a little boy who is hunting for a deer.  He
    wants to be friends with the deer because the deer 
    talks.  They meet each other and they being friends 
    now."  
You were really excited to use some different brush techniques, including scratching some paint away to make a fence along the creek and rolling the brush loaded with paint across the page to create the moving stream filled with mixed up colors.  As you painted and mixed colors you happily said, "Wow!  We are like REAL artists!"  

It was a great time together.  Hazel loved watching then trying finger painting herself.  Zell, you squashed your fingers up in the paint and I'd help you splat your hand on the paper then you'd scratch and stretch your fingers out and quickly spring them back in a fist over and over.  

I think you were unsure if you liked it or not, but you seemed to love your finished results.  

They both live on the fridge now.  Henry congratulated you on your first painting on the fridge and made sure I wrote the date and your age on the back as I have with him time and again.  The red toilet paper tube was forgotten, as were our poor troll's legs and arms but we had a simple, great time.  I love learning with my babies.  I can't wait for art time this week. 
Love, Mama

Christmas Crafts

Dear Craftin' Kiddies, 
We had a great afternoon this week crafting some Christmas magic.  We did a "stain glass" ornament using tissue paper and a winter scene with some stickers Grandma P scored at a garage sale this summer.  

I enjoyed the winter scene the most because you turned the ginger bread stickers into Mom, Dad, Henny and Hazel.  I loved that you positioned Hazel above you side ways, "because she just lays down."  You're getting quite the ideas for crafting time.  Hazel loved watching, especially when you were shaking out all of the glitter.  

One can't have too much glitter, according to you.  I love that you're a little glitzy.
Love, Mama 

An Awesome Autumn Alphabet Adventure Hijacked by Winter [20 of 26] Thank You Card Sent for Christmas Goodies

Dear Hencent Van Gogh,

From the time you could sit up on your own Mama has been holding art time with you.  We've used a variety of medium...

Crayons, pottery, glaze, stickers, finger paint, pasta, handmade play dough, peanut butter, powdered milk, honey, corn starch, food coloring, glue, icing, cookie dough, sprinkles, glitter, construction paper, pom poms, foam people with foam shoes, hair and clothes, wiggly eyes, stamps, markers, glitter pins, glitter glue, pipe cleaners, magnets, yarn, brads, Popsicle sticks, foam letters, and tape.  You now ask for art time every day.  "Art time now Mommy!....Peas!"  I ask you what you want to make and you tell me.  You choose the colors to use and I cut out the shapes.  Then you glue them together and design the rest of it.  It is a lot of fun to see you get excited by what we've made.  When you decide you are finished you'll say, "Hang it up!"  I put it on the front of the fridge and for a few days you'll talk about it.  So to show our gratitude for the Christmas presents you received this year we made a project for all of those we need to thank.  We sent them out last week and almost all of them have been delivered.  We have one more to make and send and we will be finished and ready for new projects.

Grandpa Tim sent you a sleeping bag and some books for Christmas so that's what you wanted to make him...a tent.

Bahboo and Grandma P bought you not one but two construction trucks.  You wanted to make a dump truck with rubble for them.

Aunt Krispie you said, "Elephant! Pink!"  You were all done then insisted on making it have three eyes instead of two.  It was a real hit.  We hand delivered the pink elephant and a card to her at work.

Great Grandma Hazel you said, "Makin' noodles with Henry."  I think you knew if you chose this theme for GG you would soon be swimming in her better than life scratch noodles.  She called us when she got it and was over the moon happy with it.

Grandma LaJean has Krispie's old cat Liam.  You love trying to hunt down this cat and feed it treats and try to kiss its whiskers so I wasn't surprised when you said you wanted to make her a kitty cat.

Great Aunt Cathy sent you some money that you bought books with.  She lives in Florida like three or four doors down from Grandpa Tim on an old canal...with lots of gators...We are going to be visiting in Florida in February and have been talking a lot about the gators.  You decided we should make her a gator.  It is complete with an articulating jaw.

A couple of weeks ago we visited Jo Jo, Tommy and Uriah and they gave you a cool robot dude that rolls around on the floor but when I asked you what we should make for JoJo you screamed at me, "PINK ELEPHANT!"  Ok, Ok!  This one had only two eyes and she loved it.

When Mama told you that our friends David and Kate were going to have a baby you wanted to make a baby for them...You insisted it was a boy and he was going to take your trucks.  Guess what!  It is a boy!  His Daddy David assured you little Abraham is going to steal your trucks!  You made a little you and and little Abraham that now sits on Kate's desk at work.  I'm not sure why little Abraham has a touch of blood coming out the corner of his mouth but you put it there.  Maybe you're sending a message that he better not touch those trucks if he knows what is good for him.  I am sure you guys will get along just fine.

I love art time with my Henry.  It is nice to create with you.  Oh springtime should roll in early this year so we can do some fun things outside!

Love, Mama

PS Anybody have any cool craft ideas for a 22 month old?  Leave us a comment!  We'll make it and post a picture of it here.