Sunday, July 25, 2010

la petite artiste

Sarah went to a summer art camp taught by her preschool teacher, and I'm quite late in sharing all of her hard work. They took field trips each day and found inspiration at the co-op grocery store, the library, in nature, and at the chocolate shop, where they were treated to popsicles. In the photo below, Sarah's wearing her popsicle shirt for that occasion!
(above) This was a cooperative project, and each day the kids donated some change to the Red Cross to benefit the relief efforts in Haiti. Sarah kept talking about the hurricane that happened there, and we kept clarifying that it was an earthquake. She felt really good about being able to help.
Sarah's showcase - information about herself included: My name is Sarah. I like nature. I like butterflies. I am going to Grady A. Brown. I like to go to Nana and Grandpop's. I like to visit Grandma and Grandpa. I like Ms. Nancy.
(inspired by Kandinsky)
(my favorite!! surprised?)
(inspired by Wegman)
(inspired by Warhol)
(inspired by Charleston rowhouses, used permanent markers and watercolors)
(inspired by Van Gogh's "Starry Night" - I think this was Sarah's favorite.)
(used pastels and watercolors)

eric in space

Brian got some great shots of Eric playing with his new space toys. Don't mind the crumbs on the floor, please.

french braids

It seems fitting that I learned to french braid Sarah's hair just before we head to Iowa for a family reunion. This hairstyle reminds me of my grandma and of our annual trips to Iowa. My grandma would braid my hair and my sister's each morning before we went outside to play. For whatever reason, I'm imagining Sarah on her first day of kindergarten with these braids in her hair. I really like that idea.

Friday, July 23, 2010

first swim

We had a big moment today - Sarah swam for the first time. She's really quite proud of herself, as you can imagine, and we are too. She's always been tentative and cautious in the water, which makes this achievement that much sweeter. I was too busy cheering her on to capture the moment with a camera, but I'll try to remember to take a picture the next time we go swimming. That smile of hers was so big!

Friday, July 16, 2010

fairy house

We've added a fairy house to our yard this summer, complete with a swing, a slide, a table and chairs, a playroom, and places for the fairies to take a nap and dip their toes in water. Sarah and Eric fill their dinner plates, made from seashells (of course!) with holly berries, as they've decided that must be what fairies eat. Not very often, but sometimes, the fairies leave presents, showing their gratitude for what's been given to them. We now have a collection of fairy rocks, along with some dried flower petals, all courtesy of our small friends.

What's most exciting to me is that making the fairy house was Sarah's idea. I tried to force my will last summer, but neither one of them was interested. This year, when I intended to get rid of an old dollhouse we weren't using, Sarah said, "Hey! We could use that for a fairy house!" What a great idea . . .

Thursday, July 15, 2010

flower girl

The other day I decided to take some pictures of the expanded garden in the front yard (because all those flowers make me very happy!), but Sarah had other plans. She decided my time might be better spent taking photos of her in the garden. At first, she wasn't aware I had the camera, and I took a couple of shots before she could pose. After she realized what was happening, she couldn't help but ham it up (i.e. look at that one of her hugging the flower!)

just one more . . .

I took this after the most recent post. It's my favorite so far . . .

Monday, July 12, 2010

I'm obsessed . . .

I can't stop taking pictures of butterflies (and a couple of bees, too.) I'll spare you the rest - for each butterfly, there are at least five more photos. The reason is twofold - first, I'd like to identify who comes to our garden and second, they're so pretty. Maybe we'll add a new photo display somewhere in the house . . .
(Above - We think this may be one of our released painted lady butterflies, at least we hope it is.) (Above - from NC Museum of Life and Science)
(Above - from Duke Gardens)

Sunday, July 11, 2010

I never imagined . . .

Before now, I never imagined sitting at the dining room table, visiting with my sister, while my children used my inner elbows to make farting noises with their mouths. They both thought they were the funniest people on the planet. The rest of us couldn't help but laugh along with them, really. (We had all finished eating, of course, if anyone is concerned about our lack of table manners.)

Friday, July 2, 2010

Sandy Hook - Another View

After Brian saw the blog posting last night, he noted that there were lots of nice pictures. But then he suggested that maybe I should have included some other noteworthy images as well. In his own words, "Why didn't you include any pictures of the girls in the thongs?" However tantalizing this may sound, I assure you, it was not. Granted, the girls were young, not like the beer-bellied grandpa we saw frollicking in the waves, wearing a speedo. (Good for him, but I turned away rather quickly.) Sadly though, I would not describe them as being anywhere near "in shape".

On one hand, I was impressed with their lack of self-conciousness. (Really, I was impressed. I've always been self-conscious in swimsuits, perhaps with no need to be, and I truly admire women who aren't.) On the other hand, I was totally bewildered as to how they would have ever thought dental floss would look good on such large frames. While we were having a snack break nearby, I noted, "It's like a train wreck, you just have to look."

Please understand - I would've been critical even if they had great bodies, and probably even more so. And Brian's comment would've meant something entirely different.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Sandy Hook

When we visited Nana and Grandpop recently, we took a trip to Sandy Hook. Once again, with their contagious enthusiasm, the kids convinced me that the beach is indeed a great (maybe the best) place to be. Thank you to Grandpop, for catching the crab and for lending a hand to the wave jumpers. And thank you to Nana, for helping of find all of those shells (which now decorate our table at home) and for packing that delicious watermelon (not to mention the chocolate chip cookies). We couldn't have asked for a better day . . .