new blog.

3 blogs? not sure what I was thinking, as I barely find the time to update one....

You can now find recent photos of wren, her friends, our creative endeavors, and other musings and adventures of our gypsy family at loveylaughy.blogspot.com.

some park pics.

sensory play with cornstarch, flour, and water.

serious hand holding.

giddy girls.

cute pics taken after luna had a long nap. i think wren forgot that she was at our house, because when she saw luna in her crib she started laughing and yelling and trying to crawl in. they were both giggly and giddy, hugging and peeking at each other, and smiling for the camera.

bonnets and bowls.

i took olive and wren to the st. paul antique mall the other day, which is becoming one of my favorite places in st. paul. two levels packed with a variety of vendors and vintage treasures, i always find a few little things to bring home. with the girls it was doll clothes and shinybright aluminum bowls. the doll clothes were set aside for another day (or maybe another girl, i know luna will love them), except for a bright bonnet that olive decided fit wren, and wren-surprisingly-kept on her head all afternoon. the bowls were played with for over an hour. they clunked and clanked them together, and put wooden eggs and babies and soft animals in and out of them. they had so much fun with such a simple "toy", and i love how bright and beautiful these pics turned out....

tomatilla salsa.

i love the afternoons when the little girls sleep and i get some one on one time with luna. the 3-4 year old age range is truly my favorite, they are so capable, curious, and eager to participate in life. when luna and i have time together i try to plan things for her that we couldnt do, or do as well, with the younger kiddos. cooking projects, art projects, and sewing top the list, as luna loves fine motor activities. we made salsa (i dont know, last week? the week before? i never have time to upload and write as frequently as i want to) and luna loved all the peeling involved. she peeled and rinsed the tomatillas. then she peeled the garlic. then she peeled the onion. she also rinsed and sorted (the sorting was her idea) the cilantro. she squeezed in lime and we blended it up. the books i read always say that when children help cook something they are more willing to try it. in my experience this has never been true. but maybe eventually it will be....

wren and olive.

wren is quickly becoming one of the "big kids", and i love to watch how she constantly imitates them. here she and olive are playing with moon sand. olive always takes off her shoes and socks and sits inside the sandbox. this time wren wanted to, too. it was pretty squishy, but they learned to play in there together somehow...

dinos and dough.

homemade playdough and dinosaurs last week. annabelle and olive played for almost an hour. poking their dinos into the dough, feeding them, creating beds, blankets and houses for them...meanwhile wren was content to play beneath the table, finally getting her chance to hold the coveted elmo toy.

kitties!

catching up (again) on some of my pictures. last week i took wren, olive, and luna to buy cat food. we also looked at the fish, birds, hamsters, mice, guinea pigs, kitties, and ferrets at the local petco. it was quite the outing. luna and olive also picked out cat toy wands for manni. when we got home we called to the kitties and i opened some catnip. i think olive and luna were pretty surprised when all three kitties came running into the living room. usually lola and mau are elusive, avoiding the girls and their affections. after a heavy dose of nip all kitties and girls were ready to play, and those $3 cat wands turned out to be a great investment. cats and kids were entertained all morning and afternoon, and the rest of the week. annabelle was able to play the next day, and wren is frequently grabbing the wands and shaking it at passing f elines in the evening (during the day she usually isn't allowed a turn because "she's too little.") i also think that the interaction with the kitties is a great opportunity to talk about gentle touches, respect and compassion towards animals, simple but important knowledge for little minds.

wren and annabelle.

we are all so thankful that it is finally warming up. the girls are thrilled to be outside. the sunshine feels so good and its wonderful to be able to touch the grass and mud and hear the birds. luna said to me last week, "hey look! grass!!" and i think thats how all of us feel on those first sunny days. grass!

here are some sweet pictures of annabelle and wren out enjoying the sun this afternoon.