Larger Than Life

Baby A came home a few weeks ago with a paper to let us know that her art teacher had selected a piece of her artwork to display at a pop-up gallery at a local ad agency.  The teacher could only select four pieces from the entire school...and our A was among them!  What a great honor!

Baby A was super excited, counting down the days until the "gallery opening" and reception.  (Baby B was tolerant of A's excitement...but she didn't quite share the same level of glee.)

The big day finally arrived.  I left work a few minutes early, and we made our way downtown to the agency.  There were quite a few people there (as each school in our district -- elementary, middle, and high school -- was represented).  A's art teacher was standing close to the door and intercepted us before we walked in.   She told A, there's a BIG surprise for you.

And a BIG surprise, it was!  We were floored to see that A's artwork had been enlarged to cover the wall inside the entrance!!!

I'm not sure that A knew what to think.  She was very focused on *how* they enlarged her art.  What was it made of?  How did it stick to the wall?  Would it come down?

She eventually warmed up to the idea and posed for pictures.

We enjoyed seeing all the art on display, and we spent plenty of time admiring the Baby A Wall.

When we left, we planned to eat somewhere downtown to celebrate our fun family evening.  Baby B had one suggestion, and A had another.  Then Baby B, of her own accord, popped out with, "Sissy, it's your special day.  You choose."

Wow.

That was a brilliant display of another kind.

Our First Display Boards!!!

The girls are participating in their first reading fair project.  It was not mandatory, but I encouraged them to take advantage of the opportunity to do a display board. 

For kindergarten and first grade, students had to choose a fiction book to illustrate.  The younger students could do “family projects”, with direct help from parents.  I thought it would be a fun way to show the girls the elements of a project so they would be more prepared for such an assignment one day.

I cannot begin to describe how proud I am of the girls’ hard work and perseverance over the past few weeks!!!

I encouraged the girls to think about books that have concrete elements, ones they could depict in illustrations.  Baby A chose a book from the Anna Hibiscus series she got for Christmas, and Baby B chose from one of her many animal rescue books.

First, the girls each wrote a detailed synopsis of their books.

I hadn’t read either of the books, so I took the opportunity to step back and ask some questions to help me understand the full plot.  The girls wrote answers to the questions.  Between their synopsis and the question-and-answer, we had a great start for our projects.

Next, we brainstormed elements we could illustrate on the boards.  And then we started on our art projects.  (I made good use of Pinterest to inspire some of the elements, and I was very thankful for google images for others!)

The girls worked incredibly hard over the next couple of weeks.  They were so patient with every aspect! 

As their art projects began to wrap up, they each spent time with Mommy’s computer, being very diligent to type out excerpts from their synopses. 

At long last – after a full month of work – it was time to pull everything together.

I was most heavily involved in final layout and the cutting and pasting. 

I’ll admit I didn’t budget quite enough time for this last phase of the project.  While we’d managed to balance both girls working at the same time throughout most of the project, I said it would be best if I could work one-on-one to pull everything together.  Baby A and I had a few hours together on Sunday morning, and we got her project to about 90% completion.

Baby B and I had to work several evenings to finish her project.  I’ll know this next time so we’re not putting the finishing touches on the project the night before it was due.  Whew!

The girls were mesmerized by their boards.  I glimpsed each of them just marveling at their work.  On Friday morning, Baby B just sat in front of her board, taking it all in.

I can’t wait to go to school this week and let the girls show me their boards in the library.  I’m certain they’ll be oozing with pride.

B's project elements:

- A large picture of Zoe, the main character, wearing a dress with a key on her necklace.
- The world, to show where Pip the penguin came from.
- Pip the penguin -- made from B's footprint!
- A flamingo, what Pip puzzles he may be -- made from B's handprint!
- A zebra, another of Pip's puzzlings -- made from B's handprint!
- A 3-D lagoon where Zoe and Pip go swimming.
- The penguin show -- made from B's handprint!

Baby B did ALL the painting herself!!!

Baby A's project elements:

- Pictures of the globe to show where Anna lives in Africa, and where she traveled to, Canada.

- A toy airplane (that my A was very excited about!).

- Snowflakes to illustrate Anna seeing snow for the first time.

- Hibiscus flowers to illustrate Anna's name.

- A dog cut out of a grocery sack, with buttons for his eyes and nose.

- A present and necklace to show what Anna got for Christmas.

- A popsicle stick sled and 3-D snow hills from batting.

- A bowl of (cotton ball) snow that Anna hopes to take home to her brothers in Africa.

I am one proud mama!!!

The "Keep Forever" File

I *try* so hard not to hoard the girls' artwork.  I can't say I'm particularly good at not-hoarding, but I can say that these are two recent pieces who've already secured a place in the Keep Forever file.

This is B's first "book".  It's about an astronaut who flew to the moon.  The end.  I love how she devoted a page to each sentence, but the back of the book is by far my favorite.

"If you like space, you will like this book."

This girl is both a writer AND a marketer.  Hee hee!!!

And it so warmed my heart to find this little gem in A's backpack.

"I felt happy when I snuggled with my Mommy and Daddy."  Awwww....

(My heart was less-than-warmed to find on the reverse side, "I felt sad when my sister hit me with a funnel," but I guess there are two sides to most coins [and school papers].)

With sentiments like these, my Keep Forever file just keeps expanding!

Stream of Consciousness

This week was the letter “A” at preschool.  Baby A was taking a picture of herself, wearing an Alabama sweatshirt.  She drew a picture of an airplane, and she colored pictures of an astronaut and an alligator that I printed from the computer.

Baby B found apples and avocados from the grocery store sale paper.  She also thought about “ants”, but we knew it would be tough to find a picture of ants in a magazine.  I remembered seeing fingerprint ants once upon a time.  A quick Pinterest search reminded me what to do.

The girls were tickled to play with the ink pad, and I let them use my pen (which is always a big deal to them!) to draw the legs and faces.  [Our ants all had smiling faces, of course.]

As we were constructing our ants, we talked about them having three parts to their bodies…

…this led us to think about our book on butterflies and moths…and our book on bees…both of which detail the parts of an insect’s body…

…that conversation turned to bees and ants both living in colonies…

...and that morphed into a conversation about the 13 original colonies of the United States.

I think about this all the time, how one thing leads to another.  I just love being able to follow the girls’ minds and spark their interests.  Never underestimate the power of a preschooler’s brain!

Architects in Training

The latest addition to our arsenal of art supplies?  These awesome shape templates...

We may go through what feels like a ream of paper every week, but I love few things more than the amount of drawing, coloring, cutting, and pasting that goes on in our house.  And if this happens to set the girls on the path to being artists, or architects, or engineers, that's OK, too.  :)

Super Stuff on a Sunday!

It’s been another busy week of school and new house stuff, but thank goodness there’s been a lot of SUPER to see us through!

1)      One day after supper, A told me, “I have a homemade tooth.”  I didn’t understand, so I asked her what she meant.  “I like everything you make, Mommy.”  I finally put that together with my explanation of Daddy’s “sweet tooth” a few days prior.  Hahaha!

2)      The girls wanted to help me make supper last week.  I had plans to make fajitas, so I asked if they wanted to peel the onions.  They got all the skins off, and then after I cut the onion into slices, they separated all the slices into individual pieces.  They were so proud at what they’d done…although it made poor A cry and she didn’t understand why.  Bless her heart!

3)      I have a habit of calling the girls “tiny”…as in, “You’re my sweetest tiny,” or, “You’re my tiny baby girl.”  The girls know that, even after they’re grown, they’ll always be my tiny babies, and they like to reassure themselves (and me!) of that.  Often, in response to, “You’re my tiny baby,” my Baby A will say, “And you’re my tiny mommy,” in the sweetest little voice.  Melt.

4)      While we were visiting the new house, we decided to take our first walk in the new neighborhood.  I cannot wait to explore all the new spaces...together with the girls!

5)      Last weekend we went out for breakfast, and we decided to try Panera.  Panera is our go-to for coffee and a mid-morning snack, and occasionally for lunch, but we’d never taken the girls there for a full breakfast meal.  It was such a nice, peaceful time, and it was pretty sweet to remember that Hubby and I used to enjoy breakfast there from time to time…long before the girls were born.

6)      Daddy loves to practice numbers with the girls…these days, that’s usually writing a big number and having them say it correctly.  It was so cool to hear the girls practicing themselves one evening after supper.  They were bent over a 300+ page story book, calling out the page numbers for the various stories.

7)      The girls were really focused on maps for a couple of days this week.  I heard them looking at one of the world maps we have, pointing things out to each other.  “That’s an island,” and, “Those are in different time zones.”  Hee hee!

8)      One morning before breakfast, I complimented the girls on how incredibly nicely they were playing together.  I reminded the girls how blessed they are to have each other.  “You know Mommy didn’t have a sissy to play with when she was a little girl.”  My A piped in immediately, “But you do now!”  Yes, I do...two, in fact.  And I'm so thankful they share each other with their mommy!

9)      The girls were in a disagreement over something play-related, and I heard B tell A in a very calm, yet firm, voice, "Sissy, this is my decision." Hee hee!

10)   The girls were talking about how thing will be when they grow up. My A said she would have twins "...but I'll just keep one and give the other one to Sissy." Bwahahaha!

11)   The girls were working on some sort of mystery "collages" at the table. I heard B say to A, "I'm going to line these pieces up with the cardinal directions." Hee hee! Apparently even an artist should be organized. (And she might just get that from her mama!)

12)   I love four-year old mispronunciations...B accidentally said "puffet" for "puppet", to a chorus of giggles. And A apparently combined "colander" and "pollen" to get "pollander".

13)   "Mommy! That man on the motorcycle is almost naked!" "And that's not safe!" It was just a guy with no helmet and a very sparse tank top, but you'd better believe it made me pause, though!

14)   My A wanted to play with a particular toy by herself, so she declared she was going into the living room. Not 10 seconds later, B whined, "Mommy! I'm lonely by myself in the den!" Twin sisters...can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em.

15)   On Friday we met our friends A&E at Jackson’s Orchard.  It was a HOT day, but it was so sweet to see our little ladies playing together.  For some reason, my A&B were feeling a little shy, but A&E invited them to play right away, and by the end of the morning, they were all holding hands.  So sweet!  And to top it off, we all went to lunch together…all four girls did a great job, and the parents actually logged some semi-coherent conversation!

All four kiddos, going down the big slide, almost at the same time!

So thankful for lots of SUPER!

A Big Girl Door

When I was a little girl, I remember having various things taped to the door of my bedroom.  I can’t picture exactly what was there, but I remember a really revered candy wrapper that I so carefully unfolded, so that I could display it prominently.

(I feel like I should interrupt myself here and say “Hats off!” to my parents [I guess???] for allowing me to make that space my own.  I’m not sure I’ll be able to encourage the same creative expression in my girls…at least not on their door.  I can foresee myself buying a bulletin board one day, though.  And I vow to set my OCD tendencies aside and allow them to accessorize it in random order, if they so choose.)

I haven’t thought about that in eons, but it struck me a couple of days ago when the girls asked to post some artwork on their door.

I try to keep the front of our refrigerator clean, but the side of it is papered with colorful artwork and pictures of friends.  Our mantle is home to a rotating display of handmade signs and stand-alone crafts.  And I occasionally display holiday-themed artwork over the patio doors in the kitchen.

Artwork has never migrated upstairs.

While Miss Jenny was here a few days ago, she wrote the girls’ names in bubble / block letters and let them color it in.  They were so proud of what she did…and what they did to complement it.  On a whim, I asked if they’d like to put their masterpieces on their door upstairs, and their eyes instantly lit up with excitement.

I plan to continue to keep the artwork in one area of the house, but this little venture has been a fun one.  It’s surprised me how “grown-up” it makes the entrance to their bedroom, though! 

Hmmm…maybe I’m just readying myself psychologically for the transition to big-girl beds next month.  Who knew that a big-girl door would be the first step?

Super Stuff!

Lots of super stuff this week!

1)      Upon entering a public bathroom, I reminded my A not to touch anything she didn’t have to.  She paused, and then commented, “I can scratch myself because myself is clean.”  Thank goodness it was a one-seater…I just cackled!

2)      I never get tired of hearing the girls say so emphatically, “Mommy, you make THE BEST [fill in the blank]”.  Like when we ate breakfast out on Sunday, the girls got French toast.  “Yum!  This is good French toast!”  But that was immediately followed by, “Mommy, you make THE BEST French toast!” as if they don’t want to offend me.  HA!

3)      I love to see my babies girls running and skipping.  We’ve spent plenty of time at the park, in the neighborhood, and in the yard lately.  Baby A, in particular, loves to hold my hand while we skip together.  It won’t be long before she’s skipping way ahead of me, though…she’s FAST!

4)      One morning, Baby A had been working really hard on an art project. She came to show it to me, and I told her how neat it was (and genuinely it was pretty cool!). I bent down to give her a kiss, and she whispered, "I'm proud of myself, Mommy."

5)      I had to laugh when I heard the girls’ excitement one afternoon.  B exclaimed, “Mommy!  Daddy is shaving his face!”  And A piped in, “Yay, Daddy!  Good job!”  Hee hee!

6)      On Tuesday we had a play date at M&C’s house.  The girls were SO excited to learn we were going over to play with M&C…AND for them to see Little Baby A.  My A could not get enough hugs in with M&C…too sweet!

7)      And my A&B are still SO taken with Little Baby A, now seven weeks old.  At one point she was in her bouncy seat, and my girls sat beside her and sang songs.  They are in love!

8)      On Tuesday afternoon the girls were so surprised to get three letters!!!  One was a thank-you card from a birthday party, and then they each got a note from Miss Demara and their very own picture of Little Baby A.  They were so incredibly proud!

9)      The girls absolutely crack me up, how serious they can be.  They will go to great lengths to explain the simplest of things.  I could hardly keep a straight face this morning as A was telling me about something with a very prevalent milk mustache.

10)   Overheard: "Sissy, you're not supposed to have a smile on your face when you're doing something not-nice."  Hahaha!  Do I really even want to know???

11)   We came across this super-cool cardboard stable on clearance at the craft store last week.  The girls had a great time coloring it, and they’ve played with it every day since.  I know it won’t last forever, but it’s fun while it’s still standing!

12)   The girls got an unexpected present this week from some friends who dropped by, dry erase markers and a dry erase book and board.  I thought they already had every art supply known to man…but this definitely completes their collection.  It’s been hard to tear them away from drawing over the past couple of days, and I love it!