Art Camp

The Parks and Recreation Department in Opelika has wonderful programs to offer for children of all ages throughout the entire summer. Abigail picked "I Love Art" to go to for a week. It was an art camp for preschoolers ages 3 through entering kindergarten. She had a fabulous time!


She was able to do all the fun (and messy) art I hesitate doing at home! She painted with everything from a brush to a popsicle, made edible play dough, used spray t-shirt paint to make t-shirts, and more. They even learned to identify famous paintings and how to do color blending. I will definitely be sending her back again next year.





On the last day, all the parents were invited to view their work in the room. It was displayed throughout the room, and the group did a presentation on what they had learned. On the way out, I knew she had a good time when she was in such a great mood. I was able to capture a wonderful picture of her leaving with her proud big brother.

Apple Tree

One of the best parts of living in an older house is the mature landscaping that already exists in the yard. We have an apple tree in our front yard, and Allan has been trying to get it to produce. This week... we got our first apples.

Allan took the kids out to help pick them (look through the ladder rungs, and you can see the kids waiting with their bags). They were able to pick enough (around a dozen) to fry with some cinnimon and sugar. Yum!

Bad Combination

As I have said before, red dye and Abigail are a bad combination. But, how about this -- red dye, caffeine, and a 2 hour nap! That spells destruction.

In the morning, I had bought the kids a Sunkist drink because orange drinks are caffeine free. At lunch, they had hardly drank any of it, so I put it in the fridge. After Abigail took a nap for over 2 hours, she got the rest out of the fridge. It never dawned on me until she had drank about 90% of the drink, that it probably had red dye. When I checked the back, I was right. Then, to my horror, I also saw "CAFFEINE" in the list of ingredients. WHAT? I thought it was caffeine free. I had bought a diet one because I am trying to cut some sugar for them, and apparently, they have caffeine.

So, 2 hour nap, caffeine, and red dye... here is what you get! Notice the clock. She usually is in bed by 8, and this was at 8:30. We were watching America's Got Talent (which normally she snuggles in to watch), but instead....

The Pirate Ship

Abigail has been going to an art camp for preschoolers this week (and has loved it of course). Since she has been talking about her painting and activities, A.J. decided he needed to have craft time with me. And, of course, he couldn't pick something simple like drawing or painting, but instead... he chose to make a pirate ship! Here is a video clip of him describing his ship.

After completion, he quickly found all of his pirate men (very similar to the popular little green army men) and added them to a ship. What an imagination he has!!

Cousins

Saturday, Kevin, Lesli, Emily, and Christian came by for a lunch visit on their way home from vacation in north Alabama. We had a wonderful lunch, and as always, Uncle Kevin wore them all out with an active game of hide and go seek! This was the first time we had just the two families together at our home, and we really enjoyed it. We used to live 20 minutes from each other and hardly saw each other. Now, we are 3 hours away and miss being together. I guess sometimes you don't know what you have until it is gone!

Life with a Brother

Those of you (like myself) who have grown up with a big brother know this picture all to well. Look closely, and you will notice a few things. First of all, this is Dora, Abigail's Dora. But, if you look at her surroundings, you will notice she is not only in handcuffs, but also in A.J.'s room.

Yes... A.J. arrested Dora. He said she had shot someone and had to go to jail for the rest of her life. Poor Dora. And, we thought she was such an innocent character!

(And, thank you Amy for this huge Dora doll we just adore!!!)

Trip Summary

If you can't tell from all the posts I have done today, we had a wonderful time in St. Louis. If this is the first post you are reading, be sure to scroll down and see all the fun. I haven't lived in the St. Louis area since I was almost 10, but every time we go, it still feels like home.


Thank you Grandma Ina and Grandpa Wally for opening your home to us. Thank you for being wonderful and loving grandparents throughout my life, and now in the life of my children. Thank you for being an outstanding example of Christian love for others and for each other. I am blessed to have you as my grandparents.

Thank you Mom for taking us and putting up with us. A.J. was not exactly on his best behavior (that is an understatement), and you put up with it well. I always enjoy being with you, even in the car for 24 hours! I love you and miss you so much.


Just a few last pictures to show how much we enjoyed our trip: