Painting Pumpkins

One very rainy day this week, I decided to let the girls skip their nap and have a painting session.  Savannah was home sick so all three were there to get in on the action.  Instead of letting it be a free for all, I set two very different pumpkins on the table.  We looked at their lines, size, and stems.  We felt them and used different words to describe them.

Next, we put our words into our paintings.  I was pretty impressed at how well the little ones did.  They made sure to show the difference in the size and stems.  They tried hard to make brush strokes up and down for the lines in the pumpkins.

I learned that Lila is a perfectionist.  After drawing a circle for her pumpkin she said, "That is not a pumpkin."  The circle was less than perfect.  I tried to make her paint one over it but she wouldn't paint unless it was a clean spot on the paper.  It happened again with the moon which is why her paper looks a bit more crazy than it should.

Adeline's:


Lila's:


Savannah's:

Her Big Day!

Savannah's birthday was celebrated with just the five of us.  I think it was a first for this family.  We usually have someone else in the mix on the actual birthday.  I have to admit that it was very nice.  I felt like we all exhaled and really settled into the night as a family.  We didn't leave the house because Savannah wanted breakfast for dinner and thought that there was no one better to prepare it than me. 

Savannah started her celebration at school this year.  T. Connie brought in Savannah's favorite fruit - pineapple, for the festivity.  In first grade, the class celebrates the birthday around the student's favorite fruit.  Savannah was thrilled and mentioned that it made her feel very special.

After I picked Savannah up from school, we headed home for french toast and eggs.  Savannah opted out of a cake this year and instead requested ice cream sundaes with cherries.  The best part of these sundaes were the edible bowls.   Here are a few pictures of the girls enjoying the dessert.

Savannah enjoyed opening an assortment of gifts. She was very generous and let her sisters do a lot of the unwrapping. Another sign of getting older! This year was definitely the year of Legos and baby dolls. Most girls dive into a baby dolls at a younger age but Savannah has waited until now. And, while the baby dolls may seem a bit young for her, the Legos are not. It is quite impressive to watch Savannah construct a house using step by step instructions. The instructions are 80 pages long and she can do it by herself!

As the evening progressed, Savannah became very affectionate and made sure to mention, numerous times, how much she appreciated all the work that her daddy and I did to make her day special. She noted that we are busy and that it must take a lot of work and money to go and buy gifts and birthday supplies. I must admit that it is always very gratifying to give Savannah a gift because her appreciation is remarkable.

I just can't believe she is seven.  When I think about it I start to feel the panic.  Again, can't we just freeze time?

Adeline wanted to sing Happy Birthday to her sister all by herself. Too bad she thought eating while singing was a good idea. It is still pretty cute.