Afternoons of Art Week 1

Today since my friend Amanda's little boy didn't have school and I have been slacking on getting this weeks lesson plans together for mine, we decided to get the kids together for a little art project and then while the kids all played we made a project I found on pinterest last week. We had planned for Friday get togethers, but this week we improvised.
I decided that a simple project for the kids would be better than a more elaborate one since we had 2 preschoolers and 2 older kids (7 and 9). I cut out hearts from the many cardboard boxes we have lying around and I made confetti out of pink and red construction paper. The plan was to glue the little pieces of paper onto the hearts in kind of a mosiac, the kids had other plans....lol!

Milla painted her heart red all over then stuck 2 pieces of paper onto it...and she was finished! Lol! She is more of a rough and tumble girl than an artsy girl, she wanted to play kickball in the backyard the whole time.

Zoe was more meticulous with her design and created an original piece of art. In fact, she made a couple of them.

I think William lasted about 10 seconds less than Milla did, his heart was fabulous with red polka dots.

Christien surprised me and actually sat down and made one as well, he usually has nothing to do with my little projects. He painted his heart red and made a smiley face with the little paper squares.

Zoe proudly displaying her masterpiece....This is the first one that she made.

Then after the kids were all crafted out, Amanda and I made these paper stars which now hang in my dining room. Well, the ones I made hang there anyway, Amanda took hers home, lol! You can find the instructions for these stars here..... Mine are made from 12 by 12 paper instead of 6 by 6 like in the tutorial. Amanda made little baby ones using smaller pieces of paper, I think I may steal her idea :)

So far in Jan 2012......

Things have been hectic around here to say the least, days and nights all rush together and I am lucky if I get a chance to just breathe, and this blog has been in the back of my mind beckoning me to write like I promised myself I would. And guilt of not keeping up has prevented me from sitting down and just remembering. So, today I have decided to play catch up. And I won't beat myself up about not posting regularly because. after all, I am writing now, and one way or another it will get recorded for the kids to look back on.

Jan 1-7th was spent finalizing our move. A move that was unexpected and undecided up until the last minute...We packed up our belongings and started to make room for whatever changes may come our way. It was a sad week, but also a relief on my part, Arizona is not a place we enjoy living.  The kids were bummed that they missed saying goodbye to their best friends who were visiting their father in California the week leading up to our move, and the guilt of being a mommy and trying to do the best for my children hit me full force. Sometimes it's more than I can stand, but I try to be strong.
Here is a little recap of that week: Saying goodbye to Arizona..

Carving we found on our nature walk through the Wetlands. We had a day of exploring to say goodbye to our city.

The three little's had so much fun exploring nature. In Arizona, the weather isn't always cool enough to go on outdoor adventures.

Mimi checking out the water, she brought her "Chocolate Puppy" along for the ride:)

Footprints we found, the kids enjoyed trying to figure out what type of animal these came from.

In December we adopted a little 5 pound mutt from the Humane Society, she has since become a member of our family.  This was right after her trip to the groomers.

At the end of week one of 2012, my friend welcomed us into her house very last minute due to a situation that arose at the original place we had planned. She is a very brave woman! This is Mimi and William snuggling up on the chair sharing a game on the ipad. They are 5 months apart. It's weird how much they look alike. 

Jan 8th-22nd:
I don't have many photos during this time as it was spent unpacking and settling in and driving 35 minutes each way at least 2-4 times a day, and dealing with  trying to establish a routine for my family and avoid interruptions that come up when dealing with a large family.

Milla and Yoda playing house in our new house:) Yoda is an amazing dog and loves the kids even when they do this to her..lol!

Finally found a use for all of those old windows that have been sitting around in my mother in laws garage for years, created a little office decor with them.

We explored a local park near our new place and Zoe gathered a few pinecones. The girl loves nature and animals and always collects little treasures like this.

Christien climbing the rock wall, the boy loves to climb:)

Zoe and Milla, bedraggled and messy, but showing a sweet moment of sisterly love. We had been unpacking the house all day and this was right before bedtime. I was sore and exhausted and this made me pretty happy:)

Milla and Maceo snuggling on the bed. We still cosleep, yep, that's right, I sleep with my 4 year old and 9 year old and a dog and a cat every night, lol!! I wouldn't have it any other way.

A 2012 pic of Mia, adopted from the shelter in Dec of 2010, she has become a best friend to me and the kids and is the perfect description of unconditional love.

Milla displaying her artistic abilities with her cute little tongue stuck out in concentration. I love this little girl a lot!