One-point Perspective Paintings

We did a one-point perspective Halloween project and I loved it so, when I saw this one I knew we had to do it!  This one was a bit more involved and took a few sessions to complete, but it was so worth it.  First, they drew their picture.  This took a good hour or so.  One thing I love about art is how lost they get in it.  It's so fun to watch them create :)

Chaycers is using a ruler to draw his buildings.

The next week, they traced over their pencil in black marker.  

Vann's drawing...so cool huh?!

Chayce's drawing...love it!

The next session we brought out the paint!  

Working on his trees.

He alternated shades of green.

Painting his road.

Time for some buildings.

Vann did a rainbow of buildings.

Lookin' good!

Sky time...

He did a pretty sunset :)

Harley's painting her trees.

And now her buildings.

Almost done!

Vann's masterpiece!  So colorful, I love it!

Chayce's masterpiece, I love it!  I heart his orange door!

Harley Jo's masterpiece!  I mean for reals, can you believe she's only 4?  Wonderful!  

My little Ash had his 3 year check up last night.  Yes I realize I'm a few months late.  Better late than never right?!  He does not love the doctor.  Like at all.  Ever since he was 2 months old he cries the second we walk in there...I'm serious.  He knows every time he goes (which is really only for his yearly well visits), he's going to get shots.  No fun.  So as we're getting ready to leave he kept saying, 'Mom I want to go to my doctor appointment later ok?'  Oh you sweet thing!  He did not want to go at all and was trying to get me to postpone it.  

As we pull into the parking lot he's like, 'I thought I said I want to go to my doctor appointment later?'  Yes he really said all that!  Everything went exactly as I anticipated...tears and more tears and lots of screaming...it was lovely.  And he didn't even get any shots!  Little stinker cried and cried just because we were there...at his doctor appointment that he wanted to go to later.  Thank goodness he doesn't ever get sick and these visits aren't more frequent!  I held him the entire visit while she looked in his ears and listened to his heart and lungs and all of that.  She said he's growing perfectly and is tall for his age.  People ask me that all the time!  Well now I know it's true :) 

I just love his wispy lil' curls.  And those cheeks...can't get enough of them!  

He put a slap bracelet on his leg and said, 'Take my picture Mom!'  Okay you little cutie, whatever you say :)

Ash's 18 month check up

Ash had his 18 month check up last week.  He cried the entire time, again.  And he didn't even get any shots!  The doctor was very understanding which was nice.  He let me hold Ash for most of the check up which helped a lot.  He weighs 22.1 pounds and is 32 inches long.  

This lil' cutie fell on the driveway the other night and bonked his head :(

He loves playing outside.  He tries to carry two balls around all the time…which is probably why he fell the other day.  And he loves watching the boys ride their bikes and scooters.  

The past week or so he's been really jabbering up a storm trying to say sentences.  We have no idea what he's saying because it sounds like a bunch of gibberish.  The boys and I just laugh because it's so cute.  And it's even cuter when he's mad and he jabbers :)

He does this thing every night at dinner.  He sits in his chair and eats most of his food.  Then he hands me his plate and says 'all done!'  So, I get him out and he walks right over to Chris, climbs on his lap and finishes eating dinner.  It's cute.  And he does it pretty much every meal Chris is home for.  

Okay, I'm off to get snuggled up and watch some tv.  Have a great night!

Ash's 15 month check up

My sweet lil babe had his 15 month check up last night.  He was upset from the second we walked in the exam room.  And every time I had to put him down he cried.  Actually he screamed.  Screamed his little heart out till he was covered in tears and snot.  Poor thing.  But once I picked him back up he was fine and would hold on as tight as he could.  The doctor was nice and did a lot of his check up while I was holding him so, that helped a bit.  

Here are his stats...he weighs 21 lbs 4.5 oz and is 31 inches tall.

Ash is watching Chayce play a game on my phone before going to the doctor.  

Let me get a better look...

My loves :)

Mistake and a mohawk

Remember the hamster Santa brought the boys?  And how I told them numerous times that they needed to be extra careful to make sure the cage was always shut so, she couldn't escape?  Yeah, well guess what...I, yes me, the mom who's not supposed to mess up like this...left the top completely open on the cage after cleaning it last night.  Whoops!  

I had to wake Chayce up a little after 7am to take him in for his yearly shots this morning.  The house was still dark and we were downstairs getting our coats and shoes on when he says, 'Mom, the hamster's down there!'  What?!?!  I'm thinking how the heck could the hamster be anywhere but in her cage?  Then I thought maybe it's a really big spider...yuckorama!...or gosh forbid a mouse...eeks!  I quick turn on the light and sure enough, that lil' Bubblegum was downstairs by the front door.  

Then it dawned on me that I didn't shut the top of her cage.  I was letting the little circle part dry out after I cleaned it.  Bad move mom, bad move.  Thankfully, she didn't hurt herself because I'm sure the fall down the three stairs was not fun for her...poor thing.  And thankfully, Chayce spotted her and she wasn't missing for days on end.  Note to self...always, always triple check to make sure the cage is closed!

So, we're at the doctor waiting for the nurse to get his shots ready and we're discussing how she's going to put the shots in his legs when he asks, 'Mom, why do they put that one shot in your arm?'  Me not asking anyone in particular, 'Oh you mean the...gosh what's that shot called?'  Chayce says like it's common knowledge, 'TB.'  The nurse and I both look at each other and say with a smile, 'Yes that's right!'  I thought it was cute he knew that :)  Mind you he didn't even get the TB shot today and we haven't talked about that shot since he got it over a year ago.  

I did my usual Target run on Friday night while Chris stayed home with the boys.  When I got back, they were all bathed/showered and ready for bed and my baby had a mohawk!

It was the cutest lil' mohawk ever!  And it was even cuter when he woke up in the morning...all messy, but still very much a mohawk.  I should've taken a picture...next time for sure!

It's going to be stupid cold here tomorrow.  High of like -20.  Seriously, mother nature is out of control. I will continue to daydream about Texas.  That's what I do to get through the winters up here.  Maybe I'll make some chicken and dumplings tomorrow.  Might as well make use of the ginormous box of Bisquick I bought at Costco yesterday.  I love that place! 

Ok, I'm done jabbering :)  I'm off to finish reading 'The Lovely Bones'.  Sleep sweet!

Ash's one year checkup

Yes, I realize Ash is 13 months old.  But because of shots and my schedule his one year checkup just happened yesterday.  And it was the worst time for a baby to have an appt ever...8pm.  I'm not joking.  I made the appt two months ago and the next available appt wasn't until the end of November which would've messed with his shot schedule she said so, an 8pm appt is what we got.  

He really didn't do that bad.  I mean he cried and screamed...a lot.  But the second he got back in my arms he was the most snuggly baby ever.  Poor thing...watching your baby get shots is the worst.  But we made it and he doesn't have to go back again till he's 15 months old.  

He's a little peanut!  He weighs 18 lb 15.5 oz and is 29.75 inches tall.  

Playing with a puzzle before he got called in.

Sick baby

My poor lil' baby Ash is sick.  He started coughing on Sunday and then yesterday it was getting worse.  He was having a hard time getting a good breath and he was wheezing a little so, we took him to the urgent care by us last night.  He has croup :(  They gave him some steroids and albuterol so, hopefully he'll start feeling betters soon.  He only woke up once last night which is good because he didn't nap well at all yesterday.  I'll let ya know how he's feeling once he wakes up.  

Grandma Rana is in town and she let the boys open her gifts on Friday night.  Here are a few pics...

Harry Potter movie

R5 cd...Ross Lynch is one of the singers.  He's Austin from Austin & Ally and Vann loves that show.  

He likes it a little :)

Ash is helping open a new dvd player.

Baby Ash liked the wrapping paper :)

Vann was so cute after he got his new cd.  He listened to it all night long.  Singing his little heart out...it was so cute!  And he's been singing the songs in the shower too :)  

Casey's birthday was on Saturday so, we baked her some brownies.  

Singing Happy Birthday

Dad and Ash

Okay, that's it for now.  I'll update ya later about Ash...

Eye Doctor

I took the older two boys to the eye doctor tonight.  Well Ash came too, but he didn't have a check up.  They are both 20/20...yay!  I was slightly nervous for Vann because he's been randomly complaining about things being blurry.  Mainly when he reads or is doing schoolwork.  The doctor said it just means his eyes need a break.  Good to hear his vision is still great!  And Chayce did awesome for it being his first visit.  I was super proud of both boys!  

The kids played a lot of Hungry, Hungry Hippos today.  In fact, they're playing it right now too.  That is one of my least favorite games.  It's so flippin' noisy!  They played it so much that they made up all these crazy ways to play.  Like instead of using your hands, you have to use your feet!

Chris made homemade perogies last night.  He filled half with mashed potatoes and half with sauerkraut.  They were good!  He took a plate of them to our Polish neighbors to thank them for watering our garden while we were out of town.  They were so surprised he made them from scratch!  Mostly because they said they won't even make them...they just buy them.  Chris is up for any challenge when it comes to cooking though :)

And since we had sauerkraut, we had reubens for dinner as well.  Mmmm, those are some good sandwiches!  I haven't had one in forever and I forgot how much I like them.  

Okay I'm off to get the boys in bed.  Hope you had a great Monday!

Wordy Wednesday

I feel like I have so much to tell you today.  So, here goes...


Little Chaycers had his 3 year check up on Monday.  He did great!  See normally he starts crying the second we walk into the examine room...every time since he was 2 months old, never fails.  But it's been a year since we've been there so, I was optimistic.  I always prep my kids when they're going to get shots.  So, when I told him he had a check up, his first question was about shots and if they would hurt.  I told him yes to both questions.  Why tell him it's going to hurt you ask...well why lie about it?  I said, yes it's going to hurt, but just a little bit and only for a second.  He said ok.  


So, we get there right on time.  Waited 45 minutes in the waiting room...that part makes me crazy!  When we finally got in the examine room, he happily did everything the nurse asked him to.  He's still my little peanut...weighing in at a whopping 28 lbs and is 37 inches tall.  I weighed Vann while we were there...he's my little skinny mini too...38 lbs and I forgot to see how tall he is.  Then it was shots time.  Not really shots...they did the finger/toe poke and the tb test.  Dr. K asked him whether he wanted his finger or toe poked, he picked his toe.  It didn't work...no blood.  So, she picked his ring finger.  He got a bit anxious for a second, but then it was over and he was laughing about his bandaid.  Tb shot...not a peep outta him.  I was pleasantly surprised!  When we got in the car, he said, 'Mom, that finger one hurted!'  So cute.  By bath time he'd forgotten all about it.  


Our project today was to paint a dinosaur.  Paint = happy kiddos!  Here's some pics...

What else...Vann had pictures for soccer tonight.  Talk about a humongous mess of controlled chaos!  It went well, they had it all organized, but man were there a lot of kids...I mean a lot!


So, after pictures I took the boys to Subway for dinner.  We don't eat out a lot...like maybe once a month.  And usually we take it home to eat it, but today I thought hey, let's do something different and eat it there.  They were excited!  They got the oven roasted chicken and I got the buffalo chicken.  And they were so well behaved...made me proud!


When we got home, we decided to do our ice project.  Since we're talking about Canada this week, one of the things on our list to learn about is Hotel de Glace.  It's this awesome hotel made of ice and snow near Quebec City, Quebec.  You should google it...looks amazing!  Cold, but amazing.  You can actually sleep there...so crazy.  I couldn't find any books in the library about it so, off to the internet we go.  We read about it online, looked at a bunch of pictures and watched a couple of videos about it.  I asked Vann if he would like to go there sometime.  He said, 'I don't want to sleep there, but that slide looks fun!'  They have an ice slide in the hotel.  After learning a little about Hotel de Glace, it was project time.  


Earlier today, Vann and I froze some colored ice cubes and ice blocks (water with food coloring in a bowl).  The idea was for them to see how they could get the ice to stick together and to chisel it into another shape or whatever.  They loved it...seriously loved it!  If you're ever looking for a fun project to keep your kids happily entertained...give this a shot.  

To get the ice cubes to stick together they were supposed to dip their paint brush in water, brush part of the ice, then hold another piece of ice to that spot until it sticks.  

Chayce holding his to make it stick

Vann's making a big one...

Yay, it stuck!

They also had small butter knives to chisel at the ice

Making another tower

Trying to cut it...he always held the knife upside down...silly boy!

I love this one!  

Maybe if I stack them up and then try to cut them it'll work...

Or not...I guess I'll just swish the ice block around like a hockey puck...that's fun!

Vann was proud that he made a 'smiley face...actually, it's a sad face because the ice won't curve,' he said.

Cleaning up his sad face with the paint brush.

I gotta tell ya, not once did they complain about their fingers being cold.  And they did this for a good half hour.  It was a fun project!


Sorry for the super long post...if you've read this far...thanks!  I'm off to bed...hope you had a great day!