kellicrowe

little boy blue

Little Boy Blue. 

Blue Max. 

It seemed like a perfectly reasonable thing. The three boys would play nicely up in David's room while John David and I started watching our movie. 1/3 of the way into the movie - we would pause and go put the kids in bed. Simple enough. 

 

This is what Max's face looked like when we got to the room. Alex had just washed his as best he could. You could still see the traces of smurfiness. 

 

"MAX! Did you color your face blue?" 

"Naw, Alex did. HEhehehHE!" 

 

You see, if you use a crayola washable marker and then smear water over it - it makes for a nice face mask. At least that was as much of the story as we could get out the kids. 

 

It could have been worse. 

No one's hair was cut this time. 

No "science projects." 

When will we learn? 

granny & pa

Granny & Pa before they were Granny & Pa before they were Mama & Daddy when they were just newly husband and wife on their honeymoon Mr & Mrs. Orr Frances & Jimmy Ok - so I am doing a little pre writing for a LO using this pic. I LOVE it. Don't they look like movies stars? When I tell my Granny this she thinks I'm nuts. There is just something amazingly romantic about old photographs. I love the way they are looking at each other:) kellicrowe

this is sleepy

Max. Asleep. No pacifier. No blanket. Just a kid worn out from playing in the sprinkler. Wet clothes in the laundry room. In his robe:) Eating cornflakes. Fell asleep eating cornflakes on the hard kitchen floor. I DID check to make sure he was breathing before taking the pictures. Lets hear it for the sprinkler! k

Maybe I should cut back

This is how you know you have been drinking too much Dr. Pepper. I did forget to put out the recycle last week...but still, this was a shocking site for me. This is a LOT of soda. Abbie drinks a some. There is at least 1 cranberry juice container in there.....no, I am not gonna be able to make myself feel better about this one. Worst - I don't drink water. At all. I'm a gonna. Starting when I walk upstairs. Of course - I never remember what I am supposed to do once I go up or down a set of stairs. The process seems to erase my short term memory. Something about it shakes my eatch-a-sketch brain a little too much. I have remnants of "something that I ws going to take over there and do something with". Writing it on my hand. There. Drink water. k

Flag Art Project

American Flag Art Project We haven't studied American History yet. Alex loves flags (like his Mommy:) So when he said he wanted to have his new room "decorated to look like the American Flag" I had to come up with a plan. So we came up with some projects to hang on the wall. This is my favorite of them. 

 

1. You need red, white, blue & silver paper, foam, craft paper, wrapping paper. You don't need it all - but look around and see what you have. Construction paper will fade pretty fast - so I would avoid that. Scrapbook card stock is heavier and comes in a variety of colors. 

 

2. cut the papers of red, white and blue into 1 inch squares. It actually looks cuter if all the squares on not the exact same size. 

 

3. Take a large sheet of white paper (I always love to frame up the kid's stuff in those inexpensive frames from Micheal's. So when starting an art project I always make sure my paper will fit into one of my frames) Draw off the flag. Large rectangle in top right, 13 stripes. The first stripe is red. There are 7 stripes next to the blue rectangle and the rest are under it. 

 

4. I wrote a B where the blue squares went, R for red and W for white. 

 

5. Alex, in Pre K at the time and learning his letters, could remember what went where. 

 

6. Glue stick over the area you want to cover. We started with the blue and then went down the page alternating the red and the white stripes. 

 

7. I free hand cut out some silver stars from wrapping paper. I told Alex there were 50 - but didn't insist he put that many on there. The result (because we used the foam pieces too) is a picture that is very rich with texture. It looks kinda folk artie. 

 

8. This project took Alex 3 days to complete because he was so young and his attention span waned after about 3 stripes. We did talk about American History, songs about the flag, who made it, why we respect the flag. American and World History, Art, following directions, improving fine motor skills, communication. K

Alex's first REAL lost tooth

Alex is just so proud:) He had his first tooth removed a while back. The crown broke off leaving a gnarled little vampire - needs - to - go - to - the - dentist looking thing that our regular little boy dentist removed. So that was a top tooth. Top left. Then we discover that he has a bottom tooth coming in behind the baby tooth on the bottom. Good news if you are a shark. Not so much if you are the parent of little boys who are destined to follow the paths of their parents into braces, head gear and retainers. We worked on wiggling that baby bottom tooth - a lot. Finally, using the little ora-gel swabs to numb the area (meant for babies who are teething) - John David got the tooth out. It is on the bottom right. So Alex is missing two teeth...diagonal from each other. He is just so cute. He is ever so proud to finally get in on the Tooth Fairy action.

praying for Max's future wife

Max. Two days ago he was 1 month and 1 day shy of turning 3. That is exactly the age John David was on the day I was born. I don't sit around and think about these things normally....ok, I do...but I've been listening to Steven Curtis Chapman's "All About Love" CD...again. I've heard it over and over again but I still can get choked up over the song, "11-6-64." It is a song about the day his wife was born. 11-6-64 the sun shone a whole lot brighter than it ever had before smiling down on me at 1:09 pm both hands of time stopped turning and you came waltzing into change my world for good and I was only 2 years old so I really don't know exactly what was going on but I bet I laughed and played harder on that day 'cause my whole world was changing on 11-6-64 you breathed your first breath suddenly living life meant so much more on the day that you were born The song - by SCC - is just so sweet. It reminded me that they are out there....the future wives of my sons. I need to pray for them daily. I just did a LO about David asking about how old he has to be before he gets married. John David's parents prayed for years fo his future spouse and look how blessed he got;) k

Princess Lea Buns

I made 'em myself (NO!) Yep, yarn and a head band. John David and me 5 years ago at a Movie Night event. Han and Lea. Hey - whatever it takes to be a princess - right? I love dressing up. I miss it. I miss dressing in costumes. I say this and yet, on any given day, there are up to 3 boys who are romping around the house in full on costume gear. I can join in any time. Sometimes I feel like I am wearing a grown up costume. Like I'm not really one..just pretending. Shhhhh.

ABC School Project

One of my FAVE project with the kids. For Pre-K & and Kindergarten: Saw something like this in The Land of Nod cat. - very cute but cost about $98. 

1. Bought 18x24 inch canvas (found that they are not perfect in size). Figured that I could get squares almost 2.14 inch squares, 6 across and 9 down. That gave me two boxes for each letter of the alphabet and then two left over - where the kids wrote their names. 

2. Taped off the squares (masking tape works great and releases well from the canvas). It will take three or four times to tape it off because the tape will over-lap some of the squares. 

3. I gave the kids 8 colors of acrylic paint to choose from. They picked which colors to paint each square. The only rule I had was no two squares sharing a side could be the same color. 

4. Let dry, retape, same process 

5. White sticker letters from Making Memories bought at Micheal's (there are extras in the pack - you will want extras!). I let them color each letter with sharpies (I know - permanent, but the colors are bright.) The idea was to color it in a contrasting color to the block that it would go on. David really got into making his letters into guys. 

6. Each letter they did, they drew a picture. I cut the paper for them to draw on a little smaller than the the square it would go in (so their picture wouldn't exceed the space). For Alex - pre-K, he was learning to id his letters. I gave him choices of things to draw that started with each letter. David, K and working on letter sounds, he came up with his picture ideas. 

7. I cut out each picture and used decoupage glue (mode podge from Micheal's) to stick it to the canvas. 

8. When done, we took about a month to do this, I decoupaged the whole thing about 5 times (letting it dry in between) 

9. I also painted the sides red so it would look more "finished" on the wall. 

10. Occasionally we messed up and the picture or the letter was hard to see on the block. I carefully outlined it in black or put it on white paper and trimmed it again (which ever helped it to show up) 

11. Hung it on the wall. Grandma wanted one - so the kids did it all over a gain about 5 months later. It was interesting to see how they had the whole thing down by then. Art, decision making skills, logic, letter sounds, letter recognition, creativity, art for Mom's wall:)

My Star Wars Moment

I had a moment when watching Star Wars today at the 10:30 am showing.                                 

Two of our best couple friends were with us.

Those same 1978 light blue words came up on the screen.

Then the undeniable "this is what Star Wars sounds like" music booms through the speakers....

Yellow text scrolls, reminding us where we are in the saga

The audience cheers and claps

And my eyes darting...waiting...for a so-way-cool-vehicle-my-kids-will-later-build-out-of-Legos ship to come screaming across the screen....

This will sounds waaaaaaaaaaaay cornie - but I kinda teared up.

It wasn't the movie...it was the whole Star Wars experience.  I was suddenly 7 years old when that music started.  I was completely willing to suspend any disbelief that in a galaxy far, far away these things were not happening. 

AND, my friends, let me tell you  - George Lucas knows how to make a sequel...or prequel or...he know how to keep his peeps happy.  People say, "Well it is kinda corny."  Or "The acting was just ok"  People, pa - lease, lend my your ears  "IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE THAT WAY!"  The first movie was like that.  All the other movies are going to be like that.  If you want to see some acting - go rent To Kill A Mocking Bird.  You want to see a light saber duel to end all light saber duels - go see Star Wars. 

Remember Mission Impossible?  Remember the sequel?  Yeah - they were so nothing alike.  In every Star Wars Movie I know what to expect and I probably already know what is going to happen.  Light saber duels, battles in space, good verses evil, droids saying silly things and at some point someone is gonna utter, "I have a bad feeling about this."  Yeah baby.  I LIKE that. This movie rocked it out.

So there it is - my Star Wars moment.  Thanks Mr. Lucas:]

finger nail clippings

Finger nails on a hand - not so gross. Ok to touch things. Fine to wave them around in the air. Clip the finger nails and suddenly they are disgusting trash. Not ok to touch anything or be left anywhere or really to be seen at all. When is the magical moment when they go from acceptable and functioning to dirty trash? 1/2 way clipped off? 3/4 the way?
Just wondering.

I like Regular

So we are at the beach.  John David has some business here - so more of a vacation for us and work in a different state for him.  He comes in and says he may have enough business to keep him here so how would we like to live at the beach for the summer or part of the fall? 

Hmmm, um....no.

Why?

I really couldn't think of a good reason.  I can homeschool the kids anywhere.  The kids love the beach and the pool.  We have a place where we can stay.  Hmmm, still I have no idea...just no.

Then it hits me...ok, like 7 hours later...so maybe it just oozed into my system....I like regular.  I am blissfully happy with how regular my life is.  Being at the beach is a lovely break from our regular life.  However, I love our regular life...so why do I want a break from it for any length of time?  Consistancy is comfort.  Regular is friendly and warm. 

So no, I do not want to live at the beach.  Thanks anyway, honey.  Sorry your wife is wierd. 

the long and winding road

I had forgotten what it was like to walk anywhere with a 3 year old.  OK, so Max isn't 3...yet.  Walking from the beach condo down to the water is like a trek across the Andes with this kid.  Better pack some water and snacks.  A rock, a patch of sand in the grass, a patch of grass in the sand...who know what could cause him to stop and ponder and comment.  Any walk is like we are walking through a documentary. 

"Look, a bug.  I'm gonna squish it!"

                    "You don't need to squish it, the bug lives outside"

"Ooooh, look a 'pider (spider). I'm gonna squish it!"

                     "You don't need to squish it, the spider lives outside"

"Oh a rock.  Look at the rock, Mommy.  No crab in this rock."

And so on and so on and so on.  It is very cute and very frustrating all at the same time. 

it makes me happy #100

kid art framed fabulously = happy me

Ogre by David on piece of scratch paper...rescued by Mommy from certain destruction.  He looks at me as I walk around the kitchen and makes me happy.  Me.  With framed Ogres in my kitchen and happy about it.  Who knew?

Sandy Britches

Sandy britches.

Sandy feet

Sandy hands

Sandy face

Sandy Max

summer is here

Summer has arrived at the Crowe House! Our annual TO DO LIST has been posted: Beach Pool Golf Disney 8 Birthdays Scrapbooking @ fun All very important matters to attend to and, so that nothing slips through the cracks, we have the official list diplayed on this lovely 2 seasons ago Pottery Barn treasure on a funky little piece of wall in our kitchen. 2 birthdays have already passed...*sigh*... mine being one of them. Guests always comment on this board as if it were some amazing antique find. Or like we whitteled it ourselves. Doesn't everyone memorize the Pottery Barn catalogue...all 57 different ones? Just for funzies - below the board is a replica (thanks to Target) of the type of chair all the grandkids sat in at my Granny's home in SC. Above is a note written to me in 1980 by my Grandfather. And that, kids, is the end of our short tour of Kelli's weird little wall in her kitchen. Stay with the group. Keep walking, keep walking....