rainy day arts and crafts 2

1.) toilet paper road for truck
2.) tape hopscotch
3.) sew cards
4.) scratch art
5.) learning to mix paint (smoosh baggies & paint blots)

rainy day arts and crafts

1.) marshmallow/pretzel constructs
2.) tinted shaving cream bath
3.) string art
4.) feather painting

Graham (not the cracker kind)

Avery loves to eat graham crackers. Apparently, he likes to read Billy Graham too. I quickly took this shot after he had chosen to pull this off the bookshelf and "read" it.

Boy Play

Things we are playing with these days:

1.) army men (Thomas the Train sometimes attacks the fort)
2.) anything cowboy with a red "Lightning McQueen" hat
3.) robot blocks
4.) guns - paper towel, drill, noodle, Nerf, etc...
5.) water sprinkler
6.) pretend play with large boxes (especially from Aldi's) and any empty containers

Three and a Half

Avery is almost three and a half. I've tried to take note on how he has made strides in development lately.

Potty training has been an on-going process since last May. By April of this year, he occasionally went potty (#1 & #2) on his own. Approximately around the second week or so this May he seemed to be going on the potty pretty well by himself. He enjoys being able to wear underwear all the time now. He has even learning to "go" standing up.''

Avery has also enjoyed being switched to a booster seat as well around the second week of May. It gives him more freedom to move his arms and reach down on the seat if he has dropped his toys.

In addition, he is also able to use an open cup and silverware by himself. Sometimes we switch up his baby silverware with adult utensils. Avery likes to even shake his own cinnamon on his oatmeal in the mornings.

Avery has been in a phase where he wants to sort and group items. We've seen him do it with books, clothes hangers, spoons, blocks, etc... He notices the difference between color and size.

Physically, he looks like he is much older than his age. Avery is now wearing 4T clothes and size 10 shoes. His hair has grown out a little longer on top and has a slight wave texture to it. Sometime late April we noticed his first skin moles - two on his face.

We are so proud of this little guy! It sure will help to have this perspective on how fast children grow through stages if/when we have another.

Mother's Day Dance

My husband and son really went to great lengths to make Mother's Day special. Clint scheduled a date night at the Springfield Fine Arts Fest and took me out to eat at Old Chicago (yum!). Sunday morning, as I was getting ready for church, the two boys secretly went to the store to purchase a surprise gift. Clint bought a beautiful bouquet of red roses (my favorite flower and our wedding color) and a bar or dark chocolate (yum again!). Avery picked out the large Elmo card for me all by himself. He also came home and gave me a "dance". It was great! He is such a passionate and energetic dancer!

Worms, Bougars and Other Boy Things

Funny Quotes by Avery:

(Speaking to himself) "Sometimes I get bougars out with my sock."

"More shaving cream (Cool Whip) on my strawberries pleeeeease."

(While watching Clint drive off to work from the window one morning) "I think he's gonna get lost."

"I'm a big boy! Look at my long legs!"


Worm Stories:

Avery asked "Momma, do worms take naps? Eisley picked up a worm and he said he was taking a nap. (silly voice) He was all bent!"


I came to BUM Kids to pick up Avery. He was riding trikes with three other boys about his age (Miles, Silas and Colter). All four of them stopped and were sitting on their trikes huddled around each other staring at the ground. I came over to investigate what was going on. They were quietly fascinated with a wiggly worm on the sidewalk. I exclaimed "Cool guys! It's a worm!" Miles, very nonchalantly, looked at me, looked ad the worm, and then moved his foot off the pedal and stomped on the worm. The other boys sat dead silent, almost as if they had gasped out of fear and were waiting for me to get onto Miles. It must have been an awkward silence for them. Then, suddenly, Avery broke the ice with laughter and squealed "Eeewwww! Nasty!!" All the boys joined in the laughter and thought Miles was so cool to squish the worm.