Nature Art Project

Abby found a cool art project idea in one of her magazines, so we decided to give it a try this afternoon. She braved the cold today (it IS pretty chilly here in Florida ... I'm not kidding!) and rounded up some leaves in the backyard. Then, she glued them together to make a flower and bunny. Of course, Tyler wanted to do one too ... so we fashioned some sharks (Ty's request) out of the remaining leaves. But, you know it's all about the accessories! The glitter glue and beads added a finishing touch: to the photos ... and to our floor! Even though Tyler kindly dropped the whole bag of beads on the tile floor, he was great about cleaning them up. Don't look too closely at the pictures - it's hard telling what is a bead and what was left under the table at snacktime. Tyler actually discovered several Chex and a piece of a pretzel rod. YUCK!

Hallmark Greetings...

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who sent us a holiday card this year. We thoroughly enjoy receiving your photos and family updates each Christmas, as it is often one of our only chances to catch up with you. Just the other day, I was sorting through the cards to see which letters I had not yet read ... and what photos I could pull to make personalized placemats for Abby and Tyler (I did this a couple of years ago with the photos we received, and Abby loved "sharing meals" with her friends all year long). I hate to throw them away!

You could say the same for Tyler ... who walked around ALL afternoon today with a card Abby wrote out for him. She has been making the most of her new art table - working on some thank you notes and greetings for her friends. You would have thought she gave Tyler a million dollars when she handed him a card that said "I love Tyler." He was so proud of it, and literally would NOT put it down. I had to tape the spine a couple times because it began ripping. Here's a photo of him when he asked (for about the 10th time) "What says?"

CHICKEN = CHICKEN?

Well, we knew it was bound to occur to her soon!

Yesterday, Abby just might have made a connection. Could it be that chicken - the funny bird she sings about in the Old MacDonald song, the one she speaks like on a frequent basis (see entry from December on this blog), the kind she visits at the Tallahassee Museum farm exhibit - may actually be the same as the chicken she eats at ...

Uh Oh! Believe me, I would have been quite happy to let her live her life thinking there were two different kinds of chicken (Abby has always asked, "Now are you talking about chicken the animal or chicken the food?") but she's getting wise in her old age (4-1/2). Yesterday, Abby asked me what happens when a chicken dies. I believe she said, "Mommy - what kind of chicken is it then?" Of course, I answered her like any mature adult would. I said, "you know Abby, the person who could answer that question best is ... your daddy!"

Goodness, I definitely don't want to be around this summer in Iowa when she starts wondering about the fate of the cows on Grandma and Grandpa's farm. I know it put Dennis through college ... but I'm still in denial about that whole thing myself! :)

The Dry Diaper Dance!

Tyler is so proud of himself this morning (and I'm pretty happy too) ... his diaper from last night is STILL dry (it's nearly 10 am). So far, he's gotten one big M&M and one little one (for those of you who are familiar with our "incentive program" ... sounds like timeshare!) and he's bound and determined to get another. Now, I haven't showered or anything mind you ... this potty training stuff is time consuming! There are timers ringing left and right, we're negotiating for candy ... and I'm thinking of setting up my own magazine collection on the floor near Tyler's potty because we're there so much! Wish us luck...

Schnittker Central Station

I don't think we've ever spent so much time in Tyler's room ... at least as a family! Since the train table moved into Tyler's room, we've been in there quite a bit. Dennis loves coming up with new layouts for the Thomas set and the GeoTrax trains. Yesterday, the Thomas trains got to take a break in the drawer to make way for this GeoTrax layout. I have to admit ... it's easy to get carried away with adding more, and more, and more... Call the folks at Target, Esposito's, Toys r Us, etc. and tell them to keep me out of the train aisles!

Living Room Campout

Well, it wasn't much of a campout ... but we did roast marshmallows! This was actually our first fire in the fireplace this season, and DEFINITELY the first in 2008. (By the way - Happy New Year everyone!) And, it may not be a frequent happening in our house this winter. Tyler ignored about every warning we gave him to "stand on the carpet not the tile" and "don't touch the glass" ... he BRIEFLY touched the hot glass door with his finger (trying to show Dennis the "ittle hole" in the wood). And, roasting marshmallows was quite a messy event. One time, Tyler smacked his mallow right into the log, so we gave him a "backup" (according to Abby). They sure did have fun though ... guess we'll remember stuff like this more than we'll recall having the Christmas decorations put away and the house cleaned up (neither has happened yet!)

The PUPPET Show

For Christmas, Grandan got Abby and Tyler (...and Dennis too!) the first season of The Muppet Show. Grandan and I used to watch the episodes together when I was Abby's age, so he loves that kids are enjoying the same thing 30 years later. Personally, I am amazed that they are sitting through the DVD, since some of the skits are SO 1970s! (And, it took them several episodes to work out the kinks. Did you know Miss Piggy's voice was very manly for the first half dozen shows!) Anyway, the kids have been bugging us to let them watch the DVD every since they opened it on Christmas morning. Funny thing is - Tyler calls it The Puppet Show! For the first couple days, Dennis and I kept thinking he wanted us to put on a show for him in the puppet theatre we have in the playroom!