Chinese Lunch

So to help finish our celebration of The Chinese New Year we went to Mr. You's Chinese Restaurant, and ate some yummy Chinese food. The girls had a great time enjoying the atmosphere and asking about all the fun decorations. While we were there the delivery truck showed up to drop off their food delivery. This really impressed the girls! They loved watching the men take everything out of the delivery truck, and then wheel it into the store. Lizzie loved showing us all the different items she could pick out (eggs, vegetables, etc.) Thanks Grammie and Papa for the fun afternoon!

Thumbprint Dragons

Today's stART project comes from Ed Emberly's Drawing book. We wanted to continue our fun Chinese New Year with one more craft so we made Fingerprint Dragons.

The girls loved sticking their fingers in the paint

If you look closely you can see what each dragon looked like before we added the details.

The girls were SUPER proud of their fingerprint dragons.

Go make some fingerprint art!

Draw a Dragon for Chinese New Year

So as I was surfing blogland I found this super cool website that teaches kids how to draw. I really love to draw and when I saw this tutorial I had to try it, plus the kids were napping so I could take my time. I love when artists give step by step directions, and then hopefully the picture will turn out like you want it to. I think my dragon looks pretty good. Maybe each day during nap time I will work on my art skills and start drawing again. I really want to go take some classes at the college out here, and spread my wings since my degree is done. You know all those fun classes you can't take since you are trying to fit in 15 units of classes for your major so you can try to graduate on time or a little early. I'm really glad that I took yoga the quarter I decided to take 21 units. Those three months almost killed me, but yoga kept me balanced, and I somehow made it though. Well go check out this website, and maybe we can practice our art skills together during nap time.

Year of the Rabbit

Happy Chinese New Year!!! The girls are so excited to share their Chinese lanterns with you. They learned how to make them at the Library this week. I'm so excited to have the girls do a couple more crafts to celebrate the new year. Hooray for fun cultural events!!!

More Chinese New Year Fun

The girls wanted to make a Chinese Dragon that was similar to the one at our Library. Our printer isn't working still so I had to draw the body pieces free hand. The girls loved the craft, especially since the body is made of their hand prints. Click here for the link.

The girls wanted to pretend they were in a parade so we made a dragon puppet for the girls to march around the house with. Super Cute!!! Click here for the link.

stART Project

Today's stART project was with the book"There Was a Cold Lady who Swallowed Some Snow"by: Lucille Colandro. I love the original book "There was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly" and it went perfect with our Winter Theme. Lizzie asks me to read her this book a zillion times a day, and she can almost read it to herself since she has memorized the dialog so well. So I decided to make a cold lady with a sandwich bag, and each little thing that she eats. The girls loved this craft!!! When we read this story at bedtime we used our Cold Lady and stuff her with all the things. At the end of the book she hiccups and out pops a snowman. *I included this, but I forgot to take a picture of the snowman. Enjoy!

Once there was a Snowman

Today we practiced cutting, and what better to cut than a snowman to go with our winter theme. Krislynn loved gluing with the glue stick. Lizzie wanted to give her snowman a pink and black outfit. All and all it was a great activity. While we were cutting and gluing the girls wanted to sing the song "Once there was a Snowman" If you don't know the words it goes: "Once there was a snowman, snowman, snowman. Once there was a snowman, tall , tall, tall. In the sun he melted, melted, melted. In the Sun he melted, small, small, small."This is one of the girl's most favorite Primary songs. Hooray for fun learning activities.

Happy Groundhog Day!!!

What is Groundhog Day you ask... let me give you a little History Lesson. If the Groundhog sees his shadow that means that there will be six more weeks of winter or bad weather, but if he doesn't see his shadow the groundhog figures Spring is on its way and he stays above ground. It isn't very scientific but a lot of fun!!! Well for Groundhogs Day we made groundhogs. The girls loved learning about groundhogs, and we even did some predicting of what they thought the groundhog would do. Lizzie, Ella, Krislynn, and David didn't think that the groundhog would see his shadow, and that winter would be over and Spring is here to stay. I thought he would see his shadow, and we could have six more weeks of winter. What do you think happened???? He didn't see his shadow and Spring is ready to come and visit!!!

Go make some Groundhogs you kids will love them!!!!

Click here for fun Printable and activities to do with your kids for Groundhog Day

Our ABC's

So back in the day when my best friend Amanda's mom was teaching Kindergarten she used this technique. I thought it was genius! She used all cartoon characters that she knew the kids would be familiar with. I changed that part up a little bit as you can see since Lizzie already knew some letters corresponding to certain people. Lizzie and Krislynn LOVE these cards, especially since it's all people/cartoons they love. Thank you Jean for the FABULOUS idea, and now my girls are hard core alphabet geniuses! ( Lizzie knows all her letters but: U, V, W this one is super hard for her, and Z) Hopefully this month she will know all her letters; then we can move onto the sounds of each letter.

Davey's Countdown to Valentine's Day

So this year I was trying to think of something special to do for Davey. Of course we could go out to eat at our favorite restaurant, or go see a movie... BLAH!!! I wanted to make this year something special he wouldn't forget. So this year he is getting a countdown like the girl's, but his is using "The Great Sex Deck". Each day he will receive an envelope, and we will do what the card says. (Don't forget one of my resolutions was be be a better wife, and after these 14 days I will be the BEST WIFE in his eyes! )

So go do something special for your husband, and make him feel like a King!!!

Our new playroom

Well I have really wanted to put the girls together and have them share a room for a long time now, but I haven't had the time or patience to do it. Saturday came and I thought what the heck.. let's just do it already. So we moved Lizzie in with Krislynn (pictures will be coming when we get their room all put together) and I made Lizzie room the playroom. This room is perfect for us to do all our preschool stuff, and I set it up so all the toys are set up in sections. I'm really glad with how it turned out. The only thing I need to get is a calendar, and hang up my new alphabet project I have been working on (pictures will be coming) The girls LOVE it! Now the question is... how long will it last as a playroom before it turns into a Nursery? Only time will tell.

Oh Lizzie!!!

So there are a couple stories that I really want to remember, and what not a perfect place to put them right?

Story #1: Last Sunday Lizzie was asked to bear (I think that is how it's spelled) her testimony in Primary for the 1st time. I have been waiting for this ever since she was born. I got a little teary watching her sitting with her class, and each time she would look back at David and I she would wave and blow kisses. Lizzie is shy, especially if she is around a lot of people she doesn't know well. So it was her turn, we had practiced all week, and it was finally time for her to go up. I grabbed her litter hand, and bent down to whisper in her ear what she should say. She clammed up, and wanted nothing to do with the mic. I told her I would give her a special treat if she would do it. Finally after a couple minutes of being silly she did it. I was so proud of her. My little girl is growing up so fast. I can't wait for the Primary kids to sing in Sacrament Meeting, I think I might actually loose it. I'm so excited for that moment.

Story #2: Sis. Dunlap called David last night and asked if he would bring a nice picture of Lizzie into her class, and give a short three minute talk about her. We didn't tell Lizzie that he was coming in to visit her class today, but David said it went well. He gave some quick facts about her (when she was born, some nicknames we have for her, etc.) When we got in the car to come home today, all she could talk about was her Daddy coming in and visiting her class, and how she held up a picture of Joseph Smith in Sharing Time.

Story #3: In Primary this month they are learning the song, "Scripture Power" Lizzie has been singing it all week long. She walks around the house singing it, or while we are out and about. I love that she is learning all the fun Primary songs, and is being such a good little missionary.

Story #4: So today David and I were having some "SPECIAL TIME" we both thought that each of us had locked our bedroom door, but neither one had. About 10 minutes in ever so quietly Lizzie sneaks in our room. She walks around to David's side of the bed. (David and I are enjoying ourselves and I have the feeling to look over at the slider in our room. Right as I look over Lizzie says, "BOO!!!" (I'm thinking holy crap now she is going to want to snuggle, and we have nothing to grab to cover ourselves.) David tells her to go back to her bed. She giggles as she runs out. *Lesson learned double check the lock on the bedroom door before having special time, how embarrassing!

Valentine Countdown

The other day I found this while I was blog scrolling. I thought it was super cute, but I didn't have the time nor the tools to make it. So I came up with this instead...

The girls are going to love them, and that is all that matters. I wish I had a SUPER cool Cricket to di-cut the words for me, and some super nifty tools to cut out holes for the kisses so I could use the same board every year. That is JUST TOO ORIGINAL for me. This way I can change it up each year, and get a little more creative than the last. If you want to know how to make the board above click on the word this, and it will take you to the blog I found it on.

P.s. I also have a little trick up my sleeve for my husband, but he reads our blog every so often so when I give him his countdown I will fill you in.

Other fun things we have been working on

Here are some of the other things we have been working on: Number sorting, Patterns, Classifications (separating things by color, separating by color, shape, and letter) I'm so glad Lizzie is FINALLY getting patterns.

stART Project

Today's stART project is from the book, "The Snowy Day" by Ezra Jack Keats. This story was perfect since I am doing a winter theme right now with the girls. It was a MAJOR plus since it had a lot of our Winter Sight Words in it too. The girls loved the story, and Lizzie was excited to do the lacing activity we came up with. Here is the Mitten link if you would like to make one too. After Lizzie was done lacing she wanted to decorate her mitten, and what did she choose? Dinosaurs in the Jungle.
ENJOY!