A Craft for a Craft

A good friend of Myka's turned 4 in September and had decided that she must have a pinata at her party to rain down candy for all of her friends. Her mom and I discussed the one I had made for Myka's party a few times and I told her I would be happy to make one for her if it involved some kind of roundish shape. The problem was that the theme of the party was going to be "circus" and all I could think of to make was a giant clown head. And of any of Myka's friends, Kate would be most likely to be freaked out by a giant head on a string hanging from a tree in her front yard, no matter WHAT kind of candy was coming out of it. So I stretched myself a little bit and made a square shaped pinata this time. Here is the progress as I recorded it:

When it came time to settle the bill, it turned out I made the entire thing from scraps around the house (even cheaper than Myka's 50 cent pinata!) and to pay me for my time would have cost twice as much as pinatas cost in the store. Since it really was my pleasure to do it, and my friend has quite a talent for knitting, we agreed to a cute little hat and mittens for Myka in return for the pinata. And while candy may not be falling out of them, I think we got the better end of the deal...

Boys, Bow-wows, and Balls

I don't really have anything interesting to say about this so I'll let the pictures and video speak for themselves. Basically, Eli loves any kind of ball and walks around holding one almost all day long. He'll say "ballballball" when he sees one and giggle with delight when we hand it to him. If a ball isn't in his hand it is because he is clutching his "bow-wow". The puppy stays close for the first 5 or 10 minutes he is awake, then he is on to rounder and bouncier things.

Sorry for the neck ache...

A little freedom

Sorry for the delay. I'm not even going to try and make an excuse, but I will try to catch up. So please know that when you see pictures of my kids dressed in shorts and t-shirts posted in the middle of October, I am NOT abusing my children...

The last of the warm weather brought on a new stage in Myka's life. She was allowed to play outside in front of our house by herself and with the neighbor kids. I would leave the big door open and crack the living room window so I could see and hear her from pretty much anywhere on the main floor of the house. She stayed busy picking the berries off the bushes and making homes and swimming pools for ants. Since the door was open, Eli would wander over and keep an eye on things as well.

And occasionally she would check in with us and say "hi"...

...and probably "naa na na naa na."