2/8-2/13

E's fascinated by superheros, thanks to his older brothers talking about Batman and Superman, and all the good that they do. This is his own take on a superhero costume. He loves his pillowcase cape, he's been known to get it from the clean laundry ask for it to be attached to the nape of his neck. He'll then proceed to run around, saying "I flying, I flying" Love how his mind works.

Monday was a school holiday, and we ventured to V town to have a playdate with friends. I helped a friend out too, watching her crew so she could take care of an errand by herself. Later that evening, I had five more kids at our home, so another friend could get some over due me-time. It was noisy, but not overwhelming. The kids all had fun, and I made dinner for the crew. My friend came back grinning from ear to ear, so I knew her batteries had been recharged. Here's a pic of some of the crew from earlier in the morning watching Ice Age. Love the superheros keeping the boys company on the couch.

Tuesday the boys and I put together their Valentines for school. G's "assignment" was to make a box for all his cards. In his independant way, he decided how he wanted to decorate it, and I sat back and helped when needed. It was amusing when he brought it in later that week, to see how his homemade creation compared to some of his peers. His teacher remarked on how she could tell which child did it vs the parent, and how she was trying to do it as a fun child-parent activity and not just a quest for a "perfect" box. I told her how G is strong willed-and wouldn't let me decorate it, maybe that's a difference between him and his peers. I have told her though how he loves art, being creative, and how I as a parent, have moved on from wanting something "perfect" with G to wanting my child to enjoy themselves and to have fun. I felt it was a worthwhile project and told her that having "assignments" like that was okay, if only because its too easy to get caught up in the day to day stuff with the younger boys, and it makes me pen in quality time.

G played a big role in constructing his Valentines Day cards this year. I cut cardstock down in size, and let him decorate each square with crayons and markers. When it was done, we wrote his name on them, and attached a box of raisens to it. He loved it. Now I will say, G tried to do exactly as M did with his, (complete with punching holes and trying to add lollipops to some of his cards), and while it didn't stay put, he was proud of his attempt, and also passed them out too. He was a proud boy for all the work he put into it.

For M, I cut cardstock down in size, and M wrote out his name on each one. I then freehand drew a heart, and M cut it out (we folded the paper a lot, so we had many hearts to work with). M glued down the hearts however he wanted, so each card was unique. I then hole punched two holes into the card, and M attached a lollipop through it. It turned out really cute, and M was proud of his art work. I must say, this was one of a few art projects that held his attention, so I know it was a winner here.

On Wednesday, we had First Five's 0-5 camera crew come to the house and interview our family. They are doing a segment on birth order and personalities, and my friend suggested me for the piece. It was a lot of fun, but a lot of work too. The kids did not mind playing in front of the camera, but they didn't quite grasp the idea of capturing them doing one thing, and then quickly switching to another, especially when it came to playing with their toys. That was to be expected though, and I liked talking with the journalist who was in charge of the segment. The segment will air in mid-June, and I'll post a link once I receive it.

I have a ton of pictures to sort through from the Valentines Day party at M's school, so there will be a delay on posting them on here. However, this was as close to a picture of my three Valentines after the round of parties at preschool and school. Everyone was super wound up from sugar and fun, and it was totally expected that we all crashed at 8pm, missing most of the opening ceremony of the Olympics.

On Saturday, we ventured into F town to run errands, and then I took M to a classmate's birthday party in town. It was a lot of fun, complete with a bounce house in front of the house, and cake and ice cream. The weather was beautiful, sun shining, kids laughing and playing. It reminded me of the birthday parties I went to as a child. I had a nice time too, socializing with the moms of M's friends. We spent the rest of the afternoon outside, soaking up the sunshine. It has been great getting a taste of spring weather-it was a great way to end a fun week.