A visit from Colton!

Look: Oh ya I should mention that Uncle Bob, Uncle Matt and Aunt Jen came along...Colton didn't get here by himself. We were lucky to spend some of the morning on Thanksgiving with our cousins from Harrisburg. Colton really seemed to enjoy all the different toys we had and my kids just liked playing in general too.
Learn: All babies seem to be drawn to baby gates. I had to snap the pic of Colton at the gate because I have numerous photos just like it of C and G! Also, family visits are the best and we need to schedule more time to just hang out with Colton and his awesome parents.
Love: What is there not to love about a sweet ten month old playing with stuff for the first time. It's great to see the wonder in his eyes when he tries something new!

Leaves, toothbrushes and exercise (just pics)

Playing with cousins

Look: We hosted a Sunday night dinner for two of my brothers and their families. The fries I was baking were taking extra long so I whipped out a guess who type of game. I absolutely adore games and can remember always cheerfully saying yes when my nieces or nephews would ask to play.
Learn: There are very few games that are truly multi age but this seemed fun. We didn't play by rules of keep score, but we had some laughs and that is what matters.
Love: I love seeing my family!

Finger Painting

Look: I've been avoiding this activity because of the mess. We've used a lot of mess free alternatives to this but I finally had to try it with C and G. So after dinner and before baths I put their smocks on and covered their hands in paint...willingly, yikes!
Learn: G didn't really understand what was going on. He would touch his paper now and then, but didn't get as into it as I had suspected he would. I had help him by showing him how to run his finger through his work. C loved doing this and went through two pages (both of which were soaked through with her paint). Clean up was a snap since our new art room, by that I mean laundry room, has a sink. Bath time was next but most of the paint was gone by then!
Love: Next time G is asleep or when I want a special activity just for my girl...this is what we'll do.

Ramps

Look: On this night we made ramps for our cars and balls (and whatever else my two wanted to try and roll) in our playroom. The pics just show one type but we made a few and the kids spent a good portion of the evening rolling things on ramps. It was simple to make ramps we used painters tape and an odd shaped box that we had cut up.
Learn: They may not get the idea of what rolls and what slides but we will revisit this one when they will. What they enjoyed most was putting another car or object at the bottom of the ramp, then letting something smash into it. It completely delighted G and he would shout "boom" every time.
Love: We had fun doing this, but I love the pic I got where G is really studying what he was doing!

VF walk and talk

Look: Once a month we go for a long walk with other mommies. In November it was to Valley Forge Park. The moms walked about 3 miles and then stopped at the historic cabins to let the kids enjoy the beautiful November weather. We couldn't have asked for a better day.
Learn: Just beyond one of the fences was a huge line of milkweed plants. The cases had dried and fluffy seeds were just waiting for the kids. I showed some of the seeds to C and one of her friends and before you know it we were all enjoying throwing around the white feathery pod seeds.
Love: This was an absolutely beautiful day and an excellent way to spend a morning!