To Noni {heart} Kingston

Kingston colored this portrait of our family for his great grandma Noni.  Kingston is pink, I am purple, Cole is orange, and the hubs is blue.  We are standing on some grass and the sun is out.  I especially love Kingston's heart.  What a sweet boy.

Kingston's First Library Card

Last Friday, Kingston and I went on a special outing to our local library - just the two of us.  I couldn't believe the look on his face when he found out where we were going.  It was almost like it was Christmas morning.  We have been talking about getting him his very own library card for awhile now, so I was happy to find some time to actually do it.

When we got to the library, we very easily signed him up for his own card... which he was handed along with a sharpie to sign his name on the back.  Once that was done, he told me we had a certain schedule we had to follow when we were at the library.  I think he came up with this schedule based on a trip he made with my mom last summer to the library near my work.  First, we had to find the toys and play.  We worked on puzzles, had a puppet show, and built random objects out of blocks.  Then, we walked around selecting a few books and movies to check out.  Then, it was time to talk to the librarian.  Unfortunately, we did not find a librarian who wasn't busy to chat with... but Kingston quickly forgot that step when he saw that he would be able to scan his card and books all by himself.

My favorite part of the trip was spending a little time with my oldest.  It was fun to set aside one hour to do what he wanted to do at the library and share that moment with him.  But, I'm not gonna lie - I was so proud of him when he signed his name on the back of his card... something I will keep forever, friends.

Lunching with my Little Loves.

I like Fridays, especially Fridays like today.  We don't have a lot going on, so the boys and I have just been hanging around the home enjoying our morning together.  And then we had this lunch date: Horizon Macaroni & Cheese (shaped like little cows) and Gala apple slices.  Yum.

Also, Kingston brought home artwork from daycare this week, featuring our family -- a first for our oldest.  He doesn't typically try to draw people, so this was fun to see.

And you know this mama is proudly displaying it on the wall in our family room.  I'm a sucker for little kid artwork.  Have a great weekend, friends!  We have some fun plans -- just hope it doesn't rain too much to spoil them!

Homemade Valentine's Day Cards

I mean, what grandparent doesn't love a handmade card from their grandchild?  Kingston was pretty pumped to give this arts and crafts project a whirl for his Nana & Papa and Mimi & Papa.  He is certain their Valentine's Day will be that much more special with these cards he (with a little of my help) made for them.

"Nana & Papa, I love you... THIS MUCH!"   Love, Kingston
"Mimi & Papa, I love you... THIS MUCH!"   Love, Kingston

We traced his hands to make the front and backsides of each card.  After I helped cut them out for him, Kingston made sure to color each hand how he thought they would like to see them... in pinks and reds.  Then, we glued a strip of red construction paper in between each hand, completing each card off with a little washi tape to give them a more finished look.

He is pretty proud of how they turned out and I cannot wait to see him hand them off to his grandparents.  One of the reasons why Valentine's Day can be so special right here, friends.

#TBT: Happy Halloween, From...

Elf on the Shelf Failure.

Yeah, you read that right.  I'm marking our adventures with Mr. Jingle Bells as such.  You see, with the holiday season this year came a visit from our good friend, Mr. Jingle Bells.  We adopted our Elf on the Shelf last year as a fun tradition to look forward to every Christmas. Thanks to Pinterest, I have been looking forward to our visit.  Since this is our second year with Mr. Jingle Bells, I opted to keep it easy and do a few creative searches on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays during the month of December before Christmas.  The rest of the week would be just a simple "Where is Mr. Jingle Bells Today" search.  

For the creative days, I made sure to find ones that my four year old would enjoy. I pinned many pins and organized my thoughts... but never did I think I would have the reactions Kingston has given me with each and every creative day.  

Let me break them down for you: 

• Day 1: Mr. Jingle Bells is here, bringing donuts to celebrate.  Kingston smiled.  And kind of just stared at him next to our Santa figurine.  He then clarified that Santa brought cookies, the elf brought donuts. 
• Day 6: Mr. Jingle Bells goes potty before Kingston.  Sure to get laughs, I thought.  Then I hear from the hubs that Kingston explained to him exactly how it went down.  How momma swirled the green coloring in the toilet and how he could find it in the pantry to show daddy, if he really wanted to know how it was done.  Keep in mind, I set our elf up well after Kingston has fallen asleep and without saying one word while doing it.  Yikes.
• Day 7: Mr. Jingle Bells is held hostage by Kingston's super heroes.  What a flop.  Upon seeing this, Kingston tells the hubs that his action figures don't move.  Ouch.
• Day 8: Mr. Jingle Bells goes fishing... for crackers, as Kingston tells me.  Hmmm.
• Day 13: Mr. Jingle Bells makes a snowflake on our dining room table.  Or a spiderweb, Kingston says, somewhat unimpressed.  Come on! 
• Day 14: Mr. Jingle Bells plays Skylanders (not pictured).  Skylanders are pretty much Kingston's most favorite thing in the world right now.  After the reactions I was getting, I thought for sure he would like this one... but he didn't even react.  In fact, I don't think he noticed Mr. Jingle Bells was "playing Skylanders" until I pointed it out... after Kingston had yanked the control from underneath him and started playing himself.  Eh.
• Day 15: Mr. Jingle Bells wishes Kingston a "Merry Christmas" with a balloon on our holiday card display (not pictured).  Okay, Kingston was sort of excited about this one.  At least about the balloon.  

This coming Friday, Saturday, and Sunday will be my last creative attempt to impress Kingston with Mr. Jingle Bells.  We'll see how it goes.  Do you do Elf on the Shelf?  How is it working for you - and is your preschooler also a semi non-believer?

Maybe it will go a little better next year.  Or maybe I'll just wait to work my magic on Cole... one of my boys is sure to think Mr. Jingle Bells is pretty magical, right?