vowel letter art projects

For a while I was daily doing "school" with James. Around the time I got really sick he decided he would no longer participate in school. So we are on summer break. However, I want to share the vowel activities I came up with for him to do:

He used an apple slice as a stamp with paint for "A":

For "E" I used this template. I traced all the pieces and then had him fit them on and glue them. Then he colored his elephant. For "U" he colored the umbrella and glued on the pre-cut rain drops.

For "O" I drew a large oval and had James glue on googly eyes and then he cut and glue legs to make an octopus. For "I" he glued a pre-cut ice cream cone and scoops of ice cream. Then he glued real "fwinkles" all over the ice cream.

For "Y" he simply cut pieces of yarn and glued them on a piece of paper.

Who knows if he is really learning his letters from these activities, but he enjoys doing them and I love to display them in our house!

"fwee"

James turned "fwee" last Monday. We had his joint party with cousin Nathan on Sunday.

There was a pinata (full of toys, glow sticks, and candy!) :

Presents (James is obsessed with his new drill; he keeps it in the garage next to Daddy's drill) :

"Fwimming":

Sister was exhausted from all the partying and took a power nap on Grandma:

I made a dino cake complete with an exploding volcano:

The birthday boys each waiting to blow out their three-year-old candle (but really just wanting to eat cake) :

horse-back riding:

This was the car ride home:

...a success!

One year ago
Two years ago

living sacrifices

I started this post well over a month ago (the pictures are from Mother's Day!). Yikes... 

warning: I mention breast pumping in this post, so if that grosses you out, consider yourself warned...

A while back I put Eleanor down for a nap and set up James with a snack and a show downstairs. The timer began, I had about thirty minutes to do something productive. I decided to attempt to pump (which has been pretty much unsuccessful with this baby) and read my Bible. I got myself all set up with pump and Bible on my bed. 

Just as I started the double pump (requiring both hands to hold each side on), Eleanor woke up.
"No big deal," I thought "I'll just bring her in next to me." I grabbed her out of her crib and set her next to me on the bed. Now I was down to just one side of the pump since I had to entertain her with my other hand.
I started the pump and held it on one side with one hand while shaking a toy for Elle with the other. I gave her the toy, flipped open my Bible, and was about to begin reading when I heard James walking up the stairs.

He came in the room and explained that he wasn't really interested in the show anymore. He started to climb up onto the bed and onto me. It was about at this point I realized that the pumping was not going to happen.
"I just need a quick Word from the Lord," I thought, "any sort of encouragement."
With a toddler climbing on my leg, breast pump in one hand and my other hand on the baby, I glanced down at my Bible. I was in Romans 12:

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God- this is your spiritual act of worship."

Oh, Lord, You have such a sense of humor!