What we are doing in Art Class

It's that time of year again - school is in session, we are waking up early, go go go 24/7, and time is flying by. I use my blog mostly to talk about my beautiful children, but some of you might not know that I have about 80 beautiful children at school as well. I wanted to take a few minutes and talk about what's going on in my classroom.

Yesterday in Portfolio, my students experimented with light and exposure times in photography. In one hour, we learned a lot, came up with some great ideas and got excited to try again next class. We used a flashlight and a laser pointer and my camera on manual mode with the shutter open. I am looking forward to seeing what they come up with tomorrow.

My Middle School art class just finished a lesson on painting in the style of Vance Kirkland. I have done this project for about 4 years with kids and I always love it. They learn a little art history, they learn multiple painting techniques, and they exercise a little patience. We start with a watercolor background. They learn how colors work together, how they blend, and how to manipulate the paint. Then they get to do their favorite part, the splatter paint. After that, they start on the dots. We discuss how Vance Kirkland did many paintings that looked like outer space. This is the look they are going for. Here are two examples of what my kiddos did this year.

Currently my art 1 class is working on Linoleum printmaking. I am excited to see what they come up with this year. My 7th graders are doing an American Gothic parody and 8th grade is working on making 1000 paper cranes. I am encouraged and excited by the start of this school year and look forward to many successful works of art.

Yummy in my Tummy

Today, Isabel had her 18 month shots... Ok, shot. Just one. And she is 19 months... Yes, I have been putting it off because I swear it hurts me more than it hurts her. I can not stand the idea of pinning her down to a table while someone sticks a needle into her, no matter if it is for her own good or not. But she is a trooper. Tears came, but a Dora sticker (on her shirt in the photo), Elmo, sweet potato fries and a good nap made everything all better.

I, of course, was still feeling sorry for her, so I wanted to do something extra special today. I thought about the science museum or the pool, but a nap seemed like a much greater need. So, what does any good Southern woman do to make someone feel better? I cook.

I saw this idea on Pinterest once and it has stuck in my mind. I took an ice cube tray and filled it with all her favorite things. I have also seen this done on a paint palette and in other containers, but I had to make do.

And she loved it!

Strawberries, mandarin oranges, frozen peas, mini club crackers, turkey, blueberries, Earth's Best organic honey sticks, and mozzarella string cheese.

Will definitely play with this idea and try variations. This would be a great way to introduce new foods or to get a picky eater to eat.

Language

I have been so impressed lately with Isabel's language progress.  She is 18 months old and such a smart little girl.  One of her favorie activities is to take foam letter stickers and stick them to a huge sheet of paper that we have taped to the floor in our living room.  With each sticker, I will peel off the back, tell her what the letter is and a word that starts with that letter (for instance A is for Apple).  She usually repeats what I have said and then goes and sticks the sticker on the paper.

We have been doing this for weeks now and I really thought it was just a fun game - a way to keep her entertained.  I always knew she knew what an O was, because we always point out O for Olivia, but I did not realize how many of the letters she was actually absorbing.  The video above shows some of the letters she knows. 

I also sat down today and tried to make a list of the words she knows and uses on a regular basis.  I love the idea of keeping a record of this so that one day she can look back on it when she's a big girl.  I also love to watch her progress, and keeping track of it every few months is a great way to watch her grow.

Here is a list of the words I can think of that Isabel knows.  According to Babycenter.com, names should be included in the count.

• Cup
• Kitty
• No
• Yes
• Bubbles
• Baby
• Water
• Juice
• Shoes
• Bow
• Book
• Up
• Down
• Boy
• Cheese
• Peas
• Spoon
• Ball
• Hi
• Bye Bye
• Please
• Thank You
• Excuse Me
• Mommy
• Daddy
• Nana
• Grandad
• Grampa
• Meme
• Papa
• Car
• Beep Beep
• Truck
• What's that?
• This
• Izzy
• Daniel
• Elmo
• Pee pee
• Dog
• Eat
• Blue
• Eyes
• Wow
• Go
• Cookie

And these are the animal sounds she knows:

• Cat
• Dog
• Elephant
• Monkey
• Snake
• Lion/Tiger/Bear (roar)
• Duck
• Chicken
• Sheep
• Fish
• Giraffe
• Cow
• Horse
• Bird
• Pig

I am so proud of my big girl!  Drew and I often just look at each other and marvel at the new things she does every single day.  She constantly surprises us.

Looking forward to seeing what she comes up with tomorrow!

Thank God It's Summer Cookies

For those of you who did not already know, my husband and I are both teachers. He teaches high school anatomy and forensics (every time I say that, someone says "wow! He must be smart." and yes, he is.), and I teach middle school and high school art, though I have been on maternity leave for the past 5 weeks.

No matter what you teach, if you are a good teacher, you put your heart and soul into it. It's like parenting, except that you have 100 kids instead of one or two. It's draining
physically, mentally, emotionally and creatively. I know so many people who think we are so lucky to get summers off, and to them I say 2 things: we don't get paid for it, and also, we NEED our summer break so that we can recharge. Trust me, it's for the good of your children :)

But I digress...

Spring break rolls around and gives us a taste of the freedom that is summer, and from then on, if you do not have a countdown yourself, then one of your teacher friends on Facebook surely does, of the number of days until summer break.

The last week of school is torturous. So much to do, so many students needing you to check their grade, or grade their late work, etc. I know so many teachers who get sick the first week of summer because they have just been going nonstop for so long, the first time there is a lull, their body craters.

But on top of the huge amount of work, grading, paperwork, etc, there is a buzz of excitement. Planning every weekend from now until August... A need to make the most of every second. A need to make it the best summer ever, for yourself, your spouse and your children - and this is where Pinterest comes in, hahaha.

I have been scouring the Internet for ideas on how to make this summer the best summer yet. My upcoming posts will be full of awesome summer activities for toddlers and adults. Those of you who know me know that one of my favorite things in the world is food - as a good Baptist woman, it is how I show affection, appreciation, and love :)

If you are a little girl, what better way to usher in summer than with these cookies:

I started with a basic sugar cookie recipe that I found on the Internet. I am not going to share the recipe because I wasn't totally thrilled with it - far too much butter and just not the best recipe out there. I'd love to have a good recipe if someone cares to share!

Once the dough was made, I divided it into quarters and put each batch into separate containers. Then I used neon food coloring (about 10 drops) and colored each batch. After thoroughly mixing, I let the dough chill overnight.

*disclaimer: if you are looking for a fast cookie, this is not for you. These require a lot of chill time!*

The next day, I took each container and rolled out little balls - approximately half inch diameter. And again, I had to let them chill. (perhaps the amount of butter in the recipe I used required me to have to chill these more often, but I could only work for about 10 minutes before the dough was too gooey to do anything with!)

Once your balls have chilled again, take one of each color and roll them together like the photo below. They will look kind of like everlasting gobstoppers from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory :)

Chill again... See what I mean??

Here's where you need to dig up the old play dough skills that you spent your childhood developing.

Take each gobstopper ball and roll out into a snake like shape approximately 6 inches in length. Then spiral your snake into a cookie shape and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees - remove when they are just starting to firm up.

I recommend working in small batches so that you have some in the fridge to reduce the inconvenient chill time.

These are really impressive looking cookies, and I am definitely glad I made them, but I will wait for a more appreciative crowd than an 18 month old before attempting them again, haha. I needed some oohs and ahhs for all that hard work!!

Thank God it's summer!

One Month of Liv

When we last spoke, Olivia had just arrived into this sunshiny world. A healthy 8 lbs, 9 oz, 10 fingers, 10 sweet little toes, a good eater and a happy baby.

Since then, an entire month has passed.

Can you believe it has been a month? (Technically 5 and a half weeks, even crazier!)

Olivia continues to do great - growing like a weed, sleeping in 3 hour stretches at night already, and fits perfectly into our family. It hasn't always been roses, however. Our first couple of weeks after the grandmas went home and went back to work were pretty rough. Isabel was craving the attention she had spent the past 17 months getting used to and mommy had her hands full feeding an infant every 2 hours or less on practically zero sleep. I'm amazed that we got through it with only a couple of hits and bites (Isabel pretended to kiss Olivia once and actually bit her!).

But now we have fallen into a routine. I can not imagine my life without this precious baby girl and enjoy every single snuggle I can get. She loves to be close. When she is upset, the closer you snuggle her, the tighter of a ball she can get into, the faster she settles down. She is incredibly strong already - I know it will be just a short time before she is crawling around playing with her big sister. She also loves to make eye contact and loves to be talked to. She rarely cries unless she needs something and is such a go with the flow little one.

We joke that Olivia is koala baby because all she does right now is sleep, eat and snuggle. This is one of her favorite koala baby poses.

I still can't get over how tiny she was. I barely remember Isabel being so small!

This is one of her newborn photos taken by Christy from our church. Such a sweet little bird.

Four weeks old and getting bigger every day. Already wearing her 0-3 month clothes and filling them up nicely. And don't they look cute on her?

This was the first time that we let Isabel hold Olivia. It was hilarious. We put Isabel on the corner of the couch so there was less danger of Olivia rolling off and put little sister in big sister's arms. She was so stunned that she didn't know how to react at first, but the she really got into it and started kissing her over and over. Then in an instant, she decided she was finished and was ready for Nana to pick her up again. I had to be fast with the camera, but it was a heart melting moment.

And now here we are... Five and a half weeks of being a family of four and loving almost every second of it. Looking forward to many more months, tons more photos and watching my girls grow to love each other.

I am one lucky mama.

Another Beginning

I would like to officially introduce to you Olivia Catherine.

This time, it was not a dark and stormy night. It was a bright and sunny morning. Our oldest daughter was 2 weeks early, and everything that I had read and heard told me that second children come earlier and faster than your first. So, at 37 weeks, I was prepared.

And at 38 weeks, I was prepared

And 39...

And 40!

I had been having contractions on and off for about 2 weeks, went to labor and delivery only to be sent home in a fit of tears because this baby was not in any hurry to arrive. I was 2 cm dilated at 37 weeks, and by 40 weeks, that hadn't changed. Thankfully, this time my blood pressure was awesome and I was not having any serious problems, so my doctor scheduled me for induction at 40 weeks and 4 days.

I was so frustrated by that at first, but I am so thankful to have had those days with Isabel in hind sight. The day before our scheduled induction, we took Isabel to the Dallas World Aquarium.

This is me at 40 weeks and 3 days...

I was still in hopes that walking might entice Olivia to want to come on her own, but she had other plans.

Because we knew when we would have to be at the hospital, my mother in law was able to be here for the weekend before. She helped me around the house, played with Isabel, and helped to keep me distracted from the waiting for baby.

Monday morning, we were scheduled to be at the hospital at 7 am. The night before, I was anxious. There really is nothing like blissful ignorance, and this time I knew what to expect. So, of course I stayed up far too late so that I wouldn't lay in bed thinking, and then that night Isabel cried, the cats went crazy, and Drew and I got very little sleep. But we were up and ready to go and got to the hospital in plenty of time.

After arriving at the hospital, I was checked in to a nice room, answered a thousand stupid questions like "are you currently using cocaine or heroine" and "does your residence have running water and electricity", and settled in to wait for the doctor to make her rounds.

At about 9 am, I was 3 cm dilated, and at about 10 am, I was given my first dose of pitocin. Then we waited...

My mom came to the hospital after I was all checked in and kept me company. I decided that if she wanted to be in the room when Olivia was born, that she was welcome to do so, and I think she was surprised by that.

We had lots of visitors that day - aunt Jerri, Meme and Papa, our pastor Brent and my Aunt Mary. It was nice to have some distractions since an induction can take a long time.

I was having very regular contractions, but they weren't very painful at all. Olivia did not like contractions at all, and her heartbeat would dip with each one, so the nurses had me in several different positions and even put me on oxygen to help level out her heart rate.

At about 5:30, Dr. Reyna came in and checked and decided to break my water. I laughed when I heard the nurse say "I'll say large amounts of fluid... Wait, I'll change that to copious."

Just like last time, the contraction after my water broke was exponentially more intense. A couple hours later and I was so very thankful that God had allowed some brilliant person to come up with the idea for an epidural. I went from extreme pain to uncomfortable pressure in a matter of half an hour - and the crazy thing, the anesthesiologist who did my epidural was the same woman who did my epidural when Isabel was born. Becky did a great job and I was still able to feel my feet and move my legs!

My mom decided to go have dinner with my dad at around 10 pm. Shortly after she left, Dr. Reyna came in and checked my progress again. She said I was 8.5 cm dilated and she would come back in an hour to check.

My mom got back about 11:15 and the nurse came in to check just after that. I was feeling a warm sensation and when the nurse checked, she said I was 10 cm and fully effaced and that the baby's head was very close. Nurses began fluttering all over the room preparing things for the birth and for baby's arrival. My nurse, Kayse, had me push through 2 contractions and decided that the doctor needed to be there for the next push. She told me to wait and to not put my legs up because she was afraid the baby would come out before the doctor came in!! As soon as Dr. Reyna got there, 2 more pushes and Olivia was here!! 15 minutes of total pushing time - a far cry from the 2 hours with Isabel!

Olivia arrived at 12:25 am on April 4, weighing 8 lbs 9 oz, 20.25 inches long.

This is Dr. Reyna with newly born Olivia.

And a very proud and excited Nana who got to witness the birth of her second granddaughter.

Daddy was able to cut the cord again and was a proud, happy daddy with a tear in his eye.

The pushing went so fast and the delivery seemed so much easier than my first. It was like night and day! If my first had been like this, I would not have had a bit of anxiety about childbirth again! 14 hours from the administering of pitocin, but the easiest delivery I could have asked for.

We are so thankful to have our sweet Olivia Catherine. She is a joy and such a wonderful baby. She is a lucky little sister, even though her big sister is not quite sure what to think just yet - but that is a blog post for another day. :)

I am an overjoyed Mama to have the 2 most beautiful daughters. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Things We Learn from the Fresh Beats

Some of you aren't lucky enough to know about the Fresh Beat Band, and for that, I offer my sympathies. Any parent of a kid 5 years of age or younger surely knows of the magical properties of the Fresh Beat Band and has, on multiple occasions, had one of their songs stuck in their head for days on end. For you unlucky souls, let me give you a quick background:

The Fresh Beat Band is a brightly colored, musical show that airs on Nick Jr. You can also find season one on Netflix instant, thank goodness! This show is about four friends, Kiki (guitar), Marina (drums), Twist (DJ) and Shout (keyboards) who live in an apartment building where they each have a room on the bottom floor and never lock their doors. They go to music school every so often, but spend most of their time singing and causing a ruckus in the town. Their antics are purely accidental as none of them have a truly mischievous bone in their body. They have friends like Reed, who owns a music store and routinely gives them musical instruments for free, and Melody, who owns a smoothie stand and also gives them smoothies for free. Obviously this show is not intended to teach children about real life, but about sharing, helping others and some groovy dance moves...

This morning, Isabel and I were watching an episode while eating breakfast where the Fresh Beats are asked to babysit two chimpanzees. Obviously, you can see that this is not going to go well...

Today's episode taught me 3 things:

1. To babysit, all you really have to know is to say "No!", "Stop!" and "Watch out!" - advice given to them by the owner of the pizza stand who asked them to babysit the chimps in the first place. Granted, I haven't babysat in a while, but I remember it being a little more complicated than that.

2. Even the Fresh Beats know about the Saturday Night Live cowbell skit. But it is just not as funny without Will Ferrell.

3. Monkeys throwing fruit at people really upsets Isabel. At one point, when saying "No!" and "Stop!" had failed, the chimps got into the smoothie stand and started throwing fruit at the Fresh Beats. This made Isabel really upset and she puckered her bottom lip and tears filled her eyes. It was the most endearing, ridiculous thing I have witnessed all morning! Of course, the Fresh Beats got everything under control, and Isabel climbed in my lap for a little mama love, and now everything is alright in the world again, but it was touch and go for a minute.

Even though this episode was a little far fetched, we generally dig the Fresh Beats and their groovy tunes and their sweet dance moves. Isabel will literally get up and dance to each and every song, and she is a GOOD dancer :)

Long live the Fresh Beat Band... No matter how many Marinas they go through.