BRRRR- Happy St. Patrick’s Day! March 21, 2007

Manchester’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade would have been better served about 4 days earlier on a 70 degree day. The wind and temps were brutal but the clown squeaking Elijah’s hat- see huge smile on his face- was worth it. The kids loved the marching bands, fife and drum, bagpipes, etc. Sadie couldn’t stop the groove from taking her over! We were chilled to the bone but the smiles were wide.

Huddled inside a bank vestibule, we waited for the parade to begin… Thanks to the actual bank customers who swiped their ATM card and let us in

Hippity Hoppity Sadie March 21, 2007

Fully clothed or in the buff, Sadie has found a new favorite pasttime- she’s a bouncer! She’s all over the house on the hippity hop and just loves it.

My right hand man March 18, 2007

A drainage issue in the driveway- pipe to drain frozen solid(!)- caused us some undue physical strain this week as the whole world melted into our driveway. Elijah was right there to help bale with his little red shovel.

Volcanoes! March 16, 2007

The kids got really into making baking soda and vinegar ‘volcanoes’- OK, so did their moms! It’s addicting and smelly.

Spotlight on Sadie March 16, 2007

Sadie sitting with ‘Elise’- a doll made for me by my mother when I was about 4 years old. She never had a name until Sadie decided that every doll would be named ‘Elise.’

Baby Cavan- our youngest unschooler- being cuddled by Sadie- his biggest fan. Before our meet-ups she always asks if Steph will be bringing her baby.

Parallel play is a thing of the past these days as Sadie begins actively engaging in activities with friends both young and old. She makes friends wherever we go.

The Buddy System March 14, 2007

Though they have their differences, Elijah and Sadie just love playing together. They seek each other out in a crowd “just to see what they’re up to.” Elijah has taken to tucking Sadie in at night before he goes to bed himself.

Portrait of a Parent March 14, 2007

Here we are at the Kaleidoscope Children’s Museum in Concord, NH- a great place to play pretend with stuff that’s just their size. The love it here!

Sadie the fire dog!

This is some true concentration. Each stroke is deliberate, each color chosen with care. These are no ordinary paintings- they’re Parent portraits!

Body Painting March 2, 2007

Although body painting is not generally the intention, it does seem to be a recurring theme for Sadie. Note that my body is also non-exempt.

Mall Madness March 2, 2007

With a showing at the house and nothing big on the calendar, the kids requested a trip to the mall. Did they want to shop? NO! The local mall knows how to get us in- with a carousel and a play area abutting the toy AND pet stores, we had hours of entertainment. See video of the kids driving a racecar or riding the carousel.

Retro Art March 2, 2007

What to do with those old turntables? If you’re not a DJ, you can use them to make original artwork! That’s what the kids did at playgroup this week. Paper plate where the record goes and set it to spinning. The kids used different colored markers to make spiral art- beautiful!