Sadie decided to stage a fashion show last week as a surprise for Daddy. She painstakingly chose four outfits (off to France, evening wear, sleep wear, and beach wear) for each of us, choreographed our moves, and helped to edit the video clips to music. What a fun project!
Can you see what’s new here? If you can’t, she’ll gladly tell you. Sadie announced a couple of weeks ago that her plan for her 6th birthday (still several months away) was to have her ears pierced. Good enough, I thought, and filed it away with birthday plans in my mind.
Yesterday, as we ate lunch at a local restaurant, Sadie expressed a desire to do it sooner – like, that day. My lunch didn’t settle so nicely. She was ready right then to make the leap. We went to one of those prissy little girl salon places (it HAS to be there, Mama!) around the corner. It took all of five minutes in a giant pink throne and two irritated sounding, “Ow”s for the whole process to be complete. She has little flower shaped studs with white petals and blue centers. I got all wriggly when I saw the little stapler mechanism with the pointed stud set inside. She held my hand rather than my holding hers which seemed strange considering the 10 piercings I’ve had over the years. She continues to wow us with her pain threshold and is positively beaming with her new ‘eye-catching’ jewelry.
I must apologize for my camera which seems to not be responding to the flash. I took this picture about five times and they all came out dark.
Honey? I need a new camera.
Sadie has become quite the climber lately. She goes all the way across on the monkey bars, climbs on top of tube slides, the kitchen counters, trees…. really anything that will get her off the ground. She doesn’t always feel comfortable getting herself down but she does love going up!
She showed us this new skill this morning. Of course, the most impressive climbs (her head was touching the arch) were not caught on camera but this was really wild to watch. If I’m stuck on a deserted island, I want it to be with Sadie so I can have fresh coconut milk as desired.
Have I thought about telling her to ‘get down’? I’m about to write a post about suppressing, redirecting, and negating our children’s desires over at Humans Being.
Last year was the year of the marathon and this year seems to be the year of… yoga! Between the excitement and beautiful busy of my new magazine (Rethinking Everything Magazine) and all of this dynamic energy swirling around, I felt a pull toward a form of movement that would tone the body while focusing the mind. Of course, everything lined up just as desired for this new venture and I am able to attend classes two mornings a week at the local rec. center. The instructors do a really wonderful job at combining REALLY physically intense movements with deep meditative breathing and focus. The mix is bliss and I feel truly in tune when I leave. Now to find a method to achieve this on my own… I’ve tried youtube, DVDs, and have even looked through a few books. All seem to require too much external focus rather than presence. Feel free to share your ideas!
Sadie does, however, like youtube yoga. I often set her up with a playlist of kids’ yoga videos and she loves it. This one is her favorite.
Sadie has really gotten into sewing as we figure out how to work the sewing machine and delve into projects together. Her first project- a scrunchie!
Since the scrunchie, she has proceeeded to make flaxseed sacks (which she sold at the Rethinking Everything Conference!), pillows, quilted blankets, a tanktop/skirt set, her Halloween belly dancer costume, a stuffed animal for Elijah for his birthday, and more. Still searching for additional photos on this but trying to catch this blog up to date so we’re plowing on through!
Sadie loves to plan a party. She invited some friends over for a pool party in honor of her 5th birthday.
Here she decorates the goodie bags with each guest’s name and stickers suited to their particular likings.
Trying to set up a tarp for shade on a windy Texas day proved to be very interesting… and frustrating. We eventually managed and it stayed up for (almost) the whole party.
The kids decorated flip-flops with tied pieces of fabric.
Sno-cones in the pool!
There was lots of general pool play and some games. Here the kids hunt for color-coded ping pong balls in the pool.
Time for cake! Cupcakes by Kelly! Our friend Kelly makes the most amazing (and vegan!) cupcakes! She made some beautiful and deeeelicious ones for Sadie’s birthday. If you’re local and looking for the best cupcakes you’ve ever had for any occasion, I can get you her info. Mmmmmm!
Sadie loves going to Chili’s for her birthday (where the waitstaff sings and brings yummy molten chocolate cake) so that was dinner on her actual birthday.
She has been wanting to make clothing and accessories for some time and got a sewing machine for her birthday! Here we watch the DVD to figure out how to thread/use it.
Her 1st creation- a purse!
Sadie’s interest in crafting and design is expanding as of late. To hold her off until her birthday surprise, we got some barrettes and ribbon so that she could make her own hair bows. Lots of discussion centered around the fact that these same bows which cost us about $1 each (maybe) were being sold at the local shop for $8! Let’s hear it for creativity and frugality!
It was called to my attention that we hadn’t made peppermint patties in a while. With a baby shower upcoming, Sadie and I made a batch for the party and then some to keep at home.
Elijah was more than happy to help her lick the bowl.
While waiting on baby shower goodies, Sadie sat down with Mema who showed her how to weave with paper. Sadie was very excited to weave like Mema who is a weaver/fiber artist/artist and stood below one of her creations in this photo.
Loving to write, Sadie often dictates messages and stories which I write on dry-erase boards for her to copy over on her cards or illustrated books. She is slowly learning to recognize words through her writing. Like her mama, the brain seems to be directly connected to the product of her hand.
Here’s a few pics of some of Sadie’s recent interests.
Baking, of course! Yes, we bake and cook on an almost daily basis. Sadie loves to feed people.
She can always be found making art, writing, or both. Here she works on illustrating a story that she dictated called “Me and My Brother”.
Below is Sadie with her new favorite gadget- the label maker. She’s been making labels for various household items which has proven very amusing for Elijah (primarily a sight word reader).
October is upon us and our neighborhood does love to decorate! The kids and I got the bug and decided to take out all things fall and don our spirit. Lots of stuff inside! Outside- black flag that says, ‘Boo!’ and a jack-o-lantern. The curb appeal was lacking for Sadie so we thought of something we could make.
Some grass clippings (we don’t have leaves falling yet)…
… some of Sadie’s old cloving (that is not a type-o; you may have clothing but Sadie has cloving.
and VOILA! Guess which one is Sadie!
Sadie got the book The Usborne Art Treasury from the library that depicts famous pieces of art and demonstrates ways that children can recreate similar pieces. We looked at Van Gogh’s Starry Night…
…then Sadie worked on her own swirly picture. The swirls were drawn in pencil first and then acrylic paints mixed with glue were painted on and a plastic fork used to drag through the paints to make swirls.
Using the same book, Sadie creates a hanging mobile much like Eleven Polychrome:
And, in Sadie’s free-flow form, lately she’s very into having her body traced and then creating a person on paper.
There is always art being created around here.
Credit::Jess Niles
Clan of Parents 