Ski Season has Started

I'm really looking forward to going up the mountain as a family the next 6 weeks for Sedona's Jackrabbits skiing lessons. It's great- she gets an hour and a half lesson and Chris and I take Aja for a ski!



Picking up speed

Sedona in her first lesson of the season.

Aja trying out Dad's skiis

SPLAT!

Aja went to another birthday party at the art studio where we had Sedona's. This one was called a Splatter Painting party. They threw balloons flled with paint, used paint brushes and empty syringes with paint. When I picked her up, she was covered with paint dots everywhere! We went right to the grocery store afterwards, and I kept wondering why people were looking at us with funny looks!

Real Skates

Aja has wanted to go skating for the last 2 weeks and try real figure skates rather than her strap on skates. So we decided at the beginning of the week that I would take her when Sedona was at a birthday party today. Aja has not forgotten all week- she's asked me every day if it was the day to skate. She would not let me let go of her bar (with the exception of this picture which I couldn't even capture), but she was really trying and after an hour, I had to pry her off the ice- she did not want to leave! My back was done by then though.

Do you Recognize these Girls???

The Final Product

The picture was hanging in the window of the art studio all week and apparently someone stopped to ask how much it would cost to buy?! It's beautiful!

Happy 6th Birthday Sedona!

Birthdays were always very special and very much celebrated in my upbringing so I try to do that in our house as well. As usual, on the girls' birthdays, they get pancakes made in their initials. Then Sedona had a surprise lunch packed for her school of her favorite: sushi. I brought "worms and dirt" for her class at the end of the day. In case you don't know what that is, it's chocolate pudding, gummy worms and oreo crumbs. I told the kids that Aja and I didn't have time to bake a cake, so we went out to the garden and dug up some worms and dirt for them. Some of their faces just dropped and were a little hesitant to try it, but they all loved it in the end. Our night ended with dinner out with Nana and Bill who just returned home from Hawaii for 5 weeks! Chris and I are so proud of Sedona- she is a beautiful young girl who is curious, loving and kind! Aja was so excited to give her presents and treated her extra special the last couple of days. Everything was "Sedona can choose because it's her birthday" "Sedona can go first because it's her birthday." It's quite neat to watch their interactions.

Really Cool Time at the 4 Cats Art Studio

A new art studio called "The 4 Cats" just opened up here on the coast. Sedona had been there once before to make a clay figurine and loved it, so we decided to do her birthday party here this year. It was very cool!!!! The kids all seemed to really enjoy themselves and were very engaged. Not to mention that i didn't have to clean the house or plan any activities/games. I would definitely do this again! Right now they are stretching the picture the kids made and Sedona gets to hang it up at home. Check it out in the posts below!

The Process

This image was already on the canvas and the kids painted over it.

They all worked together to make it look like this.
Then they each turn at spreading the ink for the silk screen...
And voila!

Individual Pictures

Then the kids got to each do a watercolor of a cat (with a lesson about Andy Warhol and his 25 cats named Sam).

Cake and Presents

Clang Clang Rattle Bing Bang!

 
 Happy New Year! Last night we had a cheese and vegetable fondue. In between that and our choclate fondue, we had to go for a walk around the block to digest. Chris came up with the idea last year to knock on the doors of our neighbors banging pot lids and wishing them a Happy New Year. See the brown purse in the first picture? That's where Aja stored her lids while walking. So while Sedona hid in the bushes wanting nothing to do with Chris' tradition (but she would happily watch and laugh at Aja),  Aja happily rang doorbells, clanged her pot lids and wished our neighbors a Happy New Year!