Wood Working!

I really enjoy making things, and through the years have done quite an array of wood working projects. Britney knew this but since we have been married, I haven't had time or access to make anything. That finally changed over the Christmas holiday. We spent 10 days at Britney's parents house in warm Gilbert, AZ, and Britney asked that I make a toy storage shelf (described in THIS website). The version outlined on the website was smaller than we wanted, so we made it 50% wider and added another shelf. It was difficult to make in one week with the limited tools I had available, but it all worked out in the end and I'm pretty happy with the result.

This is what Ava's toy storage used to look like. [It was a terrible old particle board book case that I had inherited when I first moved to Boston in 2006. We had attempted to paint it a cream color but it didn't paint well, and it needed to go.]

This it what the shelf looked like before adding the toys.

And here it is with everything. There is still even a little space left!

 

Not to shabby if I say so myself!

Snow Hiking!

I wanted to get out for a hike and decided to take Ava with me. It was a cold day (30's and windy), so we bundled up and drove a few miles to a place where we could go for a 4+ mile hike. I put Ava in the backpack and we headed out.

I should have realized ahead of time that we wouldn't make it very far because:
1. Ava hardly ate any breakfast
2. It was cold and windy
3. We got a late start and it was approaching when Ava would start to get tired

We went a little ways before Ava decided she didn't like wearing her gloves. Instead of forcing her to keep them on, I allowed her to make her own decision and take them off. That was probably a mistake but I didn't want to make her cross. After a few minutes her hands got cold so we had to stop to try to warm them up. That was about as far as we made it.

After realizing she was too cold (her hands AND feet were cold) and hungry to continue, I decided to abort the hike and just turn around and go home. We may have gone a total of a mile.

Note to self #1: Always make sure the kids are well fed, dressed, and slept before attempting a hike.
Note to self #2: Don't let kids decide whether they get to wear gloves when it is cold and you know they will end up with very cold hands.

In spite of all this, we had a good time, and here is the picture prove it!

Gymnastics!

A friend of ours told us about a gymnastics gym that opens their doors to kids for two hours every week. It costs just $5 and there are plenty of things the kids can do. Britney has taken Ava there a few times and I got to go with them this week. As usual with Ava, it takes her a while to warm up to things, but she always want's to stay longer. The activities include:

Uneven bars,

...a big trampoline that Ava calls the "jump-oline",

...a pit full of foam blocks,

...the Balance Beam, and more.

She is especially shy about going in the block pit but always giggles when we throw her in (yes, we really do throw her in and she loves it).

Katie-pie

I swore I would never call Kate "Katie". Kate is her name for a reason. Short and sweet. Just the way I like it. To complicate matters, I chose a name that is twice used in the Bassett family already - an aunt Katie and cousin Katherine. All the more reason to stay Kate. But this little girl pulls all sorts of nicknames out of me. Most have fallen by the wayside by this age, but two have stuck - Monkey and Katie-pie. Ava has adopted Katie-pie too, and I think it is sweet. So for now, Katie-pie it is :)

a couple recent activities...

...making "Christmas trees"...

 

...and painting for the first time.

Things I learned:

• Encouraging your impressionable two year old to put the m&m's on the "trees" instead of her mouth does not work.
• Encouraging your two year old to put sprinkles on the "trees" also does not distract her from said m&m's.
• Sprinkles are messy. Very very messy.
• Sugar cones are remarkably good when covered in chocolate and sprinkles.
• Paint that is marketed for children is not always washable. Even if it really really should be.
• My daughter is starting to get an attitude (hence the lack of smiles for the camera while painting).
• I have a bit of OCD ("Wash your brush before you put it in a new color!!" - lasted all of two seconds).
• Ava really really likes to put her hands into slimy substances.
• Painting does not discourage remembrances of m&m's from previous days activities.

My cute sister and her family

Chelsea and Josh let me practice taking pictures of their family. Aren't they such a cute bunch? Chel is having granddaughter number four in February. If she's as cute as Claire, they are in for a treat!

{17} Thankful

{17} Laughter

Nothing makes my job as a mom easier than to hear my children laughing. Kate's new laugh is particularly infectious. Love this girl!