Pottery Painting and Baby Picture Taking...

My friend Jamie came up with the idea that we should take the kids to a paint-your-own-pottery place. So she organized the whole thing (thanks Jamie!) and reserved tables for our playgroup. Isabella and I have been on a couple of mother-daughter dates since Isaac was born, but I was especially excited to make this an activity for just the two of us (and her friends of course). My mom came over to watch Isaac, and I think Isabella and I were equally as excited to spend some time together, just the two girls! Isabella couldn't even talk to my mom before we left, she just told her that we were leaving and not taking Isaac.

After some deliberation, Isabella chose the two ornaments she wanted to paint and then picked her paint colors. As usual, she was very serious about the painting process and I discovered that she had a very interesting painting technique. Basically she painted the ornament and then repeatedly dipped her brush in water and washed off all of the paint she'd put on the ornament in the first place. No amount of encouragement to use her color palette worked. I was pretty sure we were going to leave two white ornaments for the glazing and kiln process, but thankfully she discovered some tubes of paint that she could make dots with, so her ornaments will have some color after all.

Some of you may wonder why we wanted to subject ourselves to ten toddlers in a place with many breakable items...well, first of all, our toddlers just so happen to be amazing...no, actually they all did quite well until they were done painting and then they moved on to having a spontaneous dance party. Those kids have some moves--ha ha! I assure you, nothing was broken!

Yes, she had to wear her princess shoes. On Sunday Walter hid the princess shoes. I assure you, they are quite annoying when you had hard-wood floors in your whole house. The next morning Isabella asked repeatedly where her princess shoes were and why they were lost. Then she told me they were playing "hi-go-seek" and we needed to start "seekin'" for them. After that I was overcome with guilt at the cruelty of hiding her beloved "up-shoes" and while she was in her room looking for them I put them on the floor in the living-room. When she say them, she hugged them...that says it all.

Maya

Becca

Getting down to business...when in doubt, stick out your tongue for full concentration.

Kendall

Jamie with her Isaac in the Ergo, Eden and Charlotte

Adrianne and Kendall (Kendall will be a big sister in January!)

Eliza

Sam

I think Eliza likes to paint!

Ho hum, just another day at the office.

Every artist was at first an amateur. --Ralph Waldo Emerson

Finally some color! Before these purple dots were added, she said she done painting this ornament.

Julia's very creative painting

When I called Linda on Monday and told her that I e-mailed the pictures I took of Ian at playgroup, she asked if I would come over and take more pictures. Of course I was thrilled and went over yesterday morning and snapped away! Danny and Nick were really funny during the photo shoot and kept asking why I was taking pictures of Ian's head, feet, hands...when will you be done taking pictures? how many pictures have you taken? Ian was the perfect little model! Here is a sampling of the pictures...