What we're doing...

We enjoyed some really beautiful weather this weekend. My dh even pulled out the small wadding pool for the kiddos to play in. It hasn't been warm long enough to bring out the larger pool yet. It was Baby Bear's first time playing in the pool since he didn't get home from the hospital until September and was still attached to so many tubes (feeding and oxygen) until the middle of October. As Sister said, "It's Bitty Boos first summer!" (By the way, my dh coined the nickname Bitty Boo from itty bitty brother when Baby Bear was less than a month old. My dh is BIG on nicknames).

I haven't had a chance to go through all our bins of 12-18 month clothes yet to find Brother Bear's old swim suit for Baby Bear yet. Thus, he's just hanging out in a onesie. It really wasn't that warm. Unfortunately, I didn't get a photo of him kicking his feet in the water since I was busy video taping it. Oh well...next time.

While my loving family was enjoying the sunshine on Sunday, I was in the kitchen working on the pinata for Sister's friend birthday party this Saturday. Originally she wasn't supposed to have a pinata. Then, Brother decided he needed one for his party and I made it work into his Peter Pan theme by making it a pirate and the stick look like a sword. Creative, eh? The next thing I know, Sister is insisting on a pinata too. How do you fit a pinata into an American Girl themed party?


After a review of the various AG characters, I decided it could fit in with the Mexican American character, Josephina. (No, I didn't check to see if they have pinatas during her time period since I don't want to know if they didn't). With that in mind, I did some googling and found directions for making a Mexican Star. The story behind it is really cool. The star pinata represents the seven deadly sins. The blind fold and stick represent faith and virtue. The candy inside the pinata represent the sweetness of Heaven. When the kids overcome sin they enjoy the sweetness of heaven. (Maybe that isn't really the story, but I found a website that said it was and it sounds good.)

Unfortunately, the directions implied making a seven-pointed star pinata is easier than it has been. I've made a few adjustments to the directions to try to make it go a little quicker. Fortunately, I recently made another pinata, so I figured out some tricks through that process. Hopefully it all works out and is finished by Saturday.

Why do I keep working so long and hard on these pinatas when the kids just beat them to a pulp for the candy at the party?

Baby Bear is really on the move now. He has started pulling himself up on lower things such as the trampoline and toy vehicles. He still refuses to sit very often, but sometimes he rises up on his knees to reach things, then goes back to his low crawling when he wants to move around.


He's figured out that he can push things like our toddler rocker when he's standing and holding onto it to move across the room. It is fun to see him push it forward then take a couple steps over and over again. I've thought of getting him one of those push toys, but most have wheels and would probably move too quickly for him causing him to face plant. We used to have one, but I think we got rid of it since I haven't been able to find it. Plus, I'm not sure how mobile we're ready for him to get.


Sister is in heaven as student of the week. It means she gets to be the front of the line everyday and lead her class in morning, lunch, and afternoon prayers. This past weekend we put together a poster with photos of her and answered questions about her favorite foods, activities, and such. It was laminated by her teacher and is hanging in her classroom. Sister already has plans to post it on her bedroom wall when she gets it back at the end of the week. What an honor!


Brother is sad that tee-ball is over. His last game was this past Saturday. The itty bitty tee-ball league has a shorter season than the bigger kids. My dh and I are thankful to have our Wednesday evenings back again (and movie night for the kids and I) and our Saturdays too. Still, it was tremendous fun for Brother. He can't wait for next year.


That's all for now. I should go and check on that crazy pinata. Wish me luck!!! I'll post photos once it is done so you all can appreciate my craftmanship.