Mommy and Me Painting Class!

As a Mother's Day gift from Gigi this year, Katie Anne and I got to take a "Mommy and Me" painting class at The Funky Paintbrush in Woodstock.  It was such a great bounding time for me and KA!  With SJ still being on a two nap schedule, it's hard for Katie Anne and I to do the things that we're used to doing in the summer.  So, this was a great surprise for us!  My mom kept SJ - and even let us borrow her new car with GPS to help us find The Funky Paintbrush - and KA and I were off!  

Katie Anne got to pick the painting that we did, and she picked the Sleeping Cat.  (Not my first choice because the colors nor cats really go with our house, but it wound up a lot better than I expected!)  The instructors took us through the painting step-by-step, and Katie Anne did most of the work.  She did an awesome job of listening and following directions - she's a great painter!  I did the outlining work that took precision, and I filled in some of the bigger parts of the sky and background of the grass when she got bored with it.  It was really a team effort, and everyone at The Funky Paintbrush was impressed with our great our cat looked - especially with a four-year-old doing the majority of the painting!  The class lasted two hours, and it gave KA and I some time to chat without interruptions.  Plus, we got to take home the cute painting of the Sleeping Cat when we left!  Here are some pictures of us at work...

The artist is ready to begin!

 The instructor does the outlining for you to get you started in the kids' class.

 Mommy and KA!

 Look at that concentration - painting the sky.

 Working on the grass background.

 Two girls having a great time!

 

 Working on the body of the cat- we started with a background of orange and added strokes of white, yellow, orange, and red.

 

 Katie Anne did an amazing job on the flowers- she did those almost entirely by herself.

 Adding the highlights.

 Making the grass look more realistic.

 Katie Anne did not want ANY help from me when it came to mixing her paint colors.

 I outlined the cat's body and drew the face, and Katie Anne added the the finishing touch - the nose!  She was really trying so hard - look at that face!

 KA with our beautiful finished painting!

 The Sleeping Cat!

Sleeping Cat is now hanging proudly on our living room wall, and KA loves that something we made together is out for everyone to see!  The painting class was a great gift for us!

Swim Lessons!

KA is taking swim lessons this month from our neighbor Sarah, and she is doing an awesome job!  KA loves to be in water and is trying her best!  She's already going underwater for dive sticks in just a few days of lessons.  We know she'll be swimming like a fish in no time!

Katie Anne's Trip to the Dentist

Today, Katie Anne had her first dental appointment!  She had a cleaning, did x-rays, and had her first check by the dentist.  I was nervous that Katie Anne wouldn't like them working in her mouth, but she did an awesome job!  She was very mature and grown up the whole time.  She had Peach with her for moral support, so that helped a lot.  Katie Anne got a clean bill of dental health with no cavities, too!

 Wearing her shades so the bright light didn't blind her.

 Peachy staying strong.

 All clean!

 Flouride time!

 Katie Anne and Mrs. Debbie, our awesome dental hygienist at Mockingbird Dental!

Messy Eaters!

SJ is your typical baby ... he loves to make a mess when he eats!  

 SJ has almost completely given up baby food at this point, and he loves to feed himself.  When he gets started, there's no holding him back - he smears food all over himself!  He loves to rub food in his hair and eyebrows, so cleaning him up after a meal is quite a challenge!

Yum yum - eating off his own arm:

Action Shot!

Nasty hands!

The other day, I tried giving SJ a plate for the first time.  That didn't go over too well... in about 3 seconds, he'd dumped all the food from his plate into his lap and tossed the plate in the floor!

Now, that's better!

Katie Anne was totally different as a baby - she rarely got food on her face and didn't like making a mess.  But, if brother does something funny, she wants to do it, too ... so for the sake of fun, she made a little mess today as well!

Normally, she's a very neat eater.  She does NOT like to get food on her clothes.  So, for this messy meal of Spaghettios, she asked to wear one of SJ's bibs to keep her shirt clean!

Here are some silly pictures of KA eating, too!

Popsicle Picnic

Nothing says summertime like a popsicle picnic in the front yard!

 

  This was SJ's first experience with a popsicle, and he was definitely not a fan at first.

He was a good sport about it and kept trying to enjoy it.

He eventually started to like the popsicle and wound up eating most of it, but I wouldn't say it was one of his favorite things.

Katie Anne loves popsicles and had a great time eating a treat and hanging out on the quilt in the yard!

SJ says, "Who needs to eat popsicles when there are all these delicious leaves around?"

SJ was in quite a goofy mood and made all sorts of crazy faces while we were outside.  Here he is, busting out the angry eyes.

Now, back to his sweet self...

Hello, friends.

Drunk on his own power!

The name's Jones... SJ Jones.

Sister Squeezes!

Katie Anne put on several musical numbers while we were outside relaxing.  What a performer - she's made for Broadway!  I love the big finish...