Stockmar Crayons and Lyra Colored Pencils

     On our quest to have quality over quantity we have tackled the kids art stash.  Admit it, how many boxes of crayons do you have laying around? You know, the ones that at least one breaks every time you color?  We were keeping ours in an old wet wipe box and it was getting to point where it was getting difficult to close.  WAY too many crayons, but not just that. Even the Crayola ones weren't even holding up well. With some uncertainty, because of the high price, we replaced them with a couple sets of high quality Stockmar crayons (Block Crayons, Stick Crayons) and threw in a set of Lyra Colored Pencils.  They are pretty pricey but they last a very long time.  These don't just hold up well but we're loving the vibrant colors.   Here is a video of these bad boys in action:

Bug Hunt

    Grace is a bug lover. She loves them so much she used to cry when we would kill spiders or mosquitoes. Thankfully she out grew that one. Last week we took the kids on a bug hunt. I quickly drew up what I thought would be the most likely bugs we would come across on a paper for Grace to compare to the real bug so she could match them up when we found them. Surprisingly, we only found three out of six but also found a lot of others too. I plan on using these pictures bellow to make a little chart that I can laminate for next time, that way we can use a dry erase marked to check off what we found.  This was our favorite summer outing this summer so far.

{Dragonfly}

{Tiny Cricket}

{Butterfly}

{Cicada skin}

{Another Dragonfly}

{Fly}

{Ant}

{I know they aren't bugs but aren't these ducklings cute?}

{My cute little flower child. Shortly after this picture I found 

an ant in Grace's hair from the weeping willow branch, how fitting.}

{We concluded our bug hunt by splashing around in some muddy water.}

Full Bellies

    I love to watch my kids eat. It's weird, I know. I love when they are trying to figure out if they like a new food. When they take a bit of something with a new texture or temperature for the first time. When they taste something and and start laughing because they like it so much. I would have to say the absolute best part of watching my kids eat is knowing they are nourishing their bodies. Now every time they eat, I'll admit, they aren't always nourishing their bodies.  We eat way too much popcorn and dairy products around here.  Here is a little peek into the kids meal time with a video of Grace eating an apple at the end.

{Lunch}

{Plain organic Greek yogurt mixed with raw honey and diced peaches. 

Then I froze the mixture in silicone molds, found here.}

{Eli is always so serious when he eats}

County Fair

    Earlier this week we went to the county fair with the kids.  There were rides to be ridden, animals to visit, food to devour, and so many other things to keep us well entertained.  We ate way too much unhealthy food, lunch and supper.  Surprisingly the kids did really well without any melt downs, Grace hadn't even taken a nap.  Eli seemed to have fun but Grace is at an age where she really enjoyed it.  Grace and I went on a couple rides together but the last one made me too dizzy to risk going on another.  I still can't believe we were there for about six hours.  I wish I had a picture of them before they were washed up.  Between Eli's sticky face/ dirty finger nails, and Grace's smeared painted dog face they were filthy.  I can't wait for Eli to enjoy it next year as much as Grace did this year.

{We started our morning with a farmers breakfast.}

{Bacon is a rare treat, as you can see from this excited face.}

{Major Bed Head!}

{Can you guess why Grace is hanging on to me for dear life?}

{She was terrified of the sheep.} 

{She livened up at the rabbit and poultry barns}

{Little man ready for bed}

Life Lately

After all this rain we have been able to get outside, finally.

Grace playing Mama.

Falling asleep while eating.  I love that his

socks match the ball.

Coffee with my mom.  

You can see the picture of my Grandpa and Grandma Hartman.

Playing at the Mall

Eliot and Grace and have already put in some

 mileage on their new play kitchen.

Snacks outside.

Pasta Night

    Once a week we have pasta.  If the kids had it their way it would be every evening.  Red sauce, white sauce, butter and garlic, penne noodles, ravioli? They they could care less.  Just give them pasta and they'll wolf it down.  Though the menu isn't always the same there are some basic guidelines.

Pasta Night Rules 

#1 Eli is NOT to wear a shirt

#2 Serve with a green veggie and bread

#3 Make ALOT

Eli packed away two helpings this night.

Grace eating her "trees."

Sunshine, Swimming, and The Measles

July Started of pretty good.

Evening ice shared with favorite neighbors.

Playing at the Shelby Fair.

(Oh and if you can see them Grace has on the cutest bows ever, made by a friend at church =])

Swimming.

Lots of watermelon.

Holding hands.

Reading our favorite book before bed each night.

We even had a baby robin visit us.

    Then, Eli got the Measles.  For four days he would barely eat a thing and had a slight fever pretty consistently.  The next 3 days he was covered in red bumps. After that he was back to himself but still contagious so we kept him inside for another few days.   He is finally back to himself but now we're just waiting for Grace to get it.  I suppose it's just a matter of time but now I know what I dealing with when/ if she does start to show symptoms.