Pets for a Day or two or three

We found a box turtle on our road. We couldn't just let him be. No way. Where is the fun it that? So we picked him up and brought him home. The kids named him Tuck. (Ever seen Wonder Pets?) We tried to build a good habitat for him, but he kept getting out. And in a brief, or not so brief, instant when Clayton got distracted, Tuck got away.

This is our lizard that we found the same day. After he got carried around our house, took a ride on a Blue Angel, went for a slide down our stair rail and tortured in many other ways that the kids thought would be fun for him, we built him this nice habitat in our sensory table. There the lizard lived happily for a few days. Luckily, Catie came to visit and convinced the kids that the lizard would be happier hunting bugs in the yard.
So now, what I hear about 50 times every day is, "We want a pet! We NEED a pet! We really, really, really just want a pet." I try to explain that I have three pets already and that is quite enough for me, but they just don't get it. So for now, they'll have to settle for what they find in our yard. I'm just hoping they don't figure out how to catch that groundhog living under our compost pile.

Our Easter Tree

I've been saving egg shells and this past week we decorated them for our Easter tree. As much work as they were, I'll definitely be saving them for next year, too!

Sliding

It's always amazing to me what kids will do with boxes. Since our move, the boys have played with boxes almost as much as they have played with their dinosaurs and definitely more than any of their other toys. So after playing IN this box for a week or so, they decided to start playing ON this box. After the initial shock of it collapsing under them, they spent the next few days exploring what slides down. Clayton slides down just so-so. But the Sesame Street camper, it flies! down. So do most things with wheels they discovered. Other toys, like the rubber snake that lived in this box, don't go down at all. Eventually Cyle moved the box to make room for a kudu and oryx head so the sliding exploration has ceased for the time being.

What we've been up to

We've been quite busy lately. Clarey, in particular, has started doing so much. She is now crawling. And though not fast, she can still get to too many places. We've had to become so diligent about keeping what she shouldn't have out of reach. She's also started standing and she so badly wants to pull herself up.

Kids quotes of the week:

Clayton - I came across his first photo album and gave it to him to look at. After flipping through the first 5 or 6 pages (all hospital pics) he said, "I just love looking at these. They help me remember my past."

Levi - Now that the baby gate is up, it is not only effective at keeping Clarey off the steps, but the boys, too. It got closed while Levi was downstairs and when he came up said, "Help! I'm trapped! I don't like being in jail!"

Clarey - "dada dadada"

So my dad brought me this end table that was just sitting in my grandpa's cabinet shop.

A little paint and some pegboard and we've got a really awesome tool bench.


I have been hoarding, for quite some time, Cyle's old jeans and shirts that have rips and stains and can't be worn in public anymore. He thinks I'm crazy, but when I came across this Khaki pants bag tutorial, I knew there was a reason I had kept them. I used an old pair of jeans for the outside, an old polo shirt for the lining. All I had to buy were the zippers. And as I write this, I probably could have cut the zippers from the jeans and had those for free, too. All in all, two backpacks for under $5. They were a lot of fun to make and the boys love them! Now, I've got to dig through my scraps and make one for Clarey.

Potting and Planting Sensory Table

There are few things as fun to play in as dirt. My boys love playing in it outside so I thought they'd probably enjoy it inside. We've got spades and pots and watering cans. Later we added some bugs. They decided to plant a field so they got out some tractor machines to work the land.
And yes, in the top picture, that is Clarey CRAWLING. Yes, she is crawling. All over the place.

Bean Planting

This week, we "planted" beans. They're on our windows so we can watch every stage of growth. So far, the beans have been checked at least 4 times each day. There's not been much change yet and I'm really hoping the beans survive all of the attention.

Boog Hunting

Since the weather has warmed, the boys have been bug (or, as Levi says boog) hunting. Of course, once they've successfully captured one, they have to try to identify it.