Addicted

I think I'm addicted to making Heidi Bear's hexagon animals. 
 
It started simply enough; one little hippo, no big deal.
 
But I just finished my 12th - Noel Slugbug Sheepie (Leanne named it) -
 
and 13th creature - Alexander Graham Triceratops.
 
I bought the triceratops the day it came out and started it a day later. 
 
Couldn't help myself.
 
Leanne better be right about her new sibling being a boy. Otherwise, I'm going to have to put a big pink bow on this guy and change his her name to Alexandra.   

Flat Stanley-etta

Earlier this month, Addy's friend Flat Stanley-etta* came to visit.
 
Hubby and I were happy to take her to see the sights
 
around Ventura and La Conchita,
  
including lunch at our favorite beach-side restaurant.
 
Stanley-etta made friends with a seagull,
  
hung out with surfers, 
  
admired the "California trees",
  
and the local oil pier.
 
We visited the San Buenaventura Mission,
 
Ventura Harbor,
 
and the wild poinsettias in Camarillo.
 
All in all, I think Stanley-etta had a good time. I know Pop and I enjoyed her visit very much.
 

* Flat "Stanley" just didn't seem appropriate with that pretty blue dress and long brown hair. Stanley-etta was a much better fit, name-wise.

Paint Girl

Made a quick stop at Michael's for yarn and somehow or other, Leia talked me into paints, canvas and a semi-pro paintbrush.

I know nothing about painting; this was all Leia's doing, practicing what Mary has taught her.

"The Mother Tree"

Pretty sure we'll be making a stop for more paints this weekend.

  "MayMay Hiking In The Hills, With Leggings"

Planticide

Every spring I get the urge to buy new pots - the old ones will never do - and plant new things.

All the while knowing that whatever comes home with me will be dead before summer. I'm cursed with the blackest of thumbs. But at least Leanne and I had fun playing in the dirt.

Leanne's 5th

Leanne turned 5 (!!) on Thursday.

We celebrated with a round of miniature golf, the first time we've taken Leanne to play.
 
She caught on pretty quick 
 
but couldn't quite decide if she wanted to hit left-handed, right-handed, or just throw the ball where she wanted it to go. 

 

Leia held the high score for the first 9 holes, 

 

but slumped a bit in the back 9, coming in second overall.

 
Leanne didn't quite get the scoring system - she thought higher numbers were better. 
 
We'd ask her how many "hits" she had and she'd say "6. No, 12. Nooo, 15!" 
 

Today was the official party day, at the other mouse house.

 
Leanne has been beyond excited all week about this part of her birthday weekend. 
 
She likes Chuck but she loves all the rides, games and general noisiness of the place.  
 
Several friends from preschool attended, which made it super fun for Leanne.
 
Usually, only the birthday celebrant gets to go in the ticket tornado, but our hostess let Leia join Leanne which made both of them very happy.
 
They didn't catch many tickets but neither cared. The video below captures Leanne's "Marilyn Monroe moments", easily the funniest part of the day - 

 

Amigurumi Love

Eweniversity is coming. 
 
Each year I teach a different little amigurumi animal, a quick project that should take only a couple of hours to complete.
 
I love last year's sheepies - which now live at Rachel's house - and the pretty purple octopi from the year before. 
 
But this year's Isabella* Hedgehog - an original pattern by me - is definitely my favorite.

  
*Leia named her. I was going to call her Helga, but hubby emphatically vetoed that idea. 

Next Gen Readers

Bought joke books for my two little readers.

Big hits!

And Addy's mom is very happy the knock-knock book doesn't live at her house.

Budding Artist

Found a tutorial online for a fun art project, so today Leanne and I broke out the (bleeding) tissue paper, big girl scissors and spray bottle.

I thought she would be most excited about using the scissors, but I was wrong - her favorite part was definitely the tweezers.

Her patience and persistence (and hand/eye coordination) in picking off every little piece of paper amazed me.

Pop and I both think Leanne is going to be my crafting buddy as she gets older.

This project was fast, fun and messy -

and we'll definitely be doing it again.

A Day With Leanne

A day spent with Leanne is always entertaining, but she was really on top of her game today.

She started with hide & seek and tag with Pop, then freezing us in place with her "Elsa powers".

We progressed to making cookies - and licking the beaters, of course -

multiple games of Uno, using our scariest voices to ask questions of the Magic 8 ball -

Leanne couldn't remember 'Magic 8 ball' so she called it the "Magical ball of 8", which is now its official name;

plus lots

and lots

of face painting and picture taking.

And I wonder why I'm always tired when she goes home . . .