Peanut Butter Play Dough and Playmates

Armed with our homemade edible peanut butter play dough:  http://www.ourbestbites.com/2009/07/kids-week-edible-playdough-and-finger-paint/, we headed to Orange to visit family.  First on the agenda was a play date with Ella's cousin, Laneigh...

Play dough/tools, sprinkles, and pretzel sticks

What a fun, yummy afternoon snack

Slowly unloading the toy box...and contemplating their next move

Looking suspicious...

Worked up another appetite...

Outside with Grammy's Goose...

Off to feed the birds...

Taking Grammy's garden ride for a quick spin...

Saying goodbye to the goose...

Next Stop:  Nawnie and Bah's for dinner, sleepover and some Cabel cuddling...

A good time was had by all...

Scribble Notepads

Ella loves to scribble these days--and usually on all of my papers;).  Saw these simple, cute, easy-to-make notepads on http://countingcoconuts.blogspot.com/ this morning and whipped up a couple.  These will be great to keep in my purse for when we go out to dinner.

Happy Scribbling, Ella!

A-Food

Miss Ella loves to play Angry Birds on daddy's phone, so in the spirit of learning about the letter A, an Angry bird sandwich was on today's menu.

Inspired by Kitchen Fun with My Three Sons

It's always a treat for Ella when we eat out at a place that has ice cream cones for dessert.  As a special surprise today, we made our very own "Anna Belle" ice cream cone--complete with sprinkles.  Here's to you little maw maw...we know there's ice cream in heaven, too!

Mini ice cream cone, yogurt, whipped cream and sprinkles

Mi amigo

Dinner:  wheat tortilla, black beans, spanish rice, cheese, sour cream, raisins, avocado, tomato, plantains

Moody Gardens

Today, we took Ella to Moody Gardens: http://www.moodygardens.com/ and what a wonderful way to spend the afternoon.  We started out in the aquarium where she couldn't get enough of the sea animals--most of which she has only seen in books or toy form.

Love the natural museum stance

Then, we took in the 4D film, Dora and Diego Adventure:  Catch that Robot Butterfly, which Ella absolutely loved (so did we).  What a great see, hear, feel and smell sensory experience--with special effects that included wind, smoke, mist, leg ticklers and seat buzzers.  It felt so real, Ella was reaching out to grab/touch things.


After having such a wonderful rainforest adventure with Dora and Diego, our next stop was the rainforest.  It wasn't quite as exciting as the animated film, but she enjoyed the simplicity of being in nature and seeing live monkeys, butterflies, beautiful birds, smelling fragrant flowers--and getting rained on;).  

What a great family day!

Covered Wagon

It was a Little House on the Prairie covered wagon kind of day where Ella, her Pa and her Ma, and their good old bull terrier, Dag, headed to the neighborhood park.  Pa pulled baby Ella down the winding road in 100 degree heat until they reached the shady park. 

The family went exploring, and Ella tried out every piece of playground equipment in the park.  

Ma and Pa took up seesaw-ing

Before long, Ella and Dag were tired and hot, and the harsh Texas heat chased the family back home.

Baby Ella hippety-hopped on daddy's shoulder and shared her cover wagon with one HOT dog.  After arriving at home, Ma put on Ella's nightcap and tucked her and Dag in their respective beds.   

Tomorrow Pa's going to play the banjo while baby Ella sings and dances--and, it will be an indoor kind of day.  Goodnight friends! 

Hummingbirds: Magic in the Air

Hummingbirds are magical, enchanting, captivating; they have the grace and precision of a ballerina and give us only a fleeting glance before moving on.  To teach Ella about these remarkable birds, we hung several feeders in her outdoor kitchen area this summer.  We love to watch them float in, dine on nectar, and flee.  We wish they would stay longer, but understand they spend their lives in fast forward.

As a special birthday gift for Ella's "aunt" Chas, we purchased a hand-blown glass, butterfly-shaped hummingbird feeder with copper wings (she loves butterflies).  To complete the gift, Ella and I made the magical bird's favorite nectar food.  I can't remember exactly where I found the recipe (I've had it a while), but below are the instructions we followed...

Hummingbird Nectar Recipe

1 part sugar/4 parts water

Boil the water first, then measure and add sugar, 

at the rate of 1/4 cup of sugar to 1 cup of water.

Let cool and store excess in refrigerator until ready 

to use.  Do not add food coloring, honey (which 

ferments), or artificial sweetner, which has no 

nutritional value.

You will need to clean your feeder about once a week. According

to the National Audubon Society, this should be done by rinsing 

with one part white vinegar to four parts water. If the feeder is 

dirty, try adding a few grains of dry rice to the vinegar solution 

to help scrub it clean. Follow the vinegar wash by rinsing three 

times with clear, warm water before refilling with sugar solution.

Happy Birthday sweet Chas...we're passing the magic on to you!

Adam and Eve

Bought Ella the story book of Adam and Eve last month.  She loves me to read it to her over and over again, and in her own way, she reads it back to me.  Found these wonderful, free bible story printables on http://www.christianpreschoolprintables.com/.   Since the story involves the forbidden apple--and Ella is not allowed to eat apples during her 4-6 week ISR swim lessons, obedient we will be!  

Adam and Eve books, finger puppets, and coloring sheets

Ella also loves to sing the ABC song and can pretty much make her way through it--even filling in when we stop singing.  So with all of that, the rest of August will be centered around activities that involve: Adam and Eve, apples, the letter A and counting.

Addition

States that begin with A 

Ancient turtle

Angles

Antonyms

Acoustic guitar, astronaut, accountant, accordion, alligator, apple, artist, animal cards,  American Sign Language, airplane...and our list goes on.

Apple painting at school

Apple counting/matching

Books that include adoption, art, animals, autumn, afraid, anatomy, alligators, apple orchards, afternoon...

And since she loves to help in the kitchen...she can wear her apron to help make some Alien Pops...

 http://kitchenfunwithmy3sons.blogspot.com/2011/05/alien-pops.html

Tonight before bedtime, she and daddy did a little apple toss...

And, when swim lessons are complete, apple bobbing is on the agenda-- since her all-time favorite apple will no longer be a forbidden fruit.

Reading Nook

Rearranging is common place around our house.  I recently cleared the bottom two shelves of a large bookcase in our living area to make room--and consolidate--many of Ella's books.  With the books in order, it was time to create a cozy little reading nook.  This little corner is now one of my favorites; i hope it becomes hers, too.  

Satisfied with a wonderfully messy after-school snack of Nutella, pretzels and fruit, Ella discovered her reading nook.  It didn't take but a second for her and Weasel to settle in with the Ingalls family as they made their way to their new little house on the Kansas prairie.  I love the My First Little House Books series...wish I had the entire set!

I find it's the simple, inexpensive things I create or repurpose that have the most meaning to Ella.  Know this phase won't last long, so I'll cherish these moments with my little pioneer girl while they last.

Snack, book, nap time...goodnight Ella Grace!

When in Drought...Make Rain

Headline News:  Weather Tot, Ella, makes it rain...

Of course she had to dress the part and absolutely loved the whistling teapot!

Materials needed...

Adding the ice...

Waiting for the first raindrop...
  
Found this great kids weather website created by a meterologist:  http://www.weatherwizkids.com/experiments-make-rain.htm.

First recorded post-drought raindrop...

Your grandfather would be so proud, Ella!