Arts and Crafts and Things Like That

After the long, cold winter months, I embrace the heat.  Sometimes I even embrace the humidity.

I also embrace air conditioning and inside activities when everyone's at the end of their ropes, and I don't think it's possible to apply anymore sunscreen to three bodies, two of whom get fairly squirmy when I do their faces, and one of whom refuses to wear a hat.

Some afternoons, it just seems like anymore playing outside is just going to result in tears.  Dylan could play out there all day, but Abbey reaches her limit occasionally and starts to make impossible demands, like wanting to ride her bike to the park. 

I'm all for her making her own decisions, but I can't get on board with that yet, because I don't see how I can possibly push the double stroller AND carry her tricycle, because that would absolutely be how we ended up walking after a few blocks.

Instead, we make a mess.

I mean we make art.  Museum quality art.

Abbey gets her supplies first, because she could paint or glue or color for the whole afternoon.  Conversely, Dylan's attention span wanes fairly quickly, so I strip him down, let him play, and swoop him out of there before things get more out of control than even my plastic tablecloth can handle.

Of course, when Abbey innocently calls into the kitchen: "Can I make a handprint?", I calmly answer: "Sure, just be careful not to touch anything before you wash your hands."

And lo and behold, I now have Smurfette for a daughter.

Did someone mention the park?  Maybe sunscreen isn't such a bad option after all.

sitting on her stool and painting 

yes, he's in a diaper 

as you can see, he's dangerous with the paintbrush 

the oh-so-innocent looking handprints 

caught blue-handed