Okay, got behind again!! Surprise, surprise!!
I have a good excuse this time though - we went out of town! We went out to Abbotsford on Friday night to visit with my family. Just wait for my Day 18 posting and you'll see what I'm talking about! I need a photo emailed to me first though so .... that one will have to wait!
But before we get there we have to go here ...
Day 16:
The girls made Christmas cards for the kids in their classes today. What a messy adventure!
I knew it would be and was somewhat mentally prepared but it exceeded even MY expectations! I used to allow the girls to do things like paint, use glue, play with play-doh etc but a couple years ago I became intolerant of the mess left behind. I'm trying to soften my "No Paint, No Glue, No Glitter" policy but it's tough!! I feel it's hard enough to keep this place looking somewhat neat and tidy without the added mayhem of the above mentioned paint, glue and glitter. I'd like to be the type of Mom who relishes letting her kids get messy but I'm just not. And I'm learning to be okay with that!
But ... cards needed to be made so a mess was inevitable. Sigh!
I took some old cardstock, cut it down and then folded it into cards for Paige to decorate with stamps. A couple Christmasses ago I bought them a pack of 30 wooden Christmas stamps plus a red and green ink pad at Michael's. It was one of my best purchases for them! It has offered up hours of fun. Quiet fun! With relatively easy clean up!!
That was before LC!!!
She went to town with the stamps! Not so much on the paper that I'd given her though. Her preferred canvas was the kitchen table ... and herself! For the main page I decided to take a picture of the table after Paige and LC had finished. It was a sight to behold!
See for yourself ...
At least the ink was washable!!
After we picked Marley up from school she got to work too. She was very creative and (in a very familiar way - no, she's not a chip off the old block at ALL!!) made her project more complicated than it needed to be! She used some Christmas stencils to trace the shapes onto paper (having folded it first so her cards would open), then she coloured them in and cut them out. Inside she wrote her messages of love. Yes, she told every kid in her class that she loved them! Very sweet.
Day 17:
It was the last day of school for both Marley and Paige and they both had parties. I wasn't able to attend Marley's party (younger siblings are not really welcome) but I made a point to return to the preschool to be with Paige. The reason? Santa was coming to visit! Paige has always had an intense fear of anybody dressed in costume. Greg took Marley and Paige to a pre-season event with the Canucks a few years ago and almost suffered an injury when Paige completely FREAKED at Finn, the Canucks Mascot. Yup. Fun times! We've purposefully not planned to take the girls to Disneyland until she has overcome this fear.
After this, I think we are getting closer!
Santa has always been a particulary poignant issue for us. I'd really like to have those pictures of my kids on Santa's knee but the tears, screams and escape attempts make it not worth the attempt.
Before I digress too much, here is a close up of the main page. I made a collage of several pictures and then added some ribbon - to make it look like a present.
Kind of.
Maybe if you squint! LOL!
Of course the kids were all excited for the Special Guest ... Paige included.
My journalling reads: "What a week this has been for Paige! First she conquered her stage fright and today she conquered her fear of Santa Claus. Way to go Paige! Paige has always been terrified of any person dressed in a costume - team mascots, PNE Bears, clowns and ... Santa Claus. Today she not only did NOT run and hide when the Jolly Old Elf came to visit her preschool, she sat on his lap and told him what she wanted for Christmas. She may look nervous in this picture, but really she is thinking hard!! Awesome Paige! Just awesome!"
Okay, that's it. Like I said, I need a specific picture in order to do the layout I want to do for the 18th. Hopefully I'll get it soon.
Until then, enjoy the season!
Hi Alison, I thought I posted on these pages but I guess I didn't! You did a beautiful job, I really love the present idea! I used to do crafts with the kids, but I have totally resisted in the past couple of years because of the mess and clean up. In fact, all of the scissors, glue, and tape are confiscated and they need to ask before they can use them, otherwise I have duct tape and cut up bits of paper all over the floor! At least now that they're in school, they get crafty time there. Can't wait to see more of your album - we're almost done!!!
ReplyDelete