Young At Art...

     Here is my little artist at work.  I have started doing some art lessons at home in my spare time as stay at home mommy.  Addie has loved painting for almost a year, but now I am starting to watch and observe her art abilities rather than using it has a time passer so I can do some work around the house.  

     When I was in school, I bought this book Young at Art.  It is a book that teaches toddlers appreciation for art and problem solving skills.  While cleaning out the guest bedroom, I began reading the book again and started doing some of the activities with Addie.  Just call it my window to teach during my sabbatical.  We have just done some of the painting activities (which are not a lot for the two year old level) but my artist loves it.

Addie painting with her brush.  For the longest now we thought she was going to be a lefty, but she is starting to show a right hand dominance.... man I thought we were going to have a free spirit on our hands.  

She is thinking really hard about the color palette. 

I even torture Addie's friends with my thirst for teaching.  

Miss Aubree Lane during "art" class.

Ahhhh... to be Young At Art!!!

Addie's First Day of "School"

     Addie is now a big girl going to "school" or what we are going to call school.  A local church just started a two year old Mother's Day Out program that meets one day each week.  Addie really likes going to school and is convinced that Mommy goes to her school when she goes to school.  It is so funny how she still does not get that I am not working this year.  

     The day before school, we went shopping for her big girl backpack.  When Kyle saw the backpack he said, " Is she going to take it to UT with her?"  I know it is a little big but I figure we can get a few years use out of this purchase.  So, we brought it home and packed it with her school goodies ( extra clothes and panties... we were going to be brave and send her in the big girl pants).  Later that night, we picked out what she was going to have for lunch.  We decided on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, yogurt bites, and a stick of cheese.  After a great night of sleep, Addie was up and ready for her first day of school.   

Her first day pic

I asked her if she was ready for school.  She is pondering the question.

The answer... YES!!!!

     Addie's first day was a great success.  She had a great time, came home in the same clothes that she went to school in (always a plus), played with some friends, colored a picture that is hanging on the fridge, and I was able to do some chores and errands while she was there.  All in all a great day in our sweet world.   One thing that is nice about being a working mommy on vacation is I am getting used to dropping of my child.  Seeing other parents nervous about dropping off their child just reminds me how nervous I was two years ago about leaving my child with a stranger.  But through these experiences, I have learned that absence does make the heart grow fonder and that it is good for little ones to experience others.  Also, it reminds me how fortunate our family has been in the caregivers Addie has had the past two and a half years.