December School Crafts

Another great round of projects from school.  I think a lot of the month was spent in preparation for the program, but they still found time for fun arts & crafts.

 

This nativity scene was a Church/Sunday School project.

 The infamous reindeer food.

Mr. Snowman

We've had even more snow over the last week.  It also got to the perfect state for building a HUGE snowman.  Kevin did the majority of the work, but Camden helped pack it together and cover the brown spots with fresh white snow.

 

Since she loves getting out every day in the snow, we bought a pair of snow overalls.  They are big enough to last another winter and she can put them on easily at school over her clothes when they go outside to play (which they do at least twice a day in almost all weather).

 

Mr. Snowman is at least 7 feet tall and is missing a mouth...and his carrot nose has since fallen off or been eaten by a bird.  He's still a welcome and fun site when we arrive home.

Kiwi Crate

I first heard of Kiwi Crate almost a year ago.  It is a monthly subscription program of arts & crafts projects in a box - everything you need for 2-3 activities.  It looked well done and high quality.  I thought about getting a subscription for Camden's birthday, but wasn't quite ready.  Well, I finally broke down and bought a year subscription starting December.  Her first box arrived just before Christmas, but I held it back until this week of "down time."

 

 

The first box had an Antarctic theme.

It also had a welcome card with a new pair of scissors.

We decided to tackle the penguin bowling project first.

 

How adorable!

She only wanted to bowl for a short time, but it was still fun.

We went ahead and did the second project.  It was aurora postcards using oil pastel crayons.  She creatively added splotches of color using the crayons.

Next she covered the whole card with watercolors to create a beautiful "northern lights" scene.

It turned out very cool (funny face and all!).

The best part is we have leftover art supplies for future creations.  We look forward to our next crate to arrive this month!

Snowfall

A view out to the backyard.  The snow is beautiful!

Snow Play 2

We got between 6-10 inches of snow in the blizzard.  Camden finally got some time with her Daddy on Friday afternoon to play in it.

 

The built a cute little snowman.

 

And got the sled out.  Attaching it to the four-wheeler is one of our favorite snow activities.

Before she got too cold, they spent about 15 - 20 minutes riding around the yard.  She squealed, giggled, and screamed with pure joy the entire time.  It was priceless.

Misc. Pics



Random other highlights from the week:

 

Camden and her classmates made homemade gingerbread men from scratch and decorated them on the last day of school before Christmas break.  It was probably one of the best cookies I've had in a while.  Camden didn't want to share!

 



Camden has been more attentive in torturing her beloved Max lately.  She wants to hold him 24-7 and chases him and recaptures him whenever he does escape.  He does a good job tolerating her.

Camden left her wish list in Santa's bag when we visited him on Saturday before Christmas.

She spends hours destroying playing in her room.  Her stuffed animals are constant playmates.  When they aren't strewn on the floor, she is lining them up on her up-turned mattress.

Blizzard Vacation

Kevin had to work every day from Sunday - Thursday, missing all get-togethers except Christmas breakfast.  He called on Tuesday from the tower and suggested that, with a blizzard forecast for the following day, that he get a hotel to avoid having to drive in the elements.  Further, since we would all be snowed in, perhaps we would prefer to be with him at a hotel with an indoor pool.  Sold!  Camden and I drove home from Aunt Linda's, packed a bag for two nights, and headed to Avon for a mini-vacation.

 

It was a great opportunity to break out Camden's new swimsuit.  Love the cherries and the ruffle!

 

The next evening when Kevin was working, Camden decided she should wear his new Colts jama bottoms for the evening.  I pulled the drawstring as tight as I could and she seriously wore them the entire evening.

Our hotel was right next to a Walmart and we managed to get out in the four-wheel drive truck in the blizzard to exchange Pop the Pig.  It was great to have it for in-between swims.  We even played in the lobby for a bit with some other kids also staying at the hotel.

We also bought a small bath toy that can be painted, washed, and painted repeatedly.  She enjoyed simply washing it off in the sink and creating/recreating for a good chunk of an afternoon.

On the day of check-out, Camden and I stopped at our favorite McDonald's for some energy-releasing play.

 

It was a great way to ride out the storm, make sure Kevin could safely get to and from work, and have some fun family time together.