Artists

 While Michelle was here there was a couple of things you could BE SURE would be happening daily.  Cuddling the baby (with each adult and child taking turns throughout the day) and ART TIME.  We do lots of crafts in this house.  Daily and frequently during the day.  Not that I structure anything, it is basically just a big ole free for all.  I try to organize it a little bit but having them clean up one round of crafting before they do another.  Like coloring stuff needs to be cleaned up before we do painting.  Lately it has been a TON of cutting/gluing/glittering/pasting which makes for a lot of little pieces of cardstock paper all over the floor.  I am trying to keep my neat freakness at bay and just let them go for it if they feel so inclined and just wait til the end of the day to do a big clean up.  We have a really big dining table so I can kinda keep the crafts to one end so there is room to eat when it is meal times.

 Mmmmmmmmm.  Babies.  I could love on this little guy all day long.  And I normally do just that, either because I want to or HE wants me to.  Either way it's a win win.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this picture.  One of Olivia's favorite crafts to do is water colors.  She can sit and paint for an hour straight.  She can sit and do crafts for an hour straight.  I kid you not that at least 2-3 hours during our day revolve around some kind of crafting.

While Bianca would nap, Olivia would paint and recruit her special Auntie to help her.  It makes me happy to look through one of the paint books and see the beautiful things that Michelle painted.  These two are kindred spirits and I know Olivia treasured this time (I also know that Michelle treasured it too).  To this day when I try to pull that one sketchbook out for them for crafts Olivia will tell me that she can't color or paint in it because it is Auntie Shelley's.  Even though she got it as a birthday present, she is preserving it. So precious.