Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Reading for Art appreciation

Susie is a little artist.  At about 18 months, she started drawing babies (that's what she told us they were) -- whole notebooks of circles with a line drawn down from them.  Around 19 months she'd draw part of a face for you (like add a tongue to a smiley face you'd draw for her).  By 20 months, she was obsessed with circles, and was drawing DARN good ones!  She has always held her writing instrument correctly (except with sidewalk chalk -- too thick), and picks up on the instruction Josh gives her in a snap!  The other night he was teaching her to do a tree and I heard her mutter to herself "line. . . line . . . scribble, scribble, scribble" as she tried to replicate it.
Susie drawing a face -- age 2

To encourage her in her artistic ways, I'm doing my best to expose her to great children's literature with great artwork.  She's had quite a bit of that, of course, just naturally through the books she already reads, but now I'm being intentional to choose a range of artwork and ask her questions about the pictures after we enjoy the stories together.  I also try to select something from the Caldecott award winners during our weekly library trips.  Here are some of the books we've read so far (just been doing this for a couple weeks now):

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle (an instant hit, of course!  She's already asking for it back and we just returned it today.)

The Biggest Bear by Lynd Ward (VERY long, but she really liked it. . . I was a bit surprised, to be honest!)

The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton (she started drawing houses after this one)

Prayer for a Child by Rachel Field (I thought it was sweet and she's been quoting "let no danger come to fright" ever since)

The Three Little Pigs by David Wiesner (haven't read it yet -- but it doesn't look quite like my cup of tea. . . still, I want her to try out a range).

Count and See by Tana Hoban (love the black and white photographs -- so did Chip who joined us reading it -- and the urban setting of many of them).

A little board book of nursery rhymes illustrated by Tomie dePaola because she loves nursery rhymes and I like his illustrations.


SO MANY MORE I want to get!  Do you have any favorite children's books because of the pictures?

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Two and a Half

Susie isn't quite two and a half yet, but I came across this poem, and it was so sweet I wanted to post it along with a picture or two of my precious girl.

Two and a Half
Author Unknown

Hold her a little longer
Rock her a little more
Tell her another story
(You've only told her four)
Let her sleep on your shoulder
Rejoice in her happy smile
She's only two and a half 
For such a little while!

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

SAHM and a 4 month old

I've been as happy as a clam the past month. . . working in my home full time.  Cannot express how much I love being able to snuggle with my kids in the morning without the rush of needing to get out the door to work, spend as much time as I like playing with them, reading to them and just paying attention to them.  This afternoon when Susie woke up from her nap, I climbed in her bed, lay down by her and read a whole stack of books to her while she sucked her thumb and turned the pages.  I do not regret spending about an hour this way. :)

Chip is more darling than ever -- 4 months old.  He weighs 12 lbs and 5 oz, which is EIGHT POUNDS more than he did at birth!  WOO HOO!  He's getting much stronger on his tummy and holds his head up looking around like a big baby.  And on his 4 month birthday he LAUGHED for the first time!  I was standing there with the camera in my hand and was able to turn it on and capture the moment as Josh made him laugh again and again.