This idea was actually inspired by a trip to the doctor’s office. My son went in for his 3-year check up and one of the questions that was asked on the child development guide was something like “Can your child use scissors?” It had never dawned on me to let him try. So what a better way to start than with a craft day!

Knowing my son would have little patience, I prepped EVERYTHING ahead of time. I laid all of our crafting materials on the table and made sure to line with with a table cloth that I could wipe down later. We had everything from stickers, shape punch-outs to markers, glue and of course scissors! The first project was paper cutting. I drew out shapes for him to cut. This project not only got him using scissors but also learning the names of the shapes too.

For our photo album project, I picked up two albums (one for his little sister) and pre-cut design paper that would slide into the sleeve. I also picked out the pictures ahead of time and pre-cut the borders (it is a little time-consuming but SO worth it in the end or else we would have never finished the project ). What my son basically did was choose which picture he wanted on what paper and glued it on.

We then moved on to painting where I set up his easel and let him go to town with washable paint.

My son really enjoyed this experience! Not only did he get to play with new materials, he also learned new skills. The best part of it was that I got to spend some quality one-on-one time with him. Now that he’s started pre-school, these activities aren’t so foreign to him anymore.

We recently did some pumpkin decorating…now I can’t wait to plan a Christmas Craft Day!

As Mommies (and Daddies) not only did we gain an additional member of our family but we gained bragging rights! What? You didn’t read that part in What to Expect When You’re Expecting?! Ok, so maybe it wasn’t in there… but everyone knows parents love to brag about their kids.

And well, since this is my blog….

We were in the midst of a little photo shoot of one of our up and coming items and she was giving me the “ugly” smile (which I’ll share someday!) so I broke out into song and when I was reviewing the pictures I noticed I got all her moves and knew I had to make a scrapblog for it.

Last weekend my family enjoyed two great milestones in our kids’ lives; my baby girl (who is exactly three months old today!) got baptized and my boy turned 2! It was a very special weekend shared with family and friends.

Unfortunately, my family back in Texas was not able to partake, but we definitely felt their love, thoughts and prayers. One of my sisters sent each of them cards – handmade cards too! They were just so cute, I had to share (I believe I mentioned on more than one occasion that I come from a quite crafty and talented family, right?!).

The handmade touch definitely made the sentiments even more meaningful. I will make sure to save these as keepsakes (I see lots of scrapbooks in their future!).

Here is my birthday boy and newly baptized baby girl!

Isaac turned 15 months this past Monday. He weighs 24 pounds and measures 32 inches (we think the nurse gipped him out of 1/4-1/2 inch!). His “tests” indicated that his development is that of a 21-month old (hey, a mother has a right to brag, right?!). It’s so cliche, but I’m so amazed how fast kids grow! Just two months ago, he started walking, and now he’s practically running. Here are some of his latest milestones:

1) Learning how to say a few words – he’s been signing for quite a while– it’s still his main form of communication–but he’s also learned to say some new words besides “mama” and “dada”. If he wants us to pick him up, we won’t until he says “be^’” which means “hold/carry” me in Vietnamese. When he wants to go somewhere, he’ll say “di” which in Vietnamese means “go”. He also picked up “okay” which apparently we say a lot at home. He’ll say “bye bye” every now and then, but only when he feels like it.

2) Isaac learned to walk at 13 months. It’s quite amazing how he’s mastered it in two months when you think about how he didn’t crawl until 10 months and was just born a little over a year ago! Now, he’s learning how to pick up speed and although it’s not quite running, he’ll gallop a few steps and I’ll be telling him to slow down especially as he turns the corners. And I’m not sure where he learned it, but lately he’s been walking backwards. Maybe it’s his new sense of adventure–it makes me totally nervous!

3) Isaac has become quite the athlete (I’d like to say that he picked up my athletic skills, hehe!). Just a month or so ago, he’d throw a ball and it would always land behind him. Now he can throw the ball forward and with some force too. And he’s very good at kicking the ball. It even appeared on several occasions that he’d dribble the ball too (I’ll have to get it a video clip for proof as my brother-in-law would insist upon).

4) I guess it’s as much of a milestone for us as it is for Isaac, but we’ve both learned how to get through a haircut. The trick?! BLUEBERRIES!! I don’t know any kids who eat during a haircut. It certainly gets him to sit still, and I suppose it’s better than putting him in a headlock. We just figured we’d give him what he loves the most (food) and avoid the tears which causes the hair to stick to his face and then cause itchiness and irritability (it’s not a pretty sight, believe me).

5) Speaking of food, he’s totally off the bottle (at 12 months) and jarred baby food. He’s on 100% cow’s milk and eats whatever we eat. It sure has made life a lot easier not having to make a separate meal for him. He LOVES vegetables…he loves it so much that we have to give it to him after he’s eaten everything else on his plate. If he sees it before, he won’t eat the other stuff!

6) He’s learning how to make the sign of the cross. Before every meal, we start off with “In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.” He’s gotten the “Amen” down quite well, but we need to work on the “In the name of the Father” part because he’ll touch his ear instead of his forehead. I’m sure God will overlook that for now

Yum...tomatoes!

Haircut? Show me the blueberries...