How much fun can you cram into a long weekend? When two boys are involved -- ages 5 and 6 (although we are reminded, he's almost 7!), the answer is "a lot!"
Rick and I were kid-sitting the boys while their parents were spending time with a cousin in Indiana. We decided they shouldn't have all the fun and had quite an agenda of activities. The oldest had been asking about "doing a craft" since we last saw him, so I cam supplied with lots of crafty projects for Christmas ornaments.
These guys were on it -- Rick's mom and I supervised but they were doing the work. First it was making these cute little snowmen....
Then we went on to houses made from a pre-fab crafty house base.
We covered them with washi tape, stick ons and just about anything else that suited their fancy. They added a bit of drawing and they were good to go!
Then we painted min-canvases with markers and attached a ribbon hanger.
They decorated birdhouses with buttons ....
... and bendy-dolls with markers.
Cam went off the grid using an empty ribbon spool! Give a kid stickers, washi and a base and they're off to the races!
The trees weren't even in place yet, but they now have about a dozen decorations!
Then it was time for yet another project -- and one they had been waiting for. . . It was gingerbread house time! Grandpa was in charge of the frosting (otherwise, there would be none left) and the initial construction, with Great-grandma Kttty's help.
Once it was stable, the fun part began!
And when all was said and done, they were very proud of it -- and wanted to immediately demolish and eat it!
We convinced them to keep it intact until their parents got home! Meanwhile, they took up the camera and here we are!
The next day it was off to Belle Isle, a large state park island in the Detroit River. After a stop at the playground (where I wiped out and mashed up my back the day after getting everything realigned!). Oh, to be able to fall and just get up again like they can!
We headed into the nature center. They had a picnic area outside so we enjoyed a lovely, unseasonably gorgeous afternoon together.
Then it was back to the house -- I was crammed into the back between two booster seats (believe me, it is the most uncomfortable place in the world!) But my companions were jolly and that makes up for a lot!
I couldn't end this post without a bonus photo of their sweet cat, Waffles.
I am convinced that if cats do indeed have nine lives, this is my Marmelade Gypsy, returned to the family in an only slightly new form (a female this time!) but just as sweet and curious as the original.
It was good to see my Gyp again -- even if he is a she named Waffles!
I think it's safe to say. . .
. . . that my Christmas season has officially begun!
Sharing with: Friday Face Off / Love Your Creativity / Rain's Art Date / Share Your Style
62 comments:
Except for the fall, that was a great opening to the season. The kids are good makers.
What a spectacular day! Looks like everyone had such fun! Waffles is adorable.
It looks like everyone had a ball Jeanie, great crafting activities too! One of our traditions is having all 4 of my grands over for decorating gingerbread houses, you are never too old to enjoy that! Happy Thanksgiving~
Jenna
You are the best - SO much fun for those boys! Do they call you Grandma? That's sweet that Waffles is so much like your old kitty cat. I hope you're recovered after your fall. Yes, it's different for the indestructible little ones. And why am I not surprised that you have a Christmas tree up already? :) -Jenn
What a wonderful way to start the Holidays! What fun you all had! The ornaments and gingerbread house are exceptional!
Happy Thanksgiving friends!
Oh my! Oh my! Oh my! What fun! Doing crafts with young kids is sooo much fun. They did great jobs, too. Marmelade reincarnated! Also a treat.
So sorry you hurt your back, though. Hope you are feeling better. :)
It is so sweet to see the two kids deeply engaged in craftwork!The photo with your charming smile and the boys' heads on your shoulders is ..a winner.
A fun and creative craft day with the kids. Very festive indeed! Sorry to hear about your fall, I can relate to that. Take care and hope you are feeling better.
Oh what a brilliant post! Those lovely kids have such a zest for life, and just seeing their smiling faces is good for the heart and soul. I suspect they'll long remember the thrill of all that "making". Isn't making stuff together one of life's most rewarding things?
Wow, I can't believe this. You took kid sitting to a whole 'nother level. I love the gingerbread house, but if it were in Hawaii it would be eaten by the ants. Into the fridge it would go. So nice to include Rick's mom, too. Just love it.
No wonder they were proud. Everything turned out so well!
Wow. Waffles DOES look like your sweet Gypsy! What a beautiful cat! I am sorry to hear about the fall at the playground. That sounds PAINFUL. But everything else sounds great. They will treasures these crafting memories with you! And they are great photographers, too! Nice work, boys!
This is a big holiday weekend for us. Tonight Phil and Paul go to Phil's cousin's for an early tgiving. It's too late of an event for taco as they'll get home an hour or so after Taco goes to bed, I think. So we'll stay back. We have Thanksgiving at my brother's on Thur, then we go to Joan's on Friday afternoon to spend time with her (but won't eat a Thanksgiving meal - she'll make soup). Sunday I host my college friends for cookie decorating!
What a fun fun time. Those boys are so handsome and talented too. Hmmm think they get it from you. LOL The snowmen are adorable. They are so intent on what they are doing. With all of that I would be exhausted. Takes a lot of energy to entertain young ones. Love this post.
Such a happy family life there
Lots of fun and smiles there!
Ya'll have begun the holiday season with love and creativity.
What fun! I want to come to Christmas craft day with your family.
Hi Jeanie! Wow! You guys provided a lot of good fun! How lovely for the parents! Those boys are adorable and Waffles is lovely! I hope you are okay now (your back) after your fall. Happy Thanksgiving!
You all know how to have fun!!! Have a great Thanksgiving, Jeanie!
What a fun time you had with the kiddos. Their ornaments were cute and that gingerbread house looked divine. Janice
Not sure who had the most fun with all the crafts and the gingerbread house! What a joy to have time to spend with the kids! The cat is adorable. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
I can imagine that those boys might never want to go home. 😊
So much creative fun!!! You made lots of memories.
Cathy
well that looks like a fun time had by all. Make the most of it, turn around and they'll be all grown up.
Jeanie, what a fun time you and Rick had with the adorable boys. They are growing so quickly. I am amazed at all of the crafts you had planned and they seemed to have loved all of them. I know great grandmother had a wonderful time with them. Thank you for sharing all the fun with us!
Oh, what a fun time you all had and so much talented creativity! The gingerbread house turned out great, and all the sweet ornaments to remember this special time. The boys are too cute! Hope you didn't hurt yourself too badly in the fall - geez, sorry about that. I think marmalade cats really are the most loving. Hope you have a nice Thanksgiving! x K
Hello,
It looks like you all had a fun time, making Christmas ornaments and the cute gingerbread house. They all look wonderful. Great photos of you and your family. The boys are growing up fast. My favorite photo is the one of you in the back of the car with the boys. Happy Thanksgiving, have a great day!
I've never made a gingerbread house; that looks like great fun. And yes, indeed -- Waffles does look a bit like Gypsy! Two sweet boys and a sweet kitty would have to make for a great time!
What a wonderful time with the kids. I love the imagination and all the fun to be had with kids at that age. I miss time with the littles that I used to have around here. It is worth all the mess and fuss, isn't it? I love all the pictures of you and the kids crafting and being outdoors enjoying your time together.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving- xo Diana
Oh wow! What a fabulous treat for those boys! Great activities, all, but sorry your back is out of whack again. What memories the boys will have with you two, AND great grandma! I see you have a lefty of the two boys also. Waffles is cute. Funny how they now identify as a female in this current life. Happy [official] holiday season!
I have sat in that back seat:) I was the same with the boys..crafts crafts crafts.Baking..I adored every minute.I see you both do too:) FABULOUS.Happy Thanksgiving:)LOL and you worried about not knowing how to be a nana.Step up to the head of the class please:)
I know how you love your Munchkins, so I'm sure it was a heavenly weekend for you! They have grown so big. I remember their pics as babies. I'm sure they had a fantastic time, too. And some stories end with 'And a good time was had by all....' Hope your back is now better. Hugs, Valerie
This looks like such a fun weekend. The best part about kids making ornaments is that they will be cherished for years-if not by the kids then by the parents. And I have a gingerbread train kit to work on. That sounds like a good project for next week. And Waffles looks sweet. I love orange cats. I've had 2. One who could be mean, and the other was my boy Leo. He was my shadow and very social. I'm glad you had a great weekend Jeanie, and I'm glad you shared it also. Have a great Thanksgiving. Will you be seeing the boys again? hugs-Erika
Must have been a lovely weekend with the boys. Tiring, I can imagine. They do seem to be very talented with art. Possibly, future artists?
A fun time with the boys is always a welcome sight. I hope you have a marvelous Thanksgiving and enjoy more time with family.
Jeanie, It looks like you and Rick had fun with the boys. Sorry to hear about your back, but hopefully it won’t get in the way of you enjoying the days leading up to Christmas. I think I was at Belle Isle when I was a kid, but it was very different back then. I love all the activities you did with them. Very clever! Enjoy your Thanksgiving!
What a fun post..Thanks for sharing..I have had the dubious pleasure of being squeezed between booster seats..Climbing over them is the fun part..Enjoy your Thanksgiving..
Looks like fun was had by all. It is nice to see kids doing crafty things instead of using electronics. I try to do a lot of crafts with my great nieces (ages 5 and 8).
Totally delightful!
Liked your crafting with the kidlets!
They did a great job on the Ginger Bread House.
Happy Thanksgiving Jeanie and Rick!
Oh, to be a child again and to enjoy all these. Or to be a cat, really. Who wouldn't want to? Lol
Love all the happy faces.
Looks like a fun day.
They did a fantastic job on the gingerbread house.
Hugs and blessings, Jeanie
I see happy faces. The smiles are heart ❤️ felt. How sweet to take care of the boys and arrange for so much fun. Lots of memories in the making. Happy Thanksgiving to all.
Looks like a good time was had by all!
That last phone with the boys gave me a start. In that photo he looks exactly like my brother did about 10 years ago. Spooky!
Gingerbread houses are fun!
What a delight of a post! You have given me great ideas about what to do with my g-kids---next weekend...I'd better get busy!
What a wonderful time you had with the kids, Jeanie. Love that gingerbread house. I bet the boys can't wait to eat it! It's so bright and colorful and Yummy. And those homemade ornaments, such treasures. I like the mini canvases too. It was nice that Rick's mom was able to spend time with you also. Isn't that something that Waffles looks and reminds you of Marmalade Gypsy? What a delightful way to start the Christmas season, Jeanie.
~Sheri
Hello Jeanie :=)
Whilst you and your family were engaged in craft work I was smiling all the time. Such lovely photos. Your adorable Grand-kids really got stuck in and made some great decorations. The ginger bread house looks fantastic, and the boys did a great job of decorating it. It was lovely seeing Rick's mother joining in the fun.
So sorry about your fall, and hope you are feeling better. Sending you blessings for a wonderful Thanks Giving Jeanie.
Hugs
Sonjia.
I am so happy you shared this post with FFO. As for meat prices. Yes, it depends on where you live. In my little alcove town we have 2 stores and they can put any price they want. That little 3lb turkey we got was $18.99 and the store took $5.00 off. That is really a sin to do that to people. Anyway I am thankful Mr. M. made such a nice dinner for me. Have a very lovely weekend.
Those sweet kiddos had so much fun with you. I loved all the crafts you made with them, or they made and you guided. The gingerbread house was delightful and it was so nice to meet Rick’s mom also. A wonderful post Jeanie!
You couldn't have asked for a better weekend with those boys. Crafts and sports and a gingerbread house, too. What wonderful memories.
So many fun crafts! And the gingerbread house is fabulous!
Fun post
Such a ctreative time you had! Bet it was quite silent in the house!
Oh, a gingerbread house. Ii think it, too, was my Dad who made one with us one year.
When did we eat it? Never! After Christmas it was stored away and Dad put it on the table many years.
Ii think after both left we only found and dumped it. Must ask my Brother if he ever made one with his kids (who are way too old already!).
Yes, I know the feeling in the back of the car like that!
Awww, Waffles is very, very cute.
What a fantastic time!! We love that little nature center on Belle Isle - and just driving around the island in general. :) Hmmm. Maybe we will do that tomorrow afternoon!
Your decorations are so cute! I love those little houses - and you may be seeing those over on my blog, since I am considering stealing that idea to do with Wyatt now!
I am glad that you had all had fun, it looks like it was wonderful.
What absolute fun, but sorry you fell. Hope you are OK by now.
I love, love all the crafts and the gingerbread house. Plus seeing Waffles was fun too. Oh those marmalade cats! So glad you had time with those special boys all to yourselves. Precious times!
What a lovely time all of you had! It looks like the boys really enjoyed doing all these different craft projects - you did a wonderful preparation for that, Jeanie! The gingerbread house looks so good - so did they devour it after their parents had seen it? Or did it survive a little bit longer? Sorry about your fall, yes, we don't get up from them that easily anymore. And such sweet pictures of Waffles.
What a wonderful and fun way to start the Christmas season :)
Loved seeing all of the photographs.
All the best Jan
Loveky family! -Christine cmlk79.blogspot.com
...what fun. Sadly our grandchildren are older and glued to their phones!!!
Oh to be able to turn back the clock, if only for just a day. Your crafting with your beautiful Grandsons brings back so many wonderful memories with my granddaughters. And the Marmalade cat ... I had a big boy Marmalade, but he has passed. I still have two female Marmalades that warm my heart every day though. Did you know that female Marmalades are rare, so I am told by my Vet. You had a joyous time with your boys and Great Grandma and isn't that what Christmas should be about? I hope you have recovered from your fall ... that is a scary thing when we get a little older. I tread very carefully when there is ice and snow on the ground. And I agree, your Christmas season is off to a good start.
Andrea @ From the Sol
Christmas is here!!! Great post! Now I want to make some gingerbread!!!
That's keeping them busy.
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