"I Spy" Bags & Other Travel Gear

I've gotten a little "project" oriented these past few weeks.  We're gearing up for a trip in May to see the Illinois side of the family.  I've been researching ways to keep the kids entertained during the long drive (yes, I said DRIVE!) to and from Illinois.  So far, I'm hoping that some of my ideas will not go to waste.  Twenty hours driving one way just watching movies could get to be a bore.

Anyway, I've created lap trays out of old cookie sheets for the kids to play with magnets on.  The trays were coated with white board paint (so when they're older, we can all get high from sniffing dry erase markers).  No, really, the white surface means we can have a smooth area for coloring pages or laminated race tracks.   Kelsey's really excited to use her magnetic paper doll set! 

 

My second project was a set of "I Spy" bags (pocket-sized).  It took forever to find a pattern for these 5.5" square bags.  They only have 24-25 toys in each but it was fun making them.  John was really excited to help fill the bags with the beads.  Kelsey's excited to find the stuff inside.  And Bekah hasn't gotten up from her nap to see the bags.  Ah well.  Email me if you want the directions for making these things.  They sell on the market for $20 and I made three for less than that!

We'll see if they work in the doctor's office today and that should say whether or not the kids are interested.  At least we've got a few months to hide away the travel stuff so they can all be excited about the "new" stuff when I get it out for the trip!  And I have one less stress to think about.  I've done my part.

The Many Faces of Our Silly Kids

I didn't think John's face making skills were so popular until I walked into a higher end department store and saw a mannequin with the same face that John makes when he greets people. So, you tell me, doesn't this look the same?

Anyway, while we're on a roll with "face-making" skills, let's check out the other kids' skills! Bekah's pictures were actually taken on John's birthday when we celebrated with cupcakes and chocolate icing. Mmmmm...doesn't she look lovely?

Kelsey didn't want to be left out of the picture when I asked John to make faces for me. So...here are the two who copy each other.

So if my kids ever come up to you and make one of these faces, it really means they like you. Crazy, huh?

Happy Birthday, John John Man!

We celebrated John's birthday over a two day period...starting on his birthday and ending with his party on Friday night. He had so much fun! Thank you to everyone who sent cards, presents, or just showed up for the festivities. He was so happy he could share his day with you!

John wanted to have an airplane birthday cake. I tried looking for things to make it more of a themed birthday party, but all the party stores only had fighter jets not commercial airplanes. So...we settled on an airplane cake with "awfuls" (translation: waffles) for dinner. John chose it all.

Shawn did a great job taking pictures of the present opening session...but the camera didn't cooperate. Most of the pictures were blurry. Shawn was NOT a little happy! But we did manage to capture John's reaction when he opened the Cowboy set. He gave a two fisted, two armed, "YESSSS!!!!"

He was so grateful for all the cards and other presents too! I don't think he had a favorite. He loves them all! Thank you! Can you believe our boy is 4!? Can you believe we all survived this long? Just kidding. He's a good boy and we love him. Happy Birthday, John.