Making a chime that doesn't scare the birds

Drawing fun after crafting alphabet.

Makings of our itty bitty wind chime.

D is for doodleberry. Creed practiced upper and lowercase d with a trusted friend today while mama went to the dentist. Last night I was telling Creed how I had to go to the dentist the next morning and really didn't want to. Creed said, "Don't worry mama. It's OK." "I know, you're right," I said. This morning I told him I was going to the dentist again. "And you're going to get a toothbrush and a star sticker," he noted. A while back we had read about Dora going to the dentist. Dora also received a new toothbrush and star sticker. I talked to the dentist about what age was appropriate for children to go to the dentist and turns out he's old enough now. So in a couple of weeks we'll all go back to the dentist. In the meantime I've got a really great Usbourne Sticker book about going to the dentist. I mentioned my conversation with Creed about going to the dentist myself and they gave me a sticker and temporary tattoo to give him. :-) very sweet.

Later this afternoon we were looking for a wind chime, but they all seemed too noisy. I asked Creed if he thought they would scare the birds and he agreed, so we decided to make our own. I have a great set of letter and number cookie cutters I found at an antique store and they were put to good use today. We had fun rolling out play dough and cutting out the alphabet, going over the name and sound of each. I'm wondering how they'll hold up if they get wet. They're drying outside right now and I'm thinking about getting some sort of clear lacquer to go over them. I'll post the final results! While we were in the Dollar General discussing wind chimes and looking for note cards, Creed brought me a stack of books and asked me to read to him. I kindly obliged sitting indian-style to the side of the aisle. When we read a dinosaur book instead of picking out the colored dinosaurs they book described he identified them by name. I'm learning a lot about dinosaurs. More than I've ever learned in my lifetime so far. In fact, I'm learning a lot about everything! It really is fun! Creed's very fortunate to have five living grandmothers. He helped me pick out Mother's Day cards and for the first time was able to sign his own name, very endearing. The way we've been practicing is I write in a yellow highlighter and he traces the best he can. (a trick I learned from Pintrest) Practice makes progress!

 Signing Mother's Day cards.

 My ham!

Creed and I went to see great-grandma over the past weekend and visited a graveyard. I was trying to explain what was going on to the best of my ability in terms a three-year-old child would understand. "This is where grandpa is," I said, "that's daddy's daddy and this is your uncle. They already went to see Jesus. When they died, they were buried like all the people here. When you die you get buried in the ground and when Jesus comes back you come back up." I showed him great-great-great grandma and grandpa's burial as well. He stayed busy helping us clean around the gravestones, getting rid of dated flowers and replacing them. He noticed all the other vases that didn't have flowers. I told him sometimes they don't have flowers. I kept thinking of part of an old poem, "Do not stand at my grave and weep, I am not there, I do not sleep." He didn't question any of it and a couple of days later when we were walking out of Chic-Fil-A he ran around the vehicle after I told him specifically to stay with me. We've got rules about always holding mama and daddy's hand when in the parking lot and crossing streets. I panicked yelling for him and when he came back I said you're not supposed to go around there. You're so little cars might not see you and you'd get squished like a bug. You could get hurt and have to go to the hospital. You could die. "And then you'd put me in the ground," he said. (My heart hurt a little with that statement) "Yes," I said. "I don't want to go in the ground," he said. "I don't want you to go in the ground either honey! I love you!" I said. Point very well received.