CrumbBums – Page 84

Emil-isms

Family, by lauren, June 11, 2015, 4 Replies

At 3 1/2, Emil says the strangest and funniest things! I wanted to share a few here for a good laugh…

All last school year, he referred to “arts and crafts” as “arts and crabs.” No matter how many times his brothers try to tell him it’s “crafts,” he insists on crabs.

“When I die, I don’t want to die.” long pause. “I will be a zombie!”

“E-M-I-L does not spell you! It spells ME!”

While talking animatedly to himself in the other room, “Oh NO!!! I’m turning into a woman!”

“MOM!!!” (shouting frantically) “The poop just falled in!” (Obviously on the toilet)

“You know,” (glaring at me) ” if you put me in time out, a superhero will come and take you off to jail.”

(Gazing down at his fingers after being in the bath for a while) “I don’t want my fingers to shrink!!!”

“I sing because my body makes me!”

And along the same lines… after I asked Emil, “How did you get so nice?” he replied, “Because my body maked me be nice!”

When asked who he was (dressed in a cape and doing some interesting hand moves), “I’m Granny Goosebumps!!!”

Granny Goosebumps it is.

Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis

Favorite Places, by lauren, June 9, 2015, 4 Replies

Last week was the first time we’ve ever been to the Contemporary Art Museum here in St. Louis, and it did not disappoint! We met my stylish friend Elisha there with her (equally stylish) girls Estella and January for CAM’s free family play date, which is held the first Wednesday of every month. The program boasts fun live music, art projects, and storytelling, but the best part of all is the exposure to the amazing art installations around the museum. And though the family play date is geared more towards younger kids (2-5), it was certainly tons of fun for Milo, who, after running around to get his crazies out, sat down at a window-side table to work on origami with the paper provided. We’ll definitely be back.

And Emil, oh how three-year-olds looooooove to test the limits! I had just told him that we must not touch the plants on the Green Varnish exhibit, but that we could look at them very closely with our eyes. So… of course he got ascloseaspossible without touching.

And I’m not sure the kids were supposed to take off their shoes while out in the courtyard (the workers standing nearby did not tell us otherwise), but I’ll be sure to ask next time just to be sure. The sandy gravel felt so good underfoot!

I was so happy to get a few shots of these two buddies together. They have been good friends since the early days and always pick right up where they left off. It was sweet and hilarious to see them interact.

I promise there was no actual smooching, though it looks that way from the picture above — what an embrace! Ha, ha! Fuel for future embarrassment!

This is what the play date looked like from above. The music was great for the kids — there was quite a group up there dancing their little hearts out. Celia, the woman who is rocking out on guitar up there, is a lovely person and clearly really enjoys what she does. She had a way of really engaging the kids while also appealing to the adults. Pretty awesome. She also plays at birthday parties… just in case you’re looking!

And Estella, the little budding artist, was working on the coolest little project! A true individual, that one!

I’ll definitely be back to check out more of the art museum on my own time, without the kids as well. Thanks, Elisha, for turning us on to this place!

Weekend Shenanigans

Family, by lauren, June 8, 2015, Leave a Reply

Oh, how much fun good friends bring on the weekends! I’m not going to lie, going into the weekend I was pretty tired. Andrew has been traveling like a maniac, and I was determined to do too much over the course of two days (clean the entire house, mow the lawn, get miscelaneous yard work done, get groceries, do laundry, prep food for a dinner party with friends, all while watching three boys on not enough sleep). But I did it, happy to cross off item after item on the list sitting on the kitchen counter… just in time for Andrew to walk in (just as exhausted, I’ll add) from his trip only two hours before our friends arrived. And while it was crazy, all the hard work meant that the rest of the weekend was easy breezy and spent focusing on family time.

We kept the food nice and light — watermelon mint feta salad (thanks, Nora!); roasted asparagus with red bell pepper sauce; grilled portabella mushroom skewers; kale caesar salad; and steak kebabs with more veggies! I must say, despite eating a lot of food, all the veggies were so refreshing and I didn’t feel all weighed down the next day from a big feast (hmmm… seems like the lack of bread or pasta may have had something to do with that?).

The kids had a blast and as a result, we ended up staying up way too late of course, but so much laughter and silliness and shenanigans made it all well worth it. We just adore you, JJ & Elisha!

And this guy:

Geez, he is so handsome! I still get all wobbly inside when I see him.

Also, he spent the entire afternoon Sunday in the hot sun carting wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow of mulch into our back yard. Whew! Day of rest, not so much. Andrew brought back gifts from New Orleans for the kids, including the above mask Milo was so thrilled to model (actually he was just really exhausted — it was his idea to take the picture!). Ah, weekends.

Green

Green Living, by lauren, June 5, 2015, 5 Replies

Thoroughly enjoying the Botanical Garden here in St. Louis lately. There is something really special about going on an overcast, misty, cool day when no one else thinks it’s a good idea. We spent last Monday there, tired of being cooped up inside and found ourselves nearly alone with our thoughts. The calm that follows the cool greens and blues, the sound of leaves rustling and water trickling… to see clearly the perfection of the pattern of a leaf, to appreciate the biodiversity of this world and have some of its exotic varieties at hand, it is all so beautiful!

Take a closer look at your world today — take the time to really see. And have a beautiful weekend!

Reading…

Books, by lauren, June 4, 2015, 1 Reply

The Storm Whale, by Benji Davies

I wanted to feature two books geared more towards Emil’s and Oliver’s ages. The first, The Storm Whale, is a sweet and simple but beautifully illustrated book about a little boy who finds a beached baby whale after a storm. His empathy for the creature is touching, and his father’s reaction is equally heartfelt. It’s a good lesson on helping and also on saying good-bye when you love something/someone that doesn’t belong to you.

Plus, the illustrations are just beautiful. I kind of want to move into that cottage by the sea.

My Teacher is a Monster! (No, I Am Not), by Peter Brown

This one is Emil’s favorite book right now. It is about a transformation of sorts, or at least a change of perspective. As one little (mischievous) boy gets into trouble at school, he views his teacher as a green-faced, stomping, roaring monster. But when he encounters her in the real world, that all starts to change…

It intrigues Emil how the teacher, once green-faced with gruesome features, slowly shifts into a pleasant human being as he gets to know her as just that. It is perfect — just what a three-year-old should be intrigued by.