Now and Then

Another old post that I had saved and never finished.But the photos are too cute not to share!

Now and then at Melbourne Zoo (21 months old,  4 months old).

As Arthur approaches his second birthday there are a few things I want to remember before he grows up too much. 

Things I want to remember:

::The way he says more. Sometimes more quietly with a question mark at the end…more? . Sometimes loud and demanding in threes…more, more, more.  Sometimes full of self assurance and certainty….one simple more.

::His cackle laugh.

::When you tell him to smile for the camera he scrunches up his face and 'smiles' with his eyes. 

::"Hiya" the way he says hello.

When I was two, I was hardly new

It has been a long time since I posted anything on this blog. My computer was out of commission for awhile and frankly I needed a bit of quiet. I had these photos already to go and saved but then my unintentional break happened and I never added the words- and so, for a few months, it was forgotten. But I do love looking back at this little journal and seeing our little life story unfold. So here are some photographs from Artie's 2nd birthday. 

There was a boat ride to Southbank, some chocolate pizza for lunch, playing in the sand and water at Soutbank and cake at home. There was also a lovely family party at the park the next day. 

We have a delightful two year old now. 

little boys are made of...

grubby hands, caterpillars, snails and lovely, dirty, orange fingernails (looks like we are rewriting the classics!).

This little caterpillar was Artie's best friend this afternoon. He was held and air-kissed. He was named Greeny because he was, to quote my young man, 'green, not black' . He even got to go for a ride in a Playmobile wagon.  We have released him into the wild, I hope he was not too traumatised by all the lovin' he got today!

colouring

Back at Easter time we picked up a colouring page from the local supermarket. Artie worked on it at home and we took it back the following week. He loved seeing it hanging up every time we went and did our groceries. We were surprised when a few weeks later we got a call telling us Artie had won his age group- he got a little toy. I wanted to record for prosperity Artie's first win at 19months old. It was very cute and he was proud as punch.

Squeeze and Dot

Arthur and I love looking through the art section at the Newsagent. Often they have some cool things on sale. A little while ago we found these Squeeze and Dot paints reduced to a few dollars. So with new art supplies in hand we headed home to create.

Arthur (19 months old at the time) enjoyed squeezing a lot more than dotting. I brought out some old blank cards I had in the cupboard and let him go to town. He was engrossed in the activity for quite a long time and filled all the cards by himself.  After he was finished I pressed the cards together and viola!  both sides of the card were pretty and ready to gift. In fact, many have already been gifted.

When we were finished, and the cards were drying on the line, I washed out the bottles and filled them with paint. Ready to go for another round of squeezing, maybe even some dotting next time!

painting

He asks to paint or draw or sculpt dough everyday. 

We may need to move

To an even warmer climate!

Our little man doesn't want to give up swimming or being naked, despite the fact it is Autumn. He yells 'nake, nake' when we try to dress him or put a nappy on. 

He makes us laugh!

messy art

Recently Mum and I were talking about making art with little ones and how best to organise these encounters. We decided that really is no easy answer, or perfect solution, except to remember that creating art is messy. Arthur likes the mess. He likes experimenting with paint- on paper, on wood, in his hair,  on his tummy and feet, on the walls. So while we do set out rules and we reinforce (over and over again) we do definitely not paint on the furniture or walls, a little paint on our toes is all part of the fun. To make life easier I prepare our painting materials and paint before hand, I strip down Artie or he wears minimal clothing, we paint outside and for the time being we use washable paint. Then we clean up together before we move onto the next activity. He has complete freedom to enjoy the process. 

It sure makes me happy to hang his art up. The best way to decorate a house I do believe. 

workbench

Artie loves Grumps' shed and all the tools and paraphernalia that go with the shed. So Grumps commissioned a workbench just for Artie. Now he is teaching him the tricks of the trade. He is a lucky boy to have his very own Arthur sized workbench at only 20 months old. Soon he will be fixing the house for Adam and I. 

stickers

Artie is really into stickers at the moment. He sticks them on his pictures, me, his arm and legs and anywhere else he sees fit. Those big puffy stickers are best as he is able to peel them off on his own. It's also a good way for him to practise his fine motor skills.  He really does get very absorbed in sticking them on and off things.It also makes our art making sessions even more fun. So for any family reading this, whenever you see puffy stickers for sale/cheap please grab them for us. It might also be a good easter present for him (hint, hint!).

Concentration

Does he not have the cutest concentrating pout ever? Man, I love this kid.

Running Painting

On a warm day (well hot, hot day!) outside, painting is a great art activity. We spread large pieces of paper on the ground in the shade. Then I let Artie go for it. After pouring the paint out of the containers and a bit of paintbrush action, he decided that running across the paper and making footprints was the most fun. I said ready...set...go, he yelled GO and off he went! We call this our running painting. 

Here is a little video I made from some photos to show you Artie's technique. Ignore the glitches. I am still working on movie making! 

Untitled from Denise Sweedman on Vimeo.

What we've been doing

We are off on a holiday to New Zealand in a few days. So hopefully soon I will have lots of holiday snaps to share. We can't wait to chill out and have some quality family time. 

We've been busy. Busy, in the normal, everyday kind of way. Where the days seem to whir by in a flash. Artie has been growing and learning so much. 

I will let the photos do the talking for me. Enjoy.