Homemade Bath Paints

Ingredients:

• Clear hand soap
• Cornstarch
• Food coloring
• Baby food jars

Directions:

Fill the baby food jar 3/4 full of soap then add one tablespoon corn starch and about 10 drops of food coloring and mix well. I whipped these up real quick (excuse my feet in the pic).

Lizzy had fun painting on the bath walls!

Clean up was quick and easy

Preschool Open Gymnastics

Lizzy really loves going to the open gymnastics for preschoolers where she gets to run wild and try all the equipment but today she didn't stay long. After 15 minutes at the open gym Lizzy went and got her little backpack and left out the door! I caught up to her and she said she was "ready" (ready to go). Either she didn't feel well (I think she's getting sick again) or she didn't like the set up today (not all the equipment was set out today). We left open gym, had lunch with tita, then went home for a nap.
I actually tried to get a video of Lizzy today but I didn't get very much : ( ... maybe next time I will get a better video.

They just got lots of cute toddler leotards in at the gym but Lizzy didn't give me time to look at them. I can't wait to get her a cute little leotard to wear when we go to open gym. (maybe next time)

Hiking Trail

Lizzy's first time on a hiking nature trail. Lizzy was riding high on daddy's shoulders most the way. She usually loves to walk and run but the trail was long and Lizzy tired out fast.

Shamrock Matching

I had a bunch of leftover shamrock cut outs so I've been thinking of ways to use them this month. Lizzy does great with puzzles and matching and she's learning shapes so I though I could make a shapes matching game with these left over shamrocks.
I could not get a good picture of Lizzy with this activity because she was all over the place.
She did great finding the pairs and she would set them on her chair when get found the pair but this activity didn't hold her attention very long.
After she found the pairs the first time she was done and off to something else.

Silly Straw Smoothies

Smoothies are great because you can pack a lot of fruits and even veggies into a tasty treat that a toddler will drink. Lizzy loves smoothies and for her this is a treat and she gets lots of fruits and veggies in. I also love the bullet blender because it's so convenient to make one drink at a time in one cup and the clean up in minimal.
Lizzy found some silly straws I had left over from Lizzy's birthday party favor bags last years she she really wanted to try it out so I let her. A little messy but fun.

Rock and Roll Shamrocks!

A fun and easy way for toddlers to explore with paint is marble painting. Find a box and put some paper on the bottom of the box ( I used shamrock cut outs), add some marbles dipped in paint to the box and move the box to roll the marbles with paint over the paper. Since, we were making shamrocks we used blue and yellow paint as the paint mixed together it magically became green.

Lizzy liked this activity. Her favorite part was dropping the marbles into the paint cups and watching them roll in the paint. Lizzy is starting to think painting is a daily activity like play dough and drawing. Lizzy will ask to play with play dough and draw everyday and lately she has been asking to paint everyday.

Fun Times with Family

Since we discovered the toddler play area at Chick fil a this is now somewhere we frequent when we got out. Lizzy's uncle Christian or "tio" as Lizzy calls him and Briana or "nana" came to play with Lizzy at Chick fil a. There was no one there and Lizzy go to enjoy herself trying everything out.

Uncle Christian and Lizzy

Whhee....wee...Lizzy loves the slide and she loves Briana.

As we were leaving they were giving out milkshake samples. Of course Lizzy did not pass that up and slurped down the whole thing!

More from the Zoo

The Houston Zoo

Mike has been working on the mission for shuttle discovery through the week everyday so today he finally got a break and on his day off we all headed to the zoo! Lizzy was much more observant of the animals this time unlike our past visits where she seemed to people watch more now she is animal watching. She also knows the names of most of the animals and she likes to say bye bye giraffe or whatever the name of the animal is as we walk off.
Lizzy in her wagon. Lizzy doesn't use a stroller so our only option is this wagon but she prefers to walk or be carried.

Lizzy by the fountains. I think she wanted to get in.

Mommy and Lizzy by the giraffes.
Daddy and Lizzy brushing the goat.
Lizzy's first time petting a goat in the children's zoo area.
Daddy and Lizzy sitting in the bat exhibit.
They have a carousel at the zoo so I thought Lizzy would enjoy this like she did the one at kemah but she refused to sit on any of the animals so we sat together on the carousel bench and she was fine.
On the way home she fell asleep. It was a lonnngggg day. We were all exhausted by the time we got home.

Caring for Baby

Lizzy is hot and cold when it comes to playing with dolls sometimes she plays with them other times she has no interest in them. Today she rocked her doll, wrapped her up in a blanket, and gave her a bottle. It was very cute.

Playing with Play Doh

Pick up sticks and play dough can be very entertaining!

Dress Up

Lizzy will be turning 2 in 3 months! I'm already starting to think of a theme for her 2nd birthday and I think we are going with hula girl. I made Lizzy a hula girl tutu and she tried it on tonight so I took some pics. I just wanted to make sure it fit well but man she did not want to take that thing off...wow...I think we hit the terrible twos already!

Spring is Almost Here

Spring is almost here. It sure feels like Spring here in Houston. Springtime is my favorite season ... the weather is usually nice enough not too cold not too hot and there is rebirth all around. I changed the nature table to a sorta St. Patrick's day theme and had a small basket of new goodies for Lizzy waiting for her when she got home from school. A Spring book, a magnifying glass, a small toadstool kaleidescope and a green play silk.

Almost Rodeo Time

Today Lizzy got to see the Trail Riders. The Trail Riders usher in the Rodeo by riding into Houston from every direction on horse and buggy. Somehow every year I am lucky enough to encounter the Trail Riders and when I do I'm basically stuck in traffic not moving very much for 30 min or so until they pass. Lizzy was with me when we encountered the Trail Riders and with us not really moving it was like a mini parade for Lizzy. I rolled down the window and Lizzy would yell "Bye bye horsey!" "Neigh Neigh" as they went by us. It was so funny.

With it being almost Rodeo time Lizzy is getting to know farm animals and the sounds they make. I can't wait to take her to the livestock show to see all the farm animals.