Ava and Isaiah both attended our local library's summer reading program "One World, Many Stories." Each child received a reading log and were to read a minimum of 500 minutes over summer break. Apparently we read TONS because Ava won the prize for "most minutes read" for the preschool age group and Isaiah read the most for the toddler age group. They were so excited to pick up their buckets filled with water toys, treats, books, a library T-shirt, and toys. These buckets have been on display since the beginning of the program and they've both had their eye on them ever since. They LOVE stories!
Locust or Cicada? I am terrible with things. You know the bug that leaves those brown shells on the tree???? Anyway, I've always heard the buzzing sound, found tons of shells growing up as a kid...but have never seen this insect turn from it's pupa to it's adult stage. Pretty cool! We were out playing and discovered two of these cool insects on our tree. I thought I'd take a few pictures since I've NEVER seen this before.
This was so cool to see...and what a good mini science lesson about how insects change and why they have to hang upside down when they emerge from their pupa stage. Who knows how much the kids picked up from my little lesson...it was just one of those "teachable moments."
The kids found lots of those cicada/locust shells and wanted to draw houses for them to live in...kinda like a little bug neighborhood!
This one lived here...
...and this one was going for a walk on the sidewalk.
Now time for some rides...Isaiah thought it was funny to put a shell on his motorcycle and watch it drive away. The kids got a kick out of it!
Look at him go!
We recently found this book Hedgehog Bakes a Cake in our shelf...you know how that is when you a trillion books and forget what you even have! There was a recipe for the cake he made in the story on the back page and the kids wanted to try it. So away we went!
We also made homemade frosting...we had just ran out of milk from dinner and needed 2T...so I improvised and used our French vanilla coffee creamer instead. It turned out to be really tasty!
Two proud bakers!
In the story they put one little strawberry on it for decoration...Isaiah reminded me that we needed to do that.
Ava holding up her story...it's very cute!
Isaiah trying a piece...let's just say this isn't a cake recipe we'll try again...did I mention that I added too much butter? But it was still fun to make and something neat that connected to the book we have been reading (teacher talk again).
1 stick butter (room temperature)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/3 cups flour
1 sleeve graham crackers (crushed)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 Hershey bars (King Size)
1 jar marshmallow puff (7 oz)
1) With mixer combine butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Add egg and vanilla
2) In a separate bowl combine graham crackers, flour, baking power, and salt
3) Use mixer and combine everything together
4) Layer 1/2 the mixture in an 8x8 pan and press down, next layer Hershey bars (you may need to break a few to get them to fit), spread the whole 7 oz jar of marshmallow cream, and then press the rest of the graham cracker mixture on top.
5) Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, cool, and then slice to serve...YUMMY and super easy!
My Three Happy's:
1) Going to Remain Gardens for the giant bug exhibit with my Mom, sister, Isabelle, and the kids. More info on that and pictures soon! :-)
2) The weather has been amazing...I mean really...waking up to temperatures in the upper 50's and 60's and the highs for the day in the 70's and low 80's...just perfect!
3) Sorting the loads upon loads of clean laundry that I dumped onto our bedroom floor. I can't belive it, but Ava and Isaiah helped me sort the entire thing...one basket for Ava, one basket for Isaiah, Mommy and Daddy's clothes went on the bed, and one basket for socks. What helpers...I guess kids will do anything if you can think of how to put it into a game-like form!
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