There needs to be a better word for "puppet" to describe this..

Katharine is going to try some stop motion animation, and created this puppet. It has moveable joints so that she can put it in all kinds of poses. I can't wait to see it in motion.

 

Family Portraits

Wow, we are going to have a lot of people in the house today.

And knowing the Martels, that will likely include their two dogs. 

Hopefully we will not need to add Sophie to the RIP corner..

(art by Kassidy)

Bathroom Break

Sophie is pretty obsessed with toilets. 

 

Maybe she will become one of those cats that learns how to use them- not that I would want her to be using our toilets or anything..

 

Anyways, today she came bearing gifts, so I couldn't refuse to indulge her.

 

 

 

Home Is The Nicest Place There Is

Speaking of pillows, Keira finished the middle section of her stitched pillow last night.

That is her own design, and she wasn't following any patterns.

She usually works on it while I read to her at night.

Big Pillow, Little Pillow

Sophie is a pillow cat. 

Nothing can be too big or small for her.

Sunday Night Zoom with Craig

Just about every Sunday night, we usually log onto Zoom and have a game session with Craig.

We play jackboxtv party games (drawing and triva, etc etc).

Happy Birthday, Kasssidy!

Kassidy just completed her tenth fun and freaky trip around the sun. 

We love all her quirks and quick thinking, but not so much the temper :)

Twas the night before her birthday..

Twas the day of her birthday..

 

Twas the night of her birthday (still working on the activity books)..

Kassidy Facts

Favorite color - pink

Birthday meal - Sonic (corndog and tater tots)

Favorite food - mac and cheese, bread and Nutella, ice cream sandwich

Favorite restaurant - California Pizza Kitchen

Favorite junk food - gummy owls

Least favorite food - mayonnaise

Favorite toys - Cars, Lego sets, Playmobile

Favorite video game - Animal Crossing and Overwatch

Favorite vacation - Massachusetts and Germany

Favorite book - Narnia series

Kassidy loves activity and sticker books

Favorite book you have written - Princess Ruby

Favorite tv show -Corn & Peg, Spirit Riding Free, Top Wing

Currently listening to - Ingrid Michaelson and Perry Grip and Disney tunes

Goal for year - Do more art

Best Friends - Kate, Oliver, Maren and Amy

Favorite memory from the last year - Massachusetts trip

Favorite animal - lions, tigers, monkeys, unicorns

Future job/career - vet

Rural suburbs or city? - country

Favorite style of dance - ballet

Birthday presents - Pink Switch Lite and some sticker books (Mom and Dad), Mario Kart game (Uncle Peter), Animal Crossing game and sticker books (Grandma and Grandpa), art and photo supplies (Uncle Craig)

Favorite plant - rose

Cat or dog - both!

Time travel - Pirates

Favorite school subject - Math and German

Favorite Keira toy - Elizabeth

Least favorite school subject - Science with the boys

Favorite thing to do with Mom - cuddle

Favorite thing to do with Dad - read books at night

Favorite thing to do with Lukas - play Battlefront video game

Favorite thing to do with Katharine - look at her art

Favorite thing to do with Lennon - playing

Favorite thing to do with Keira - ride bikes and play with dolls

Favorite season - Winter and Spring

If the house were burning she would grab these three objects (people and animals not included) - her giraffe, her blankies, and Fantasia

Looking forward to in 2020- developing your art skills

What scares you - Tornadoes and thunderstorms and wind and dehydration

And people still think that I spoil Kassidy :)

Currently Stitching

Spring Training

So Coach Che invited Lennon over to his indoor facility to just "kick some balls", but I think he has missed coaching enough that within a few minutes he had already broken out the cones, poles, and ropes.

The boys are a bit sore today..

Pillow Pet

Sophie's favorite toy is a doll bed pillow that she found. 

She carries it around the house in her mouth while mewing and chirping, and then settles down under a chair to play with it.

Zoom Room

In the living room, sketching, puzzling, and talking to the Grandparents via Zoom.

 

Leaping into Spring

It is starting to heat up, and the girls played with the hoses and sprinkler yesterday. 

Even the dog, who hates getting wet, walked through the mist.

And nice form, Keira. You can tell she has had some dance lessons!

Puzzle Ace

Almost done with her 3,000 piece puzzle.

The cat is no help at all, btw.

 

 

Bed Snatcher

Care package

Gearbox sent out "work form home" care packages today. I illustrated the t-shirt which was pretty fun  to draw (although more people probably care about the toilet paper and hand sanitizer).

Currently Reading

I always read to the girls before bed. 

 

I am currently reading "Emily of Deep Valley" by Maud Hart Lovelace with Keira (who often sews in the background) and "Anne of Green Gables" by Lucy Montogomery with Kassidy.

 

 

 

Soaked

I guess that plumping and appliance repairs are virus/recession proof.

Good thing video games and art are as well.

Monday Math

It's nice to be home to see how everyone does their school work.

Happy Easter!

So we figured out how to use the camera timer on the iPhone, and got all nine of us in one pic (with a little help from Photoshop).

Happy Easter!

Hunting at Home

Keira created a special surprise for Kassidy this morning- hand crafting Easter flowers and fairies. 

 

She hid them in the backyard along with the traditional plastic eggs, filled with coins and other small stuff.

Take-out Friday

Every Friday during the sequester we order a pick-up to help support local restaurants.

This week it was Ihop.

It is turning into a fun tradition, and might be something that we continue to do post-pandemic (although ordering food for a family of seven isn't cheap).

Home Communion

We set up communion for the home Maundy Thursday service that we all watched online together.

Not quite the same as being there, but at least Sherman got to have his first communion.

Another Wet Cat

Sophie has already fallen/jumped in the tub twice. 

 

It looks like we have another Pepper on our hands (who was also fascinated with water and didn't mind getting wet).

Home (dance) Schooling

The girls are still attending all of their dance classes via the Zoom app. They stick to the same schedule that they did prior to the shutdown. 

 

Not a perfect substitute, but it's a lot faster to get to class now :)