New toys for Bug

I'm trying something new and made these for Bug.



I was all set to put a mouth on this guy...


When I realized that he was kind of cool this way, too. After discussing it with Bug, we've decided to go mouthless, so that she has more options with this one.
A rather sad (maybe confused?) tie-dyed sock bunny. I like it.

Where the magic happens.

Bug LOVES to draw. I have an old Hoosier-style cupboard that doesn't fit in my kitchen, so we use it for art supplies and a desk for Bug. It's right behind my computer desk, so we can be together while working on different projects. If I turn my chair around, this is my view:

A trip to our home town.

We went "home" for an art show today. Of course, we had to go our favorite Chinese restaurant there. In the first photo, Bug is pointing to the mark they made the last time we ate there before we moved...almost 2 1/2 years ago.

Bug visits an old friend, Mudboy.


She's very silly. If you've read this blog for any length of time, you've seen other photos of these two together. They go way back. He was even at the pirate party she had when she turned 3.
How awesome is this horse statue? It's made from found objects.

Not real easy to see, but Bug really liked this bird sculpture.

Of course, we can't go on a drive without a good book.

Green belt!

Bug tested for her green belt tonight. Here are a few photos:



11 kids tested for belts tonight. Here's a group shot.
Bug with her instructor, Mr. T.

Dragons!

Bug recently made, wrote and illustrated a book about dragons (heavily influenced by the movie How to Train Your Dragon) and sent it to her author/illustrator friend, David LaRochelle. Today, she received a letter from him. She was SO excited. She gave me permission to post the pages from the book and her letter from "Tall David". If you haven't read his books to your kids, you really should. We highly recommend The Best Pet of All and The End (that's Bug hugging David in the photo for The End). You can click on the pictures to make them larger and easier to read.










Notice that the Reading Dragon is reading "The Best Pet of All" by David LaRochelle. Here's the letter she received today:

Sidewalk chalk

Bug has been busy with the sidewalk chalk lately. This sentence made me laugh. (I did like the proper use of commas, though.)

Summer fun

Bug & I checked out Riverfest today. She got a wristband that gave her unlimited time in all of the bounce houses. She was thrilled. It also gave her access to this...It was odd hearing parents shouting at their kids (who were having fun) "Use the gun! Use the gun!"




I couldn't find Bug at the library on Tuesday night. Finally, I spotted her on this comfy kid-sized chair.
This is her current favorite outfit. The hat was purchased at a garage sale some time ago. I just found the t-shirt & skirt at Goodwill. After I asked, she assured me that it is ok to wear at lion shirt with a leopard-print skirt. Whew.