Saturday, November 29, 2008

new favorite

box o chalk

 

since moving to albuquerque we seem to have a new favorite past time. in the backyard we have a huge concrete slab porch that has become a blank canvas for our girls. while i was going through grandma's sewing room (which i converted into kawena's room) i found a dollar store box of sidewalk chalk. i thought, "the girls might have fun with this."

 

when nani got home from school that day, i presented the box to the girls. they were so excited! they ran out back and i didn't see them again for 2 hours. needless to say, the chalk was a big hit and pretty much all used up within a couple days.

 

realizing what a great activity this was for the girls i went for the good stuff and bought them the "crayola" tub-o-chalk the next time i was at the store.

 

chalk dumped

 

they have had hours and hours of fun drawing self portraits and treasure maps on the porch. when it gets too filled up they just hose it down with some water and they are presented with a blank canvas full of possibilities!

 

you may think, "sidewalk chalk! so what?!! big deal!" but if you ever went to our house in oregon you know that we had nowhere but our small "two car" garage to draw with chalk. our driveway was that gravely, textured concrete that is not condusive to sidewalk drawings. and our driveway was so long that we were nowhere near the actual sidewalk. out our back door was a nice stained deck that was not going to be used for chalk drawings!

 

if you were to visit us now, you would see big bright, yellow stars decorating our walkway (lala just mastered the art of drawing stars!), and you would see colorful drawings covering our back porch! 

 

the girls love it!

 

i love it!

 

they play for hours outside in the crisp, bright sunshine and fresh air. better yet, they enjoy being out there T.O.G.E.T.H.E.R.! it is wonderful, cheap entertainment!

 

last week, while nani and kale'a were both at school, kawena and i played in the backyard. i thought it would be a perfect opportunity for a mini photo shoot. it was great one-on-one mommie/daughter time!

 

kawena draw

she is so funny about this little backpack. it is just perfectly her size and she loves to wear it . it must make her feel connected to her sisters who both have backpacks that they wear to school. i love how she is wearing her backpack full of little toys while she busily draws a picture for me.

 

 

kawena on car

notice the little rubber ducky in the back. when i was editing this photo it just made me laugh because he is wearing sunglasses! haha! i don't know why i found that so hilarious, but i did!

 

now these last two photos i absolutely L.O.V.E.! i may have to blow them up and frame them i love them so much!

kawena sepia

 

kawenalove

now, i may just be a biased mom, but is she gorgeous, or what?! i've always been a sucker for blue eyes, but, i don't know, these beautiful brown eyes certainly are captivating!

 

15 comments:

Lauren in GA said...

I agree with you!! Those eyes ARE GORGEOUS!! And so it the little girl they belong to!

I love sidewalk chalk. That is so great that your girls love it so much!!

I loved the last post, too...If I were a turkey I wouldn't like Thanksgiving, either!

Rich Vial said...

Mahina, Between your move and my recent 3 week birding trip to Ecuador, I have missed my Mason fix. Thanks for taking the time to share. By the way, in the new house I agonized about whether to use stone pavers in the driveway for the very reason you have described. In the end we left the whole back patio raw concrete for the sake of grandkid art! Best to all the family. Rich

Bridget said...

I love sidewalk chalk too. For that very reason. My kids do it on our driveway while I clean the garage! Of coures not this time of year. :)

Kawena's eyes are so pretty!

Tonya said...

I am so jealous of all that crisp, bright sunshine you are enjoying so much! It truly sounds heavenly!!! Kawena's eyes are amazingly beautiful. She is a gorgeous little girl. My kids adore sidewalk chalk and when it's not raining here in Oregon my kiddos have a blast with it too. Check out sidewalk paint next. It is just "wet" chalk that is applied with a paintbrush and washes off just like the chalk does. So fun!

Kara said...

Our kiddos loved sidewalk chalk when they were younger. They're not that old now -- 11 and 9 -- maybe that would be a good idea for Santa to bring some. We have LOTS of driveway and parking to sketch on.

I am so glad you are posting again. We think your family is terrific -- and beautiful! Your girls are growing up so fast.

So ... what colors are you thinking about for your Christmas Tree this year? I'm sure it will be fabulous! Ours is up and decorated -- we chose the 4 footer this year. Come check out our blog to see it. I'm not sure if you follow it or not -- http://15minutesofdelusion.blogspot.com

Happy Holidays!

Darilyn said...

My girls used to play for hours with sidewalk chalk too. They still love it every year during while waiting for the Rose Festival Parade. I love seeing the streets of downtown Portland with colorful streets.

janine said...

With all those crazy expensive toys out there, I find it so refreshing to go back to the basics! They're my favorite. Biased or not, that baby of yours is gorgeous!

Melissa-Mc said...

Yeah, she is really gorgeous!

tutu lady said...

Mahina, what a great shot. I Like the last one best! Give her a kiss for Tutu. Give em all a kiss for Tutu!

Sarah said...

Oh my boys absolutely love sidewalk chalk. It's the best!

Emily said...

Hi Mahina! I LOVE those last 2 shots too! You really should blow them up and frame them in your new house! What program do you use for editing your photos? How was the move while being pregnant? Moving is such a stressful thing. I hope you are feeling good!

Michal said...

she is beautiful. and you have really captured it in the pictures. well d0ne!

calibosmom said...

You will find chalk in our gargage at all times-it is always fun! You are not biased-she is beautiful!!!

Mandy said...

Cheap fun is the best fun! I miss that sweet innocent face of Kawena's...I can't believe you've already been gone for a month and a half any belly pics to post??

Elizabeth Dimit said...

Sidewalk chalk....ahh. A mother's best friend! And of course Kawena is beautiful. I'm her "Bish." How could she be anything but stunning? :-) So, is Lala in preschool, then? Or did you get her into kindergarten? Will you ask Kawena if she remembers Bish? I'm so glad you are all doing so well! I missed seeing Mish!