Children's Illlustrations

I've been in some conversations lately about the subject of art, so it may be that it is on my mind.
Or it may be that Liliana is now past books that show photos of a banana with the word yellow underneath it.

Whatever it is, I find myself struck and impressed with children's book illustrators.

I am naturally in tune with the alliteration and rhyming patterns in kid's stories, which are fun. (Although I have run across the occassional lame book and wonder, Really, you are actually published and showcased in our library??)

However, I have no real artistic ability when it comes to drawing or painting, so maybe that is why I have much more appreciation for the graphics in these kids books. Yesterday, I was reading a new book about this girl's aunt who traveled from Budapest and Montreal. When I saw the Aunt, she was portrayed in such a fun way. I immediately wanted to sit down with this fictional woman and talk about her travels.

Then there's the classics that show such detail on each page. You can read the book dozens of times and still notice new details.

I have always liked going to the art museum or art shows to look at people's creativity. But now a whole new world of children's illustrations have been added to my appreciation.

Monday Date

We have "date afternoon" every other Monday. I have a sweet friend who watches Liliana for 2 hours every other week so we can have a date.

This past Monday was beautiful so Chris and I went for a walk in a wooded area near the lake. It was perfect. There is something about being in nature and taking a stroll that is good for the soul. After our walk we went to Whole Foods before picking up Liliana. Whenever I go to Whole Foods, I like to get my creative juices flowing. I bought agave nectar and coconut flour, so I am going to try to make a berry crisp with these new ingredients. I have never used these 2 things before, so I am officially expanding my food repertoire.

I was thinking back to my childhood grocery store- Buy Rite. The produce section had iceberg lettuce- never would you see arugula or romaine. The baking section had all purpose flour- no Better for Bread or Spelt flour. I am all for the Mom and Pop shops, but I am glad that Buy Rite was replaced with the bigger grocery stores and specialty shops. There is so much to choose from and iceberg can get pretty boring.

Tonight we are having our family fun night. Games, a video and that berry crisp. We'll see if the new ingredients become a regular at our household.

Circus Star

Chris and I are in the habit of saying prayers together each night before we go to bed. We have done it for almost 10 years now and it is one of my favorite parts of the day. Tonight we were thanking God for the incredible joy Liliana brings us.

Playing "Circus" is her new favorite thing to do. She stands on my step stool, waves her arms like she is performing for a crowd, and belts out songs at the top of her lungs. Yesterday Chris was learning a new song about God's love never failing us. Liliana caught the words Jesus and Never, so today's song was " Jesus, He Never, He Never". She sang with such passion and ferver.
It is the best.

I have a feeling I am going to be attending lots of school plays or dance recitals in the coming years. Give that girl a stage and let her shine, since there is not a shy bone in her body.

Aunt Kara's in Town

Chris' sister Kara had last weekend off, so she decided to fly in from Texas to visit us. We had a great time. She has 2 kids who were with their dad, so it was just her. This is the first time in probably 10 years that Chris and Kara have had any quality brother sister time as adults, without kids around.

Kara had been thinking of getting tattoo, so her first day here we were on State St. eating lunch and saw some girl with a nice looking tattoo on her back. We asked her where she got it and she told us the place to go in Madison. I took Kara there to see if she could get an appointment. Neither of us had ever been to a tattoo shop before and it was quite an experience. Some guy could tell we were clueless, so he helped us figure out a style and told us what to do. So Kara left with a souvenir of Madison on her back.

We also went on lots of walks, visited an art fair in Mt. Horeb, brewery in New Glarus, the Capital and had some good talks. It was a fun weekend!

Nana and Papa

Nana and Papa came to town- woo hoo.

I love my in laws and Liliana loves her grand parents!

We had loads of fun going to the circus, eating ice cream at the lake, walking around the capital, eating yummy food, playing at the mall. It was a week of being spoiled and having lots of fun!





(We also moved the last day they were here. Chris' mom watched Liliana all day and his dad helped moved boxes with our friends. They made the move go so smoothly and I'm so thankful for their willingness to pitch in like that.)

My sister in law comes next weekend. I am super excited for all the visitors we are having!