One Year!

Today is exactly one year from the day we arrived in Alaska - but family, don't start counting down yet, we still have one more week before Doug has been at work for a year.

Yesterday I dressed Ethan and Brenden and noticed that they mostly matched, so I purposely dressed Nolan to match.

My mom gave Nolan this big floor piano last year.  He and Ethan like to set it in the middle of the floor and chase each other around the coffee table and across the piano just to listen to it.
Ethan loves to play with his big brothers - especially chase and trucks.

I would like to note that we do not allow shoes in our living room - or past the front door for that matter, but the matching picture was a last minute thought on the way out the door and it got a little out of hand.

A few of Brenden's favorite projects:

Newspaper mat

I have to admit, it was pretty fun to make.

Banjo 

(I showed Brenden the video "Banjo Boy" by Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband - if you don't know the song, I think it is worth looking it up on youtube - as a matter of fact, watch all of their videos, I really rather love them.  Brenden says they're not real rock stars because real rock stars don't play the violin, only the electric guitar and drums - he included a little demonstration with that explanation too.  I showed him they have drums and guitars, to which he responded: "Is it an electric guitar? No!")  

Back to Brenden's Banjo:

Flute (it sounds like a kazoo)

Puppet 

(this one he made while he was supposed to be asleep last night)

He's been a busy boy and has been trying to involve Nolan in the projects.  They made these hand and foot fans while I was painting the bathroom today.  

Brenden managed to trace my foot amid the mess of paint.  He painted it for me and I asked him if my toes were dead and he says they are painted with "you know, that stuff Felicia puts on her toes."  The fans are to cool themselves from all of our "warm weather."  (It has rained for almost a week.)

The bathroom is done except for the ceiling - it was brown before, so I am painting it white.  I promise pictures when it is finished.