We've been having so much fun with all the beginning of school activities! The boys are loving soccer and piano and somehow the schedule is working out to be pretty healthy for the rest of us. That said, though, we've been too busy to do much besides eat and sleep and read around here...
Nonetheless, I did find these photos from last weekend--our sweet little friend Annie had her second cochlear implant surgery and Phin wanted to make her something special. He started off wanting to make her another blanket (to match the one he made her for her first surgery) but I convinced him she might like something different. This is what we came up with, and it was surprisingly fun!

Doesn't it look like fun?! He worked so hard to make these--he drew letters on the fabric and I helped him cut them out. Then we sewed (together) them almost entirely closed with the exception of a couple inches on one side. He stuffed them up very nicely and we stitched them to close them up. I say them because he decided to make one for everyone in the family, once he got started:

We heard the spiderman "B" was a big hit!
I think they'll fray and be a nice little toy. Of course I started imagining how fun it would be to have an alphabet's worth....now that would be a great baby present!
Asa worked on making a game at the same time--he's such a game lover and so of course that's where his creative energies are going these days.

I really liked this one--it has lots of different parts and rules that were a little tough to pin down, but in general, I had fun playing it with him.

I especially love the presentation/container--could he be a graphic designer in the making?! and I also especially love the little game pieces. They're tiny vials (that I bought in the dollhouse section and just put away for something...he found them...) filled with beads, which turn out to be one of the commodities you can trade. No, this is not a game for babies! He spent forever trying to fill each little vial with beads. Such concentration!

And while they were making their projects (and consulting with me), I finished up a little project that I cut out at least a year ago. In my efforts to organize and clean up around here, I went through my project pile (which is, understandably, astounding) and culled it down to a few things I figured I could finish up pretty quickly and that still seemed worth it. This was one I just couldn't give up. The idea came from a Japanese craft book whose title I can no longer remember...sorry!
It's a teapot cosy. Just in case you were still wondering. Everyone who saw it laughed out loud--I guess it's a little bit of a silly squirrel, or maybe it was the thought of trying to keep anything hot in August in Oklahoma...

There is definitely no tea in that mug. :)