Flora took her High School Musical Build-A-Bear outfit off the bear and put it on Rusty. She then gave him a hairstyle. Rusty has been sporting this look for a couple of weeks, and is now a girl, according to Flora.
Archive for the ‘Toys’ Category
Rah Rah Rusty
Sunday, February 28th, 2010The Retro Housewife
Tuesday, January 19th, 2010
We gave Flora a retro play kitchen for her big birthday gift — which took two hours and four adults to put together — but decidedly well worth the effort. Our vintage play dishes are right at home now, and little Miss Housewife can serve us up some mean cupcakes.
Stuck On You
Wednesday, October 14th, 2009
I started a sticker chart for Flora a couple weeks ago so she could earn stickers for doing good jobs during her most difficult times: getting dressed and ready, drop-off at school, playing well with friends and Charley, and going to bed. We call it her Big Girl Chart, but sometimes she calls it her “Job Chart.” At the end of the week, we count up all her stickers. She loves to chose from her many stickers and place them on the chart (hung right in the kitchen for maximum visibility), but more importantly, she has been SO much more cooperative and SO much less defiant since we started! I found some extra special googley eye Halloween stickers at Target, and she loves to earn one of those for her hardest transition … getting dressed (clothes must be all cotton (no jeans), no buttons anywhere, no ruffles, yet can’t be plain, preferably a dress, and of course must be pink. Recently she added “no cats.” Brother.) I, myself, am a seasoned sticker lover, and at the height of the sticker craze, I was in 6th grade with quite a collection. At recess, my classmates and I would trade, although I remember never wanting to let go of many of my stickers. My most coveted — the puffy Captain Caveman sticker (bottom right). Yes, I still have my sticker collection, and my Captain Caveman — one of the few things I saved from years past. I’m going to scan in others to share — they are just too good not to!
John Deere
Tuesday, May 12th, 2009
See, in these parts, I’m what you call a corn-fed, midwestern boy.
Bubbles
Monday, May 4th, 2009
Mommy had to work an extra day this week, so I got to hang out with Charley and his sitter, Diane, today. Diane brought us new bubbles to play with, and I had a great time experimenting with all the different wands and spinning around and around making bubbles.
Silly Sleeping Bags
Saturday, April 18th, 2009
The shipping box was almost as fun as the new sleeping bags!
Charley’s Pre-Harley Days
Sunday, April 5th, 2009
Wash My Ride
Sunday, March 15th, 2009
After Flora washed her trike, she learned how to pedal in the driveway, and was tickled pink at her new accomplishment. She is very into being a BIG girl, and doing everything “by myshelf!”
Eight Months Old
Friday, February 20th, 2009
1 Luftballoon
Thursday, January 15th, 2009
MMMM, Plastic
Wednesday, November 26th, 2008
No toy is too big for me to taste-test. MMMM, plastic.
“Love” The Panda
Sunday, July 6th, 2008
Michelle Kindig, my oldest and dearest friend, has taken up knitting (in all her spare time between taking care of and home-schooling her two little ones!) and made this very special panda bear for big sister, Flora. We named him “Love” because he has a little, red heart sewn onto his chest. As you can see, Flora really liked her surprise. She said, “I love him so much” and asked, “Who gave him to me?” and later said, “I want to talk to Michelle on Tuesday.” Heartfelt thanks to Michelle for all the time she spent learning how to make a most adorable and unique bear — we’ll cherish him always!
New Trike
Tuesday, May 13th, 2008
I got a new trike this past Christmas, but being that I live in New England, Dad was just able to put it together and bust it out this weekend. It was worth the wait — what fun to zoom around the neighborhood, ding the bell, and take brown bear for a ride!
My First Dollhouse
Saturday, March 1st, 2008
Flora got the Fisher Price My First Dollhouse for her birthday and it’s one of her favorite toys to play with these days. It came with a Mommy, a Daddy, a Baby, and some furniture … but she also got a couple of the booster packs with a Grandma, a stroller, and nursery furniture. By watching Flora play with it, you would think Marty and I are quite the disciplinaries — the Mommy and Daddy get lots of stern time-outs for “throwing food” or “hitting in face” … but I swear the kid rarely gets a time-out, let alone a stern one! Luckily (and also unlike Flora), the Mommy and Daddy quickly say “sorry,” and Flora excuses them from their punishment. Also of note … the Daddy seems to spend an inordinate amount of time on the potty, where the Grandma has also been known to sit and read, and the Mommy takes lots of baths with the bunny.
Tea Party
Tuesday, January 29th, 2008
I don’t know much about the Boston Tea Party, or the Mad Tea Party that Alice attended, but I do know that my tea parties are so much fun! All my favorite stuffed animals get to attend, and I pour “tea” (dry beans, really) for everyone at the “table.” Dad or Mom usually come, too, and we eat donuts, bagels, cakes, and sometimes I make “hot soup” or “bake cookies” in my oven. Jammies are optional.
My New Digs
Tuesday, December 25th, 2007
Check out my new digs. It’s tricked out with a stove, a sink, a washer, a changing table, and a bassinet … plus windows, a door with a mail slot, and even a sky light! I’ll be hosting a house-warming soon.
“Winkles”
Wednesday, November 28th, 2007
Flora recently spied this old (circa early 80s!) Wrinkles dog in the attic, and she has been carrying it around with her ever since. Apparently this is the girl version of Wrinkles (stripped of its clothing, of course), but her Uncle Andrew’s favorite “somebody to love” when he was little was a boy Wrinkles. Here Flora shares her extra “beeyah beeyah” with “Winkles” while dry-testing her winter sled in the garage.
Strong Museum
Wednesday, July 25th, 2007
Mom, Dad, and I spent the morning at Strong Museum. They had fun looking at the vintage toy collections and I had fun visiting Sesame Street, shopping at Wegmans, eating lunch with cousin Gregory at the retro Bill Gray’s, and riding the carousel! When I knocked on the door at 123 Sesame Street no one answered, so I went across the street to Wegmans where I filled up two shopping carts — mostly with birthday party supplies and carrots.
New Sandbox
Friday, June 29th, 2007
Marty repurposed one of his raised flower bed boxes as a sandbox for Flora. All it took was some landscape fabric and 12 huge bags of sand! Flora enjoys burying and finding her Fisher Price people, and filling up and dumping cups, but Florzilla’s favorite thing is to smash any sort of castle Mom and Dad make.
Pimp Owen’s Ride and Really Walking
Saturday, May 26th, 2007
Mom and Dad took me down to Padanaram, MA to visit Dave, Mandy, and Owen. It’s been a whole year since we’ve seen them … and since Owen has stopped by to mow the back yard! We ate hot dogs with lots of catsup, group-sang “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes,” checked out the barn Dad helped raise (home of the gilded elk head), oggled baby Ava for the first time (she belongs to Lee and Kristen), but best of all Owen shared all his toys. I loved his sandbox and his car the best.
I’m walking a ton these days, but I still haven’t declared it my solo mode of transportation. But Mom and Dad are declaring this weekend as the official weekend where I really started walking the majority of the time. I stand up, walk, fall down, stand up, walk, over and over again. I can travel pretty far! But I’ll still speed-crawl if I need to get to something really quickly. And as far as talking goes, I say a few new words every day — fascinating how every object and action has a name!
Urban Planning
Wednesday, May 23rd, 2007
Seriously, Who *Is* That?
Sunday, March 4th, 2007
Art Is Fun … And Tasty
Sunday, March 4th, 2007
Flora discovered that it is actually more fun to eat the art supplies than it is to play with them. Apparently the saltiness of the Play Doh is just too tasty to resist, however, that doesn’t explain why the paint brush was equally delicious.
Ride ‘Em Cowgirl
Tuesday, February 27th, 2007
Flora got this Fisher Price Ride ‘Em Zebra (actually called the Fisher Price Baby Gymtastics Bounce & Spin Zebra) for Christmas this year and is just almost big enough to ride it by herself. If you look closely, you’ll see my hand spotting her from behind.
But she still has fun pulling herself up to it by the handle bars and making it whinny by bopping up and down on the seat.
Radio Flyer
Tuesday, December 26th, 2006
I took my bran’ spankin’ new Radio Flyer wagon for a spin ’round the ‘hood today. It’s a helluva sweet ride, but I’m gonna trick it out with some 18″ Giovannis this summer. Mad props to GD and GV for the dope present.