dressed up

 Esme and I got dressed up to go to a coworker's wedding the other day, she had her hair all braided back like I used to do for her in her younger school years.  We had a good time at the wedding, although she didn't know what to expect at first and was worried about the 'be quiet during the ceremony' bit. We met up with our friends and drove over together, and Esme got to hang with their daughter the entire time, which made her feel better, too.

Tansy dog had to get in on our pictures at home.

Ready for Second Grade homeschool

 Ready to start 2nd grade on August 3rd

at Mixie Engineering Primary School (homeschool)

She says she is excited to make things, dig for gems (geology kit) and learn about dinosaurs!

 Mom and Esme

 And with Daddy the silly faces reign!

 Silly tongue out and air swim

With a kitty all ready to go to town

I ordered several photos for her 'school years book' and to give out to relatives.
We had a long day and she built several 'mob grinders' in Minecraft that turned into restaurants selling freshly gathered chicken, beef and wool bits.  She hooked a furnace up to the grinder/gathering hoppers and served cooked chicken with the push of a button....pretty cool.  I did help her get stuff into the hopper, as the water flow she had started was a bit off.

Pumpkin is disapproving (after taking a rare very close look) of the colorful thing that isn't really there.

I played a bit with painting after coming across an article about an artist named 

Rena Thiagarajan artist website  I was inspired by the way she applied her colors.  I mixed that thought with the bouncing around in my head of the Spanish I am learning as well as the 'schematica' and organization of things I have been working with lately (crystal structures, math, even homeschool charts and supplies)...I imagined Spanish word shapes as I painted, and then electrical circuits, then finally it seemed like a broken city landscape was coming into view...which I finally saw the doors, stairs, windows, lamps and plants take shape.

I think Pumpkin thinks I should add a cat in the 'blank window' at the top.

Anyway...as Esme and I do more art this year I definitely need to practice with this sort of 'the art leads and I follow' type again...it has been a long time.

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve

'dancing around the Christmas Tree'

we did a few family pictures this morning, as we do...

Esme took a try, too.

Mark and I did a 'construction project' last night while Esme was at Grandma's house for a sleepover.  It was a recreation of a toy that I had as a kid, and I thought would go well with the toys she asked for from Santa.  I'll post pictures of it here after she has opened it... as she can see this blog, and it is still a surprise.  

She is really excited about the 'huge package' and trying to guess what is in it - I hope she will like it and her imagination won't take her overboard.

We have been invited out to hang out with her friend's family for a few hours - to qualm the energy storm the girls have a bit before Christmas but still not  have toys open yet so no comparing gifts etc.