What do you get when you combine an old juice carton, a Coke can, two straws, and a lot of hot glue? A handmade steam powered boat with no moving parts, that's what. And who made it? Belle and I, that's who.
Belle LOVES the movie Ponyo, and I do too. In it there's a little boy named Sosuke who has a toy boat powered only by a candle. At some point there's a flood and Ponyo uses her magic powers to enlarge the boat so they could both float around in it. So the other day I went online looking for one of these bad boys and found a tutorial to make your own out of household materials Macgyver style. It was a very thorough tutorial and took a bit of time, but when it was done it actually worked!
The engine is composed of an airtight folded up piece of aluminum can with two straws sticking out of it. The candle flame causes steam vapor in the metal to shoot out of the straws providing thrust. It's awesome! After doing a few test runs in the backyard we added a little paint job to match Sosuke's boat. I also put together a paper Ponyo and Sosuke set to ride in the boat. Now all we need to do is take it to the park and see if it runs on the lake. For that I added a little hook to the back of the boat so we can attach some fishing line. I'd hate to do all that work just to see it float away forever.
Anyways, I highly suggest making one of these. You probably have everything you need right at home. Do it, and have fun.
I think we're going to work our way through all of their projects. Next on the list for us is one of those Origami Hang Gliders. Putt putt boats unite!
I know I've been MIA for most of this month but bear with me and you'll get a recap soon. In the meantime I hope this makes up for it.
On Monday we all went to Disneyland for my Dad's birthday and watched my brother in the Electric Light Parade. Once the parade was over Belle got up and started dancing in the street as if she was in the parade too. It looked hilarious, mostly because she hadn't napped all day and she was mega-tired. Anyway, I wished I got that on video and luckily yesterday Belle decided she wanted to do some more dancing in the backyard. So I got my camera out to record it. Upon viewing the footage her dancing really reminded me of something. It was either seeing someone getting attacked by bees or else a certain Bugs Bunny stranded on an island. You judge for yourself.
A couple of weeks back Belle and I we visited with my family and we walked around some antique and thrift stores where my Mom bought Belle her first guitar. Well, to her it's a guitar, for us it's more like a ukulele. Either way, she loves to play it and I luckily got the video camera out in time for a series of songs. Since it's such a sunny day outside today here's a little extra sunshine from Belle:
It's Friday, the weekend beckons, and Isabelle has some mad harmonica skills. Not sure if those directly relate but that's what's going on around here. So watch this a few dozen times and it should be about time for you all to punch out and go home. Have a great weekend.
After I stopped recording she loosened up a bit and played "When the Saints Go Marching In," "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," and some blues song I didn't recognize. It was scary good.
This time Isabelle does remember the Pinocchio story, or at least her version of it. And as an added bonus for this Monday's edition she even threw in a song to go with it. Isn't that generous of her? (And yes I know she shouldn't be putting balloons in her mouth but I was trying to get her to tell me Pinocchio, ok? Sheesh.)
Closed captioning, once again, provided by Daddy:
"Once upon a time in a far away land there lived a beautiful... pal, Pinocchio. And he lived with his father Geppetto, and he lived with Figaro, and Cleo. And one day he went in Monstro's tummy then Pinocchio had to get him out, then he lived happily ever after - the end."
And here Belle presents "I Got No Strings" from Pinocchio:
Here are Isabelle's modified lyrics so you all can sing along:
"I got no strings to hold me down, to make me fret, or make me frown. I got strings, but now I'm free, narn... there are no strings on me. High ho the merry-o, jap joo may churo, when I've got some strings I doh winay new frown... That was really silly, huh?"
Ok, I'm not sure about the "jap joo may churo" or whatever it is she sang at the end but I think I got the rest of her lyrics right.
After poking and prodding Isabelle to see what other stories she could tell me she recited this lovely tale of Snow White. Enjoy!
Closed captioning is brought to you by Daddy:
"I do. Once upon a time in a far away land there named a beautiful princess named Snow White and she had a evil stepmother, the queen. And... and, she turned into the wicked fairy and Snow White take a bite of a poison apple and she fell. And the Prince kissed her and she, and she lived happily ever after - the end."
Belle decided to tell me some stories today so I grabbed the camera in hopes of capturing them for you all. Well, partly for you but mostly for me. I know I owe you guys some entertainment for my lack of updates so what better than a cute video of Belle right? Exactly. So, enjoy part one of this storybook series: "Beauty and the Beast" narrated by Isabelle.
In case you can't quite catch the whole story the following closed captioning is sponsored by Daddy:
"No. The Princess Belle story. Once upon a time in a far away land, there named a beautiful name named Belle and a beast got a boo-boo, then, and then Princess Belle kissed her. Then he turned, then he turned, then he turned into a beautiful prince and he lived happily ever after - the end. NOW HOPPING ON POP!"
Just so you know, "hopping on pop" does not actually take place in the fairy tale but it is what happened after she recited her story. Don't worry, the camera survived. Part two of this storybook series will feature Snow White, followed by Pinocchio, Alice in Wonderland, and a Harmonica Solo.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to walk through a wardrobe and stumble into Narnia? Then go to Yosemite in winter. We spent New Year's up in Yosemite which turned out to be a gorgeous winter wonderland. We had never seen Yosemite in winter and I must say it was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen on this Earth. The timing couldn't have been more perfect since it had just dumped gobs of snow over Christmas and then cleared up completely by the time we got up there for New Year's. We had crystal clear skies with temperatures in the 50's while being surrounded by 2 feet of fresh snow. It was amazing! Yosemite + snow = wow.
This was also Belle's first real adventure in the snow and one that she's been eagerly awaiting. All her talk of snowball fights were not empty threats. Once she set foot in snow the balls started flying. Our first real stop was through the tunnel on the way to the valley. While looking at the snow covered scenery Belle couldn't resist reaching down, picking up some snow, and hurling it at whoever was closest. All the while screeching: "I'm fighting snow balls!" Nobody was safe.
Of course Belle did keep saying she wanted to throw them in "YOUR EYE!" which I'm not sure where she picked that up. Must have been the Apple Core episode of Chip and Dale we'd been watching. We did explain that snow should not be thrown in anyone's eyes and to only throw it at their tummies. So that's what she did and no eyes were injured this trip. Although she did blindside Abby once I think. But she made up for it by giving her a hug so all was well. I'm sure Abby tackled her at some point to even things up.
The valley is the most beautiful part of Yosemite, summer or winter. But this day it was breathtaking. Everything you could see was covered in glorious snow to play in, throw, build snowmen, and slide down. Which we spent a lot of time doing. But the single most stunning sight the entire trip was found while walking down the path to the pizza shop in Curry Village. Yes, the pizza shop. A) because it was awesome pizza, but more importantly, B) because the trees formed a canopy of snow covered branches that couldn't have been more perfect. It was like walking on the set for the forest in Narnia, except to eat pizza. Belle stopped every few feet just to look around, dig in the snow, throw snowballs, or inadvertently make snow angels. The later part was due to her falling over and not being able to get herself up, much like the little brother in A Christmas Story who couldn't put his arms down.
This trip also marked Belle's very first sledding adventure. We did pull Abby and Belle in the meadow on some sleds with rope, but most of the real downhill sledding happened back at the cabin. There was a nice gradual hill behind the cabin that Danny and I scoped out and then formed a few sled runs for the girls. Ok, really just one sled run for the girls and a few sled runs for us. If the videos show you anything it's that she enjoyed every minute of it. She and Abby took turns sliding down the little run. Belle loved to catch Abby when she slid down. Then Belle would run her little buns up the hill to take her turn again. We did this until our fingers and toes couldn't take it anymore then we hiked back to the cabin for some hot cocoa and a warm fire.
Belle Sleds Down
Belle Catches Abby
I Run Beside Belle While Trying Not to Fall Over
We all packed into the cabin that Theresa's family is part owner's of. It was a sizable crew this trip including us, Theresa, Danny and Abby, plus Theresa's folks, and also Danny's sister and her family. Believe it or not it fit us all quite nicely, kids and all. I guess that's easy for us to say since we had a bedroom, but still. It didn't seem like we were climbing all over each other or anything.
Ever since college we've been up to Yosemite quite a few times. Sometimes with the friends, other times with my family. But this last trip was something special, surrounded by snow covered trees, a meadow filled with fluffy hills, and our 2 year old daughter with such wonder and happiness in her eyes... nothing beats this trip. It's quite possible that nothing ever will. Until we go back next winter of course.
Since Christmas is just 2 days away I figured you all could use something to keep you entertained while you sit there and pretend to work. First of all you really shouldn't have to go to work on Christmas Eve Eve, and for darn sure on Christmas Eve proper. And second of all, you know you aren't really working anyways since you are reading this update. So I've provided you with a video duo for your enjoyment.
On the Potty
Here Belle sits doing her business while talking to me. This is an everyday activity and one that's becoming more and more frequent as she learns to be potty trained. It's working well so far and soon we hope she can kick the pull-ups and use undies full time. For now we just use undies here and there when we think it's relatively safe.
At the Dinner Table
This is a typical night at the dinner table, when we actually have dinner together at the dinner table. That's an important distinction since it's not an every night occurrence. Sometimes Katie works late, we eat out, or flying monkeys descend and wreak havoc throughout the house. But this night Katie is home, we're eating, and Belle tells her about the day. Belle tends to clam up around strangers or in crowds, so you may not witness how much she talks firsthand. But here, I'm glad I was able to capture how much she really talks at home.
I know it's the middle of the work week and it seems like the day will never end so here's a small treat to take your mind off of things. Just sit back and relax for the next 5 minutes and let Isabelle read The Very Hungry Caterpillar to you. Oh, and she has the hiccups.