3rd Birthday + Valentine Craft

Today is our sweet, sweet, triple sweet Solomon’s 3rd birthday.  What an incredible blessing this boy is…I pretty much adore him.

I am a big fan of birthdays, but this one is definitely bittersweet.  Today would have normally started with a phone call for Sol from his Grammy and she always came over during the day to see my kids on their birthdays and we would enjoy a birthday lunch with her as well.  Definitely a bittersweet kind of day, but we’re still celebrating our newest 3-year-old.

We have several birthday Kelley traditions…one being a decorated birthday door.  Josh has become the great mastermind behind birthday door designs.  He’s a good dad like that.

Another tradition is, usually, cake for breakfast.  Our kids can have cake, cupcakes, ice cream, anything sweet and delicious their hearts desire for breakfast, but Sol decided he wanted chocolate chip Batman pancakes.  He is the kid that asks every single night, when we put him to bed, if he can have waffles for breakfast.  I was shocked when he passed up lots of sweet treats for Batman pancakes.  When he made his decision, Harper looked at him like he had just made the biggest mistake of his life…all the wee Kelleys get to enjoy what the birthday kiddo enjoys, but ask and you shall receive on your birthday.  So chocolate chip Batman pancakes it was.

We have been in birthday party preparation.  Sol picked out some treats for his favors and helped fill all the little bags.

And keeping with our weekly craft.  Since Valentines is just around the corner, we did a Valentines craft.  I did this one also when I taught…I think I may have gotten it from my SIL Jen.

I am going to do my best to explain how I made the bee outline.  I really like to trace patterns and then let the kiddos do all the cutting.  So stick with me while I explain what I did.

First I drew a bee outline with stripes.

Then I cut out the bee and re-traced the outline on another piece of paper.  The bee below without the stripes, when you cut it out, will be your tracer for the main bee outline.

Then I cut the head off the bee with stripes and cut out all the stripes as well.  I dig decapitating bees 🙂

Then drew an antenna, just one because you can flip it and trace it twice, on the head of the bee.  You can use every little bit of this paper.

Then trace the stripes and antennas onto white paper for your kiddo to cut out themselves.

Then do all the tracing for each of your kiddos.  So I traced the main bee outline and then the stripes and antennas x 3.

And here is what you will need for the rest of the craft: Bee outline, stripes and antenna outlines, heart outline, glue, crayons and scissors.

First the wee Kelleys colored and cutout their stripes and antennas.

Then they cut out their bee outline.

They then glued on their stripes and antennas.

Next they drew on a cute little face.

Then they cut out and glued on their heart and added the “Bee My Valentine” message.  Harper wrote her own, but I wrote the boys’.

There you have it…cute Valentine bees ready to display and proud, crafty kids.

And now I am off to finish making cupcakes and cookies and celebrate another crazy wonderful year of Sol’s life.  I hate that mom is not here to celebrate with us, but we are so blessed and I just cannot argue with that.  Thanking God today for a precious, healthy, amazing little 3-year-old boy.