When we first started talking about her upcoming birthday and party, she immediately began making art and crafts for her friends, as invitations. I think it's sweet that she really enjoys making things to give to others. It seems as if it is her favorite thing to do. She started decorating paint stirrers / shims, coloring them with different colored markers. She put stickers on them and put them in a pile to give to friends.
Ava could spend HOURS at the kitchen table doing crafts. We've figured out the perfect gift for her for her birthday. You'll just have to wait a week or so to see what we picked. :)
One thing I've enjoyed is seeing how she phonetically spells things on her artwork. She wrote the following on a piece of paper and taped it to a box:
As you might be able to tell, it is her "Birthday Box," in which she puts all things "birthday". :)
She also recently wrote a letter to her sweet school friend Jack Passman, to give to him with his gift at his 5th birthday party last weekend. I wish I would've taken a picture of it! She wrote a note telling Jack "Happy birthday" and asking if he could come over for a sleepover party sometime. Adorable. Ava and Jack have been classmates the longest, out of all of Ava's school friends. Jack's Mom asked Doug if Ava wrote the note on her own. She was really impressed when we told her Ava didn't need any help. :) Mrs. Passman said she had to concentrate to figure out what it said, but eventually figured it out. Jack's Mom said she was going to keep it, as it was Jack's first "sweet note from a girl". She thought it was utterly adorable.
See below for samples of Ava's artwork. Who knows, maybe one day these will come with a high price. :)
Peace, love and Crayola stock,
Shelly, Doug, the artist formerly known as Ava, Liam
She's really been drawing quite a few "swirlies" (my term) lately. Kind of Van Gogh-ish, don't you think?
Writing out her name and birthday
One of her favorite shows: Tom and Jerry
I'm not sure exactly what this is, but it does say "From Ava". It looks like a bridge of some sort.
July 3: Daddy's (Dade) birthday
Quite colorful, which is very typical of anything she colors
For a while there, Ava was fascinated with how to spell things. She would sit at the kitchen table for hours and ask us "How do you spell ___?" She often asked how to spell "brainhorse". I'm not sure why. I told her it was two words and that most people probably wouldn't put both of those words together. Today I asked her again where she heard it. She said no one told her the word, she made it up. So below, you will see a few pages dedicated to "Brainhorse".
Brainhorse again.
Yep, Brainhorse again.
Ava's collage of plants, cut from a mail-order seed catalog.
I Luv U
What appears to be a castle and swirlies.
I will have to ask her what these two people are doing. I'm wondering if is two people on a playground / swings.
A few bats and a bear. She did pretty well with the bear, I'd say!
I believe she told me this was a castle.
She wrote this quite some time ago. Sodr, for "Island of Sodor," from Thomas the Train.
Self portrait? I see what looks like a belly button, too. I remember my nephew Daymian drawing those, as well, when he was about her age. I thought it was hilarious that he drew them, as clothes normally cover belly buttons. But he insisted on drawing them. Cute that Ava includes them, as well.
I think she started drawing a princess here.
Piggy
I will have to ask her what this was about. I'm sure that is a self portrait, though.
She sounded out "Pegasus" by herself.
Drawn with the help of the Lego table at school.
Schoolwork.
Another one of Ava's colorful creations.
We're busting at the seams with toys, crayons and the like. This is my tower of organization, in hopes of trumping the insanity. :)
