Wordless Wednesday

Pumpkin Painting

Toddler-hood to Preschooler

As of Saturday, my baby girl is now a preschooler. We celebrated Julianna's 3rd birthday at Art Beast Studio with family and close friends. The kids were painting, molding moon sand, making ornaments, and running. We ate delicious custom cupcakes from Courtney. Overall, the day was a beautiful success.

Now I've realized, although its just another year, she is growing up and not slowing down. My mind races as I imagine the upcoming milestones ie. kindergarden, high school, prom, graduation, college, grandkids; does life ever pause, wait I wasn't ready for it to happen so fast. I just want to hold her tight and protect her forever.

So I have heard it a million times to cherish the days of when they are young "cause they grow up so fast." Every day is special but so are the milestones. I have never wanted to hold my children back selfishly; independence, strength, and adventure I foster in my kids in hopes they become admirable, happy, productive members of society. Julianna first crawled at 6 months. There was no magic to it I got down on the floor with her to cheer her on, her courage was astonishing to me. I wasn't disappointed I couldn't carry her around everywhere or that I would have to chase her. In fact I was elated, Julianna trusted me to always be by her side, herself and her strength, and her world around her.

So this new desire to hold her close is silly of me since I've always been the woman by her side to support her and encourage her curiosity of it all. I know I'll always be her best friend, I just happen to remember her first smile.

Crocker Art Museum

Crocker Art Museum, downtown Sacramento, has two events a month specifically for preschoolers, Second Saturday Art and Wee Wednesday. Memberships starting at a minimal cost, along with numerous community sponsored admission days including each Sunday sponsored by Bank of America.

The month of November Saturday theme was Storytelling which included different textured paper and paint. The idea was to create scrapbook pages but Julianna decided she just wanted to paint that day. Oh yes fingerpainting including, btw, acrylic paint does not wash off skin easily.

The month of December Saturday theme was Eat Your Art. I would have never guessed it was decorating cookies and cupcakes with different colored frosting and tips. Julianna created a multicolored mountain on top of a chocolate chip cookie then proceeded to eat the mountain. The kids also decorated the plates creating flowers, polka dots, and butterflies.

December Wee Wednesday, we observed the painting "Aqua Form" which consisted of wavy, twisting lines. The kids were provided the materials to recreate the 3D form with a styroform cube, twisted pipe cleaners, bendaroos, beads, wire ribbon pieces. The kids made silly swiggly pieces of their of own.

The staff at Crocker Art encourage creativity and there are no boundaries to what kids are allowed to do. I have found the perfect place to take my adventurous, imaginative, independent, yet cautious toddler. It doesn't matter if they want to cut lines in the paper the entire time or put frosting on their napkin, Crocker Art Museum nurtures every aspect of art in children.

I would have never thought I could be so excited about the tiny old art museum in Sacramento. Well that tiny old art museum is currently working on an expansion that will double its size opening October 10, 2010 (conveniently a date with a ring to it).

Meet you at Crocker Art Museum next month.