Jimmy is crawling.

I knew it would be a matter of days, but this afternoon, Baby Jimmy took his first crawl, upstairs in his bedroom. All of the neighbor kids were over to see this momentous occasion, and now he's moving all over the place...

He can go from tummy to a seated position with no issues, and was even trying to crawl in the bathtub tonight. Time to put up the baby gates!

DIY with mama saigh: Fairy gardens, popsicle-stick bracelets, and nature brushes.

I was back on The Jason Show this week for another "DIY with Mama Saigh" segment.

This time, my producer asked me to focus on crafts for kids. So, I showed how to put together a fairy garden, make popsicle-stick bracelets, and paint brushes using things found in nature. Here are a few of the ideas I shared on the show...

DIY FAIRY GARDENS

Our fairy garden is set inside a bird bath that we filled with dirt.

We used an empty water bottle for the fairy houses, and covered them in stones and moss from Lowes. We
painted rocks for the stepping stones, used skinny popsicle sticks, string, glue and paint to make the door and,
clothes line (I used old tool to make the fairy tutus). Clay, paint, and skewers were used to make the toadstools.

Succulents make nice plants for fairy gardens, but you can also just clip some pine tree branches and
other tree branches, and stand them upright with a clothes pin. The, bury the clothes pin in the dirt to create a tiny tree.

POPSICLE-STICK BRACELETS

Boil popsicle sticks for 10 minutes (covered), then let them soak in the water for at least an hour. When the wood is wet,
it will let you bend it into the shape of a bracelet (slowly). Boil extra sticks because you will break a few in the process.

Once you've molded the sticks into the shape of a cup, place inside the cup and let it dry for at least 12 hours. I
stuck my glasses in the oven at 200 degrees to allow the sticks to completely dry. Once the popsicle sticks are completely
dry, they will hold the bracelet shape.

Paint or decorate the bracelet however you wish, or just leave the wood unfinished. Once your paint/stain/etc. is dry, drill two small holes (slowly) in the wood to attach string to (to keep the bracelet on your wrist).

PAINT BRUSHES USING THINGS FOUND IN NATURE

This one is pretty self-explanatory. Have the kids go outside and find nature items, such as leaves, feathers, bark, etc.
(the more creative, the better). Attach the items to sticks, using string or rope. Let the kids paint using their new
nature-brushes. This is a fun way to get kids outside, and teaches them about different textures and brush strokes.

RECIPE: Green baby smoothie.

Baby Jimmy is all about drinking out of a straw these days, and isn't too interested in being spoon-fed. While he does pick up pieces of food off his tray and put it in his mouth, I want to make sure he's getting enough calories and good fats throughout the day.

This morning, I made 8-month-old Jimmy a green smoothie, blending:

- half a banana

- half an avocado

- 1/4 cup full-fat yogurt

- splash of orange juice

I blitzed it into a very smooth texture using my Magic Bullet, so he could drink it out of a straw.

He LOVED it.

Linna used to slurp this smoothie down too when she was a baby and toddler.

8-month-old Jimmy drinking his green smoothie out of a straw.

Linna's 5th birthday party.

4 years and 364 days old on the day of her party.

Last weekend, we hosted almost 90 people (35 kids and 50-some grown-ups) at Burnes Park in Hopkins, for Linna's 5th birthday party.

This is the exact same spot that my mom hosted my 5th birthday party almost 30 years ago.

Man, I feel old.

Linna wanted to do a treasure hunt, so we decided to go with a pirate themed party.

Although the weather was a little warm, it didn't rain, storm, or snow... So I can't complain.

I couldn't have pulled this party off without the help of my parents, husband, and in-laws.

THANK YOU to everyone who came out to celebrate Linna's 5th birthday!

Here are photos and video from Sunday, August 7th...

One of the party games: "Pin the Patch on the Pirate". I was so proud of my DIY pirate head.

We made treasure chests for the treasure hunt out of styrofoam coolers from Fleet Farm and filled them with ice and freezies.

Lots of DIY decor.

Linna and her melting pirate photo-cake from Lunds & Byerlys. So yummy!

"Crabwiches" filled with Linna's Memaw and PeePaw's chicken salad. Delicious!

Fruit Swords made by my Mom ("Nana").

Veggie Swords made by my Mom ("Nana").

Food, drinks, and pirate name-badge table.

My mom made "sea water" punch.

Papa Saigh and I made these chalkboard serving-trays that we also used as party signs.

My Father-In-Law ("PeePaw") made this "What's Your Pirate Name" sign for the party.
We had name-badges for everyone to write their pirate name on. Fun "ice-breaker"!

Goodie-bag loot from my Dad ("Bompa").

I found this gold glitter 5 at JoAnn Fabrics & Craft Stores, and then added
a little DIY pirate cap and patch.

Photos from my 5th birthday party at Burnes Park in Hopkins.

Linna's birthday cake.

Some healthy snacks for the little ones: Pirate Bananas.

The treasure dig was a hit. We filled the sandbox with loot from Party City.

Linna and her friend Maddeline. They have been friends since they were babies, and her mom
and I were both Hopkins Raspberry Festival Queens.

The extremely tired birthday girl opening her birthday gifts.

(I do these videos with Linna every year. These are her final words as a 4-year-old.)

Jimmy is on the move.

It's his big sister Linna's 5th birthday today, but it looks like 8-month-old Baby Jimmy wants his share of the spotlight. He started scooting forward on his tummy this morning!