Gold Stars!

Although I'm in denial, it is becoming very apparent that I won't be enjoying "nap time" much longer as not much napping has been taking place.  Instead, Mr. Man goes to his room for "quiet time" - which is also a misnomer as he's anything but quiet most days.  Most of the time, I go to his room to find it torn apart, books all over the floor, bookcases knocked over, blankets ripped off the bed - you get the idea.  On this particular day, he was being awfully quiet so I thought I'd better check on him to make sure he hadn't knocked himself out.  My heart actually stopped when I saw him laying on the floor behind his door.  What happened?!  I was relieved to see that he was breathing and he had just passed out - probably while he was playing with the door stopper.  I thought twice about moving him to his bed but I thought permanent carpet indents on his face might raise some eyebrows...

In between working in town, waking up every few hours to check on pregnant cows, and taking care of the horses, Aunty Stevie has found time to crochet us some beautiful hats!  Mr. Man looks very handsome in his cap and Papaya is very stylish in her flowered cloche hat.  She loves it and has not taken it off all day (except for swimming). 

Thanks Aunty Stevie!!!

 Now to the gold star part of our story!

Chris and I attended Parent/Teacher Interviews with the preschool teachers today.  Both kids received glowing reviews from their teachers, Gill and Elizabeth.  It's always nice to hear good things about them and today we left the school full of pride.

Mr. Man is an outgoing, kind, friendly little boy who is helpful, confident, and loving.  He is very adept at communicating his needs and is very patient with the teachers when he's trying to tell them something.  He makes sure they understand and is thrilled when they get it.  :)  He's making friends and likes playing with the other children...well, most of them.  We're not sure what happened between him and another little boy named Jack but he's adamant about not wanting to play with him! 

Papaya is very ready for kindergarten.  The one thing that Gill was going to suggest we work on with her was doing up her zipper but she mastered that on Tuesday so that went out the window!  She loves books (no surprise there!) and her imaginative play is amazing.  She is helpful, kind, has lots of friends, and is taking a leadership role amongst the kids and organizes play.  She was the only kid in the class who could not only name all of the letters in the alphabet and the sounds they make but also give a word that started with each letter!  Oh, and she's left-handed, as is apparently only 10% of the world's population.  Go figure!

We know they're superstars but it feels great to have it verified by professionals!  :)

Whirlwind Weekend

The week started off rough with me being really sick and unfortunately, it has ended in much the same way, only with Chris being hit by the same bug today.  But despite all the yuckiness, we did manage to fit some fun in to our days. 

Friday was a day of hope...hope for spring!  We had temperatures of up to 12 degrees (+12!) and lots of sunshine and melting snow.  It was glorious!  The kids and I jumped into our splash suits, put on our galoshes (a new word we learned on Sesame Street this week) and went on our first puddle jumping adventure of the year.  We also started collecting sticks, rocks, pine cones, etc which will be used to build a fairy house in the spring.  :)

We visited two museums over the weekend - the Museum of Nature, where the kids were able to hang out with the dinosaurs and birds.  We didn't cause too much damage there - Miss M was knocked over by the elevator door but jumped up, proclaiming she was OK; and Mr. Man only pressed the alarm bell in the elevator twice and the emergency call button twice.  A successful trip after all was said and done.

We also visited the newly renovated Aviation Museum.  It's a great place for the kids to shake their sillies out and I don't have to worry about them breaking anything - what could they possibly do to an airplane?  Wait, don't answer that!  Mr. Man will think of it soon enough!  Papaya volunteered to help out during a demonstration of an ejector seat and was strapped into the seat, helmet on and all while we did a countdown and she pulled the yellow eject handles.  She did a great job and earned a round of applause.  Don't worry, much to her disappointment, she wasn't actually ejected from the seat.  I did take pictures at the airplane museum but they are on my phone and I have no idea how to rescue them from there.  More homework for me!

In between museums, we had time to bake some pink cupcakes, make cookies for homemade ice cream sandwiches, and have a picnic supper.  Taking a page from Nanny's and Grampy's book, we dressed up in our shorts and sunglasses, cranked the heat, and ate our sandwiches, chips, fruit and ice cream sandwiches on a blanket in the living room.  We pretended we were out in the park on a summer day and were watching people throwing frisbees to their dogs and kids going down the slide.  It was a lot of fun and made a cold February day a little warmer and sunnier for us all.

Splishin' and a splashin'

Remember the days when all it took to entertain you was a manhole cover?!

Hanging out with my buds

Come here, little guy.

We've just stepped into Jurassic Park!

I've gained a few hummingbirds since the last time I was here....

Checking out the giant ground snail - slimy!

The best part of baking is the taste testing!

Elmo and Christmas Bear were invited to the picnic instead of the ants

Mr. Cool

Uh oh!  Brain freeze!

So tired...

Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails...

Little boys.  Two years ago today we were blessed with our own little man and he has filled our lives with even more joy and laughter, frustration and tears, energy and spirit than we could have imagined.

His smiles light up a room and his laughter is contagious.  He has charisma aplenty and he's stopped store employees in their tracks with his bright eyes and waves hello.  His hugs are heart melting and he makes us feel like a million bucks when he runs into our arms to say hello whether we've been away for a day, a hour or a few minutes. 

Most people are convinced that he's happy and full of smiles all the time.  But those of us in the know, know better. 

He does everything big - he smiles big and he fights big.  He's our hard headed little fighter - we've heard it referred to as "spirited" - but whatever you call it, it just makes him him and we love him all the more because of it...or is it in spite of it?!  :)

Here are some pictures of his sports themed birthday including the preparations, the party, and the aftermath.

The cookies



The finished product - these went into the kids' loot bags



The cake - and I thought I was cross-eyed from the cookies!

A little help with the pattern was needed

The look on Sam's face when he saw his ball cake made it all worthwhile

The festivities were held at the gym at the Y

Maia demonstrated the obstacle course for the gang

The parachute was a big hit

After lots of playing and running, it's time to refuel

Happy birthday to...me!!

Make a wish!

Presents were opened at home - can't wait to take a bath with these fun toys!

The cake was enjoyed by all

Mission accomplished - Samzilla conquered!

Happy birthday little man!  Looking forward to the next year full of fun and adventure with you! 

Winterlude Weekend

We had some beautiful weather for the first weekend of Winterlude so we packed up the suburban rocket and headed off for some snow-packed fun at Snowflake Kingdom.

What could be more fun than a giant butterfly kite?

A giant beaver, perhaps?



Kiss me, you fool!



At the top of the giant slide with Daddy

 

At the bottom - all smiles








Hot chocolate break - Mr. Man is more interested in the marshmallows





The perfect way to top off a great winter morning...





Beavertails x 2!