Our Little Limb Bud

Puddle Jumping

2012-01-10T20:39:00.000-06:00

Both of the kids love playing in water. They beg to wear their rain boots and play in puddles anytime they see one. Thankfully, most days I can say yes!

Royal Bounce

2012-01-04T20:45:00.001-06:00

We decided to try out this bounce place in the mall. It was huge! It has about a dozen or more bounce/slide things, plus a basketball hoop and riding toys. They let you bring in your own food and drinks and can come and go with the all-day pass.

I do think the place may be a little too big and the layout has a lot of blind spots when you've got little kids, but overall, we all really enjoyed it.

Advent Activities

2011-12-28T22:30:00.008-06:00

I have several Advent Calendars (and Christmas Countdown things) that we use each year. Logan's preschool class sent home one where he had to cut a strip from Santa's beard each day, knowing that once the beard was gone it was Christmas. I also have one with small pockets that I usually use to put a piece of paper in with our daily activity. But this year I used it for Sophie, putting a puzzle piece in each pocket. She put the puzzle together throughout December. I also have a countdown stocking (with 2 pockets) so the kids got a little gift each day. Some days it went along with the activity scheduled for the day, other times it would be a small toy, edible treat, or ornament for the tree.

We did have our daily activities and below are some pictures from them.

We read Christmas books a lot, including this one.

In the book, once he got his job as Santa the elves gave him an emergency kit to take on his trips. I gathered up items from the book to create our own kit and then let the kids pick a couple of other things. We had our Elf Elmo take it to Santa on that last night.

The kids made reindeer food during the Birthday Party for the Baby Jesus at preschool. We then tossed it out in the yard on Christmas Eve.

I found this cute plate and mug set at Sam's for Santa's snack. It included a note holder so I had the kids dictate little notes to Santa.

One evening we all wrapped presents. I thought this would be more fun than it actually was.

The kids made several crafts as part of the daily activities, including these owls for the sitters at church. The owls were the gift in the countdown stocking for that day.

The first activity they do each year is write letters to Santa. I had them dictate what they wanted (with some coaching, of course), then they got to color on the note. The notes were also in the stocking.

We took our letters to Macy's to be mailed. I love how they have a tall slot and a shorter one.

One day the activity was to make a snowman (which they did as it was Logan's snowman birthday party). Another day just said to play with snow, so I had the fake snow all ready for them. Here's a doll making a snow angel.

We had a different activity everyday and I was able to do them all. One thing I found helpful was just putting the activity papers in a few days at a time. Obviously there were some that had to be done on specific days, but most of the activities I was able to look at our schedule and adjust as needed. This was so less stressful for me. It also allowed me to change up some activities from things I'd tried in the past that didn't really work out for us.

Gingerbread Houses

2011-12-24T11:02:00.001-06:00

We decorated mini gingerbread houses. This is one of those very messy, but really fun activities.

She can't say she wasn't eating the frosting.

Wasn't a big fan of all the mess.

Our family's Gingerbread Village!

Advent Festival

2011-12-04T10:45:00.005-06:00

Paw Briggs and Paul took Kalyn, Sophie and Logan to the church's Advent Festival while I got stuff ready for Logan's party.

They made gingerbread houses. Kalyn ate as much candy as she out on her house.

Having so much fun!!

Of course, Santa made a visit.

Show & Tell October & November

2011-12-01T21:27:00.000-06:00

For letter T, I was out of town but I left temporary tattoos for Logan to take. He had Daddy put a Tweety Bird tattoo on before class.

For letter H, I bought hot dogs and buns for the kids classes.

For I, of course, we took ice cream. And we weren't the only ones. The kids had ice cream cups for snack and mini ice cream sandwiches at lunch.

For letter U, I was going to get some party/drink umbrellas. Of course, I forgot to go to the store, so I had to come up with something else. I found the Uno Stacko game in our closet. The kids had a blast playing the game after naptime.

For letter C, Logan took some crayons that we had made using broken colors. We didn't have enough for everyone but we took the muffin tin and let his friends make their own circle crayons.

For letter O, Paul and Logan went to the store and picked out a package of Oreo cookies. Logan chose Berry Blast. They were really good.

Tyler Roses

2011-11-11T10:35:00.004-06:00

On a recent trip to visit my sister, we took the younger kids to the Rose Gardens. I have taken Sophie each year, and had been afraid we wouldn't make it there this year. But thankfully the roses were still in bloom even though we are well into November. The gardens have this huge grassy lawn and we just let the kids loose...letting them run and roll around on the grass.

The kids were fascinated by all the water features in the garden, and even posed for us on this bridge.

Logan loved the maze-like structure of the rose plants. I did lose him and Sophie for about 10 seconds among the plants, but manage to catch just a glimpse of his head before they got too far. It was a teaching moment as we discussed what they should do if they he Mommy yelling their names. Although he wasn't actually trying to hide from me he did understand that when I can't see him it's like he is hiding and how that makes me sad.

If you look closely, you'll notice Sophie's hair is wet. They had so much fun splashing in the pool.

As soon as they saw this small pool, they took off and couldn't wait to put their hands in the very cold water.

My sister Kelly and her daughter, Kalyn.

I hope to take Sophie every year. One day we might even come during the Rose Festival.

And looking back at past years...

Halloween Traditions

2011-11-01T17:06:00.004-05:00

Halloween is definitely not my favorite holiday, but I do love pumpkin patches and I also know that kids tend to like Halloween. To make it more enjoyable for me, I've tried to create/adopt some traditions.

1. The first, of course, is to visit many, many pumpkin patches. We didn't get to as many this year as last but we still had lots of fun.

2. We went to a few Fall Festivals and Carnivals. Some were completely free and included food, games, and rides. Others used tickets but we still had a good time since all included prizes and lollipops!

3. We watched "The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" as a family. To be truthful, the kids watched it almost everyday...and if it wasn't that one then it was the Thanksgiving one.

4. We purchased something at each pumpkin patch we went. Sometimes it was just gourds, like these, which we shared with our preschool classes. Sometimes it was small pumpkins to decorate with stickers. Other times it was large ones.

5. Costumes are not my strong suit. Sophie's first Halloween yielded 2 costumes, one for preschool and one for actual trick-or-treating, plus 3 additional outfits after the costumes came off. Last year also had 2 different costumes but just one additional outfit for Boo at the Zoo. This year we had just the one costumes and an extra Halloween shirt or 2. I do think I like having a theme or at least a plan for the costumes. So as much as I don't like dressing up myself, I'll try to always put thought into the kids costumes.

6. We made it to the petting zoo again this year (we didn't make it last year, too much going on trying to prepare foe China). The kids had so much fun and I definitely want to do this every year.

7. This year I tried my hand at making homemade pumpkin pie with some of the pumpkins we got at the pumpkin patches. They were pretty easy to do and tasted great.

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-01T15:56:00.000-05:00

We took the kids to the Trunk or Treat Carnival at church the night before Halloween (stopping by Grandma's to show off our superhero costumes).

I had bought the capes, masks and wristbands during the summer for dress-up, then decided to just use them for Halloween. Sophie's too young to really care what she dressed as and Logan has never done Halloween so I figured I had this year to do what I want. I asked my mom to create shirts to match the capes, then just added bottoms.

Super Logan!

These are some friends of ours. Their grandmother was really creative.

All the kids wanted was lollipops, so when given the chance they would search the bowls looking for them.

The kids had trick-or-treating at preschool on Monday. Since we had done the trunk or treat and Paul had to work late, we just stayed in on Halloween night and passed out candy. The kids enjoyed seeing all the costumed kids that came to the door. Well, Sophie didn't like the Scream mask that had blood flowing down it. She talked about that for days.

Lollipops

2011-10-30T07:54:00.004-05:00

My kids love lollipops. I blame Pastor Mike! He used to be in the lobby area at the end of the preschool day with ring pops and dum dum lollipops. Even though he isn't at the church anymore and the kids haven't had an after-preschool lollipop on 6 months, they still ask sometimes.

The kids have had ample opportunity to get their candy fix this month. We've been to a few Halloween carnivals plus we went to a parade, and all of these included lots of candy. The one thing both kids ask for once we get home is a lollipop.

We went to a local church last night for their Party in the Patch (unfortunately, I only got one picture). The kids had fun and loved that they got candy as a prize at each of the games. Of course their favorite is the lollipop pull, they get a prize and a lollipop!

Here's Logan doing the Hoop Toss.

I actually don't mind that the kids want a lollipop. As far as candy goes, I think they are the easiest. They don't melt or get squished in my bag. They are contained, no individual pieces to go flying everywhere when Sophie tries to open the wrapper. I can tell pretty quickly if they are done by that "empty" white stick. They are sticky, but that's not nearly as messy as melted chocolate.

I imagine the kids fantasy trick-or-treat stash would be all lollipops...dum dums, tootsie pops, blow pops. They are going to be so disappointed Halloween night!

Green Meadows Petting Farm

2011-10-28T21:53:00.000-05:00

I took the kids to a petting farm this week. They had a great time. It was the coldest day so far of the season and threatening rain so they didn't have the huge group of field trip kids and the owner showed us around first, then let us go where we want. They had several brand new babies...like these week old goats.

Sophie has no fear so she would go right up to the animals to pet them and love on them. She was so cute when she gave the babies a kiss.

They had cans of feed out and both kids loved feeding the llamas and goats. I wouldn't be surprised if the goats had a tummy ache after all the food they got. Logan didn't quite understand that we couldn't give them all the food in the 50 gallon can.

In addition to goats and llamas, we also so a huge hog, baby Vietnamese potbelly piglets, pregnant cows that we milked, and baby chicks. The kids tried to feed the chickens (but they didn't like that much), we only spent a second in the turkey pen (I didn't like them much), and cheered on some pigs in the pig races. It was a great day!

Pumpkin Patch #4

2011-10-27T21:35:00.000-05:00

We ended up making 2 trips to this patch. The first day, Logan decided as soon as we got to the first group of pumpkins that his tummy hurt and he needed to go home. I got 2 pictures before we left.

Cheesing it up even with a tummy ache.

We went back the next day and they had a blast. They just ran and ran and ran.

The church had created this prayer labyrinth with rocks and pumpkins and Logan had a blast working his way through the maze. Sophie just wanted to stand on the big pumpkins.

Homemade Crayons

2011-10-25T15:37:00.000-05:00

I decided to let the kids create new crayons with old, broken ones. They got a little frustrated trying to get the paper off of them but they both loved breaking them into little pieces.

We used a mini muffin tin to make round crayons. Logan was meticulous about filling the sections.

Sophie watching the crayons melt in the oven.

All done!

I was a little worried that the crayons wouldn't come out of the tin, but most came out easily and the rest were no problem after I put it in the freezer for a bit. The kids loved using their new crayons to color.

Family Fun Day

2011-10-22T14:56:00.003-05:00

We went to one of the pumpkin patches when the cousins came to town. They were having a family day with hay rides, games, free food, puppet shows and a concert. The kids had a great time and so did the adults.

Pumpkin Patch #3

2011-10-14T14:59:00.000-05:00

The kids really enjoyed this pumpkin patch. They just ran and ran and ran. They'd get run to one grouping of pumpkins and then climb their way through them before running to the next group.

Logan tried his hand at the hay bale horses.

Giddy up!

Sophie at the little red barn.

Surprise!

One more minute!

A daycare came while we were there and had story time. They were kind enough to let us join them.

Pumpkin Pie

2011-10-14T08:31:00.000-05:00

I decided to use one of the pumpkins we got to make a homemade pumpkin pie. I found a great recipe and instructions online at Pick You Own. I did it at naptime after I put Sophie down and then let Logan help me.

Here he is cleaning the seeds so I could roast them. The rest of the pumkin was getting steamed in the microwave.

He did a great job cleaning them.

Helping me scoop the "meat" out.

Mixing the ingredients.

In the oven to bake.

Half eaten! Yummy!

I've made 2 more after another pumpkin patch trip. One of them I didn't even use a crust, just made the best part. I would suggest a little more sugar, wasn't quite sweet enough for my taste. Of course, it might be just right with some whip cream.

Pumpkin Patch #2

2011-10-03T20:07:00.000-05:00

We went to a local church that has a pumpkin patch. The kids had fun running around all the pumpkins. They had a wagon that we used to carry everything and Logan insisted on pulling it with Sophie inside, too. We bought a couple of pumpkins and lots of gourds. We took some to the preschool to share with our friends.

Is there any way to get 2 kids to look at the camera at the same time?

Show & Tell September

2011-09-30T18:05:00.000-05:00

Each week in Logan's preschool class, they have show & tell. Typically, the item you bring starts with the letter of the week. Logan's not really at a point where I can ask what he wants to take so I come up with some ideas and then go from there. Because of his speech we talk about what he will say and practice a lot!

Because there wasn't a letter of the week the first week, they could bring whatever they wanted but needed to tell what letter it started with. I collect inexpensive books and had enough for each child in his class so he took his "bookbag" and "books" and was able to share with his friends.

The second week was letter L. We made lemonade and Logan took a lemon to show. Then at snack he was able to share and give everyone lemonade.

For letter F, we made a trip to the Asian market for fortune cookies. The kids had so much fun at the market, looking at the live fish and crabs, and the different fruits and vegetables. We got enough fortune cookies for Sophie to share with her class, too.

For letter E, we combined 2 "e" word...envelope and Edna. During chapel earlier in the week, I had talked about adoption and had a picture of Edna Gladney for each child to color. I asked the teachers in Logan's class to keep the pictures after they colored them. Then I put each one in an envelope and addressed it to the child. Logan talked about what you do with envelopes (mail it) and who's name was on the outside (Logan George) and what was inside (Edna).

Splash Park

2011-09-21T15:40:00.001-05:00

Wordless Wednesdays

Just a Swingin'

2011-09-14T15:14:00.000-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

Ghengis Grill

2011-08-20T18:34:00.000-05:00

We used to be so good about eating Chinese food on the 11th each month, but we've been lax since we got our approval (before we even left for China). We do eat more Chinese food though because I actually cook some now. But we still try to go out occassionally.

We took the kids to Ghengis Grill (it was Logan's first time, but Sophie's been before). Logan took these first 2 pictures.

I love the little girl in the background. I'm sure if they took any pictures they would have ended up with the same thing, since Sophie was looking over the wall at them.

I took all these pictures with my cell phone and got to play around with some of the special effects.

Logan liked his bowl.

And Sophie loved hers (and Daddy's and Logan's and Mommy's)!

A Day in Our Life

2011-08-16T21:08:00.000-05:00

I decided I needed to do a "Day in the Life" post mostly because some days I just feel like we haven't done anything (or at least nothing productive). So here it is in bulleted form (because that's how I kept track of it during the day):

everyone up by 8am

the kids watched 2 shows while hanging out in mommy's room and eating cereal

at 9am got dressed and ready to run errands (grocery store and UPS)

done at store by 10:30 ( I had created shopping lists for the kids, cutting out pictures from the weekly ads and taping them to a piece of paper)

I unloaded groceries while the kids played with the tray activities I had set up on the tables

11am Sophie requested a TV show while I did dishes and few other chores

11:30am playtime with mommy

12pm more play while I got lunch ready

lunch at 12:30pm

naptime at 1pm after potty and a story

I got some TV time and did some cleaning

Logan got up a little after 3 & moped around (which is normal for him) then decided to do some activities before asking for TV

Sophie up at 4, little snuggle time then TV while I put away laundry & Logan played in his room

4:30 snacktime while I made dinner for tomorrow

5pm outside time

5:30 back inside for play while I started dinner

dinner at 6:30

Logan ended up in his room for playing at table so Sophie got to play on the computer

Logan finally decided to join us and got to play on the computer too

7:30 ice cream outside

8pm got kids ready for bed

8:30 kids in bed

Logan Randomness

2011-08-15T23:23:00.000-05:00

Here's some stuff of about our Logan.

1. We visited some friends this summer who have a play area upstairs. The kids got quiet, you know...too quiet and so this is what I found when we checked on them, Logan had helped Sophie climb into their baby's crib then got in himself. (Thanks for teaching her that trick.) Then he stuck his legs through the slats...and got STUCK! He has really knobby knees so it took a lot of maneuvering to get him out. And yes, I did leave him stuck to go get the camera and take a picture. Sophie's just crying because he was.

2. Logan does NOT like to sing or dance, AT ALL! Most of the time he doesn't even want anyone else to sing and dance. But one day in the bathtub after I told them to put away the toys, I hear what sounds like a tune. Because of his speech it took me a while to figure out what he was singing, but once I did I had to let his teachers know. He was singing the "Clean-up Song". Love it!

3. Both kids enjoy playing with Sophie's dollhouse. The other day Logan put Dollhouse Mommy and Daddy in "timeout, 2 minutes" because they had been standing on the table. I love that they were doing what Sophie is usually doing when she gets time out and that they got her time (if Logan gets time out it's for 4 minutes).

4. I don't think Logan has figured out whether he really likes having a little sister or not. I never know if they are going to play together well or just fight or if they are going to want to be in separate rooms. But I do love to see them enjoying each other, like this day when he let her ride on his back.

5. I've always thought it was strange how some of the kids shows will ask questions of the viewers, even pausing to give them time to answer. If you don't know what I'm talking about watch just about anything on Nick Jr. and you get the idea. I guess I found it weird because I'd never seen a child actually respond...until last week. Logan has started to answer the questions and respond. I still think it's cheesy but I love that he's talking and practicing his speech.

6. Speaking of Logan's speech, he has come so far with the speech therapy. I don't always notice the progress but others have pointed it out to me. Lately, he has gotten extremely frustrated when I don't understand what he's saying. He also gets mad if I don't repeat what he says. This is because I typically repeat everything he says, if I understand it (to confirmation that I do understand it and also to give him another opportunity to hear it said correctly). I think he has figured out that if I don't repeat it, it means I don't know what he said. And my general, non-specific "um, yes, I see" or nod of the head just doesn't cut it anymore).

7. Like so many children I know Logan also demands to see every picture immediately after its taken. He has finally learned that he has to be still so I can take or else there's nothing to see. But if he sees the camera, he will immediatly say "I want to see it", smile and wait for me to take a picture. Good thing he such a cutie!

8. I talked in a previous post about Logan's sleep issues. He is a little obsessed with "night, night". If I talk about almost any activity during the day he wants to know if night night happens after it. For example, coming home from summer camp (where he's just woken from nap 30 minutes earlier), I'll say, "we'll have a snack as soon as we get home". His response, "and then go night, night?" I can explain that he went night night at camp and no he doesn't have night night after snack. He'll usually press me for what is going to happen after snack, only to then ask again about night night when I tell him the next activity. As you can imagine, this could continue until "yes, then night, night!" Thankfully, I can typically distract him from continuing down this line by starting to sing and "car dance"...both things that drive him crazy.

Summer Time = Water Time

2011-08-15T17:14:00.000-05:00

Logan likes to pick up the sprinkler and spray his sister, but sometimes he gets a taste of his own medicine.

Watering the plants with the sprinkler.

Chillaxing...with her feet in the water.

Uh, oh! Here comes Trouble.

Followed closely by Trouble 2.

Demonstrating how cousin Kalyn goes down the slip and slide.

Sophie chooses to skip the slipping and sliding and just runs.

Popsicle break!

One of the teachers let us use this blow-up elephant sprinkler for the summer.

I bought these water squirters at the dollar store. We had a great fun family night squirting each other. As you can see we didn't even bother to change into our swimsuits.

The kids love to fill plastic cups with water from the sprinkler and then pour that water on each other (and me).

Abbey's Playtown

2011-08-15T15:01:00.000-05:00

I've posted pictures before of this great place near our home called Abbey's Playtown. We've been several times this summer. Including one visit with just Sophie and another where Maw Susan went with us. Logan is harder to get pictures of because he just keeps on moving (or is in the train bounce where I can't get a good shot).

Here's Sophie trying out the pink motorcycle.

Playing in the kitchen, serving up a great meal.

Would you like pepper with that?

Sophie Randomness

2011-08-14T22:52:00.003-05:00

These are just a few random moments with Sophie.

1. We visited some friends and the kids got to play with the dress-up clothes. Sophie doesn't have any dress-up stuff and her preschool room doesn't either (but she will next year). She enjoyed wearing this princess dress with the hard hat.

2. One of the first phrases Sophie said was "fix it". It could mean turning on the music, or refilling her cup, or just about anything else. I think it started in the car with the DVD player because I would ask Logan if I needed to "fix it" meaning hit the play button to get it started. One day I turned on the tv in the morning for Sophie and ESPN was on showing football stuff. The first thing Sophie said was "fix it". She's in for a rough time when her daddy becomes completely football-obsessed.

3. We use stickers A LOT! With all the doctor's visits we had with Logan, they have become a staple whenever we have to wait. Specifically, putting stickers on each other. The kids will choose a sticker and then put it somewhere my face (or Paul's). One afternoon, Sophie took all the stickers from a sheet we received as a gift from a "pen pal" in Japan and stuck them all over my hand. I called it "Toddler Henna".

4. We decided to take advantage of the cooler weather this weekend and go for a walk in the neighborhood. Logan pulled Sophie in the wagon for part of it but then she decided she wanted to walk...or more accurately RUN! She tripped and ended up scraping her face. It didn't look this bad at the time. Poor Sophie Rose!

5. Sophie loves television! I have tried to limit her watching but some days it just doesn't work. She wants to watch tv first thing when she wakes up (both in the morning and after nap). She will ask for specific shows and movies all day long. At first all she wanted was Fresh Beat Band. She even created a sign for it when she couldn't say it. Then it was all about the "bear" (which sounded an awful lot like beer). Bear is Kung Fu Panda in Sophie-ese. For awhile the only thing she specifically requested was "Susan" aka Monsters Vs. Aliens (so named because the main character's name is Susan just like her Maw Susan). Now she's an equal opportunity watcher. Some days it Kai-Lan or Wubbzy, other days it's Benji or Rapunzel. Of course, I'm stilling trying to find ways to limit it all, everyday.

6. Sophie loves all things soup. Paul usually orders soup at Italian restaurants and Sophie's been known to finish his bowl. We even ate at a Mexican place that brought out the beans in a large bowl with a lot of liquid/juice. Sophie took one look and announced she wanted "soup". She ate it up, even slurping it straight from the bowl.

7. When Logan first got here, Sophie resorted to biting him a few times. I was really worried she was doing it at preschool too, but the teachers assure me that's not so. I think with Logan she was just trying to communicate the only way she could at least the only way she thought he understood. I know that it's normal for her to do it, but we still worked hard to stop it and she hasn't bitten in months. Until we were visiting the cousins. She bite Kalyn twice while we were there, almost breaking the skin. I think it was just frustration, since they are both the same age, but I will definitely make sure her teachers know so that they can keep an eye out.

I Spy Bottles

2011-08-13T16:21:00.001-05:00

This is another idea that came from Productive Parenting. I've been collecting the items for it for months and finally sat down and created them. They aren't completely finished. I need to get some gorilla glue to secure the lids and I'd like to add some cards with pictures of the items that are inside (I took pictures just need to print them and laminate). But the kids have enjoyed just looking at the different things inside.

Celery Printing

2011-08-12T21:06:00.000-05:00

I had 3 bunches of celery so to speed up the cutting time, I just chopped the bottom of all the stalks instead of pulling each stalk off first. I started to discard the bottom but decided to let the kids use them for painting. The first thing I realized is that I need to get the paints out more often...they loved it. The next thing I noticed was that the prints actually looked like roses. I had used green paint (because celery is green), but I can't wait to do these in pink or red or yellow to create roses.

Nighttime Antics

2011-08-08T16:59:00.002-05:00

Logan seems to be adjusting well, although our night times are interesting. This has been the least consistent aspect of the transition. Meaning the routine and what he wants changes about every 3-4 weeks. Here are just a few things we've seen: side table light on, side table light off, no nightlight, door open (this one is the only thing that hasn't changed until recently), no star wars sheets, star wars sheets okay, various stuffed animals that must be in the bed or not at all, must be wearing socks. For the most part he's slept through the night, okay may half the time he's slept through the night and the other half he'll get up once, but will go back to bed easily. About 2 months ago we figured out that instead of coming to our bed and waking us up, he was just laying back down and going to sleep...on the floor in our room, on the chair, on the couch. We tried several things because I didn't want him roaming during the night. Thankfully, we've found a solution, but not before I found several (almost 40) photos on my camera, most taken during his nighttime escapades. Below is what he was apparently doing while we all slept.

He would also go into Sophie's room and put toys in her crib. Such a sweet brother! Rummage through my bag for gum and Sonic peppermints. Midnight snack, I guess! Pour himself a glass of water. But not without spilling some first!

I am very glad that we have found a solution that we all can live and sleep with. He has stayed in his room and not woken up during the night for the last 3 nights. Oh, great, I probably just jinxed it!

Children's Museum

2011-07-23T15:45:00.000-05:00

We spent a lot of time building during this trip to the local children's museum.

The architects!

Summer Concerts

2011-07-07T12:41:00.001-05:00

We went to some of the summer concerts held here locally. One morning during the week, they have children's concerts. Sophie and I enjoyed going last year, but this year she didn't have as much fun. It is just TOO hot this summer. We made it to a couple, meeting our friends, Ms. Keri and Zoey. Unfortunately, I didn't get many pictures. It's just hard to do when you;re trying to keep your eyes on 2 kids running wild.

Boxes, Boxes, Boxes

2011-06-29T17:30:00.000-05:00

I've been saving boxes for several months so that I could make these big "blocks" for the kids. I wrapped them in plain white paper (donated from a doctor's office), then let the kids go crazy. They loved building towers and knocking them down. Okay, Logan built towers and Sophie knocked them down. Logan also made a roadway and used his cars on the boxes. Another time I will probably let them use crayons and decorate them.

Mall Date Night

2011-06-20T15:07:00.002-05:00

Chick-Fil-A was doing this promo Daddy Daughter Dinner Date so I decided that Paul would take Sophie for dinner and Logan and I would get something. Then we'd just hang out at the mall. The promo was a bust (probably because it was the mall Chick-Fil-A), but we still had fun on the carousel and eating Dippin' Dots.

Logan got to choose his meal. Pizza! Big surprise.

Watching the horses go by. I think they had as much fun watching as they did riding.

Hi, Mommy!

Going for a second time around!

Group shot using my new cellphone.

Vacation Bible School: Pandamania

2011-06-17T22:21:00.000-05:00

I decided to let Logan go to VBS at the church across the street from ours. Let's be honest, the theme was Pandas...he had to go. I was really concerned because it is the first time to leave him with someone other than family or Ms. Keri, and I wasn't going to be in the building. I met with the woman in charge the week before to just make sure she knew about my concerns. My biggest concerns are regarding his communication skills. I feel that I can understand him most of the time but I've been with him 24/7 for the last 6 months. I know how frustrating it can be when he isn't being understood and I wanted the workers to have that heads up. I felt much better after meeting with her. Of course, I still got teary when I dropped him off the first day. Thankfully, our friend Zoey went also and was in his group. He seemed to have fun ( as indicated by the fact that he didn't tell me he didn't want to go). The last day the children performed the songs they had learned for us in the sanctuary. Below are a couple of pictures of Logan. If we are facebook friends, I'll get some videos posted there.

In this picture, our friend Zoey is the girl on the left singing her heart out.

Oh, did I forget to mention that Logan refuses to sing or dance. Most of the time he even throws a fit if others try to dance or sing...thankfully for this performance he just stood there.

Science Museum with Friends

2011-06-10T22:44:00.002-05:00

We invited our friends Zoey and Ms. Keri to join us the science museum. The kids enjoyed it and Zoey remembered being there before and knew exactly what she wanted to see.

Playing with the water stuff in the children's area.

Digging for dinosaur bones.

How tall am I?

Can we all fit in this footprint?

I promise Sophie went with us, but she doesn't stand still long enough to really get her picture. We had a good time although Sophie and Logan were getting tired at the end, and once that happens there is no turning back. Ha!

Summer Tot School

2011-06-08T17:38:00.000-05:00

I had really grand ideas to do lots of Tot School during the summer, but we were just too busy. And honestly, we all just needed some down time, with nothing particular to do except rest, relax, and play. I did do some things with them.

I printed off some worksheets from 1+1+1=1. We used dot markers on some and small blocks on others. I also used wipe-off crayons for coloring the laminated sheets. Some are lacing cards and puzzles.

Here's Logan using curling ribbon on the lacing card.

Putting the apple puzzle together.

We also sorted pom poms.

I had also picked up a couple of workbooks at the store and let the kids use those for coloring.

Sophie loved using the dry erase markers.

Logan did a great job with the dot markers, putting a dot on each of the apples on the letter A.

Sophie did a great job of putting dots all over the front and back of the paper. Ha!

Here is Logan using the Cool School Keyboard.

I also got some of my ideas from an email I get from here. Here is Sophie playing with "goop" aka cornstarch and water. She had so much fun with this and so did I. I've bought 3 big boxes of cornstarch so we can do it again.

Cooking Fun

2011-05-18T21:18:00.001-05:00

The kids love to help in the kitchen. We baked cookies for the teachers at preschool. Here they are watching them bake.

Making Daddy a special meal.

Happy Birthday, Sophie Rose!

2011-05-17T21:06:00.000-05:00

Sophie's actual birthday was a preschool day. I took cupcakes and sprinkles for her class friends. I also had canvas bags that the kiddos painted to look like books. These became their goodie bags and everyone got to pick a book to take home.

The birthday princess!

This is the dollhouse we gave her. She loved it.

Ice cream birthday cake after dinner.

This is where I found Sophie the day after her birthday. She played in her room for almost an hour by herself.

Happy Anniversary, Mommy and Daddy

2011-05-16T22:46:00.000-05:00

Some may recall that I started a tradition of dressing Sophie in my wedding dress each year around our anniversary. It took me longer this year to find the time to get both kids dressed for the pictures but we did get some shots.

Logan is wearing Paul's button-up dress shirt and Sophie has on my dress. I have gotten prints made in black and white to put above the mantel along with our framed marriage license. Logan was actually the better sport this time. Sophie typically wakes from her nap all smiles but not this day...

Instead we spent several minutes trying to work with this...

Logan being silly!

Sophie did eventually calm down enough (with a little help from marshmallows and lollipop).

For comparison, here is last year at 1 year old...

and the year before that at 4 days old.

Party Day and Presents

2011-05-15T20:46:00.001-05:00

It's party day! We got Sophie this easel (which is, of course, double-sided).

I decided to not open presents at the party (it gave the kids more time to play). So, we opened them after naptime.

What's in the bag?

Reading the cards.

One of the great things about opening the gifts at home is that we could immediately take them out of the packaging and Sophie could start playing with them.

Taking a break outside at the table Maw Susan and Paw Briggs gave her.

The balloon had $2 dollars inside it. What a cool tradition that Ms. Veronica and her family do to celebrate birthdays.

Logan tries out one of the gifts. Say cheese!

Backyard Fun

2011-05-12T15:04:00.000-05:00

The weather has been amazing, although way too early for it to already be this hot. We've spent almost everyday outside thanks to Grandma Noi. She bought the kids a trampoline (yes, I finally gave in and agreed to this). We also broke out the sprinklers one day. The kids love water so I knew they would have a great time.

Post Party Dinner

2011-05-11T22:30:00.000-05:00

We have started a tradition of having dinner at Joe's Crab Shack after Sophie's birthday party. Last year we were accompanied by friends and family, this year it was just us.

I like Joe's because it's loud (so it doesn't matter how loud my kids get) and it's casual enough that they can get up and wander around. Oh, yeah, and they have a playground.

Watching the waitstaff dance.

Turtle balloon bracelet (which popped just after this picture was taken).

Father and Son

And now for the CUTEST boy ever!!!!

Sophie's Birthday Party

2011-05-10T22:24:00.001-05:00

The birthday girl had a great day playing with her friends at Abbey's Playtown. It was a great place for a party, they took care of everything. All we had to do was bring the cake and goodie bags. Seriously, they did everything...pizza, juice, plates, napkins, streamers, balloons. And we got to choose the colors we wanted. It was so nice to not have to clean up (before or after) and to know that the kids were having so much fun.

Logan helped Sophie blow out the candles.

Friends and family enjoying pizza.

Logan showing Grandpa how the roller coaster works.

The cool part was that we had the whole place to ourselves.

Sophie passing out the goodie bags as her friends left.

Our friend Zoey. Such a cutie!

Easter Sunday

2011-04-24T22:12:00.001-05:00

The Easter Bunny came!

The kids enjoyed going through their baskets seeing all the goodies.

Plastic bugs to go with the bug keepers and magnifying glasses.

Sidewalk chalk

Trying to get a family picture. This was the best we could do

After church, we went to Paul's family for lunch and an egg hunt. Once again, Logan found the most eggs and had a blast doing it.

Opening baskets from Grandma.

Science Museum

2011-04-22T14:31:00.000-05:00

I took the kids to the science museum since we had the day off from preschool. Although it was crowded we had a good time. We even met another blogger and her 2 adopted girls. You can read her post here.

I think Logan likes the children's area best. Here he is making bubbles in the huge columns of water.

Sophie also likes the children's area but her favorite part was the dolls in the doctor area.

The museum has a new exhibit about China. Here are the kids sitting in a traditional Chinese classroom.

Pizza for Dinner

2011-04-18T19:30:00.002-05:00

The kids and I made pizza tonight. They had so much fun. I didn't get a picture of the pepperoni portion because they were just eating them not putting them on the pizza. After rolling the dough, you add the sauce. Good stuff! Sophie, smile! Next comes the cheese, then pepperoni. Into to the oven to cook. Final product. It was good pizza (there was only 2 pieces left for Paul).

Gladney Easter Celebration

2011-04-17T14:42:00.000-05:00

Gladney hosted an egg hunt at their campus here in Fort Worth. We invited Grandma Noi to go with us. The eggs were already hidden when we got there so the kids took a few moments to scope them out.

After, we had some cookies and posed with the Easter Bunny.

Then it was time to get those eggs. Logan knew exactly what to do and in no time had his basket full. He was very sweet after the hunt when he gave the toddler sitting next to us some of his eggs because she didn't have any.

Strawberry Fields

2011-04-16T23:24:00.004-05:00

Okay, so not really a field, more like just one lone plant. Maw Susan planted this strawberry plant last fall and today we found strawberries ready to eat! Showing their harvest (all 4 strawberries). Thankfully, just enough for each of us to enjoy. Yum! She kept signing "more" after she ate hers. By the way, both kids ate the whole strawberry. Yes, even the green leafy part.

Crow OHMazing Days

2011-04-02T14:52:00.000-05:00

The local Asian museum hosts a family day each month. We were finally able to take Logan to one. It was a yoga-themed day. We started sampling some bubble tea and creating our own trailmix. Then Logan made a pinwheel using a straw, beads, and pipecleaner. After that we headed inside for some yoga.

Snake pose uder the string.

Crab walking to the balance beam, where we did the tree pose first.

Creating a tunnel for our new friends to go through.

We then made origami cranes. The kids also made recycled wallets from large envelopes.

Afterwards, we headed back outside to have a snack (including our trailmix) and enjoy the scenary.

Trucks and Slides

2011-03-26T23:15:00.004-05:00

1. First gather your trucks. Logan used his new big dumptruck. Sophie had the small cement mixer. 2. Drive over to the slide. 3. Girls first. Or maybe it was cement mixers first. 4. Next, time to test the slide before the final step. 5. Send down your dumptruck!

Abbey's Playtown

2011-03-25T23:05:00.001-05:00

I LOVE this place. It's an indoor play area for the toddler/preschool crowd. We've decided to have Sophie's birthday party here. You can bring your own food in so we took a snack.

But this is why we really come. Look at all the cool things to do...bouncing, balls, play houses, train table, climbing mountian, swings, riding toys...

and then there is the roller coaster! Get ready, get set...

GO!!!!

Logan Preschool Party

2011-03-24T22:48:00.000-05:00

The teachers wanted to do something for us so we had a party after preschool one day. It was so nice to have the kids involved and a big thank you to Ms. Marsha for putting this altogether.

Once again, Logan let Sophie help with the presents.

Don't you just love that smile!

This dumptruck was actually part of the decorations (it held the cookies). I think this will be his favorite toy.

Logan's Baptism and Celebration

2011-03-14T22:49:00.002-05:00

My family and friends wanted to have some sort of "shower" or party for Logan so we decided to do it after his baptism. It was a truly blessed day! Our family of 4! My mom and sister decorated in red, white, and blue. So cute! Logan and Sophie with the cousins. Kalyn, Maya, Logan, Sophie, Matthew, and Olesya The kids in the preschool made this sign for the celebration.

Opening presents. He did let his sister help. He loved the wagon Aunt Kelly and Uncle James got for him. (Now maybe he'll let Sophie use her grocery cart again.)

Logan with all the wonderful gifts he received.

Logan can tell you what happened that day. The oil anointing was especially memorable for him. All day he would point to his forehead where the oil was put. He would also sign water and point to his head if asked what Pastor Mike did. Big thanks to all who were able to join us for this wonderful day!

Window Markers

2011-03-05T21:00:00.000-06:00

After coloring on the kitchen tiles, toys, table, walls, and carpet yesterday, I decided the kids needed a space that was okay to color on. So I got out the window markers and let them scribble all over the back door glass. They had fun coloring but think they enjoyed using the spray bottle to clean the glass better.

Homemade Wagon

2011-03-04T20:58:00.001-06:00

Maw Susan made the kids a wagon for the house today. They had a blast pulling each other around.

Fort Worth Museum visit

2011-02-20T15:08:00.000-06:00

Paul was supposed to work today but decided not to, so we headed to the local Science and History museum. I've been wanting to go altogether, so I could determine if it was something I could do by myself with the kids. It was so great and I can definitely do it on my own. They have recently renovated and added a Children's Museum. We headed there first and just let the kids run around exploring all the fun stuff. They had snakes to look at, a huge train set to put together, a pretend grocery store, a hospital area, and water fun outside.

Letting Dr. Giraffe calculate their heights.

Off to get the groceries. Logan filled his basket with all the "roasted chickens" they had. Then he just kept adding stuff. Sophie was more interested in just pushing the cart, probably because the one we have at home is commandeered by Logan most of the time.

After we explored the children's area, we went to the Dino Lab and then saw a 4D show about the Barnett Shale. Then the kids got to explore all things related to drilling for natural gas.

We were ready to leave in time to get home, eat lunch and nap. I tried to get a picture before we left, but I think everyone was just ready to go.

Great Backyard Bird Count

2011-02-19T18:30:00.004-06:00

I took the kids to the local nature center for the annual Great Backyard Bird Count. They had several activities for the kiddos as well as guided bird walks (which we didn't get to do). The kids had fun looking at eggs, even using a flashlight to get a peek of the chick inside. They also saw different parts of birds up close, Logan even got to use a microscope to see birdseed really, really close.

They made this bird silhouette for the window so that birds won't accidentally fly into the glass.

Then we made bird valentines using bread, egg whites, and birdseed.

They had face painting. Logan had bird (is it a chick or a duck?) on his cheek. As soon as I said "these ladies can paint your face" Sophie immediately started pointing to her hand and saying no. You might remember our "tattoo" experience at the Asian market. So she got a yellow star on each of her hands.

They had a ring toss game where you were trying to follow the migration pattern of a specific bird.

Then there was this table: (try to guess what he's doing?)

I'll bet you didn't guess "finding small rodent bones in an owl pellet". You did! Well, that's exactly right. They had a paper with drawings of different bones so that you could match the ones you found in your pellet and determine which animal the owl had eaten for it's lunch (or midnight snack). Logan loved this table! He probably would have picked through every pellet they had if I'd let him.

While we were there we also got library cards for the kids. Oh, yeah, and listened for the sounds of birds!

Kids Club at the Mall

2011-02-08T14:30:00.002-06:00

Took the kids to the mall today for their Kids Club activity. There was a lady who played games with the children, sang some songs and told them a story. After that we did a craft (hint: Valentine's Day is in a week). We also got to give Bearemy (from Build-a-Bear) a high-five.

We brought another craft home so we I could get an extra pair of hands to help me with it. They also had goodie bags for both children and one for me, too. We will be going back next month.

Icy Snow Days

2011-02-05T14:21:00.003-06:00

**UPDATE** with actual snow pics

So we had 4 days of ice and snow here in Texas. Yes, you read that right, 4 whole days. Now, I'm still off work hanging with Logan but Sophie would have gone to preschool 2 of those days and the other 2 I'd have planned some sort of outing for all of us. I wasn't prepared for 4 days with both kids, no outside time, and no errands to run. Four days of being in the house ALL DAY LONG! We did get to go out the last day when it actually snowed, and the kids had a great time. The rest of the time we just stayed in. I knew there was no way I could keep the screen time at a minimum so a little extra TV time when it's an icicle outside is okay. Luckily, neither child sits for more than about 30 minutes at a time anyway, so I just turned on the TV and let them come and go. I pulled out the Tot School trays and lined them up in the hallway. I also set up the big cardboard house Santa brought. It actually last about 3 days before I moved it to the garage. They had started pushing on the sides and knocking the house down. And, of course, we had water play. My kids love the water.

We did eventually go outside.

Covering me up with snow!

Asia Times Square Fun

2011-01-30T20:30:00.005-06:00

We took the kids to the local Asian market for their Chinese New Year celebration. We timed it so that we could walk around a bit (and maybe get something to eat) before the Lion Dance started. It was so funny...when we walked in my mom made a comment about the bad smell (she doesn't like Asian food) and I look down and Logan is rubbing his tummy giving the yummy sign. We got the kids some Vietnamese chicken soup and soymilk. Mom and I ate a green waffle (you might remember this New Year staple from last year's visit). There were several vendors in the mall area and we decided to let the kids get there faces painted.

Logan was a little unsure at first but he liked the end result.

We tried to do Sophie's face but she started crying. Then I noticed that they were doing these spray temporary tattoos so I got a panda (to go with the panda shirts the kids were wearing).

Maw Susan got a lion for her high school mascot.

And we managed to talk Sophie into a rose for her hand!

Then it was time for the Lion Dancers. Paul used to do this and I have always enjoyed watching them.

We ended up going back the next day so that Logan could get one of the tattoos. He noticed first thing in the morning that we still had ours but that his face painting had washed off in the bath.

Logan's Surgery

2011-01-27T20:28:00.004-06:00

Logan had his surgery to correct his cleft pallet and also put tubes in his ears. Many people asked if I was worried about it but I really wasn't. I was more concerned about how recovery would be than the actual surgery. I have a lot of confidence in his doctors and the hospital. They have been so wonderful. My sister came up to stay with me during the surgery. I was concerned about the language issues so the hospital had an interpreter available for us, although we didn't really need him. Thankfully they don't really do much prep until after they get the child asleep. The biggest ordeal was that Logan wanted a drink, but luckily they were about to give him the "silly juice" so that calmed him down. After that, he didn't care about anything. One thing that was interesting was that they were never able to get his blood pressure before he went back. He had the same problem when we had the doctors appointments a couple of weeks before.

Unfortunately, this is not the first time our family has been at this children's hospital. I have a nephew, Baby Owen, who passed away at 7 weeks. He spent those weeks at this hospital. The crazy, amazing thing...the surgery waiting room where we were for Logan's surgery was the NICU waiting room when Baby Owen was there. Yes, that's right. My sister and I were sitting in the very same room 7 and a half years ago.

The surgery didn't last as long as I expected, but all the doctors were happy with the results. The ENT did say that in addition to the fluid we knew about, Logan had also gotten an ear infection in the 2 weeks since she'd seen him. It was so bad, she suspected that his eardrum had ruptured. He must have a pretty high pain tolerance because although he complained about his ear he didn't seem too bothered about it.

It was so sad to see him in the recovery room. He had drainage from his nose, mouth, and ear. The big concern post-op for cleft repair is for him to drink. He actually managed that before we left recovery. Go Logan!

Once we got to the room, he became a little more alert and was completely freaked out by the O2 monitor on his toe. I felt horrible because I knew it wasn't hurting him and all I wanted was to just yank it off. He eventually calmed down once we took his sock off.

He stayed fairly medicated most of the evening which allowed him to sleep. Thankfully, he was asleep when Pastor Mike came to visit because he had brought a pocketful of lollipops...something Logan can't have for at least 3 weeks. The night was the worst because he wanted either me or Paul to sleep with him and they kept coming in to check his IV or other monitors. He managed to eat some yogurt and soup for dinner as well as plenty of fluids. The next morning he had some eggs and cream of wheat for breakfast. Once we were seen by the doctor, we headed home.

The recovery at home has been okay. I slept with him the first 2 nights but after that he seemed okay. Trying to get him to eat soft foods has been a challenged but he loves ramen noodles so that is the go-to meal if he won't eat anything else. He hasn't been too curious about the stitches in his mouth so that is good. Bath time is a little more difficult because we've tried to limit the splashing since he has cotton in his ears. We have follow-up doctor appointments in 3 weeks, and I'm sure all we be good!

Fun Times x2

2011-01-24T21:32:00.000-06:00

People have asked me how Sophie is adjusting with having Logan in the home. I think she is transitioning well. Meaning she acts as you would expect her to if you suddenly gave her a brand new sibling. There's some jealousy (from both sides), some fighting (especially when they both want the same toy), but overall Sophie loves having a playmate and Logan likes playing with her, too.

I'm still trying to figure out who is leading and who is following...I think they take turns just to throw me off!

Gladney Chinese New Year Celebration

2011-01-23T20:23:00.001-06:00

Gladney had their Chinese New Year dinner at a local restaurant. Sophie wore the outfit we brought back from China. There were crafts set up for the kids (although it wasn't really the best layout for that kind of thing). Logan and Sophie ended up running all over the banquet area where we were so I guess they enjoyed.

At the Kids Table

2011-01-19T15:08:00.000-06:00

The kids love to just have free time to play and drag out every toy they own and empty every container of cars, blocks, and doll stuff, but sometimes I like them to have a little more structure. Usually after I have just gotten everything back where it belongs. So, I'll sit them at the kids table with individual activities.

There are puzzles.

Sometimes, we get messy with shaving cream.

Other times, we examine animals with the magnifying glasses.

But they always have a good time!

Dollar Store Snow

2011-01-18T13:16:00.003-06:00

I love Dollar Tree. They have some great stuff there and is the only place I can get spray bottles for the preschool. But I also know the quality that I'm getting. After all, you do get what you pay for. And for a dollar I really didn't expect much from the fake snow they had. You know the stuff where you just add water and the powder expands. The box was supposed to have the powder, a scoop and instructions. It had...the powder. So I just winged the water portion. For a buck, it was fine. Entertained the kids while I worked on some laundry. But I prefer the good stuff even though it's pricey.

Bathtub Painting

2011-01-17T12:57:00.000-06:00

I got this idea from an email I receive each day for the kids from Productive Parenting. It suggested using fingerpaints in the bathtub. I actually just used regular washable paints.Makes for easy clean-up of the art and the kids. They had a great time. And clean-up was a snap!

Fishing for Letters

2011-01-15T13:03:00.002-06:00

Both kiddos love the water, so I broke out the water buckets today. I added some sponge letters and fishnets.

Sophie decided her toes needed to be wet, too. So off came the socks and in went the feet.

Of course, what one does the other will follow.

Beans, Beans, Beans

2011-01-13T13:22:00.003-06:00

I gave the kids a measuring cup, a couple of measuring spoons, and some pinto beans. They had a blast pouring, scooping, and measuring.

Reading Tent

2011-01-12T21:31:00.003-06:00

You may recall the tent we got to go over Sophie's crib. Once she started standing up in the crib, we moved it so that it was over the rocking chair. Maw Susan showed the kids how to get in the chair and then wrap it around. She calls it the reading tent. So far they haven't pulled it out of the ceiling, but I have decided that an adult has to help them with the tent (just in case).

Riding to the Playground

2011-01-09T14:53:00.001-06:00

It warmed up enough to take the kids down to the playground. Paul pulled the kids in the wagon and I brought Sophie's little ATV and the razor in the car. Logan had a hard time on the scooter but enjoyed the ATV. I rode the scooter with Sophie before we heading to the playground.

Sophie's hair gets so static-y. It would stand straight up everytime she went down the slide.

We even let Wrangler off the tether after a bit to enjoy some running around.

Love these two!

Daddy stood at the top to help the kids down the slide and I caught them at the bottom.

Sometimes Quiet is a Good Thing

2011-01-08T20:34:00.002-06:00

I realized that the kids weren't running back and forth from their rooms to the living room and got really worried about how quiet it was. When I went to investigate, preparing myself for complete destruction of their rooms, this is what I found. So cute!

New Year's Eve 2010

2011-01-06T06:52:00.000-06:00

So on Thursday night, Paul and I are watching TV after finally getting Sophie to sleep and I realize that Friday is New Year's Eve. Paul asks if I want to do anything and I just laugh. We can't leave Logan with anyone yet, and I'm not ready to venture out with both of them (beyond a fast food place with a playground). And let's face it, all either of us really wants is a decent night's sleep. We thought about doing an early dinner but then just decided we go get barbecue and stay in. We could "celebrate" early before the kids went to bed and maybe, just maybe, Paul and I would make until midnight.

Ha! We did get barbecue (and you should see Sophie eat corn on the cob), Paul's mom had given us some sparkling cider so I poured everyone a glass at midnight (aka 8:30pm). I taught the kids how to say "cheers", but wasn't fast enough to catch it on the camera. Sophie's first taste of the carbonation was hilarious, but I guess she decided the bubbles were worth it because I had to pry the cup out of her hand later.

Then we played a game. This might become our family tradition for New Year's Eve...Family Game Night.

The kids loved playing Elefun. I'm sure this will be out again over the next few days.

After we put the kids to bed (which is an ordeal right now), Paul and I settled on the couch to watch a movie (in the hopes that it would help us stay awake until the New Year). We picked the wrong movie (The American, slow-paced and random, unconnected scenes). We got about 40 minutes into it and I was falling asleep, so we went to bed.

Happy New Year to All! I can't wait to see what 2011 has in store for the Walker family of four!

Random Pics with Paul from 2010

2010-12-30T21:33:00.001-06:00

Enjoying a potsticker that he made.

Showing me where Daddy's nose is.

Playing with Daddy in the kitchen.

Random Sophie Pictures from 2010

2010-12-30T20:36:00.007-06:00

Reading the "Elf on the Shelf" with Daddy.

Climbing at the playground.

Having lunch topless because Mommy forgot the bib and the outfit was too nice.

IHOP pancakes with Mommy.

Cleaning up.

Trying on Daddy's shoes.

More cleaning.

Fairy wings, grocery carts, and beads.

Watching "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown".

Sliding with the kitties.

How do I get out of here?

What is that?

Picking out a book to read.

Tacos for dinner.

Checking out the leaves with Wrangler.

Slobber-face!

Like my necklace?

Playing in the baskets.

Ahoy, matey!

What a cutie!

Very serious.

Christmas Morning

2010-12-25T10:39:00.004-06:00

Because Logan was jet-lagged he awoke Christmas morning at about 3:30am ready to start the day. We decided to go ahead and let him do his Santa presents which would give us some time with just him before Sophie woke up. Santa brought him a train table as well as a few other smaller toys.

After checking out the toys, we opened his stocking. He found a book...

An ornament...

And some treats to eat.

Maw Susan also let him open a couple of gifts.

We got in some playing before the little sister came in.

After a while, Sophie woke up and found her Santa presents. The big gift was a kitchen set. Look, just my size!

What should I put in here?

Logan's trying to figure out if he gets to play with it too.

Of course, Sophie got to open some Maw Susan gifts, too. Here she is showing us the Rose Barbie she got.

We also had some presents left for them to open.

After all those gifts, we had breakfast and got ready for the family to come over. Yay! More presents!

Preschool Artwork

2010-12-08T21:05:00.000-06:00

Just some of the artwork Sophie did at Preschool this semester.

Advent Calendar Day 3

2010-12-03T21:18:00.005-06:00

Decorate a Gingerbread House

I had a pre-made kit that we used for this, all you had to do was make the icing.
In goes the water...

now for the mixing.

On your mark, get set...

GO!

Sophie had a blast. I knew the house was just going in the trash when we were done (I'd bought it last year after Christmas), so we didn't care what it looked like. Maw Susan and I had just as much fun watching Sophie try to eat as much icing as possible.

Amazingly, even after all that sugar, she went to bed just fine.

Advent Countdown

2010-12-01T21:08:00.000-06:00

Even though I knew I was going to miss out on most of the Advent Activity Calendar, I still wanted to do some of it while I was with Sophie. Day 1 was...

Write letter to Santa. Now we had actually already written one because we took Sophie to see Santa over the Thanksgiving weekend (and we always give Santa our requests in writing), but this letter was the one to be mailed.

I decided to let Sophie pick out pictures of what she wanted and glue them to the letter. She has gotten very good at gluing. (Thanks, Ms. Saoni and Ms. Maria at Preschool.)

Here's her completed letter ready for the postman.

Potty Chair

2010-11-24T13:53:00.002-06:00

So I decided to get Sophie a potty chair. She's in the bathroom with me a lot anyways so she might as well start getting used to it. We gotten lucky and she has actually used it a few times. It makes noise and plays music when you do your business. Of course, she has now figured out how to make it play the songs with out doing anything, but that's okay. She loves to look at books and would probably sit here for hours if I let her.

To the Market

2010-11-22T13:58:00.000-06:00

Sophie loves to push her grocery cart all around the house. Usually she just has a doll or 2 in it but today she actually put some of her veggies and fruits in the basket.

Of course, you have to taste the foods to be sure they are the best!

Eventually she out all the food up front with the babies. Not sure why she needed the basket empty but she had something in mind. She was very focused working hard to keep the food from falling as she stacked it on top of the dolls.

Loves to Color

2010-11-11T13:24:00.002-06:00

Sophie loves to color. And thankfully, she is quite content to keep the crayons on the paper and not the walls.

Look at her grip. Not bad for just 17 months, Ms. Gail and Ms. Marsha would be proud. They will be teaching her Handwriting Without Tears in a couple of years at preschool.

Halloween Ice Cream Treat

2010-11-09T20:18:00.003-06:00

Maw Susan sent Sophie a dollar in her Halloween card so we decided to use it on ice cream instead of candy. Sophie loved it!

Thanks to her Daddy we even got a picture of Mommy showing Sophie how to lick, instead of just shoving her face into the cone.

Random Preschool Pics

2010-11-01T22:29:00.000-05:00

Church Carnival

2010-10-31T21:39:00.002-05:00

Our church's youth group has a children's Halloween carnival every year. We decided to go there before heading over to Paul's parents for trick-or-treating. Sophie got to try each of the games, we shared a funnel cake, and did the cookie walk.

After going to the Boo at the Zoo, Sophie was prepared for playing the game and then choosing a piece of candy from the bucket. I think her favorite game was the duck pond. You know how much she loves the water!

Pumpkin Hunt

2010-10-31T21:31:00.002-05:00

We put the pumpkins we've been getting at all the pumpkin patches to good use by having a pumpkin hunt (think eggs at Easter). I can see this being the go-to activity for at least another week. She had lots of fun finding the pumpkins and putting them in her bucket.

Halloween Night

2010-10-31T21:20:00.002-05:00

After the Youth's Carnival at church, we headed to Grandma and Grandad's for trick-or-treating. It didn't take Sophie long to figure out what to do. Although, I think she preferred the wagon ride better than anything else.

Boo at the Zoo

2010-10-30T21:49:00.000-05:00

I'd been wanting to take Sophie to the zoo's Halloween event. We lucked out that Paul was able to go with us. It wasn't what I expected. I thought there would be games, crafts, and shows throughout the zoo that you could participate while you looked at the animals. Instead they had everything in the pavilion area. They did have separate games for the littlest ones like Sophie, plus an animal show and a DJ/dance.

Sophie enjoyed playing the games and getting to pick a small toy as her prize. We did see a couple of animals before we headed to the pavilion. The zoo had a bonobo monkey born earlier in the summer. Usually, Baby Layla is clinging to her mommy. But today she was walking around...so cute!

Playing in the Rain

2010-10-28T11:42:00.002-05:00

We put on our rain gear and headed outside (at least until the lightening started). I took some plastic boats to play with. Sophie had fun letting the boats float in the water by our driveway. She was so funny because she just plopped herself right down in the puddles. Then she figured out that she could splash when she stomped through them.

Rain Tye Dye Art

2010-10-28T11:37:00.002-05:00

We ended up staying on Saturday (we had planned to go do something with my sister but then the rain started). We took advantage of the rain and created this art project. We colored coffee filters with markers, then put them outside to get rained on.

Finished piece!

Pumpkin Patch #5

2010-10-28T11:23:00.002-05:00

Yes, we did go to another pumpkin patch. I needed a carving pumpkin for preschool so we stopped by this one at a church. They had a lot of pumpkins still but I didn't like that the man working couldn't tell me more about where the money was going. Sophie had a great time running from one area to another. She really liked the big huge pumpkins, using them as chairs and trying to roll them around.

We brought home 4 of these small ones. They gave us these stickers so we made our family, April, Paul, Sophie and Logan!

Games at the Mall

2010-10-24T20:22:00.002-05:00

Last weekend we went to an outdoor mall to walk around. I had been wanting to go and check it out so it worked out well. We found some things to take to China to give the adoption officials as gifts, had dinner at Max 'N Cheese, bought me some jeans and Paul some dress pants. Sophie enjoyed running around and playing with these big game pieces.

Max 'N Cheese was a small walk-up place that had macaroni and cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches, PB& J sandwiches, and hot dogs. You could get a topping on your mac and cheese. Sophie had goldfish crackers and Paul and I had tuna. It was really good mac & cheese!

Tot School Letter Magnets

2010-10-24T20:17:00.001-05:00

I only pulled out the first 4 letters to play with this week. She had fun putting them on our metal door. We sorted by letter and also by color.

I wish I knew what she was thinking in this shot.

Lincoln Square Pumpkins

2010-10-24T20:11:00.002-05:00

Yes, we went to another pumpkin patch! This one was right by church so we just stopped in to look around and get a pumpkin. The weather has been so great so pumpkin patches are great little escapes for some outside playtime.

Sophie picked out the pumpkin that is in the fore ground below. It's called a Peanut Pumpkin. We think it is very appropriate to have a peanut pumpkin while the Rangers are in the playoffs.

Go Rangers!!!

Go Rangers!

2010-10-23T11:50:00.000-05:00

I decided to have a Rangers Spirit Day at the preschool. I couldn't find actual Rangers shirts so I just got Sophie a red shirt. Each of the classes made these Ranger inspired art pieces.

What Sophie Does at Preschool

2010-10-18T22:16:00.001-05:00

Artwork to glue.

Climbing the stairs.

Hanging out in the castle.

Where are all my friends?

Cruising in the coup.

Riding the horsey.

Sliding.

Coloring sheets after naptime.

Waiting for Mommy to come get me.

Naptime.

Lunch!

Playing with friends.

Snacktime.

Coloring.

Pumpkins With a Mission

2010-10-15T00:11:00.005-05:00

So this is the third pumpkin patch of this year. I took my little friend Hope a few years ago and have come back every year.

I couldn't get Sophie to stand in front of this so I could get a picture. Finally, I thought to put the sticker they gave her on it and then tell her to take it off. Score!

She really likes the bumpy ones, but her daddy said we couldn't bring any of those home.

Look closely...see the tongue.

Tot School 2nd Week of October

2010-10-14T23:44:00.007-05:00

1. I pulled these lizards out today and put Sophie in the bathtub with them while I took a shower.

2. Sophie wasn't as impressed with these plastic sea creatures. We might try again another but this day she was more interested in...

trying to do a somersault.

3. Sophie loved the vinyl clings so much I decided to try these gel clings this week. I think they were an even bigger hit.

I think she was trying to determine if they smelled as good as they looked.

4. Sophie likes getting the tot school trays out and even though it's just playing for her, I still try to add a little more to it. We do lots of sorting by coloring, counting and identifying objects. With these magnets I'd create pictures and she'd mess them up.

This is what happened when I asked "Where's the yellow airplane?" I didn't even know she knew where airplanes were.

5. I bought these rainforest animals to use at VBS this summer. Sophie and I used to count legs, sort by those with tails and those without, and by color.

What is she doing?

2010-10-14T23:31:00.002-05:00

This is what she is doing...putting rose petals in the sprinkler thingy hole.

Playing Outside

2010-10-12T23:25:00.000-05:00

Sophie found Paul's soccer ball in the closet and wanted to play, so we headed outside. She had fun but liked throwing the ball better than trying to kick it.

And this is what she did when I said "Ready to go in?!?"

I think that was a "no".

Big Helper

2010-10-11T17:34:00.002-05:00

Sophie has become such a big helper. She will throw away trash, put her dirty clothes in the hamper, and help her Daddy. Today he was changing out the AC filters. Sophie would carry the new one for him and then walk with him to rinse of the vent. So big!