All things green

For St. Patty's day I decided that I would really do it up big. I had found some affordable (aka practically free) ways to make it an extra special day. Our town has a St Patty's day parade every year and we decided that since they loved the parade of lights so much they would really love this parade. We got there a little late and there were so many people I thought it was a lost cause, but with some patience the kids managed perfect front row seats. They got lot's of candy and flyers and got to see all of the dancers, floats, and animals up close. They were waving and smiling and overall I think very happy. The sun was bright and warm and everyone was dressed in green and full of energy.

After the Parade we headed home to have a green lunch. Green grapes, granny smith apples, cucumbers, applesauce in green pouches, green goldfish, green apple juice, and a ham wrap with green lettuce. The kids thought this was so much fun to each everything green. I had also tried explaining to Lilly about leprechauns and how on St Patrick day they come out and if you catch him he has to tell you where his pot of gold is hidden. Lilly was so excited to try to catch him so after lunch we "built" out trap. Nothing to fancy, but sure of it's ability to trap the little bugger.We put some bait (lucky charms) and went to take our rests hoping for a little green surprise when we woke up.

Unfortunately the little leprechaun was to quick for our trap and alas we didn't catch him. But as he ran away he dropped some of his gold coins behind him and finally before disappearing he left a little treat for each kiddo as if to say better luck next year. We will surely try again next year and hopefully we'll get him. St Patrick's day may not be a true holiday and may have very little to do with true Irish culture, but I will take any excuse to make an extra special, fun filled day for the kids.

Farmin' it up

With this past week being spring break we have had some incredible weather. We wanted to take advantage of it by getting out and getting some much needed vitamin D. The kids were having a great week with walks, trips to the park, picnics and also the much loved farm. It's been a while since we'd been and so Lilly was very excited to get to go again. Kyle was excited because he loves cows and although he doesn't remember going before he was still up for the ride.

When we got there the first thing Kyle saw were the cows and he was so excited he started jumping up and down and waving yelling hi over and over to the cows. Once we went in to see the rest of the animals both kids were a little uneasy at first around the animals, it was lunch time and they were all looking for some lunch, but after some time spent just walking around, they warmed up and really started to enjoy themselves.

A little girl who's name was also Lilly shared some of her animal food with the kids and after some demonstrating they stepped up and fed the goats. It started out as them getting close and kind of tossing the food towards their mouth and then finally they decided to let the goats eat out of their hands. They would laugh each time saying it tickled and then quickly scoop up more and try again.

We also went up to the top of the silo to explore only to find it was a ladybug paradise. There were so many of them and Lilly was thrilled to try to get them to climb on her hand. Kyle just wanted to play bug squash though.

There is nothing better than spending days building memories with my little ones. Even though we may visit somewhere over and over again each time is a special one. The farm is a place that many memories have been made and many more waiting. Sunny days and smiles are all I need.

The letter F

My turn to teach preschool came and went. I had a lot of fun thinking of what fun things I might be able to teach about. The other mommies had some really fun classes and Lilly loved them so I knew the bar had been set high. I racked my brain as to what topics might be fun and I decided to lead off with 2 topics I find to be of great importance. Fire safety and Friends/manners.

I tried to get as creative as possible with still keeping it preschool friendly. For fire safety day we talked about the rules of fire safety and practiced stop drop and roll as well as crawling low to the ground under smoke. We sang songs about fire truck and 911as well as did some fun crafts; a firefighter friend (made out of a toilet paper roll) and a fire truck made out of geometric shapes.

For our lesson on friends and manners we read books about friends (Bear's New Friend and also Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy), sang songs about using our manners, made friendship bracelets out of cereal, and made a hand print garden of friends. We used a paper heart and toothpaste to help us understand how words hurt and are hard to take back. And we had an amazing snack of friendship salad. Fruits of all kinds coming together to make one yummy treat.

It was so much fun and I learned so much as did the kids. Lilly told us in the car the other day that she really liked it when she had mommy as her teacher. Reassurance I must be doing something right.

A first for our first

Ziff and I have gone back and forth on the idea of preschool. Lilly has a strong desire to learn and we want to foster that now while she is still young so as she progresses in school that passion to learn with not fade. We tried the at home preschool route a few months ago, but it didn't really go how we had hoped. Don't get me wrong she learned a lot and I think she liked the idea of it, but she didn't have a lot of social interaction and so she wanted more of that verses more time with mommy.

We toyed with and looked into the idea of a formal preschool, but it just wasn't something we felt ready for. The financial commitment alone is enough to make us say no, but then with the hours that a lot of preschools offer it would be like giving up 2 full days with her and we weren't ready for that. So finally we were approached about a co-op that some of our friends from church were starting up. We loved the idea of a co-op.

Getting to be involved in Lilly's learning is exciting and important. We all benefit from this route. Lilly is involved in school learning new things, she is with mommies that we know and trust and share our same beliefs and values, Kyle gets more one on one time with Ziff and I, and I still get to be involved and teach every few weeks. Every Monday and Thursday she wakes up excited and ready to go and the days in between she asks if its a school day yet.

  

I find myself looking at Lilly and realizing how much she really has grown up. I feel in my heart that I have savored these last 3 1/2 years and I have no regrets to the time we have spent with her and I don't feel like we have missed out of anything, which is maybe partially why I have not really noticed how big she has really gotten. It is not until I drop her off, wave good bye, watch as she runs off to be with her friends and wait longingly for that moment she looks back and gives me that "I'm okay" smile that I truly can see my big girl.

A day of love

As per tradition we celebrated Valentine's day with our playgroup friends having a little party. Special food, cookie decorating, and passing of the valentines. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to make the kids valentines like I have done in the past but somehow I was able to crank some out. Lilly wanted butterfly valentines and for kyle we made little hearts that looks like sports balls. The party was fun and the kids had a great time.

Valentines day may be a commercial holiday to some and I will say that I fall guilty of sometimes dreaming of the big romantic gestures, but the main reason I love this holiday because it is a day to go above and beyond our normal everyday level and really take the extra measure to make the people we love feel special. I want our kids and my husband to be able to look back at the pictures and read my blog and know that I love them more than anything and that I have tired to go that extra mile to make them feel special.

Sledding

I hate to admit that in Lilly's almost 4 years of life we have never taken her sledding. We have attempted some makeshift sledding here and there but nothing like the real thing. This year we had an amazing snowstorm it snowed 12 inches in 12 hours and so how could we resist the call to go out an play in this perfect winter play land. Getting dressed in our snow clothes was almost as fun as the sledding itself. We played for nearly an hour and Lilly was so brave. She went down all by herself and then climbed the hill with her sled in tow all by herself. After the first few times she even went down head first. She had no trouble keeping up with all of the older kids who were playing out there.

Kyle wasn't really sure about it. I took him down several times and he seemed to like it. He would smile and laugh and then I would ask him if he wanted to do it again and he'd quickly say no. About halfway through it started to get pretty windy which made it feel much colder than it really was. I think that this contributed to Kyle not having as much fun as he could have. He has a hard time regulating his body temperature and has poor circulation. The last 15 minutes he started screaming and crying inconsolably and I had to take him into a nearby business and warm him up. It still took him a good 10 minutes before he was warm enough to stop crying and then he fell asleep in my arms.

 Afterwards we headed inside and enjoyed some hot cocoa with whipped cream and sprinkles. A prefect end to our sledding adventure. Overall it was a great time had by all. I even got to get in there and play too. I only wish I would have bundled Kyle a little more so he would have enjoyed it more. We will definitely be adding sledding to our snow day musts!

Santa, Presents, and Love

Christmas morning Kyle was the first one up. He didn't really notice the presents at first we walked right past an into another room to keep him distracted until Lilly woke up. She slept in which is pretty unusual for her these days and at 8 am my impatience overtook me and I went to wake her up. She was not very happy that I didn't let her sleep longer, I think it was mostly because she wasn't feeling well, but when she walked downstairs and saw all of the presents under the tree all she could say was "WOW". At that moment I knew it was going to be a special morning.

We opened our stockings and then went to have some breakfast. This year I opted to make monkey bread. It was a huge hit. After breakfast we went to open the rest of the gifts. Lilly's energy was running out fast and about half way through she melted into a big lump on her daddy's lap. It was sad to see her feeling so icky on such a fun day. Waking up and having our family together with so many blessings under the tree and to see the smiles on our kids faces really helped us to understand the true meaning of Christmas and to feel the real spirit of the day.

When all you have has been lost or is gone and you suddenly feel yourself unsure of what's to come, you find yourself on your knees praying and not for what one might think. Our prayers were not for that of things that could be worn or played with, but more for what can be felt. When you are humbled to this point miracles can happen. We may never know why prayers are answered the way they are, but only thank Heavenly Father that they were answered at all. 2011 is a special Christmas we will not soon forget, but one that we will cherish for many years. We felt the spirit so much and such an
unconditional love. There is no present wrapped under a tree that can satisfy as much as that. Merry CHRISTmas all!

Getting ready for Christmas

Christmas was interesting this year. We were not at all where we thought we would be and because of circumstances we waited until the week of to get ready for in. The spirit of Christmas was with us more so than ever before. We weren't sure how everything was going to come together, but through dear friends and family and guardian angels we had an amazing Christmas filled with lots of love.

We spent the days leading up to Christmas baking, wrapping, and watching Christmas movies. Poor Lilly wasn't feeling to good though. 2 days before Christmas she wound up with a pretty bad ear infection. We spent a lot of time trying to nurse her back to health while in between trying to help her also get into the spirit of the holiday. We drank a lot of cocoa and snuggled tons.

We started a new tradition of baking a birthday cake for Jesus. We wanted to start while they are young to help them have a better understanding of why we celebrate Christmas. To help them understand that no matter how much or how little we may have our true gift is Jesus. I wasn't sure if Lilly would have an understanding but I didn't give her enough credit. She's a quick little cookie because a few days later she noticed that some had been eaten and asked who was eating it and when I told her Daddy had some she gasped and said "that was for JESUS!"

Also the classic tradition of the kids getting to open one special gift on Christmas eve and of course it was new pj's. The kids started pipping off their clothes and putting them on. It was pretty cute. After we got all set in our pj's we set out our cookies and milk for Santa and a special letter from Lilly, said our prayers and headed to bed.

Parade of lights

Looking for something fun to do to get into the holiday spirit we bundled up and braved the cold and headed out to downtown Marysville for their annual parade of lights. Besides being freezing cold the kids loved seeing all the fun lights and hearing the bands play their music. It lasted just long enough that the kids were able to sit through the whole thing, any longer though and they might have missed Santa at the end who ditched his sleigh and opted for a big red firetruck. Lilly said afterwards "that's so silly Santa's in a firetruck". Cinderella was also there with her fairy godmother in a lighted carriage Lilly thought is was pretty special and afterwards got the chance to meet Cinderella, but she was so awestruck she froze up and couldn't talk. I am sure she would have loved to say a lot to her, but just seeing her up close was pretty magical. Kyle really liked the dancers and the school bus that was all decked out in lights. It was a pretty great kick off to the holiday season.

BIT

The kids are always up to bake and love any chance they can get into the kitchen and get busy. Lilly has been baking with me pretty much since she could sit up and Kyle has been in there with us since he could sit in his bumbo seat. Baking is something I love and I truly enjoy sharing something I love with them. They have grown so much in the kitchen. Lilly can now crack eggs all by herself without getting egg shells in the batter and Kyle can now see into his bowl and can stir almost without a mess. It's getting more fun each time we get in there and is something our family can enjoy together. They are my little Bakers in Training.

 

 

 Mix it all together

  

"Pwease Willy"

Being silly

Lilly and Kyle have quite the personalities! They are 2 very different little people but they do have some commonalities. They both love to laugh and to make people laugh. I have tried to catch them a few times being silly on camera and just had to share because, well, they made me smile.

Giving thanks

Although 2011 has had many struggles we still have so much to be thankful for. Thanksgiving this year was a perfect representation of all of the things we have to give thanks for. The things that truly mean most...Family. In 2011 we were able to reconnect and introduce my sister, Elizabeth, and her husband, Chad. We were also able to spend time with Ziff's parents getting to know them better and giving our kids the opportunity to build their relationship with their grandparents.

There is no better way to celebrate than with family.We spent this year with Elizabeth and Chad at Chad's mom's house. We visited, watched football, played, and ate until our stomachs could fit no more. It was low key but so great! One of our best Thanksgivings yet! They just keep getting better and better!