Playgroup fire station tour

It has been a very long time since I have posted much of anything.  I have a bazillion pictures and some post drafts started (for pretty much the greater part of the year 2014).  Now that I have a new computer that doesn't shut down on me when I finally get started on something, I hope to not only catch up, but keep caught up.  So.... you will soon see multiple posts that have happened throughout the year.  Enjoy!

A month ago, our playgroup (that I am the leader of) went on a tour to the fire station. Even though it is a volunteer organization, they were very accommodating. At the beginning of the tour, he asked the kids what they wanted to do. He said they could touch anything they wanted to because they weren't going to break anything. We started out by sitting in the fire engine.

 My kids were shy at first (pretty typical) and didn't want to be the first ones in. After everyone else had finished they decided they wanted to get in. Eliza was able to sit in the front. She didn't like that very much and was much more comfortable sitting in the back with Zabien. the firefighter let them pull off all the tools and gadgets they wanted to.  Zaby was a little more excited to drive but was still hesitant because he had to do it alone.

 After they explored the inside of the fire truck, the kids got to ring the bell. Both of them really enjoyed that.

 Later they got to try and lift the rescue tools. It was after picking up one of these that I realized why there are very few female firefighters. The tools we're extremely heavy , and I can't imagine having to not only lift it, but hold it steady enough to use.  They had a 180 pound dummy that they used to practice carrying people out of the house. I know that I could never lift it. We got to see the Fire Museum that had equipment from the early nineteen hundreds. The kids also got to try on the firefighters gear and helmet . I have no pictures of this because neither Zabien nor Eliza would try them on. This surprised me; I  thought Zaby would love to try them on.

I managed to convince them to sit on the back of the fire truck long enough to pose for a picture. For the most part all of the children had a good time. Eliza's favorite part was the fire safety book and coloring book they gave her at the end.

  

Byers choice play group visit

Down the road from where we live is Byers choice.  They make carolers that they ship all around the world. I've always wanted to go there and check out what they have. Scheduling a play group there was the perfect excuse to check it out.

Zaby was very fascinated by wooden reindeer out front.  It took a long time to get inside because he would have stood there looking at the reindeer until he froze to death. He wanted to ride it but I dont think it was sturdy enough to do that,  besides the fact that they are merely for decoration.

 

Once inside,  we were greeted with fake snow, and these cute statues for the perfect photo opportunity.  As you can see Eliza was a bit hesitant at first. She eventually warmed up to the idea but wasn't cooperative for a picture. 

 

While these reindeer sang to us, the kids each made a bag of reindeer food.  If we sprinkle this outside on Christmas eve, it will encourage Santa's reindeer to come and visit.

 

We got to walk through the factory and observe them putting the dolls together. 

We also walked through the display area.  This was so cool. I've always loved the carolers and Christmas display. If they weren't so expensive,  I would have a house full of them.  It's not real practical right now with the munchkins around, but we might be able to find somewhere Zaby can't climb up to.

I especially enjoyed the nativities from around the world but I didn't think the pictures would turn out very well through the glass.

Walking through the gift shop made me nervous because Zaby kept picking up and touching everything.  At least the displays were more out of his reach.

 

 

I really liked seeing the collection of nutcrackers they had.  I like seeing them, but would probably  not be one to collect them because I think they have creepy looking faces. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They had a dress up area. With shirts, skirts, coats, and hats similar to what the dolls were wearing.  Although they wouldn't put on any of the clothing, the kids loved trying on all the different hats. 

 

The kids played with an old fashioned spinning wheel, and enjoyed seeing all the Christmas decorations. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before we left, the kids wrote letters to Santa (but they wouldn't put them in the mail box). We got some juice and cookies, and called it a day. 

It was a great way to get in the Christmas mood.   

Halloween 2014 Trick or Treating

Trick or treating with the kids was really fun this year.  I borrowed a bee keepers suit from someone in our ward who really does keep bees.  It was perfect to dress up as a beekeeper while walking around with a little bumblebee.  The kids were super excited to go out, they had everything planned out, and they both practiced saying "Twick or Tweet."  

 Zabien particularly enjoyed ringing everyone's doorbell - that very well may have been his favorite part.  When the home owners would open the door, I would look at Zaby and say, "What do you say?"  I expected him to say "trick or treat," but what he always said turned out to be even cuter - "Roar!" is what came out of his mouth.  Of course, he was trying to stay true to his costume.  Some houses had ghosts on their porches as well.  At those houses, Zaby immediately said "Boo" when they opened the door.  Eliza put all of her treats in her bucket, eager to get more.  Zabien opted to try and eat everything given to him - he didn't like putting things in his bucket .  He held a bunch of candy in one hand, and ate piece after piece with his other hand.

Here are the kids with all their loot.

I borrowed this awesome costume from someone in our ward who really is a bee keeper.  It took me a little while to get used to the hood, but it turned out to be a successful costume.  It was so fun to go as a bee keeper when Eliza went as a bee.  We had a lot of comments along with a lot of treats.

We went to some new houses this year.  We will definitely be returning to those houses year after year; they give 2 or 3 full size candy bars to each trick or treater.  I guess this is the benefit of not having that many children in our neighborhood.

Yes, they got way more treats than we know what to do with.  

Preschool and playgroup Halloween party

Eliza started preschool at the local high school at the beginning of October (more pictures and information coming about that later.)  She really enjoys going to preschool, and having parties and activities that her brother gets to go to makes her even happier.  I love that she loves her brother so much that she wants him to go to everything with her.  For the Halloween party, all family members were invited - parents and siblings.  Zabien was particularly excited to put on his "Roar!" (tiger) costume.  He wasn't a big fan of the tiger hood, but he wore the costume all day, only taking it off for bed.  He didn't stop there, he wore it for a couple more days after Halloween.  

Eliza was a cute little bumblebee.  Here she is trick or treating to various classrooms with her high school buddy, Sam.  When Eliza first starting attending the preschool, she really didn't say much to anyone.  By the end of the month, she chatted her buddy's ear off.  The entire time they were trick or treating around the high school, she told her "buddy" Sam all about her costume, why she chose it, her brother's costume, what she was hoping to get from trick or treating, and even that she was going to have a baby.  

After trick or treating, we went back to the classroom and had Halloween treats.  I took the kids out of their costumes because it was so warm in the classroom, they were both starting to sweat.  Each parent signed up to bring a treat of some kind, so there were about 16 different things to choose from.  Eliza made sure that Zaby had a seat right next to her.  

 When snack time was over, the kids broke open a pinata.  For some reason, pinatas absolutely terrify Eliza.  She doesn't want to see them break (or anything break for that matter) even if they are full of treats. She stayed at her table instead of going over to the rug to participate.  Eliza and Zaby were the only ones not circled around the pinata.  I kept trying to coax them over closer to the pinata and explained to them that lots and lots of treats were inside.  Finally, after all the other children had a turn hitting the pinata, Zabien decided to give it a shot.  He loves to swing and hit things at home, but in front of a crowd of people, his shy nature seems to come out.  He tapped the pumpkin one time with the stick and called it good.

 After much persuading, I finally convinced Eliza to give it a shot.  I have no pictures of her hitting the pinata because she would only try if I was holding onto the stick with her.   It's hard to take a picture of someone hitting a pinata when you are helping them hit it.  I would have liked a picture because I was impressed that she finally decided to participate.

When the teacher finally burst open the piñata for everyone to grab treats, all the kids piled in the middle and excitedly filled their bags with treats grabbing handfuls at a time; all the kids except mine.  Zabien picked up 6 treats, then quickly retreated to the table.  Eliza carefully sorted through the treats, only picking up the ones she liked.  She put 6 or so in her bag, then looked at me and told me that she was going to pick up 5 more treats for Zabien.  Seriously, how thoughtful is that.  I assured her that Zaby had his own bag, and could pick up his own treats.  She could take as many as she wanted.  She carefully chose about 6 more, and said that she had enough.  As long as she was happy, who was I to complain that she didn't take more.   I ended up putting a few more pieces in Zaby's bag because I thought he would actually want more when it came down to eating them.  The got a lot of candy, but not as much as they could have gotten had they been a bit more aggressive.  I must say that I am actually glad that they are not overly aggressive when it comes to things like this, but I do want them to participate. 

After the piñata, there was a little bit of free time before dismissal.  Zabien made himself right at home with this wooden scooter bike. It was difficult to get him to leave when the time came.  He is sad that he hasn't been able to go to preschool with Eliza everyday. 

The very next day was Halloween.  I hosted a Halloween party for our playgroup at my house.  The kids came in costume, and participated in a variety of games and activities.  We had a bean bag toss through a cardboard Jack-O-Lantern.  We also had a pumpkin ring toss (top left picture).  The kids liked his one but preferred to set the rings on top rather than throwing them.  We also did pumpkin bowling (the bottom pictures).  Zabien particularly enjoyed this one.  Earlier I pasted black eyes and mouth on 10 milk cartons to make them look more like ghosts; however, after the first bowler, all of the eyes and mouth popped off.  I was hoping to use them for porch decorations later, so I ended up swapping the milk jugs for toilet paper rolls.  They actually worked better for this bowling activities, they were just lacking the ghost like decorations I had on the milk cartons.  We ate Halloween treats, played Halloween bingo, made a few crafts, and made popcorn glove hands. 

The kids really got into painting pumpkins - I'm surprised how long Zaby's attention was kept by this activity.  

After the party, the kids and I decorated our porch for trick or treating that evening.  

We put tea candles inside the milk cartons. It was cool to see them all lit up at night 

We even made a little ghost trail right up to our front door.

And finally... a few snapshots of the little Bumblebee.  

Buzz!  Buzz! 

The two cute kids together.  

Pumpkin Patch

Back in the middle of October, we took the children on a field trip to the pumpkin patch for playgroup.  We took a short hay ride to the patch.  One of the workers explained to the children how pumpkins grow and what to look for when picking out the perfect pumpkin.  As you can tell from the bottom right picture, Eliza for some reason, was not particularly thrilled by the hay ride.  Zabien on the other hand was so infatuated with the tractor that he became upset when I made him sit down (hence the grump look on his face).  She had so much fun at the pumpkin patch last year that I thought she would have a ball choosing her pumpkin.  This time, she chose the closest one to her, then went straight back to the wagon to wait for everyone else.  

Zabien was a bit more indecisive.  He grabbed the prickly part of the vine right away.  After that, he was very put off about holding his pumpkin - I ended up bagging and lugging it around for him.

After choosing our pumpkins from the patch, we headed over to the corn maze and giant slide.  

The corn maze this year was more challenging than last year.  We got turned around several times, and only managed to get out by having some of the moms stand by the entrances to the dead ends or roads we had already been on.  The kids didn't seem to mind at all - they thought running up and down the corn aisles through the mud was the best thing they could do that day.  

 I couldn't get any pictures of the kids going down the giant slide because Eliza went down in front of me, and I had to go down with Zabien in order for him to go.  You have to go down the slide in order to exit the corn maze.

Perhaps the highlight of the morning was the ice cream cone at the end of the tour.  This was Zabien's first ice cream cone, and he wasn't quite sure what to do with it when he got down to the cone.  A grandparent of one of the other children kept telling him to bite it.  Zaby stuck his face into the middle and when he went to "bite" the ice cream, he ended up sucking it up his nose.  After I demonstrated for him, he finally got it down and enjoyed the entire thing.

 Eliza is an old pro at ice cream cones - she wouldn't even share one bite with me! :)  Based on the smiles received when back in the van, I would say the morning was a success.

**  A couple of weeks later, our family rode the Perkasie Lions Club hayride.  It's something we look forward to every year.  I don't know why Eliza insisted on being so silly during this picture - no matter how much bribing we did, she wanted to "pretend" to be asleep.  The smile on her face clearly proves that she is merely pretending. The kids ask to go on a hay ride all the time, so it was a good thing we made it happen. 

 The entire ride Zabien said, "Brrm Brmm" over and over again.  If the tractor driver would have let Zaby even sit in the driver's seat, he would have been in little boy heaven. I find it a bit humorous that he has this football in his hand.  Every time we leave the house, we have to take something with us.  It is usually his little green scriptures, but this time it was his football.  I was a bit nervous he would suddenly throw it at someone (the kid has a good arm), but he held it tightly the whole time. 

An awkward picture at most.  I was trying to catch them getting off the hay wagon.  Picture quality took a back seat to safety though - they both needed help climbing down the ladder.