Playgroup valentine's party

The Valentines playgroup activity was held at the church this year instead of someone's house.  This turned out to be the best since close to 20 children were there.  We started off by decorating Valentine's bags.  Zaby was much to grumpy and the activity was too demanding for me to take any pictures of that.  After the bag decorations, we completed two different crafts.  Eliza is holding up her fruit loop heart.  She was particularly excited about this craft since fruit loops is her favorite cereal.  

 

It didn't take long for the kids to find their way over to the treat table.  In fact, half of my sugar cookies were gone before any of the mom's really noticed that the kids were helping themselves.  It was then we decided to have the kids sit down while they enjoyed the plethora of Valentines Day treats present.   

After snack we passed out Valentines.  Eliza was very excited to hand out her Frozen valentines and even more excited to get one in return.  Her hair is braided like Elsa most days.  She sits really well for her hair to get combed and tells me how she wants her hair down by naming a particular princess. (i.e. Anna, Elsa, Cinderella, Belle, Ariel, Jasmine, Snow White).  It's funny because even after I comb her hair to look like the princess, he will comment, "but it's not red like Ariel," or "Snow White's hair is black."  Sorry girly, you can't change your hair color as easily as you can your hair style.   

After the Valentine exchange, we played heart walk.  Eliza participated the first time only, and got discouraged when she didn't win.  She opted to just watch, and get a prize at the end when everyone did.   

Zaby thought it was the best to just stand in the same place, and have the other children walk around him.  This method didn't work any better than Eliza's when it came to winning a prize.   

Afterwards, we played Valentines bingo.  Eliza stuck with it and managed to get a bingo.  Zabien simply enjoyed eating the sweethearts they used as markers.  Both children got a prize at the end of the activity.  By the time playgroup was over, both children were satisfied with their loot and spent the rest of the afternoon looking through their valentines bags. I would say the activity was a success.  Thankfully I wasn't even in charge of it this time.   

Valentines day

I started off the morning by giving my hand-made valentines to the kids and Bruce.  Eliza also got a Frozen shirt and Frozen socks - she wore all 6 pairs at different times that day.  I gave Zabien a plush Grover doll (which he calls Grover's Farm, after a favorite book of his), and an "ah ah George", Curious George movie.  Bruce got a new pair of running shorts.  Before we left for our trip, Bruce gave me a new foot controlled garbage can.  It may not be the most romantic gift, but it is very practical which I think are the best gifts anyway.  The kids gave me a set of metallic beads which they quickly claimed for themselves (claiming that mommy was sharing with them permanently), and 3 Valentines balloons. 

Rather than having a romantic night out with just the parents, we decided to take the whole family for a weekend getaway.  We drove 1.5 hours east to Atlantic City, New Jersey where we stayed at the Atlantic Palace resort - right on the Atlantic City boardwalk.  We had high hopes to walk along the famous boardwalk, mowzy down the beach searching for seashells, and stroll through downtown.  However, the weather was bitter cold. Temperatures were below zero, and in the negative teens with the wind chill factor.  When a strong gust of wind knocked over both kids with our first step outside, we immediately turned around and walked back inside.  We opted to drive the 3 blocks over to the Trump Taj Mahal, a famous buffet, where we planned to have lunch.  Fortunately we found meter parking, and only had to pay 1.50 instead of the required 20.00 to park at the casino buffet.    

Zabien really like the golden elephant statues.  If it were warmer, we may have taken more time to glance at them.  As it was, Zabien was a little frozen statue - so cold, he couldn't even move.   We literally stopped long enough to snap the photos, then proceeded to run inside. 

Eliza marched down the sidewalk singing "Let it Go" at the top of her lungs.   I hate to break it to you sweet heart, but this cold really did "bother me anyway." 

Our Valentines lunch turned out to be more eventful than expected.  First of all, we expected a casino buffet to be relatively inexpensive (we must be used to the casino buffets in Las Vegas).  Unfortunately, buffets on the east coast, in regards to price, are nothing like they are on the west.  But.. it is Valentines Day after all, so we bucked up and paid the pretty penny they charged. 

The kids were extremely excited by the buffet choices.  Zabien no doubt had eyes bigger than his stomach.  He pointed to every dish available and wanted some on his plate - even the exotic stuff.  I do have to hand it to him that he literally took a bite of everything on his plate.  He ate so fast, then proceeded to run circles around the surrounding, empty tables.  The big surprise came when finally went to retrieve him.  I grabbed him as he ran by, and as soon as I picked him up, he managed to toss his cookies all over me and the floor.  His words, "I ok mommy. I not sick."  After I managed to clean it up as best I could with napkins left on a near by table, Zaby eagerly went right back to the buffet line wanting more because he was suddenly "hungry" again.  The silly kid ate drank enough chocolate milk and ate enough chocolate ice cream to last him the rest of the month.     

After lunch, we drove a few more blocks to visit and climb a lighthouse.  This original lighthouse was the tallest in the city and was used as a lighthouse until the 60s when the skyline of Atlantic City completely changed.  The lighthouse is no longer the tallest building, nor is it visible from the ocean anymore.  We managed to climb all 220 stairs to the top - Eliza walked up every one.  Zaby suffered from voluntary and sporadic leg paralysis (which he does often when he doesn't want to walk) and needed to be carried to the top.  The picture above is the two of them posing from on the landings.   

Bruce and I at the very top on the lookout.  It was so COLD!  By this time, the snow and ice storms started, so we didn't stay on the landing for long.   

Bruce was such  good sport through it all.  The stairs were so narrow going down that Eliza had a hard time walking.  We thought it was safer for her to be carried.  Of course, being about 7 months pregnant, it wasn't safer for me to carry any of the kids down.  Bruce carried Zaby down, walked back up, and carried Eliza down.  When it was all said and done, Bruce probably climbed the 220 lighthouse stairs the equivalence of 3 times.   

A selfie in front of the lighthouse. 

That evening, we ate popcorn and Valentines cookies in our room while we watched Wreck-It Ralph.  I had to take this picture because my children don't tend to sit through an entire movie (with the exception of Frozen).  They both sat and watched the movie from start to finish.  Zabien said he really liked it; Eliza claims she didn't, but she did watch the whole thing.  If she truly didn't like it, she would not have sat through the whole thing.   

Despite the bitter cold, it was  fun Valentines Day weekend spent together as a family.   Maybe next year we will have a little more warmth and a little less throw up.  Happy Valentines Day everyone!

3 kids 3 and under

That is what our family will be come the middle of April

Eliza is excited!



Zabien is unsure!

Baby is due to arrive on or around April 20, 2015

  

Mom is 27 weeks

We chose not to find out the gender in advance this time.  That is the topic of conversation at our house lately, what will it be? 

About a month ago, Eliza was sure it is a girl.  She told everyone she knew that she was going to have a baby sister.  I mentioned to her that it could be a boy, and what if it was a brother instead.  She looked at me and said with absolute certainty, "But it's not boy, it's a sister."  She later told  that I could call it a brother, but that it was really a sister.  She said she would pray really hard, and Heavenly Father would give her a sister.  If it wasn't a sister this time, she would pray really hard and next time Heavenly Father would give her a sister because He loves her.  How cute! 

However, the past couple of weeks, she has admitted that it could be a brother and she would like that too.  Either way, she will be happy.  She has decided that she wants 3 brothers and 1 sister.  I guess we shall see what she gets.

Zabien on the other hand told me one day that he wanted another princess sister.  The next day at church when someone asked him if he wanted a sister.  He shook his head and with extra emphasis shouted, "No, no, no a Buther!"  I think it depends on how well he is getting along with Eliza at the moment which one he prefers.  I don't think he is quite ready to give up being the baby in the family, but he will transition pretty well into being a big brother by the time the baby comes.  He loves babies - he wants to play with all the babies at playgroup, and takes such good care of Eliza's baby dolls.  I just hope he can learn to be a little more gentle when he hugs little babies. 

I thought I would easily be able to tell since pregnancy #1 was soooo different from preganancy #2.  However, this preganancy has been right in the middle making me switch back and forth between what I think it is.  I have no strong impressions either way, and would be happy with whatever. 

I had very little morning sickness (opposite of Eliza, same as Zaby); yet only a few days of ligament and nerve pain (same as Eliza, opposite of Zaby).  I carried Eliza high, Zaby very low, and this one right in the middle.  Only time will tell whether we add another little girl or another little boy to our family.  We welcome either.  

Perkasie Christmas carousel

We look forward to this event every year.  Perkasie, a local community, has a tree lighting ceremony the first weekend in December.  The actual tree lighting ceremony happens at 7 pm Sat. evening.  However, from noon to 5, the carousel is open for unlimited free rides with Santa Claus.  Menlo Park, a park about a mile from our house, used to be a fair grounds with rides.  A fire destroyed most everything, but the original carousel survived and is still functioning.  It is only open one Sunday a month.  The only Saturday it is open, and therefore the only day of the year that we go, is the Saturday of the tree lighting. 

 

I knew that Eliza would love it, because she is really into riding rides.  Some day I will have to take her to an actual Ferris wheel because every time she sees one, she begs to ride it. 

The smiles and giggles emanating from this girl made bearing the cold and freezing rain worth it.  She probably rode a dozen times, and we still had a hard time convincing her it was time to go. 

 

 

Zabien surprised me this year.  In the past, he has cried or whined the entire time we put him on a ride.  I have had to hold him on my lap while sitting on the horse.  There really isn't enough room to do this.  However, this year, he seemed not only tolerate it, but love it!  He was full of smiles and giggles.  I hope this has helped him overcome his fear of rides.  

 

It must have been obvious that our family was having a good time and enjoying ourselves.  A reporter from the local paper kept snapping pictures of us.  Afterwards, she asked for our names and asked us a few questions.  Unfortunately I never saw a copy of the paper, so I don't know if we were actually published or not.  We took a break for some hot chocolate and candy canes.  Then we were right back at it. 

 

  

I didn't ride near as any times as Eliza.  Carousel's and Merry-Go-Rounds make me rather dizzy.  Besides that, pregnancy makes me extra motion sick.  v c v 

Eliza was pretty excited when Santa Claus came right up to us for a picture.  At one point, Santa was sitting in the sleigh directly behind our carousel horses.   Eliza pretended that she was riding Rudolph and we were pulling Santa's sleigh.  These pictures were taken with our phones since our camera broke after accidently being left outside after a leaf raking escapade; that's why the quality isn't the best.   

Blurry pictures or not, the time we get to spend together during the holidays is precious.  Especially when it involves children and the magic of Christmas.   

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.