Frying Pan Park

For more information check out Mimi's blog.
We had a great time. Near the end of the video you can see CJ sign eat. He wanted the piggies to eat some more food. He loved watching and petting the animals.

Great Falls Park

Last week we went to Great Falls Park. It was a beautiful day. We loaded up the kids and the bikes into the big white van and off we went. It was a great idea, I guess a lot of other people thought so too because we had to wait at least 20 minutes to even get into the park. I think the most I've waited in my life has been maybe 2 minutes for someone slow to pay.
The pictures aren't the greatest...I'm not the best photographer but at least I tried.
On to the adventures. I rode my bike pulling Lucy and CJ. Mimi ran from the back trying to keep up with Ben and Emily. Thomas and Thomas came but we lost them in route to the bathroom. Eventually after riding around the park and stopping at one viewing point we found each other again. The kids went "rock climbing" up some boulders and also "mountain biking" down one path to the viewing point which I thought was a little rough for 5 year-olds. The kids loved it. It was a wonderful day to enjoy the beauty of the earth.

McDonalds

Thanks Maren and Misty for a fun time at McDonalds. I had a great time letting the kids run crazy. Here's to our annual visit. It'll be fun watching the kids get bigger and bigger.

Climbing

(I guess I never posted this post-it's from January. I should known there would be bigger and better things.)
He's into climbing too.

Climbing!

This picture was taken in Indiana at the Swartz's house. After I took the picture I climbed up behind him to "keep him safe", well he decided to use me as a step. He was trying to climb over the top. When I took him down there was crying, I know, mean mother not letting him climb over the swing set. But you can see how proud he was of himself. What a smile.

So, it's official. He's a climber. I've known this for a while, but now I have to think about where I (and where I don't) put things I don't want CJ to get into. Yesterday he climbed onto the bathroom counter to brush his teeth/play in the water. I also found him standing on the piano keys. I originally had not put the scissors on top of the piano, but when Thomas found another pair I told him to just put them up there. Ah, the joys of having a toddler.

Creek

We love the creek. The kids have such a great time. It's about 1/5 of a mile walk to the creek. CJ loves to throw rocks. When we went the kids were wearing boots. As soon as CJ saw them in the water he got this big grin on his face and went right in. The kids also enjoy fishing.

What a wonderful week.

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A bit of CEC and some photos for the Worth's

So I know we're due for another C.E.C outing, tomorrow. But I found these pictures on Dad's camera and wanted to post them. Our family LOVES Chuck E Cheese. We go there almost once a month. We get awesome coupons, check fatwallet.com, and the kids play, and play, and play. The more cousins the merrier. For my mom's birthday we had at least 18 of the grandkids there. Ah, chaos. At least the adults can talk/yell to each other.

Even C.J. is learning the ropes. Thanks William for taking him under your wing.

Girl, I can't wait until this happens more frequently. The kids have such a great time playing together. A few of the favorite activities include: anything with Dora (hairstylin', Dora's playhouse, etc.), Polly Pockets, Ponies, playing outside, and so much more. It's great I love that our kids get along so great. Here's to getting into our house that much quicker!

School

For those of you who don't know, I've been "homeschooling" Emily this year. I loved her preschool last year, the weekly swimming was the best, but decided we could use the money for other activities for her. She's done swimming, ballet, and gymnastics this year for way less than what I would have spent on preschool. And it lets me use some of my SVU education.
So here's a summary of our school. Emily loves having school, we only do it a few times a week just like "real" preschool. I love that now that I am entertaining the idea of homeschooling, anything can count as school. We take trips to the creek, go on nature walks, read a lot of books, draw, paint, you get the idea. Not that I am required to keep track or anything, I just wanted to see what it would be like.
Emily misses the cut-off for Kindergarten this year (by 11 days) and so this fall she will be homeschooled as well. She has shown interest in wanting to read and make signs. Her first sign said "WEBRS YES", it's a sign for our bathroom. She sounded it out and everything. Her most recent sign was "NU PRSINS ULAD". Translation--No persons allowed. Although today she saw the sign and said "I forgot to put an E, I just did a R (in persons).
We use Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. I highly recommend the book. We are on lesson 37. We do about 6 or so lessons a month. Emily has read me two books, Pop, pop; and Muff and Ruff. I pretty much just do lessons when she or Thomas ask. They get a gold coin (chocolate inside) when they are done.
I have recently stumbled across "nature study" I love the idea behind it. Basically it's take the kids outside, let them observe nature, and then let them talk about, read/research about it, draw about it, anything they want. First I have to say how impressed I am with the kids and how far they have each improved. Thomas joins us whenever he is here. We've had a few lessons, yesterday's lesson was on a pine "branch" that the kids found on a walk.

It's a little out of focus, because I tried to make the photo bigger. Anyway, here is her rendition. I had her sign and date it because I was so impressed.

A little explaination on the extras. The yellow part at the top is a stick I was using to hold down her paper because the wind kept blowing it. The circles on the right are a face she drew but the eye was too big to make a second eye so she tried to make the head bigger, then she just drew herself on the right side. Other than that, I think she had it right on.

Just so you know, I used (without permission--I hope it's ok) my dad's camera for these, I thought this was too good not to be "published" to the web.

CJ's Birthday

He's 1! March 3, we celebrated really low key, even for us. Chris was out of town dog-sitting for my brother. I made CJ a muffin/"cake". We are still doing no wheat or dairy but I found a mix that worked. It actually tasted pretty good. We sang to him and that was it. No presents. Later we had a "party" at my in laws. They got him some presents and made cupcakes and sang and we counted that as his party. We will be sharing a party with William at Chuck E Cheese tomorrow. CJ is not walking, but he signs more, eat, and milk. He says mom, more, milk (they all sound the same). I got him a little Baby Bjorn Potty from Craigslist and he has peed in it 4 times and pooped once. Don't worry, I'm not trying to train my kid who can't walk or talk yet we just have it for tubby time. Before, during, and/or after the tub we will let him sit on it and open the cupboard doors in the bathroom. He loves it. He now has a sense of humor and throws back his head to laugh. I'll try and get some pictures up soon.

Broken Camera

I've been a bit absent from the blog world for a while now. I've got some sad news. Our camera is broken. I actually don't know what is wrong. I was taking pictures with it, two (not so great poses--no one looking, probably out of focus, etc) pictures that "turned out" and then white screen when I go to take the photo. I mean I didn't drop it, change any features, or anything like that. Weird right, well at least the video part of the camera still work-ed. Now that is acting up. The colors seem to stretch or be on drugs or something. So sad. And because I don't like to blog unless I have cute pictures to put up, no camera=no blogging.

Pool Party!

Gotta love the Rec Center! And don't the boys look great in pink goggles?

Autumn

Here is some much requested video for the California Cousins! We miss you guys!

Piano

CJ is finally tall enough to reach the keys on the piano. He loves plinking away. Emily came over as soon as she saw me and the camera. She likes to play too. Anyway, CJ loves to make "noise". Now I finally see why rattles were invented. Emily wasn't into them when she was a baby. CJ prefers more expensive "rattles". He takes anything that makes noise when he bangs it. He also loves jingle bells. But here he is playing on the piano. Enjoy.

Dora Hairstylin'

I might want to steer him down a different career path. Emily got this vanity from Thomas for Christmas. All the kids love it. I think CJ loves it because he can stand up at it. More posts to come.

Christmas Morning at Zee and Troy's

What a face. As his Tylenol wore on/off his moods changed. But we won't let that detract from the awesome time at Aunt Zee and Uncle Troy's. They had a great breakfast with orange rolls, scrambled eggs, and bacon. Talia and Demari greeted us when we got there (ok, mostly Emily) with hugs and "I missed you Emily". It was so cute.

Thanks Hills for having us over for Christmas. I'm sure Emily will remember this for quite some time.

Here's Emily delivering some of the loot.

Christmas Morning

Here was what Christmas morning looked like at our house. It's just as I remembered it as a kid. Running in from the kitchen, stockings, presents, ah the memories. Poor CJ was teething or sick. He had a fever which seemed to go away the next day. However he got worse as the day progressed. In some of the photos he looks so pathetic.

Christmas Eve

We had a wonderful party at Von and Kandi's on Christmas Eve. The kids had a blast giving and getting. I think the highlight was giving my mom her present. We sisters had our portrait taken just for her. We even managed to keep it a surprise. Sorry Mimi that you weren't here to see her open it. She LOVES it. It was hung up immediately.