Catch-Up

I wonder how many posts I have done in the past that have been titled something similar to "Catching-Up" or "Update" or "Life Lately." I think it's probably a lot. Either that tells me just how bad of a journal keeper I am or it shows my lack of creativity with posting a cute title for a bunch of random stuff. Personally, I think it's a little bit of both.

But moving on to the point of my lame title, here are some fun activities that we have been up to lately:

Dinosaur Museum

For a preschool field trip we went to the National Museum of History in Mesa or better known by my 4 year old as the "Dinosaur Museum." 

We've been having some behavior issues with Ethan as of late (wait, who am I kidding it's been for like the past 3 years) and Ethan lost his privilege the week before to go on this field trip. He was heart broken.  So after a few days we struck a deal with him that he had to fill up his warm fuzzy jar all the way up to the top with being obedient the first time we ask and making some pretty awesome choices, then he could earn his way back to the fieldtrip.

That was some good motivation because that was one obedient, well behaved child that week. He earned his way back and he was so happy! 

The Exploration Station is always a big hit. They can color, make rubbing of different dinosaurs, explore things with microscopes, magnets, etc. 

 Then they went out and panned for gold but it didn't last long since Ellie got herself soaked and the water was freezing!!

 Ethan had a lot of fun with putting himself into an old western film. I had to remind him about sharing the stage with others though :)

 Emma (one of Ethan's classmates), Ellie and Ethan putting the triceratops puzzle together. This was no easy puzzle and they did it all by themselves!

 On our way out they just had to take a picture with this big guy as well. 

 I was pretty proud of Ethan for earning his way back. The warm fuzzy idea has so far been working great for him!

The Park with Friends:

I love having park play dates with Marcelle and Talmage. I definitely don't think we do it often enough! This park is always a hit with feeding the ducks and the mini carnival nearby. The only thing that wasn't a hit were the infestation of bees everywhere! Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating but they were so bad that I had to take off Ellie's flower headband because multiple bees were trying to pollinate it!

 Ethan and cute Talmage...

School Fundraiser: 

 

Justin's little brother is class president in his elementary school and so we went out to support him on their school fundraiser night. They had some bounce houses, games, a chili cook-off, and a cake walk (which Ethan loved and played multiple times) to entertain the kids. 

Ethan even got his face painted.

 Hmm... maybe they need to work a bit harder in their art classes there :)

I'm pretty sure the night ended in tears for both kids but they had fun while it lasted. 

Random: 

These next pictures are kinda all over the place but I just want to document them.

Is this not the sweetest sleeping baby that you have ever seen? (Can I even still call her a baby??)

 This girl LOVES her blanket. Oh and not just any blanket. That blanket. They are inseparable which means that that blanket gets dirty, fast. In the past when i have tried to wash it, she has thrown tantrums with huge tears so this time I thought I would be smart and wash it while she was sleeping at night. 

So I snuck into her room and sneakily switched it out with another blanket that is similar. It's pitch black in her room anyways so I thought she'd never know the difference even if she did wake up. I washed it and stuck it in the dryer but forgot to give it back before I fell asleep. At about 4:30am I awoke to a shrieking cry of, "NOOOO!!!" Followed by hysterical crying. Then, "I WANT MY BLANKY!!" Followed by more crying and begging. I went into her room to see this sweet girl holding out the "fake" blanket to me with tears streaming down her face asking for her beloved blanky. I picked her up and took her into the laundry room where we retrieved her precious treasure. She started laughing and was SO happy. I took her back into her room and she very easily laid back down and said, "Night night mommy."  Sweet huh? It seems as if I am going to have to be more creative than that in the future :)

Ethan is still in his Little Athletes class. They have already completed soccer and tee-ball and now they are ending this week with basketball. 

 He needs some help with dribbling but he has some mad skills with defense!

Who doesn't love heart shaped pancakes for dinner on Valentine's Day??

 Oh and I must say that the homemade Buttermilk Syrup recipe turned out fabulous!! Healthy? No way. But it was oh so good!

 Yesterday we stopped by the local small airport for a picnic and plane watching. Always a hit with E&E. 

Ethan is finally turning into a semi-patient colorer and instead of scribbling to hurry and get done, he is now putting more thought and effort into coloring nicely!

 Pretty good detail, right?! 

Hallelujah!! This little girl is finally getting some hair!!! Yes folks, that right there is a small pony tail on top of her head. Sure, she pulls it out about 20 times a day but this new phenomenon is so exciting that I don't even mind putting it right back in (as of now :)

Oh and check out those cute curls! I think she has her momma's hair. It's probably the only thing she has from me so I'm pretty proud of it. I will do my best to help her love those curls and embrace them in the future! Famous last words, I know, but I will try!

Whew! That's it for now folks!