What did you wear to run errands today????

Whatever it was, I bet it wasn't as cute nor did it get as many smiles and comments as these 2 cuties did!!!!!

Fun Day #5

Our fun activity for this week was a trip down to the Nature Center.  For those not from around here, it's awesome!  It's got walking/biking paths that go right along the river for....a bunch of miles (over 30 I think).  Anyway, the kids and I headed down there the day before the snow came (it was around 60 that day!).


Kyra scootered and Liam pushed his wagon-thing.

Found a big log to sit on.  What you don't see is that as I snapped the pic Liam fell off. 

Stopped and walked down by the river to have a picnic and....

....throw rocks.....

...and look for "shells"

Amazingly, not throwing rocks AT each other...

Lucy got to join us this week!

Kyra got a very dirty hiney...What you can't see is that she has one leg through the waist opening and one through a leg hole...In what universe is that comfortable????

After the picnic and rock throwing, it was time to hit the playground!  Notice, they both still have their helmets on....Once they're on they don't like to take them off 'til we're home or in the car...

Kyra learned how to do the fireman pole all by herself!  If only I had a picture of her going from the landing to the pole....Hilarious!

Fun Day #4

For this week's fun activity we went to Denver.  First, we visited with a good friend of mine that I haven't seen in too long.  The kids got to play with her daughter (who is just a couple months younger than Kyra) and she and I got to visit a little bit.  It was nice to catch-up!  When we left her house we went to the aquarium.  It was fun, but very pricey for no more than what it was.  Let me put it this way, we entered at 3:01pm, made a potty stop, went through the exhibits, stopped and had a snack, fed the rays, hit the gift shop, and were back in the car and on the highway at 4:32.  My kids' attention spans aren't long, and the tigers weren't out, but still....It's not like we ran through it or anything.  Good thing Liam was free admittance!!!!  And, they did thoroughly enjoy themselves!

Looking at the Dory (from finding Nemo) fish

Watching fish and rays swim overhead!

WOW! A shark was swimming overhead :)

As the shark swam toward the "window," Kyra was the ball of excitement and nerves...I wish I could've caught the look on her face in the reflection.  She didn't know whether to run away or run up and give it a hug!  Up until this point she kept talking about how she wanted to see a Great White Shark.  Once she saw these guys, she was content!

He liked this shark!

Pretty much the look on her face the whole time (well, whenever we were at an exhibit with sharks she looked like this, at the others she just wanted to get to the next sharks!)

She felt confident giving this guy a hug. 

Fun (sort of), week #3

So, this week we didn't really get to have our fun.  We all came down with colds on Sunday and mine turned pretty nasty by Wednesday night.  But, by yesterday we were all feeling well enough to go to the grocery store (a favorite activity of the kiddos, my least favorite activity).  While I was bringing groceries in and putting them away, the kids played in the backyard.  When I finished we had a bit of an impromptu fun time.  We went fishing in the backyard.  The major wind we had over the weekend combined with our weeping willow tree made for LOTS of sticks fishing poles.  Of course, we fished for sharks!

 

And she waits....and waits.....and waits for a bite!
I have to share a recent conversation had by my kids while they were in the bathtub and I was getting their jammies out....
Kyra: Mommy, brudder has a boogie!
10 secs later, Kyra: Mommy, brudder has a MONSTER boogie!!!!!
Liam: RRRRRAAAAAAWWWWWWRRRRRR!!!!!!!
And, that my friends, pretty much sums the two of them up!!!!

Week 2 Fun!

This week our fun date was supposed to be a trip to Denver to visit some friends and then go to the aquarium so the kids could see the fish.  They have a shark there, so Kyra was very much looking forward to seeing a real, live shark.  Unfortunately, the day we planned to go to Denver, it snowed.  We only got a half a skiff here, and while Denver didn't get much, the roads were a mess.  I don't mind driving in snow, but I didn't want to drive 2+ hours home on icy roads.  So, we didn't go.  There was much sadness all around.  So, we went to the Y (or Hu Y as Kyra calls it) and I got to work-out for a little bit and then took the kids swimming.  It was a great time other than poor Liam got a huge goose egg on his head while he was in Child Watch at the Y (my only irritation is they don't know how it happened and claim he didn't cry).  I couldn't take pictures at the Y, so today we went to a "new" park (i.e. one the kids haven't been to in a very long time) and had more fun.  I even remembered to bring my camera AND the memory card this time!!!!

Going down the big slide because if big sister can, little brother can too!

Kyra going down

Climbing up the big steps

She played on this with a couple of big kids.  She always seeks out the big kids (the ones over the age of 9) to play with.  You should hear her boss them around when they don't play on the equipment properly!!!!

Soooooo Kyra!!!!  Those aren't pony tails in her hair.  They're shark fins!

And, my sweet boy.  You can see the bruising on his forehead from yesterday's adventures at the Y.  The swelling has gone down, but I think it will be an ugly bruise!

Resolve

I'm not much on New Year's Resolutions. 

But, this year I resolved to do 2 things.  First, I resolved to make sure my kids practice better oral hygiene.  It sounds like a silly resolution I'm sure.  But, I don't know how many times I've asked myself, "When was the last time they brushed their teeth???"  That's not a question I like to ponder long.  So, I have resolved to make sure it's not a difficult question to answer.  So far, so good on that one!  Though, my boy did chip a front tooth this week. He was climbing (shocker!) on the bathroom counter, his foot slipped and when front tooth met granite countertop, granite countertop won!  It's a small chip, one I doubt a dentist would even file down, but, kinda funny that it occurred this week as I set my resolve for better oral hygiene for my kids!

My other resolve: to do something purposeful every week for the sake of fun with my kids.  A few weeks ago (the Sunday before Christmas to be precise), the kids and I had an impromptu picnic in the park and then walked around the zoo for a little bit.  It was a lot of fun and I realized it had been awhile since we did something just for fun.  It was so good for all of us, I felt bad it had been so long.  I get so caught up in the day-to-day and what needs to be done and all that I too easily forget to just have fun for the sake of fun.  So, I have resolved that I will do something fun with my kids every week for the sole purpose of having fun.  (Realistically, it's not going to happen every week, and I recognize that, but I'm hoping that if I keep it in the forefront of my mind it will happen regularly).  So, you all can expect to see pictures on a fairly regular basis of our weekly "fun" activity.  This week, we went to the park for a picnic and to the zoo because the weather was in the 60s and we just needed to be outside!!!!!  I remembered to bring my camera (yea!) but forgot to put the memory card back in it (boo!), so I took these with my phone.  Not the best, but they'll do!

Riding the "whale." I actually think it's a dolphin or porpoise, but he calls it a whale so we go with it!

Sitting on the rabbit

Riding side-by-side in the wagon.  Not sure why Kyra's making that face.  Probably because she's 3 1/2....

Christmas Morning

I left my camera at my folks' house on Christmas Eve, so I only had my phone for pics on Christmas morning..... But, Santa brought Kyra a mini-piano and brought Liam a work-bench and put a stuffed shark in Kyra's stocking (and lip gloss and life saver mint candy) and put a Thomas doodle board in William's (and a Queen Car toothbrush and gummy bears).  Mommy gave them each a robe and slippers (pink and Minnie Mouse for Kyra and Lightning McQueen for Liam), a book (shark encyclopedia for Kyra and a Lightning McQueen one for Liam), and a t-shirt and hoodie combo thing I found at Target.  Mommy is definitely practical, fortunately for the kids everyone else saw fit to give them toys and things! :)

Playing her piano....

Wearing his Queen Car robe, holding his sister's shark and reading his book.....

Robe on, playing piano, and playing with jewelry box from Mommo and PopPop (work bench is behind...)

Still holding shark, wearing robe, and reading Queen Car....

See below for pics from Christmas Eve and the boy's big boy bed!

Christmas Eve, Christmas, and a big boy bed!

Lookin' handsome as always on Christmas Eve

My gorgeous girl with her pretty dress, sparkly shoes, and shark hat on Christmas Eve

With Mommo

With PopPop

He is all about "Queen Car" (aka Lightning McQueen), but he also loves his Thomas toys

My aunt has a train under her train and this decoration had a train that went around it.  My kiddos loved them both!!!

Sound asleep for a Christmas nap, in mommy's bed.  Liam got the Queen Car slippers for Christmas.  He wore them 24-7 for several days.  Yes, he tried to sleep in them and got very upset when they fell off in the night.  I've had to put them out of sight so we can go to the grocery store and such without Queen Car shoes...it's not that I care if he wears slippers out and about, it's just that I don't like having to put them on his feet every 30 seconds!

When I took Christmas decorations down this week I got the urge to rearrange furniture.  I did the living room first and am really pleased with the new arrangement. Somehow, by taking up more floor space the room feels bigger.  How does that work????  Then I did my bedroom. My head had been under a window and above the heat vent.  That meant I was feeling a cool breeze and the hot air blowing all at once.  Didn't make for good sleep.  So, that problem is now remedied.  When it came to the kids' room I had intended to just change the sheets on their beds.  Instead, I bought the boy a big boy bed.  He's been ready for it for awhile now.  I mean, he climbed in and out of the crib all the time.  He takes his nap in my bed most of the time.  And, he'd climb out of his crib in the middle of the night and come to my room.  So, time for a big boy bed and time to rearrange their room!  It looks cute.  I'd like to find Kyra a plain pink quilt, but it's impossible to find a PLAIN PINK QUILT. 

Found this cute cube shelf at Target.  The "drawers" hold their shoes.  Perfect!

And, this is how the first night went in the new bed.  He climbed right in and was out in a matter of minutes.  Just like he'd been doing it his whole life.  Such a big boy!!!!