Happy Valentines Day!

Happy Valentines Day!

Valentines Day Rewind II

In addition to Valentines day it was also Chinese New Year. What better way to celebrate than Dim Sum? The boys are pretty adventurous when it comes to Dim Sum. They will try just about anything, but like their mother they really like the fluffy BBQ pork buns and of course the yellow "cake."


We were eating with chopsticks so Ryan really wanted to give it a try, too.



Before the meal was over he was doing a pretty impressive job of spearing things with his chopstick and actually eating with it.

He would notice that we had two chopsticks every once in a while and try to pick both of them up and try to hold then like we did.

It is apparently harder than it looks... :)

But he still didn't give up.

Valentines Day Rewind

Valentines Day is kind of a blur... Probably because it has been so long ago. Shame on me. But apparently we did a lot of eating. Really healthy eating if this is any sort of indication. :)

Yes, that's butter. McDonalds eggs are apparently better when dipped in butter. And every single bite must be dipped.

With a little help from us the boys made their way up into the top of play area.

They did a great job navigating around the tunnels and steps at the top to find their way to the slides. To go down then come back and do it all again.

They would disappear for a minute - just long enough for us to wonder if we should go up and find them. Then they would pop up here or there.

Proof of Concept

The cows and lambs I ordered for the boys' birthday favor bags came in a couple of days ago so I decided to make a sample favor bag for the boy's bday party. I think I mentioned how much I loved those mugs didn't I? :)  I made a cute barnyard design to match the boys invitations, etc. for the kids at the party. 

Thought it turned out super cute of course.  :)

In addition to the customized barnyard mug and the cow or lamb I decided to do play dough (though I found some from the same store, same manufacturer, etc. that was labeled 2+ instead of 3+ go figure), the swirly straw and a bag of animal cookies. I think they are udderly adorable. :)

Valentines Day Balloons

While I was at the store picking up the play dough for the boys' favor bags I saw some frog balloons that I thought the boys would enjoy for Valentines Day. Aren't they cute?

More Valentines Craftiness

I stumbled across the idea for these flowers out in blog land earlier this week. I thought they were adorable so of course I had to make a few of them, too. :)


Some day I will have to remember how we made roses out of hershey's kisses one year, too.

Getting Crafty

The sign-up sheets for the class Valentine's Day Parties at school were up on the door last week. By the time we got there the only things left were healthy snacks and goodie bags. I decided to give the goodie bags a try. I picked up create-your-own travel mugs, pencils, raisins, an assortment of choclate hearts, and an assortment of boxes of candy hearts (including some Tangy ones that I had never seen before but loved so much that I had to go back and get some for me, too!)

In a matter of time I turned this pile of miscellanous goodies into one of these.

And before long into a whole pile of them.

I thought they turned out super cute. Especially the mug design.

And of course I had to do something for the teachers, too, so I picked up these heart shaped lollipops.

I even managed to get them done almost a week before I need them! :)

Hard at Play

The boys were hard at play all day today. Starting with a trip to a new McDonalds for their second breakfast of the day. :)


They are so funny how they pose for the camera from time to time or try to weasel their way into a shot.



But once they are playing it's all business. Because playing is hard work. Especially when you are wrangling alligators.

Some times the boys play well together, and some times.... well... not so much. This was clearly an example of the not so much. Connor didn't want to share. With anyone, not just Ryan. He practiced his hip check and boxing out moves trying to keep Ryan away from the toy. Even with one on each side he wasn't willing to share - the second Ryan touched one of the balls Connor would reach through the slats trying to get him.

With the end of civil play before an all out war broke out we headed to the toy store that had brought us to this side of town and made a few other stops in the area. After lunch at BW3's with nothing else on our to do list we decided to make an impromptu visit to a park off the lake. We took the scenic route giving the boys plenty of time to take a nap on the way so they would be refreshed and ready to go when we arrived.

When we got the park we saw some people taking horseback lessons. We stopped at a near by picnic table to watch and to have a snack. Ryan did a great job drinking out of a water bottle all by himself without spilling any. Great job, Ryan! Such a big boy!

Having had both a nap and snacks the boys were ready to tackle the playground.

Ryan once again showed off his big boy skills by walking up the stairs holding on to the handrail, then trotting right on across the bridge using the handrails when he needed them.

He zoomed across the connected platforms until he reached his target - the slide at the far end. Connor followed at a slower pace checking things out along the way.

Before long they spied the swings and of course had to spend some time swinging.

We eventually managed to convince them check out a few of the other amenities like these cars. Ryan was a racing fool. Making vrooming noises and rocking the car back and forth. All while holding onto his sweet gum ball. :)

The boys followed the sounds of squeals and laughter back to the big play structure. They watched as the other kids navigated the bar stairs. So of course, before long, they had to try them out themselves, too.

Having had all the adventure I could handle for the day we drove around the rest of the park looking to see what else was there. There was an even larger playground that we will have to visit next time. There was also a side that fronted the water including a pier, boat ramp, and boat slips. When the weather warms up we will definitely have to come back.

Storytime

It was so sweet to watch the boys tonight. Connor crawled up in our reading chair with a book and started "reading." Ryan scrambled up with his bus and sat down beside him to enjoy the story together. So sweet...

Where did my babies go??

Such big boys. With backpacks. That they can carry all by themselves. Where did my babies go??

Bags

Why you shouldn't leave bags laying around the house... At least not when Connor's around.

Little Gym

We took the boys to a free trial class at Little Gym this weekend. After they warmed up they really had fun.



We started off with a little circle time where we did introductions and some singing. Then we did some "stretching" where we marched in a big circle to the music. Pausing now and then to reach for the stars, touch our toes, pat our tummy, and find our elbows. Connor marched along. Ryan was trying to figure out what we were doing at the loony bin and held on for dear life. Then it was free play time - where they could run around and try out anything and everything they wanted to do. I think that went a long way in the warming up phase.



After that we learned how to do a forward roll both by ourselves and using a big rolling wheel. Connor wanted to push the wheel around, but he wasn't too sure about the whole rolling up, over, and then off the other side. He wouldn't duck his head to roll, but every time the teacher got closer he would move his hands leaving her holding his feet in the air and him walking around like a wheelbarrow. Ryan wasn't at all interested in the rolling -he took his requisite turn but preferred to extend free time by roaming around.

The next activity - parachute play definitely got both of their attention. It was a big circular parachute. Similar to stretching time we walked around in circles this time shaking the parachute or moving it from one side to the other. The boys LOVED it. Their favorite part was at the end where we all ran under it.

From there we moved onto the bars. The goal was to hold on to the bars and pick your feet up and swing. The boys monopolized the bars and learned things that I am sure will make me close my eyes and hold my breathe should I see them attempt it again anywhere else. The following exercise - climbing up onto a big step and jumping off the other side onto the mat didn't seem like a good idea either. The little daredevils really don't need any encouragement.



Luckily we moved on to ball play before long where they encouraged the kids to throw the balls, kick them or play basketball with them. The boys mainly took the balls and ran all over the gym with them until it was time to put them back up and get out the bubbles. They love chasing bubbles and trying to catch them in the air. Ryan was like a bulldozer plowing people over to get the bubbles.



Finally the class wrapped up with a little circle time, singing, and hand stamps on the way out the door.

I think the boys really enjoyed it.