Spring Break

During Jordan's school spring break, we took a couple of days and had some fun.

Our first outing was to Creation Station. I had never been to Creation Station before, but they had come to the daycare last summer and did a workshop with the school-agers. It sounded like a fun workshop so I had been wanting to check them out. Creation Station is a place where kids can go and use all recycled materials, tape and string to create anything they can imagine. While we were there, Jordan created a cannon and scuba gear including a mask and air tank. Colin and I created a great big boat out of foam, a violin, and a mask. I think Lauren was the only one that didn't have a great time. After about 45 minutes, she had done enough coloring and was ready to go home, but I managed to hold her off for almost another hour while the boys continued to create. We had a fun time and the boys asked to go back the next day.

Later in the week we took a day and went to the zoo. It ended up being a chilly, cloudy day, but we had fun anyway and got to see lots of animals. All three kids got to ride on the carousel. Both Colin and Lauren were a little scared of the horses that went up and down since it was their first time. The hippos were fun to watch. Personally, I never knew hippos could move so fast. They were swimming and rolling around in the water. They were playing with a ball and we got to watch one hippo open its huge mouth to try and get the ball in it. I didn't realize hippos could open their mouths 150 degrees. For some reason all the flamingos were looking at the sky. (Maybe they knew the rain was coming?) Then we saw two flamingos get in a little fight and chase each other. The boys got right in the face of an orangutan for a few seconds before it decided to go someplace else and the Yellow-side-necked turtles were swimming all over. The kids also had fun climbing and sliding at the Zoomazium. Overall, the day went much better then I expected. I am usually somewhat apprehensive about taking all three kids somewhere by myself, especially when there could potentially be a lot of people because they all move at such different speeds and it can be difficult to keep track of them. Not to metion, someone always has to throw a fit about something. However, they did awesome at the zoo. We stayed together and everyone was pretty happy most of the day. We will definitely be going back soon.

Me and My Chocolate Milk

This last weekend while we were at Grandma and Grandpa's house, Aunt Valerie got Lauren something special to drink...a chocolate milk. While Lauren enjoyed her chocolate milk she was more then willing to smile for the camera to help us see how yummy chocolate milk can be.

Easter Day Egg Hunt

On Easter day, we went up to Grandma and Grandpa's house for dinner and an egg hunt. The kids were anxious to get outside and find all the eggs.

It was fun to watch them find all the eggs. I have always considered my kids to be quite observant. It is often difficult to slip something past them, but when it comes to Easter egg hunts, they are not very observant. We got a kick out of watching them walk by the same eggs multiple times without even seeing them. We actually had to point the kids toward several of the eggs for them to find them all. It is almost like they expected the eggs to find them.

Coloring Easter Eggs

On the Saturday before Easter we colored our Easter eggs. The kids each got to pick their own decorating kit and had their own dye cups. They each got 10 eggs to decorate.

Jordan did his best to get his eggs as bright as possible.

Colin only got to color 9 because he dropped one on the floor before he colored it. Then he dropped another while putting his stickers on his eggs.

Lauren was very fast and efficient at coloring her eggs. Once she saw how it was done, she was ready to drop all her eggs in the cups at the same time. As fast as she dropped them then in, she was then ready to pull them out. Then she was done.

After this fun activity, I ate an egg salad sandwich for at least one meal a day for about 1 1/2 weeks and I still had not finished eating the eggs. Good thing I like egg salad sandwiches.

Easter Chocolate

When Lauren found chocolate in her Easter basket, there was no stopping her. She didn't even ask for help. She found her own space and began eating.

"Lemontating"

On the morning of Jordan's first grade field trip to the zoo, he was very excited. With this excitement came non-stop talking (mostly about his birthday plans) and constant motion. We loaded onto the school bus and three of us had to sit in the school bus seat. It was me, Jordan, and one of the other girls in our group. With three in the seat, his movement and noise was starting to get to me, so I asked him to calm down and told him to meditate. I didn't really expect him to take me seriously since he doesn't usually, but the next time I looked at him, he had pulled his legs up on the seat, indian style, put his hands up and closed his eyes. He stayed this way while other kids asked what he was doing. He stayed this way while kids got in his face. He stayed this way while I talked over him to the parent in the seat across from us. I couldn't believe it. After about 20 minutes I finally leaned over to him and told him he could stop if he wanted. Then he opened his eyes, pulled his gloves and jacket off because he was hot and started talking again and didn't stop until we got off the bus. He knew he was meditating, but he was telling his friends that he likes "lemontating". When he lemontates, he eats a lemon and then meditates.

Someone used the potty

Yeah! Lauren used the potty for the first time last night. We are not officially potty training, but she does occassionally tell us she wants to sit on the potty. The last few days after work, she has been telling us she needs to go poopy so we rush her to the potty in hopes of not having to change a messy diaper. Usually we are about 2 minutes too late, but last night she sat on the potty and actually pooped. Of course we got all excited and she got 2 m&m's in hopes that she will continue to want to use the potty. Now we just need to get her to peepee in the potty. This is pretty good timing since I was wanting to seriously start potty training in May or June. Way to go Lauren!

Differences

I have noticed several differences lately between the boys and Lauren. Is it that she is a girl, or maybe the youngest, or is it something else?

Washing hands.
Whether it is before dinner, after playing outside, or after going to the bathroom the boys approach it much differently then Lauren. For the boys my response as they are running out of the bathroom is usually, "Did you wash your hands...with soap." In which they respond with "Yes". Yet the water had only been on for 5 seconds. Or, I say, go wash your hands and they run in the bathroom, turn on the water, run their hands under it, turn the water off and run out. On the other hand, Lauren asks to wash her hands, then she diligently uses soap and then thoroughly rinses her hands off.

Noticing when others are hurt.

Whether I say "ouch" because either someone stepped on my foot, pulled my hair, or I did something to hurt myself the boys don't even acknowledge that I am hurt. They even keep asking for whatever they were asking for. Lauren will stop what she is doing and ask if I am okay, usually more then once.

Eating habits.
While we are eating, at least a little food usually spills on the table or the floor. The boys don't even acknowledge that there is a mess. They wipe their faces with their sleeve or neck of their shirt and they will lean in any messes spilled on the table. However, Lauren will demand that someone get her a napkin so she can clean up the drop of milk on the table. If something is spilled on the floor, she will insist that someone clean it up before she continues eating her food. Then she refuses to keep the napkin for the next spill, so she will be requesting another napkin about 1 minute later.