4.30.2012
4.29.2012
April Fool's!
I really love April Fool's Day and I think Amelia is finally starting to get it! She's come a long way since her days of saying, "Mom, you don't have any pants on! April Fool's!". This year, I actually spent a little time seeking out some ideas online. I had an elaborate school lunch set up for Amelia (before realizing that April 1st fell on a weekend this year).
I told the kids they could have Brownies (Brown EE's) for breakfast. Cruel!
I made this fake spilled nail polish and planted it in Amelia's room. She TOTALLY fell for it. I really wanted to trick Jason with it first, but I stupidly posted the picture on Facebook so he was on to me before I could get him.
Amelia and Jason got me good with this gummy worm coming out of my apple at lunch. It sure startled me ;)
But my absolute favorite prank this year happened first thing in the morning. I couldn't get a picture because I would have given myself away, but I rubber banded the sprayer on the kitchen sink so that when Jason turned on the faucet, the water would shoot out at him. I was SO proud of myself for remembering NOT to use that sink in the morning and it. was. awesome. when he finally turned it on! Amelia turned it on later (knowingly) and just stood there giggling and getting drenched until I shut the water off. I will definitely be repeating that one next year!
4.28.2012
Easter Egg Hunt
We love Legacy Park in Cottleville so much, that we decided to give their Easter egg hunt a try this year. It was a great time! We got there a few (dozen) minutes early and met the Easter Bunny! This was Henry's first time seeing the furry guy and he didn't really know what to think.
I was thrilled that we got this picture. It was way better than I expected to get for sure. Henry wouldn't move any closer to the bunny, though. I'm pretty sure the only reason Henry was as close as he was because of the basket of candy the bunny was holding.
In usual Ward fashion, we were very early, so Amelia got to climb the rock climbing wall--her new favorite thing to do at the park. She can make it up to the top rather quickly.
Can you tell I was hanging out with Amelia while Jason was wrangling Henry? Poor second child hardly has a picture from his first Cottleville Easter egg hunt.
The actual "egg hunt" was so fast and chaotic that I did not get a single picture. But here is a picture of the kids checking out their loot.
I was thrilled that we got this picture. It was way better than I expected to get for sure. Henry wouldn't move any closer to the bunny, though. I'm pretty sure the only reason Henry was as close as he was because of the basket of candy the bunny was holding.
In usual Ward fashion, we were very early, so Amelia got to climb the rock climbing wall--her new favorite thing to do at the park. She can make it up to the top rather quickly.
Can you tell I was hanging out with Amelia while Jason was wrangling Henry? Poor second child hardly has a picture from his first Cottleville Easter egg hunt.
The actual "egg hunt" was so fast and chaotic that I did not get a single picture. But here is a picture of the kids checking out their loot.
It was a pretty fun little event, albeit a bit crowded. I'm sure we will be back!
4.27.2012
Typical Saturday Morning
Just a picture of Amelia eating her yogurt and sprinkle covered pancakes at Denny's with chop sticks. Nothing unusual here.
4.26.2012
Playgroup Easter Party
This is embarrassingly late and I am ridiculously behind on posting. But here are a few pictures from our playgroup's Easter party. Henry had a great time hunting eggs and did pretty good....at first.
However, once he figured out there was STUFF INSIDE!! he didn't really care to look for any more. He was really only interested in looking inside the few he had already collected.
The party was great! Lots and lots of eggs to hunt, some delicious food, and great company. Henry had a blast, until he fell backwards off of the picnic bench and hit his head directly on to the concrete below. Yikes! Luckily, my girl scout leading friend, Amy, had an ice pack handy in her car and was excellent at helping me stay calm. Nothing says Easter quite like 48 hours of concussion watch....
However, once he figured out there was STUFF INSIDE!! he didn't really care to look for any more. He was really only interested in looking inside the few he had already collected.
The party was great! Lots and lots of eggs to hunt, some delicious food, and great company. Henry had a blast, until he fell backwards off of the picnic bench and hit his head directly on to the concrete below. Yikes! Luckily, my girl scout leading friend, Amy, had an ice pack handy in her car and was excellent at helping me stay calm. Nothing says Easter quite like 48 hours of concussion watch....
4.23.2012
Diging for Wrms
This is one of Amelia's writing sample from kindergarten in early spring. Apparently when they were finished with the worksheet, they were supposed to turn the paper over and write some sentences using "-ig" words. Amelia was beside herself when the teacher decided to read a few of her favorite sentences out loud and one was Amelia's! I think my favorite part of the whole thing is her apostrophe she added to the word "wrms".
4.22.2012
Setting up Shop
While I was making dinner (see me back there?), Amelia decided to make a little store on the couch.
I offered no advice or guidance. It was all her doing and it kept her busy the WHOLE time I worked on dinner.
And for the most part, things are pretty reasonably priced in this store. Except Wendy. "I made Wendy cost a lot of money because I don't want anyone to buy her". I believe that is 8009 cents, if you were in the market...
I offered no advice or guidance. It was all her doing and it kept her busy the WHOLE time I worked on dinner.
And for the most part, things are pretty reasonably priced in this store. Except Wendy. "I made Wendy cost a lot of money because I don't want anyone to buy her". I believe that is 8009 cents, if you were in the market...
4.19.2012
4.15.2012
Bye Bye Binkies!
Right after our trip to DC, we decided it was high time to rid Henry of the bink. Not long before the trip, we took him to the dentist, concerned about a large gap in his mouth that kept his top and bottom teeth from touching in the front. The dentist took one look and said, "He's got a bink!" and said it is time to get rid of it. Yikes!
Amelia gave up hers just a few days after her second birthday. She had two pretty difficult nights and naps right after that, but we managed. It seemed to help that she passed on the binkies to a baby--Baby Parker (who's 4 now!). Sorry, I couldn't help putting a picture of her big hand off!
We decided to follow the same lead with Henry and we had been talking about it for some time and Henry knew the plan. This time we would give all of the binkies to Baby Owen (Henry's second cousin) since Henry was a big boy and Baby Owen was, well, a baby. We packaged all the binks up in a little gift bag and then headed over to Owen's house. Henry immediately handed the bag off with no problems (I love Owen's face in the picture below. "What do you want me to do with that, kid?" . We called everyone we could think of and told them the news. Henry was so proud of himself.
The first bink-free night was a breeze. We hardly heard an extra whimper from him. Day two was a little trickier. That day, he asked for the bink at naptime, but seemed okay with the answer that Baby Owen had them all. He cried for about 20 extra minutes that night.
And day three he had lots of problems biting and was generally pretty crabby. He never mentioned the bink again after day 2 and went to bed with minimial extra crying on day 3. Once that was over, everything has been smooth sailing.
Thankfully Henry didn't start thumb sucking like his sister did when she got rid of the pacifier. And that noticeable gap where his top and bottom teeth didn't meet? Gone!
The next stop is passing on the diapers to Baby Owen!
Amelia gave up hers just a few days after her second birthday. She had two pretty difficult nights and naps right after that, but we managed. It seemed to help that she passed on the binkies to a baby--Baby Parker (who's 4 now!). Sorry, I couldn't help putting a picture of her big hand off!
We decided to follow the same lead with Henry and we had been talking about it for some time and Henry knew the plan. This time we would give all of the binkies to Baby Owen (Henry's second cousin) since Henry was a big boy and Baby Owen was, well, a baby. We packaged all the binks up in a little gift bag and then headed over to Owen's house. Henry immediately handed the bag off with no problems (I love Owen's face in the picture below. "What do you want me to do with that, kid?" . We called everyone we could think of and told them the news. Henry was so proud of himself.
The first bink-free night was a breeze. We hardly heard an extra whimper from him. Day two was a little trickier. That day, he asked for the bink at naptime, but seemed okay with the answer that Baby Owen had them all. He cried for about 20 extra minutes that night.
And day three he had lots of problems biting and was generally pretty crabby. He never mentioned the bink again after day 2 and went to bed with minimial extra crying on day 3. Once that was over, everything has been smooth sailing.
Thankfully Henry didn't start thumb sucking like his sister did when she got rid of the pacifier. And that noticeable gap where his top and bottom teeth didn't meet? Gone!
The next stop is passing on the diapers to Baby Owen!
4.10.2012
Science Sunday
Amelia spotted a tiny spider crawling on our floor a few Sundays ago. Henry immediately grabbed the magnifying glass and then jumped up on the hearth. He was interested, but only from a distance.
Amelia, on the other hand, wanted to catch the spider on a piece of paper and take it outside. After all, we couldn't kill it because it is "one of God's creatures!".
Once the spider was outside (and it was safe to walk on the floor again), Henry spent a long time looking through the magnifying glass.
Taking after his daddy, I guess!
4.07.2012
Spring Break with Andrew and Jacob
When I found out Jason would be spending Amelia's entire spring break in Paris, I decided I either needed to join him or take a trip myself. I know, it sounds like a very easy decision and we gave a lot of thought into taking Amelia with us and leaving Henry behind with grandparents, but in the end I chickened out. I would have been on my own for most of the time in Paris and I just wasn't sure I wanted to take that on until Amelia is a little older. So, we decided instead to head East to visit my brother and his family.
It was a pretty easy flight and both kids did great (luckily, my mom joined us too). Amelia was SO excited to see her cousins and we were too! Amelia didn't leave Andrew's side the whole time we were there!
And while most of our time was spent hanging with the boys, they were not on spring break during our visit. So, when they went to school, we headed to Washington, DC to check out all of the amazing sites there. I have been several times, but it always still takes my breath away to see such history. I love introducing it all to Amelia. She loves history and was eating it all up.
The Cherry Blossoms were just beginning to bloom. I felt like we hit the jackpot! 2012 is also the Centennial Celebration. It was so beautiful!
It seems like the spring is our usual time to visit the DC area, but this is the first time I have strolled among the cherry blossoms. I could have spent the whole day there if I didn't feel like I was going to loose my mind trying to keep Henry from diving into the Tidal Basin.
It was also amazing to see the new Martin Luther King, Jr. monument. Amelia and I have talked about him a lot and so she was excited to see it too. The monument is at a beautiful spot and it was hopping that day.
We had quite a bit of walking done by lunchtime. We decided we needed to stop for a break at the Jefferson Memorial. We had a nice spot overlooking the basin and cherry blossoms. If only lunch was this scenic everyday...
After lunch, Amelia was walking around the memorial and noticed a nice bunch of cherry blossoms that someone had left behind. She picked it up and carried it around until the gift shop employee warned us of the stiff fine she could face it caught with a detached blossom. So, down it went. Ooops!
Henry was pretty much done by this point. So, my mom dropped Amelia and I off at Ford's Theatre--a must see according to Amelia. She drove around a couple of blocks so that Henry could sleep a bit. He was out super quick and Amelia and I enjoyed learning all about Lincoln's assassination and visiting the museum in the basement.
Across the street is the Peterson House where Abraham Lincoln was taken the night he was shot and where he eventually died. Amelia had been scoping out all the gift shop choices for the ONE souvenir I said she could get. At the Peterson House she came across a (cherry blossom) fan that she HAD to have. It is still a favorite around the house and she has even made some progress on her desire to start a "fan collection" since the DC trip.
On our last full day, Andrew played hooky from school and we headed to a super fun Children's Museum in Baltimore. The kids had a great time and Amelia could have lasted way longer if it wasn't for her nap-needing bro.
The best part was this cute little diner that the kids could play in. It was HUGE. They could cook the food and then serve it to the parents in little booths. Amelia spent most of her time in this room and definitely could have easily spent a whole day pretending to take orders, prepare food, and serve it. It was really amazing!
(Henry has yet to master pretend eating. He woke up on the morning of our departure with a fever. I'm guessing the virus may have entered his body at this exact moment...).
It was a pretty easy flight and both kids did great (luckily, my mom joined us too). Amelia was SO excited to see her cousins and we were too! Amelia didn't leave Andrew's side the whole time we were there!
We mostly played and goofed with the boys, but the girls did sneak away for a diner breakfast one morning at Silver Diner.
And while most of our time was spent hanging with the boys, they were not on spring break during our visit. So, when they went to school, we headed to Washington, DC to check out all of the amazing sites there. I have been several times, but it always still takes my breath away to see such history. I love introducing it all to Amelia. She loves history and was eating it all up.
The Cherry Blossoms were just beginning to bloom. I felt like we hit the jackpot! 2012 is also the Centennial Celebration. It was so beautiful!
It seems like the spring is our usual time to visit the DC area, but this is the first time I have strolled among the cherry blossoms. I could have spent the whole day there if I didn't feel like I was going to loose my mind trying to keep Henry from diving into the Tidal Basin.
It was also amazing to see the new Martin Luther King, Jr. monument. Amelia and I have talked about him a lot and so she was excited to see it too. The monument is at a beautiful spot and it was hopping that day.
We had quite a bit of walking done by lunchtime. We decided we needed to stop for a break at the Jefferson Memorial. We had a nice spot overlooking the basin and cherry blossoms. If only lunch was this scenic everyday...
After lunch, Amelia was walking around the memorial and noticed a nice bunch of cherry blossoms that someone had left behind. She picked it up and carried it around until the gift shop employee warned us of the stiff fine she could face it caught with a detached blossom. So, down it went. Ooops!
Henry was pretty much done by this point. So, my mom dropped Amelia and I off at Ford's Theatre--a must see according to Amelia. She drove around a couple of blocks so that Henry could sleep a bit. He was out super quick and Amelia and I enjoyed learning all about Lincoln's assassination and visiting the museum in the basement.
Across the street is the Peterson House where Abraham Lincoln was taken the night he was shot and where he eventually died. Amelia had been scoping out all the gift shop choices for the ONE souvenir I said she could get. At the Peterson House she came across a (cherry blossom) fan that she HAD to have. It is still a favorite around the house and she has even made some progress on her desire to start a "fan collection" since the DC trip.
On our last full day, Andrew played hooky from school and we headed to a super fun Children's Museum in Baltimore. The kids had a great time and Amelia could have lasted way longer if it wasn't for her nap-needing bro.
The best part was this cute little diner that the kids could play in. It was HUGE. They could cook the food and then serve it to the parents in little booths. Amelia spent most of her time in this room and definitely could have easily spent a whole day pretending to take orders, prepare food, and serve it. It was really amazing!
(Henry has yet to master pretend eating. He woke up on the morning of our departure with a fever. I'm guessing the virus may have entered his body at this exact moment...).
We also got to visit with my cousin, John, and his family during our trip. They recently moved into a new house and it is so lovely and perfect for their family. We had a great time playing in their ENORMOUS playroom which easily accommodated all 6 kids in attendance.
It was such a great trip and I can't wait to head back!
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