Busy Easter Saturday Night

Today was another rainy day.  I am officially ready for Summer, although as soon as it gets here I’ll be officially ready for Fall.  Today I had to work but I left early so I could take Lilli to see the Easter Bunny.  Nothing like waiting for the last minute; but hey, I was sick last week.  I convinced Dad to come along with us by promising him lunch at Olga’s.  It’s a good thing we did that first because we stood in line for the Bunny for over an hour.  Surprisingly both kiddos did quite well despite the wait.  Gabe smiled really big when asked but of course, in good Gabe fashion turns his head and smiles.  Lilli didn’t cry at the Easter Bunny but wasn’t too sure about getting her picture taken.

After the mall we headed home to wait for Xavier to come over.  I had lots of fun stuff planned for us.  After dinner we began with dying eggs.  It was Gabe’s first time but he did well placing the eggs in the cups, although he wanted to take them out as soon as they got in.  He also thought you have to stir the egg.  Once his dried we put stickers on them in between him smashing them on the table and letting them roll off onto the floor.  I even got to make a few too. 

Gabe's first Easter eggs

I made eggs too!

After eggs I had a little craft project lined up for Xa.  We made jar animals.  I found the idea online and it was super easy – Xa had a great time.   Basically, you fill a baby jar up with pom-poms and turn it upside down.  Then, using construction paper or foam (or feathers) you cut out shapes to create the animal of your choice.  I made Gabe a dinosaur, which he kept calling a frog, and Xa made a dog.  He loved the craft.  It was pretty fun for a spur of the moment idea. 

 After that we put together paper lanterns that I had bought him over a year ago to do.  I’m glad I didn’t do them when I originally intended because they were darn hard to follow the directions.  I’d had to say these were not geared toward any 8 year olds I know – or 27 year old, just sayin’.  He had such a good time doing crafts.  He even asked me why I was sitting with him so long to do the projects.  Poor thing, I guess he’s not used to all the attention.  I'm hoping to find more fun projects we can do that Gabe can help with too.  I think tomorrow, if there's time, we'll try painting with marbles.

Resources:
Jar Animals: http://www.kidactivities.net/?tag=/balloon+stress+ball

Back on track!

I went on a short hiatus since I was sick for a week with a terrible sinus infection.  I could barely function to play my roles as mommy, worker and Cinderella, let alone blogger.  So, now that I am feeling better I can get back to documenting our days.  Here's a recap of what everyone missed in the very exciting life that is mine.  (That was a joke, it really is rather dull without my hubby around.)

April 16: I took the boys (Gabe and Xa) to sign up at the YMCA since it was free that day.  Gabe loved the daycare and Xa enjoyed the rec room.  They have a great facility with a trail, a pool and tons of equipment and staff that will show you how to use it and train you - all included in your membership.  Xa was even more excited when I told him they had a spy day camp this summer.  He can't wait to go!  After the Y we headed to the movies.  It was Gabe's first time ever at a movie theater.  Since we were running late I wasn't able to get his picture since the previews were running by the time we got our seats.  He did such a good job -- better than I expected.  We saw "Rio" which I thought was a cute little movie.  We finished the day by celebrating our next door neighbor's 89th birthday.  Gabe was so excited to help him with his cards and of course, the cake.  He only likes the icing so Dad helped him finish his piece.

April 17: We cleaned out the fish pond in the backyard and let Gabe and Xavier put the fish back in.  Gabe was insistent on touching/holding them but when give the chance declined.  He still had a good time "helping."  Lilli lending a hand too, of course!

April 18-21: I can't think of what we did so it must not have been worthy enough to write about.  Except for the day when Luis sent me flowers since I had been feeling down.  He's such a sweetie.

Finally, today:  We started our day off with breakfast at IHOP, which let me tell you is NOT on my new diet, so I guess I'll start it again next week.  Or maybe the week after since I'm headed back to Texas for vacation...  Anyways, after breakfast everyone took naps, except me of course, who had to do laundry and finish the diaper cake I've been putting off for over a month now.  And then after Gabe's nap, with inspiration from my good friend Laura and the cricut, he made sun catchers for his teacher appreciation cards and a butterfly for Mother's Day coming up. All the websites I looked at online said tissue paper and contact paper is a great project for toddlers.  They were right.  Gabe loved doing them.  Although towards the end he decided it was more fun to crumple the paper than to lay it on the paper flat.  They still turned out beautiful. 

We went out for dinner to a local pub restaurant for catfish (Gabe and I had chicken strips) and headed back home before the storm hit -- again.  (Side note, earlier during the week Mom and I went to Target for a birthday card and ended up sitting for 45 minutes in the back of the store with all the other crazy storm shoppers.  Not fun.)  The sirens kept going off so we turned on the news and sure enough there were two super cells north and south of us.  We barely got any rain but for good measure we camped out in the basement eating milk and cookies watching the news about all the damage from the storm.  It tore part of the roof off the airport, shattered windows and moved a shuttle bus on top of a building.  Gabe liked that picture, he kept asking how they would get it down.  Such a curious little boy.  After an hour or so it was safe to head back upstairs where my sweet babies are now snoozing away.  And, I, about to join them.

The Joys of Having Your Child in Daycare...

Today was our typical Tuesday.  Gabe and I get up, get dressed, brush our teeth and head to a local church for his part-time daycare.  He loves going there; I can't get in the room and get his coat off fast enough.  As I sign him in he always says: "Mommy, go in there!"  It's quite adorable.  In the past month that he's been attending "school" he's been sent home twice.  The first time was a bad coughing spell turned throw-up (which he does quite frequently, actually.  Fun huh?) and the second, today, was for ringworm.  Ringworm, how random is that?

I happen to be getting my hair done when the school called me.  Those of you who truly know me, know I change my hair color like I change clothes.  This time it's dark red, the first step towards my natural blonde color.  We'll see how long this trend lasts because I really like the black hair, even though it's really hard to get out if you change your mind.

So, back to the ringworm... The first call I got was the director letting me know they were undecided if he was bitten by another kid or if he did in-fact have ringworm.  They were going to let the nurse look at it and get back to me.  Twenty minutes later, verdict was in: ringworm.  My poor sweet boy was quarantined to the school office and I had to come get him.  Not knowing anything about ringworm, I called our doctor and did a little research on my own.  Apparently ringworm is not contagious like the school thought and can easily be treated with a cream commonly used for athlete's foot.  So, we're armed with our cream and are ready to tackle ringworm.  Now, hours later, if you'd ask me what it is I'd say it a bite mark.  Kids!  I tell you, if it's not one thing, it's another! 

Also today since we had some free time, I started Gabe on some craft projects.  We used the foam stickers and make a collage of bugs for his daddy's bare walls and we started making monsters by blowing paint.  He wasn't too sure at first but he quickly caught on.  And, in typical two-year old fashion, he was uninterested in blowing the paint about 10 minutes in.  We then tried to get him to make hand prints but my crazy boy doesn't like to get his hands dirty.  I don't know what it is.  I'll keep trying though because hand print tulips are coming up on our project to-do list!

"Look, Momma.  Dirty.  Wash it Momma."