Helping Daddy

Brian decided to do a home improvement project over spring break and put in wood stair risers and tear out the carpet.  Our carpet is so yucky on the stairs and we've been wanting to do it for a while.  Brian bought the stairs over winter break (I believe) but knew he wasn't going to have time then.  N2 were so excited to help.  They put on their tool belts (that I made for their party) and loaded it up with play tools and put on safety goggles so they were ready to help!

 They got to help Brian rip out the carpet and then they got to pull up staples on the carpet pad using their real tools.  Brian said they were helpful but it would have taken them FOREVER to do all the staples.

Museum of Science and Industry

We decided we'd do a staycation as well during spring break because we're going on a big trip at the beginning of the summer.  So on Tuesday we decided to venture into the city to visit a museum.  What a mistake!  We might as well just visit those in the summer and they would be much less busy.  Except for not being able to find a space to sit we had a good time even though it was crowded.

N2 were the most excited about being able to go on a plane.  I guess we really need to take them on a real airplane sometime!  They were anxious to look out the windows and sit in the seats.  They wanted to sit in the cockpit however it's blocked off-you can see it but not enter it.

Then we moved to the storm exhibits.  They had some things that didn't really fit with storms but that's OK.  Here's Natalie working the giant Newton's Cradle exhibit.  You get it pick if the machine pulls 1,2 or 3 balls back and you get to watch what happens.  The machine stops it really quickly though so you don't get to watch it for long.

There were pipes with blowing air that you could put a ball on.  Natalie realized that you could move the pipe around and blow the ball in different directions.

There were plasma globes (we think that is the right name) and N2 were very hesitant to touch them.  I touched them and so then they would try.  Noah did try but  I didn't get a picture.  Here's Natalie being very hesitant.

Right up there was the embryo exhibit and both of them really wanted to look at it.  Then we experimented  with magnets for a while but had to leave because the electrical storm started and neither kid liked it.  We visited the space center and the submarine exhibit (but not inside the sub).  On the way to the space center and the sub exhibit we passed through the hallway where you could play piano with lights (Noah loved this) and the circus exhibit (they were both very intrigued-we'll have to go to the circus soon!)

 Here's Noah crawling through a sub door.

After that we went to the kid's area but that wasn't really worth it after being at nice children's museums.  It's not worth the wait.  Here's Noah having fun with spraying water there.

After that we went to see the chicks where we saw one hatch.  Then we visited the trains and then it was time to go.  No visit to the fairy castle.  Maybe when they are older we'll pay for the Coal Mine.

Breakfast with the Easter Bunny

We had tickets to Breakfast with the Easter Bunny at the library a week or so ago.  Brian couldn't go because we had no hot water so Mary Kay came with us.  They had breakfast and then a man dressed up in a bunny suit (according to Noah) came in to say hi.  After that we got to go pose with the Easter bunny and then play games and a do a craft.

They got to make an Easter bunny headband.  There was an egg and spoon game.  Noah was very good at not dropping the egg.  He walked very slowly and carefully.  There was a scavenger hunt where they had to find various items and write down the number on each item.  There was also a bozo bucket type game.  It was a very fun event.

Lunch

One day at the end of preschool N2's teacher gave me cardstock placemats that we could use for snacks or what have you.  I think they used them for goldfish at school after reading Dr. Seuss books.  I decided to use them for lunch one day.  I put contact paper over them so the paper wouldn't get yucky.

The placemats have 6 fishbowl with the numbers 1-6 on them.  I started by giving them 6 carrots and told them to figure out where they go.  The put 1 in the 1 fishbowl, 2 in the 2 fishbowl, 3 in the 3 fishbowl and then told me they didn't have enough.  I wanted them to put the 6 carrots in the 6 fishbowl.  Once I had them count them again and tell me how many they had, they were able to put the carrots where they needed to go.    I think at school they had probably been given goldfish and told to put the right number on each fishbowl which is why I was confused.  They had 6 carrots, 5 pieces of string cheese, 4 apple slices, 3 almonds, 2 marshmallows, and 1 roll.  After that they kept asking for more food so I found dried fruit, other nuts, more carrots, salami and I can't even remember what else.  They just kept eating!  They had a lot of fun.  It's too bad that Natalie peeled off the contact paper so that we couldn't use hers again.  I thought I would make placemats like this again and maybe do colors.  It was a fun way to each lunch.

Construction Party-Part 3

After playing in the museum for about an hour and a half we moved back to the party room to have food and cake.  I put cones in the center of the table as decoration and they became drums for the kids.

I tried to get a picture of all the kids but they all had food so it didn't work at all!

Here are N2 blowing out their candles.

N2's birthday party

We had a great time at N2's birthday party and I think all the kids had fun too.  The Children's Neighborhood Museum is such a fun place to play and it was new to several of the kids at the party.  Here are some of the kids having fun at the stage area.  Noah and Amelia loved dancing together.  The held hands and danced around in circles.  I think Noah kicked up his legs too because that's what he thinks dancing is.

We had a "squirrel" who was hoarding food in the tree house.  The kids couldn't find food in the store so we went looking for it and found this.

Here are some other random pictures of kids playing.

Construction Party-Decorations

I had so much fun planning N2's construction party.  I found so many ideas on Pinterest that it was hard to stop!  We had N2's birthday party at the Neighborhood Museum in Round Lake.  N2 love this museum as do I!  We had the party scheduled for the day before their birthday and since all of us were sick, we had to cancel.  Luckily we were able to reschedule 3 weeks later at the same time.  I had made all the decorations and food beforehand so I had to remake all the food and I had to make more decorations because everyone who couldn't come to the first party was able to come to this party.

Here is how I set the table.  Each kid had a hard hat with his/her name on it (from Oriental Trading Co).  I wrote their name with Sharpie.  On the back of the chairs was a toolbelt that I made (with Marcie's help!)  I found the directions for making them here.  They really weren't hard to make at all!  They were my first ever sewing project.  I found the digger fabric and everything else I needed to sew the tool belts at Wal-mart.

The cones were from Oriental Trading Co.  We also used them for the bottom of the balloons (we did have to weigh them down a little more too) and had to make a hole in the top. The caution tape came from Amazon.  I used my kit Trucks and Tractors to make the circles on the cups and napkins.  I also used the kit for the food signs, the invitations and the goody bags.  Cups, napkins and forks were from Party City.  The plates were ordered from Birthday in a Box.

The tags say "I hope you DUG my party.  Thanks for coming!" I found digger bags at the Dollar Tree.  Inside the goody bags are construction ducks, tool bubbles (both from Oriental Trading Co.), a digger (Party City), and construction silly bands (Amazon).  The kids also got to take home these sticker pages.  I had intended for them to do the stickers at the party but we ran out of time (ordered Oriental Trading Co).

The party was from noon to 2 and we weren't in the party room until 1:30 so I just wanted to have snacks and cakes.  Here's the food table.

I served "wrecking balls"-melon balls, "logs"-pretzel rods tied together with licorice, "bricks"-cheese cubes, and "construction vehicles"-jello jigglers cut using a cement mixer and excavator cookie cutters.  I made the saw horse food signs with my digital scrapbook kit, Trucks and Tractors.

Of course we had to have construction cakes.  Natalie was adamant that she was having a dump truck party and wanted a dump truck cake.  She originally wanted a pink dump truck but changed her mind at the last minute to an orange dump truck.

The cones on the second cake are candles!  We had a great time!  I'll post more pictures tomorrow.

The Most Random Play-doh Toy

For N2's birthday, one of their friends gave them the most random playdoh toy I've ever seen.  Take a look.

Why yes, it's a mouth!  You can mold teeth (both incisors and molars), make braces, drill out cavities and add fillings, make a tongue, brush teeth and pull teeth.  N2 asked on the day of their party if they could play with it and I said no but then the next day they asked again and I figured why not.  I had to make all the teeth at first but then they got the hang of it.  They really like pulling teeth and destroying them.  Warning-don't ever visit them if they become dentists!  The drill has batteries so you can drill holes in the teeth.

 Natalie is trying to pull the tongue out instead of the tooth!

They certainly had fun playing with this play-doh set but it really strikes me as a strange thing to make a playdoh set about!

Natalie's Faces

The other day at dinner, I'm not sure how it started but Natalie started imitating Brian's faces.  She's really good at making the same faces as other people.  There is one face that she has trouble with but other than that, she can make all the same as Brian.  She clearly is her father's daughter!

Random February

On N2's birthday, Noah was throwing up and Natalie was better.  We put on movies but Natalie wanted to do other things.  She and I played Sequence for kids but then she got bored and watched to build towers with the poker chips.  She used all the chips to build one tall tower!

Natalie found my hat and gloves and put them on one day.  She looked so cute!

Kohl's Children Museum

We went to the Kohl's Children's Museum a few weeks ago because I bought a deal for half off admission.  Dad came with us and went some friends there.  They seemed to have a great time but they did get hungry so we had to leave earlier than I had planned to go have lunch at Walker Brother's.  Maybe that was the start of Noah's growth spurt!  I was glad to have dad there so that the kids could go in different directions which they did most of the time we were there.

Noah spent time in the baby hospital.  I love how well he took care of the babies!  He gave them shots in their heart and he listened to their lungs while they were face down.  What a great doctor!

They also did a LOT of grocery shopping.

We spent a lot of time working with the crane which was actually hard for them to maneuver on their own.

We also spent a lot time with the wheelbarrows and the conveyor belt.

 Natalie seems to love pretending to be a veterinarian and taking care of animals.  She spent a lot of time in that area at the museum.  While she was there, she talked on the phone and I love this picture because I can just imagine her when she is older and talking on the phone and being exasperated with me!