Monday, October 26, 2009

Spiders!

Today in threeschool, Kailyn learned about spiders!! She came home with this adorable spider cookie and since there was only one.......we made some at home! Since I didn't have M&M's in the house we just used chocolate chips for eyes and luckily I still had some pretzel sticks and some cookie dough in the refrigerator. Will loved sticking on the pretzel legs and Kailyn enjoyed coaching us on what to do next!!!!

All in all, a really fun after school baking activity.....and they were tasty too!

Pumpkin Carving:)

Yesterday we decided to carve the kids' pumpkins!!! They each chose a template, we printed them and then we went to work cleaning out the pumpkins. Go figure that I grabbed this shot of us getting on aprons and stuff and then the camera battery went dead:( Anyway, we had a great time and a few challenges.....Ryan had to get creative just to cut into Will's (not sure if it was all the bumps or what, but the skin of his was super tough). He ended up using his drywall cutting tool!!! Kailyn loved messing with all the insides and didn't mind the messy hands....Will on the other hand had to warm up to the idea and only did it because he was being encouraged by his sister:)Our finished pumpkins.....You can totally tell that they are both saying "cheese" in this one...but they loved their pumpkins, especially in the dark:)

Friday, October 23, 2009

I never want to forget.....

These are a few stories that I don't ever want to forget........

We are on vacation in Chicago this fall and one of our favorite things to do as a family was go down to the pool and swim. Our kids are water rats.....particularly Kailyn. So one morning we are getting out and drying off to get ready for our day at the Children's Museum and Kailyn and Will notice the hot tub. Kailyn asks what it is and we explain to them both that it is a special little pool, but that it has hot water in it. Kailyn is satisfied with that answer, but Will looks at us and says "blow on it!" How simple and precious!!!! We will never forget it and the hot tub quickly became our favorite spot to sit after enjoying the pool!


I'm sad to say that I forgot the other story that I wanted to put here.....but when I remember it I will update this post!

Pumpkin Theme!

Over the past few weeks the kids and I have talked and read about pumpkins and leaves....the typical fall stuff! Anyway, after several crafts and stories we took to the kitchen for some pumpkin fun. I found a recipe that sounded yummy and one that the kids could help me with.....we had a ton of fun. We all doned our aprons (and chef hat in Kailyn's case) and got busy using a cookie cutter to cut out pumpkin shapes...then we filled them with chocolate chips and peanut butter chips.....sealed them shut and sprinkled them with sugar. The kids had a blast helping put the chips in the pumpkins. Kailyn even made a happy face with hers:)I think we need to get Will a more boyish apron.......Too bad we had to cover up the smiley face!

Boots.....


I have finally found Kailyn some winter boots for this year (and hopefully next)! They were on a sweet sale and I couldn't help myself.....well she loved them!!! For the next few days she showed anyone who came over and also wore them inside. She would strip out of her PJ's and run around with just undies and her new boots:) On this morning she decided to add her winter scarf and her tiara!!!!!!!

Sweetness!

A few weeks back Will had to go back on his neb for about a week!! This isn't all bad as it helps him breath and he is using the mask this time around:) This makes it so much easier and he is more willing ( he loves to turn the machine on and off). On this particular night Kailyn helped him pass the 5 minutes or so by reading a football book to him! Such an act of sweetness!

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Pumpkins!!!!!

The kids and I headed to the Farmer's Market this past week to pick out pumpkins!!!!! They were so excited that we hurried through breakfast so that we could go:) We knew that we needed one big pumpkin for carving and a few smaller ones for crafts/decorating. It was a nice cold morning, which put us all in the mood:) Kailyn had no problem walking up to a nice smooth big pumpkin and saying that was the one she wanted. On the other hand, Will took forever and had to touch almost every pumpkin there!!! He ended up choosing one with bumps on it...which makes it super unique and fun.We had a blast decorating the smaller pumpkins and putting faces on them. The hair was a trip and Kailyn had to have a ribbon in her "girls" hair!
We have lots more fun pumpkin crafts to come......

My Monkey!

This is Will the other night when Chad and Ryan moved the old entertainment center out of the living room. It is so big, they had to take it through the front door and that is where I store my elliptical machine. Well......I heard the machine turn on before I saw my little monkey sitting on top of it!Of course, the other monkey wanted to get in on the action too!!!!

Pre-season Fall Leaf Training!!!!

Early in the week, after the weekend storms, we had tons of leaves and branches down in the yard. The kids really wanted a leaf pile to jump in, so......when daddy got home we ate dinner and headed outside to make a leaf pile. The kids had tons of fun jumping in the leaves and just being kids:) The leaves are a little green, but they were so cute, I couldn't help but click some pics!They would run from the barn all the way across the yard to their leaf pile! Obviously the one with the longer legs got there first every time!
You wouldn't believe how hard Ryan and I had to try for this picture......so worth it!
My precious blessings teach me so many things about the simple things in life......I love you!

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Chicago Weekend, Day 2 - Chicago Children's Museum

On Saturday we headed to Navy Pier to the children's museum! We had a blast even though getting there didn't go as we had planned.....but Daddy is our hero and we arrived shortly after they opened!! We had a great time exploring the exhibits and walking through the shops and outside looking at the big boats:)
Kailyn fell in love with this screen where the things falling would land on her or go around her!

Will dressed up like a paleontologist digging for dino bones...what a great way to do dinos in a different way.
Will "fishing" for different kinds of fish in a stream and getting really wet.....
then we spotted the raincoats:)Kailyn planting a garden.
Daddy's clay creation! It's got a mohawk:)
Building.....something.....not sure what!As a family we built this skyscraper....it was hilarious as Ryan and I did all the work..but it was fun anyway!!!

Chicago Weekend, Day 1 - Brookfield Zoo

The last weekend of September, we took the kids to Chicago to visit the zoo and to see some sights, but mainly to just get away!!! Our first stop was Brookfield Zoo and their special exhibit called "Dinos Alive!" We spent most of the week reading dino books and doing dino crafts and talking about all the different dinos that used to live......Will and Kailyn were both very excited to see "real, big" dinos! The drive down was great and we made it in great time!! The kids were ready to get out of the car by the time we got there, so we visited the bathrooms and let them walk around a bit before going to see the huge dino by the fountain! After seeing and hearing him, we headed to the dino exhibit and saw all kinds of dinos...it was really cool, however....Kailyn was petrified and cried the whole time:( Will on the other hand thought it was great and really liked the T-Rex! He even picked out a stuffed dino and his name is "Rexxy!" Checking out the big dino by the fountain.......it was HUGE!
One of the many times the kids were out of the stroller (which was their favorite parts)!
Eating our yummy lunch that we packed....the bees weren't too bad so we were very thankful for that!!!!
My little fishes!!!
This one is a little blurry but I love their silhouettes against the water!!!! They loved the penguins!They would follow your hands if you moved them in front of the glass:)
Visiting the goats...unfortunately they had just started their lunch and weren't into being pet:(Getting tired......
Kailyn discovered the face painting at the Hamill Family Play Zoo and had to do it herself!
We then proceeded to dress up like a cheetah and posed for daddy!!

In the greenhouse misting the plants.....water + kids= fun!
Kailyn dressed up again....this time as a zoo keeper!!
Not even 5 minutes in the car......he was out!!!!