Have Activities, Ready To Travel

I had seen an idea for activity books on one of the craft blogs I stalk, I mean follow.  I had posted about it HERE.  I thought it would be the perfect companion for our trip back east this summer.

I finally finished the books for the kids - and just in time!  I found WASHABLE dry erase markers and an eraser at Walmart!  I was so excited because you and I both know that Sissy will somehow manage to color all over herself as well as the pages!

I used plastic folders and cut out the letters from vinyl with my Cricut.

These are examples of the coloring pages from Sissy's book.  I printed out pages from the internet or photocopied them from coloring books onto card stock to make them a little more durable.  The pages were then inserted to page protectors and then placed into the folder tabs.

Little Man's book is a little different.  I gave him an index of all the pages in his book so we can check them off as he completes them.  If he can complete the entire book by the time we arrive back in the good ol' Salt Lake Valley, then I promised him a trip to Frogurt - his new favorite place for cold treats (they don't have Rita's here or we'd be going there instead!)

Here are just a sampling of the pages I included in his book:

Color by numbers, letters or words, dot to dot by 2's or 5's

Coloring pages of his favorite animals, movies or cartoons, worksheets from a grade one workbook to review or expand upon concepts he has already learned

Had to include the cars for his Pappy to see!

I created two BINGO sheets of things he may see while on the airplane, like a baby, a cloud, mountains, peanuts, etc.

And what would a good activity book be without some Tic Tac Toe and Hangman!

I'm hoping that these books help to ward off the boredom they will experience as we fly across the country this summer.  The batteries in the portable DVD player will only last so long!  Did I happen to mention that I didn't buy a seat for Sissy?  Thankfully Andy will be able to travel with us on the way there and I will only have to survive it solo on the way home!

A Visit With Thomas

So for our Little Man, going to see Thomas wasn't as big of a thrill as it was for Sissy.  Little Man has seen Thomas 3 times while we lived in Lancaster because the Strasburg Railroad was so close to our home and they actually rebuilt one of their engines as Thomas the Tank Engine.  Day Out With Thomas was being held at the Heber Valley Railroad which is an hour from our house - just across those beautiful mountains you can see out my back door, but it takes a while to drive around to the other side.

This was Sissy's first time to see Thomas and she LOVED it!  She kept saying "Thomas!"  and "choo-choo!"  It was so cute, but I'm scared that both kids have been bitten by the train bug...I guess I shouldn't be surprised since it does run in the family!  They had a tent filled with train tables for the kids to play with and she had more fun than I expected.  I guess I know where Little Man's train table will eventually end up!  How will that look next to the doll bed and dress up clothes?

We met up with two other friends and their kiddos there.  Little Man and his friends had a blast together.  On the way home we stopped off in Park City for some dinner and then eventually got home way past bedtime, but it was worthwhile!

Sissy thought this backdrop was pretty cool.

Mom and Sissy riding the train.

Little Man and his train buddy - how lucky to find a friend who likes trains as much as you do!

Little Man and Sissy with Thomas

Sissy attempting her first round of miniature golf

Not too bad for her first time.

Actually Little Man's first attempt too.

Look what Andy found:  A Western Maryland boxcar all the way out here in Utah!  It's a long way from home...For those of you who don't know, York Railway, which is part of Genesee & Wyoming and where Andy was the Operations Manager while we lived in PA, now operates on part of the old WM railroad.  Andy had to take the picture to email to some of the guys back at York.

This is the steam engine they operate at Heber Valley Railroad.  Not the same as Little Man's favorite #90 from Strasburg, but he liked it all the same.  

What To Do This Summer?

Here are 100 things you can do with your kids this summer to ward off boredom from Sisters Stuff's blog:

1. Go for a bike ride - so much easier now that Riley can ride his own bike without training wheels!  Thank goodness there are plenty of choices of bike trails here!
2. Make homemade ice cream or visit an ice cream parlor - Frogurt is one of our new favorites!
3. Bake a double batch of cookies and deliver one to another family
4. Learn a few magic tricks and produce your own magic show
5. Have a picnic - We do this a lot!
6. Hike or climb trees - so many trails, so little time!
7. Make popcorn or maybe even caramel corn
8. Blow bubbles - I have a hand held bubble blower for this reason!
9. Go swimming or water skiing - the bubble comes off the pool at Treehouse this week!
10. Plan a scavenger hunt for outside. Or plan one for in the house using every letter of the alphabet.  (Riley LOVES scavenger hunts!)
11. Draw a map of your block or of your town, or trace a map of your country and fill in the states or cities or other features
12. Make playdoh - Peanut butter playdough is our favorite because it doubles as a snack!
13. Read a good book aloud - or with my kids, they beg for 50 books!
14. Look through photo albums or view family movies, or videos
15. Make a collage from magazine words and pictures
16. Collect some canned goods for the food bank
17. Draw pictures with chalk on the sidewalk - they both love to do this!
18. Go fishing - found a fishin' hole near our house!
19. Plan a family game night
20. Work on a jigsaw puzzle
21. Go roller skating - might be tough for Sissy!
22. Paint a picture - may have to break out the finger paints for Sissy this summer
23. Have a candy treasure hunt
24. Work on a crossword puzzle
25. Try origami (Japanese paper-folding) or make a paper airplane and fly it
26. Make an obstacle course in your back yard - right up my alley!
27. Visit a tourist spot near your home
28. Write a poem
29. Make a bird feeder
30. Walk around your block and pick up all the litter you can find.
31. Go to the zoo - thinking about getting a membership
32. Go bowling - have yet do this with the kids!
33. Make your own homemade pizza - this happens weekly at our house...homemade dough and grilled...yum!
34. Invite another family over for a game of charades or "Guesstures" - Riley loves charades!
35. Listen to your favorite music and dance around - Kendall is our little "dancing queen!"
36. Go without TV for a day - is it even possible?  Thank goodness it wasn't to go without Facebook!  Ha!
37. Make a collage using seeds, rice, cereal, old buttons and sewing scraps
38. Run around the block 3 times - Yes!  We must do this!
39. Open a day spa - Kendall loves to get her toenails painted and receive back rubs!
40. Go camping–or stay home and camp out in your own dining room - we do both!
41. Build with LEGOS - everyday all the time at our house
42. Make puppets out of lunch bags, old socks, felt, wooden clothespins. Put on a puppet show
43. Have a bonfire outdoors or in your fireplace and roast hot dogs and marshmallows - no excuse for us since we got our firepit!
44. Write a letter to your best friend - Maddie Moo...we miss you!
45. Visit a shut-in or an elderly friend or relative in a nursing home
46. Pick wild flowers and press some of them to save
47. Make dinner for your family - Don't I do this every night?
48. Sketch a picture of your house from the outside
49. Play educational computer games - Does Legos count?  He always wants to be on that website!
50. Find a joke and tell it someone else - dangerous...you'll be hearing it for the next two weeks!
51. Make a piece of art out of objects you have around the house
52. Sign up at your local library for their Summer Reading Program - need to do it tomorrow!
53. Color a picture or write a letter to send to grandparents - Lots of artwork for the g-parents!
54. Make a list together of all the things in your house that use electricity. You might do this when you lose power sometime.
55. Plant something - We've been working on our veggie garden already
56. Enjoy a shopping trip for something little, but fun---a jar of bubbles, stickers, paper dolls, a matchbox car - Sounds like a Dollar Store run!
57. Play store, library or school
58. Visit a farm. Milk a cow, help to feed the animals. Take pictures. - Thanksgiving Point?
59. Play a new sport- badminton, volleyball, tennis, Frisbee, yard darts or ping pong...I'm thinking yard darts is out, but maybe frisbee
60. Tour where Dad works - done, but they always love to go see the trains!
61. Play hide-and-seek (inside or outside) - neither are good at being quiet while hiding, but they have a blast!
62. Help wash the car - Riley enjoys this one
63. Share a favorite movie with a friend
64. Draw a family tree on paper and complete it as a family. Add old photographs if available
65. Go jogging or take a walk together
66. Give each person a large piece of paper and take turns tracing the outlines of their bodies on it. Color in the outlines to look like you. (You can get a large roll of paper at Ikea for $5!)
67. Jump on a trampoline - Sissy's getting one for her birthday!  We are all very excited!
68. Go to the library - weekly
69. Gather a variety of leaves and identify them
70. Rearrange the furniture in your bedroom
71. Memorize something meaningful: a psalm, a poem, a passage from the Bible, the Gettysburg Address
72. Make caramel apples - YUM!
73. Fly a kite - sure is windy enough where we live to fly one every day!
74. Jump rope
75. Learn how to make a fortune teller
76. Visit a friend
77. Make a summer snack - more pudding pops?
78. Read favorite poems aloud - does Dr. Seuss count?
79. Put together a scrapbook describing a favorite vacation or any special event (pictures, writing, souvenirs)
80. If it's warm outside, turn on the water sprinkler and run through it - and the slip n slide!
81. Make a lemonade stand
82. Water the yard, houseplants or flowers - daily chore and Riley enjoys helping
83. Play with sand toys and trucks in a sandbox - Uncle Kevin is supposed to help us build a water & sand table...that could be a lot of fun!
84. Swing -"fwing me Mommy!"
85. Play a card game
86. Go to a ball game or play one---football, kickball, softball, baseball, basketball, soccer.  Riley has discovered the joy in kickball...I taught the neighbors about "mat ball" this weekend!
87. Finger paint with chocolate pudding
88. Make a milkshake or a smoothie
89. Have a real tea party with some friends
90. Take a trip to an amusement park, a museum or a planetarium - have yet to go to the Clark Planetarium
91. Clean out your closet - or the craft room!
92. Practice playing a musical instrument. If you don’t play an instrument, try learning to play one, maybe the recorder or the harmonica. - Do the drums count?
93. Make a yummy salad and eat it
94. Build a fort - regular past time here
95. String beads to make a necklace - fun!
96. Write and illustrate a short story
97. Build a robot out of empty boxes of all shapes and sizes. Oatmeal and salt boxes work well
98. Volunteer to help a neighbor for free—just because
99. Play with water guns - all the time!
100. Make your own list of things to do when you’re bored - nah!

A Lazy Saturday Morning

This morning was such a nice break for me.  When Sissy decided it was time to wake, Andy turned off the monitor, and instead of just falling back to sleep like he normally would, he got up and took care of her for me!  I haven't slept in...well, since college?  Well, at least since we've had the kids!

I didn't have to make anyone breakfast, or change a diaper, etc.  What a nice change of pace!  And it wasn't even Mother's Day!  Later on, I caught Sissy and her Daddy hanging out in the big red chair...It was so cute I had to snap some photos...

And not to be left out...Ra Ra had to join in the fun!

Hope your Saturday morning was as wonderful as mine!

I Can Tie My Shoes!

Today Riley and I discussed the issue of him learning to tie his own shoes. He has very weak fine motor skills (we've known this since he was tested for Early Intervention at 16 months) which means his handwriting is sloppy no matter how hard he tries and things like tying his shoes is frustrating for him. While we were sitting at the Acura dealer waiting for an oil change, he and I talked about how he needs to learn to tie his own shoes. I told him we were going to start today and that once school is over for the summer, I wouldn't be helping him tie his shoes anymore. Riley isn't motivated by candy or food like Kendall, but rather by toys. We made a deal that when he learns to tie his own shoes, we'd go get more LEGOS - Have I mentioned my kid is a LEGO Maniac? That sealed the deal for him. On the way home from getting the oil change, we stopped at a Lifeway Christian bookstore to pick up the free "What's In the Bible" video I won off of a blog. While we were there, he found these cool Veggie Tales "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything" finger puppets. He decided that they would be better motivation than the LEGOS. Once we got home, I taught him this cute little poem I found on the internet and boy if he didn't learn how to tie his shoes in 10 minutes! It's not perfect every time, but he's probably at about a 75% right now!

Here's the poem:

Build a tee pee

Come inside

Close it tight so we can hide

Over the mountain

Around we go

Here's my arrow

Here's my bow

Here's a video of Riley actually tying his shoe! I'm so proud of him. I know he's a late bloomer with this skill, but keep in mind that he's had some challenges. I'm so proud of him for picking it up so easily and quickly! His face when he first did it was priceless! He was beaming as much as I was!

Happy Birthday Uncle Kevin!

Yesterday was Uncle Kevin's birthday and we hosted a bunch of his friends and family here at our house to celebrate with him...the grand plan was to cook out and then build a fire in the pit, but as mother nature would have it, it was WAY too cold for that.  Who would have thought that May 22nd would boast a high of 55 degrees!  The weather in Utah is the craziest I've ever experienced!  But at least it didn't snow!

But we had a great time in spite of the cooler temps!  Cara and I tried to surprise Kevin by making some of his favorite dishes from Lancaster.  There was quite a spread of food from macaroni salad, to grilled corn on the cob to ribs, burgers and chicken.  And what birthday party would be complete without birthday cake!  I even made Jello shots for the adults!  What fun!

Riley enjoyed playing with his buddy Tristam all night while Kendall was the luckiest girl in the world.  ALL of her boyfriends were there:  Kevin, Tom, Bob and a new one...Cara's dad!  She also got her first experience with lip gloss.  Cathy taught her how to apply it and then later on she was caught breaking into Cathy's purse and putting on a second application!  What a mess she had all over her face!

I am so thankful that we got to celebrate Kevin's birthday in person this year.  We're hoping that there will be a few more celebrations before we are asked to move again.  What a wonderful evening with great friends!

Happy Birthday dear friend!  We love you!

My Kids Are "Bouncin' Off The Walls!"

Both of my kids are bounce house junkies.  Thankfully there is a place out here called "Bouncin' Off the Walls" and they hold a pre-school jump on Wednesdays  from 10-1 pm.  Both kids love the slide they have, but unfortunately for me, it requires me to carry Sissy up the stairs to reach the top of the slide.  What a workout that turned out to be!  She loved it though.  She'll go down all by herself, but was happiest when all three of us held hands and slid down together.  My son loved the slide too and thankfully he made a friend there and the two of them raced up and down it as many times as possible!

I love their innocent smiles of joy and hearing their shrieks of happiness!

YUMMO!

So today I made some pudding pops for my munchkins.  Boy were they a hit!  Check out the smiling faces!  

It would be rude of me not to share this simple and delicious recipe with you, so here you go!

Strawberries and Cream Pudding Pops

1 small box instant vanilla pudding

1 C milk

6oz vanilla yogurt (strawberry is great too)

12 medium strawberries (about 1 3/4-2 C roughly chopped)

2-3 T sugar

Remove stems from berries and pulse with 2 T sugar in a food processor until completely smooth.  Taste and add more sugar if needed.  You should have just over a cup of puree.  Set aside. 

In a blender combine pudding, yogurt, and milk and blend until combined.  Layer or swirl the pudding mixture with the strawberry mixture in popsicle molds and freeze until solid. (I layered the mixtures in the molds and then took a skewer to swirl them)

*You can get these popsicle molds at IKEA for a few bucks.  I think I'll have to go back to pick up a few more because this would be a great treat to have on hand for when friends come over to play!

ENJOY!

"Fwing Me Daddy!"

This is Sissy's favorite thing to do these days!  Look at what a big girl she is on the big kid swing all by herself!

You'd love to play outside too if your Daddy and Uncle Kevin built a swing set as cool as this one!  I hung R's pirate flag from the roof and we bought a pirate ship steering wheel Dad has yet to install.  There's even a picnic table underneath as well as a storage container to keep all of their "outside" toys so they don't need to be going into the garage to get what they need.

A Great Day For A Trip To The Park

Today begins the first week of kdg. vacation, actually kdg testing, but it's like a vacation for Ra Ra.  He has his testing tomorrow morning so the rest of the time is ours!  Today was full of sunshine and we decided to take advantage of what might be the nicest day of the week by going to the park to feed the ducks, swing, play on the playground and have a picnic lunch.

He was a little nervous with the geese there.

Smiling...this was before he got bit by a goose!

Sissy felt safe at the table

They're coming closer Momma!  I don't like this, they hiss and they are as big as me!

Ra Ra loved feeding the ducks, not the geese.  He yelled at the geese if they took it from the ducks!

Sis would rather eat the stale bread than feed the bossy geese!

Ra Ra was worried that this guy took a wrong turn...aren't sea gulls supposed to be at the beach?

Playing Momma a tune

This is more fun than the geese Mom!

Ra Ra loves to get on top of the tunnels and surprise his sister when she comes down the slide!

My two hungry munchkins.

This was a perfect preview of what summer will be like.  This year will be so much more fun now that Sis is older and can do more when we take our "field trips."