The Crystal Garden

For Christmas, Ethan and Simon got a fun gift from grandma that I wanted to document because even Thomas and I thought this one was pretty cool. It's called a crystal garden and basically you set up the garden from pre-cut colored cardboard paper and then you pour a special solution onto the cardboard and in a few hours, the garden starts to grow! We watched it pretty closely and Ethan was a bit disappointed that it wasn't growing at the rate in which he would have liked, and he had to go to bed, but we reassured him that in the morning, there would be so much to see and some really vibrantly colored plants and trees. We were right! He was pretty impressed as was I. Thomas remembered doing these as a kid but I had never seen anything like it. It was a fun craft and the boys would like to do another. I'll have to see if there's something else available online to do again. After they had enjoyed the garden for a couple days, Thomas had some fun with still animation and took some pictures to compile a movie of a dangerous T-rex invading the garden! I had to include a photo! What a Dad!

Snow Play!

It's about time we got out and played in the snow! I have to confess, I have felt a bit sorry for Ethan because we have had snow on the ground for over 2 months now and we've only taken him out once or twice to play in it. Since I've been starting to feel a bit better and not so nauseated, I decided I would take the kids out this past week and try and build and snow man with them. I also felt like I need to do a little shoveling as we had a down pour of snow and Thomas was out of town for the week. Our driveway and sidewalk was looking pretty bad and I'm not sure what all the rules are in Ames, but I know it's not good to have an snow covered walkway for more than a couple of days. So, I shoveled and the boys played. It didn't take long before Simon was in over his knees and was begging to go back inside. He isn't too fond of snow yet, but I don't think Ethan was at this age either. It didn't make it any better when he kept pulling off his gloves. It was a constant battle trying to keep his hands from becoming little icicles. He was ok with hopping on the sled with Ethan and being pulled around the yard a couple of times. We threw a couple of snowballs and made half of a snowman and then both the boys were ready to head inside. They watched from the front window as I finished the shoveling and they found it very amusing to watch me work hard out in the snow, in the cold, while they were nice and warm inside the house. We all enjoyed some hot cocoa when I finished. It was a fun day. Hopefully we'll get out and play again soon...maybe even finish the snowman.

Christmas!

It's January 4th today and I can't stand the fact that I haven't written anything about our Christmas 2010. I seem to be running a little behind with posts recently and the funny thing is, knowing that I need to catch up is always in the back of my mind. I don't like missing out on some of the big events that we have had going on and sharing about all the memories of this season that were so exciting and unforgettable to Thomas and I as well as the kids. Christmas 2010 was full of fun! We jumped started our Christmas vacation in West Branch the Wednesday before Christmas and spent a few days with the Fawcett's on the farm. The boys had so many things to open and Santa sure filled their stockings full! We were able to visit with Cary and Christen Beatty and their mother Margaret who are dear family friends to the Fawcett's and enjoyed good conversation and great food. The next day we visited the Stuarts at their home and were able to let all the cousins run around and play with all of Adam's classic tractors. Adam was unable to be there but Ashley and Truman were home for the week and their adorable little one, Daniel. The boys loved playing together, along with Grace who was able to keep up so well with the boys. She is surrounded on all sides of the family tree, with boy cousins and yet she seems just fine with it. She is such a trooper and so much fun! All the kids loved playing at Grandma and Grandpa's house and it was very difficult to leave. After we exchanged gifts and shared a traditional family meal together with the Vincent's and Uncle Tom, we were headed back to Ames, on Christmas Eve. It was somewhat of a long trip but luckily the boys slept and Thomas and talked to each other and had some good time to connect! When we got home, we transferred the boys to their beds and unpacked the car. The presents were all set up before we left so there wasn't much to do to get ready for the next morning. The kids woke up as usual around 7 and were pretty exited to come down stairs especially after seeing that Santa did eat the cookie and Rudolph ate the carrot that we had left for them. The boys were thrilled to see more gifts and I think they probably got through every gift in under half an hour. It was so much fun and we spent a few hours playing at our house with our new toys. Ethan got a new bike with training wheels that he rode around and around from kitchen to living room and around again. Simon got a new motorized car and track that Thomas set up for him and he was content to play with that for a while. The boys have my grandmother, Nana, to thank for their bike and car track as she was unable to be with us this year for Christmas but sent her love with gifts and a big box of goodies! Thank you Nana!

We then headed to my parents for another celebration! Jon and Hanna and the Sanchez's were all there and we all exchanged gifts and let the kids play together all day long! We ate and ate some more and just hung out while the kids played with Nerf guns and jumped on a blow up trampoline. They had a blast! My dad made his traditional biscuits and gravy for a late breakfast and we all were so full, the meal carried us all the way until dinner time. It was a wonderful time with the family and we were all sad to leave.

Christmas was wonderful this year and what I loved the most was watching the kids play with their cousins. They are making lasting friendships with them and deepening their love for each other and family. Thomas and I want our kids to experience the fullness and fulfillment of living a life that is full of family traditions and I think this Holiday season began to establish just that. We love our family and thank them for all the ways our lives are blessed by each of them.

A Birthday to Remember...

This post will be somewhat of a challenge to write because I will have think back to a couple of weeks ago when we celebrated Ethan's 4th Birthday, and with all the Holidays and parties going on, the Birthday seems like ages ago. I have been wanting to write for some time now and there have been so many fun things that THomas and I have done with the kids and the family but it's been a crazy couple of weeks and I have felt pretty exhausted from it all, on top of the morning sickness that kicked in a right around his Birthday. The only time I usually blog is at night and falling asleep for the night at 8pm, right after the kids go to bed, doesn't allow me any time to get anything written. This has been hard for me but hopefully I can catch up and not miss much of what's been happening in our lives.

Ok, Ethan''s Birthday. What a fun afternoon. The party was smaller this year as we pushed the party back to the weekend of the 18th and realized that this was probably going to be a busy weekend for many people and so close to Christmas so we decided to just have a family party. Grandma and Grandpa Fawcett came for the weekend and we joined the Sanchez family for the party as well. WE celebrated a Toy Story party hosted by Gaga and Papa Shiplett and my sister and I felt we needed to do something unforgettable for the kids. We put together a puppet show with Ethan's puppet theatre and the kids thoroughly enjoyed it. Lauren and I practiced several times together and Lauren put together a wonderful script as I searched the library for the ideal characters for our show. I checked out some books as well as researched online how to put on a great puppet show and so Lauren and I put our heads together and came up with a stellar performance (or at least we thought so). There were so mishaps, but they went unnoticed by the kids and the adults just laughed even harder. Needless to say, we all had a great time and I think the kids were really impressed and a bit confused by who exactly was behind that theatre! Success!

Ethan and Ava have had every party together since their first and this year, we weren't about to break the tradition. Grandma Fawcett made amazing cakes, as usual. She made a large Toy Story cake and three individual cakes for each Birthday kid (Unfortunately, Eli Anderson couldn't join us because he was sick that day) with their favorite Toy Story character. Obviously the kids were in shock when they were able to eat their own individual cake. We sang, we ate lots of snacks and cake, and the kids played for hours. It was a great time with the family and I think Ethan will remember his 4th Birthday for a while.

After the party, we had little time to recover from all the excitement and we had to get ready for Christmas that next week. I was a little overwhelmed by all that needed to get done feeling the way that I have but Thomas helped out so much. He always goes above and beyond what is asked of him and he is truly an amazing helper, husband and friend. I couldn't be who I am without such a loving husband. I'll end with that.

A Season of Traditions

It's sunny and warm outside today and for Iowa, I'm pretty sure that's not typical this time of year. There is no snow on the ground and the temperature remains at a comfortable and cool 45 degrees. I remember last year around this time, there were a couple feet of snow on the ground and we had already attempted to build a snowman. This year, it's been quite pleasant and nice to have a few extra days of dry weather and easy driving conditions. The weather was amazing last week and it was perfect weather for all the activities that we wanted and needed to get done.

Last week was Thanksgiving and we had a full week. We spent most of it at home, doing multiple loads of laundry and disinfecting everything in the house due to the stomach flu taking its toll on every member of our household. Poor little Simon was infected first and hard. He was getting sick every couple of minutes or so and this seemed to last for hours. This was Monday night. Tuesday was uneventful, but all of us were constantly questioning if we were feeling ill of just thinking about it too much. Wednesday night Ethan was sick. We then decided to postpone some of our extended family activities to Saturday morning and have Thanksgiving dinner at home which was very difficult for us. Thursday night, after the turkey dinner, Thomas was ill and then Friday, I got sick. It was a long week but needless to say, we still managed to fit in some family traditions that Thomas and I have been talking about establishing now while the boys are young.

We did decorate ginger bread houses and put up our Christmas tree. The boys loved opening all the ornaments and nowadays with all the lights and sounds ornaments, who needs gifts under the tree! The tree is like a magnet and we are doing our best to keep them from pulling the entire thing down. The boys spent over three hours the other morning helping Thomas put the Lionel train under the tree. They are mesmerized by the train and absolutely love pulling the lever by themselves. It's so fun to watch their eyes twinkle as they watch the tree and train underneath. It almost makes me feel like a kid again. Thomas did a great job putting up our Christmas lights on the exterior house. We are trying to figure out if we want to go LED or not. We both don't care for the look as much as the traditional but the saving and durability of the LED's might be worth sacrificing the look. We did end up buying a few for the front tree, but Thomas isn't sure they are staying. It's going to get pretty cold here soon that I don't think we'll do much about it. They will probably stay at least for this year.

Despite the illnesses that swept through our house, it was a fun week and I think the boys will look forward to Thanksgiving traditions next year based on the fun things we started this year.

Jennifer

Just an Update

So I believe this would be day 4 that the boys have been sleeping together in the same room. WIth only a few minor bumps in the road, we have decided that this could be permanent (at least more permanent than just a couple days). The frist night was a bit rough as they were both confused as to why I was singing to both of them at the same time and that when I left the room, things were different than usual. FOr Simon, he had so sleep with the door cracked open which has never happened. He has always had his room dark with no extra lights. As for Ethan, he had to adjust quickly to Simon's loud babbling and shouting as he has always needed a little time to settle down before he gets his thumb in his mouth to quiet down and sleep. So, they both had to compromise a bit, but that's the point! It's about sharing and understanding how we respect each others desire and need for sleep! It hasn't been easy for Thomas and I as they have been waking several times through the night for various different reasons (having to go potty, needing more blankets, awakening from the other siblings cough etc...) Thomas has been so understanding and gracious to help out at night. It's been working out well however we have felt recently that we are dealing with a newborn again simply because of the fact that we are waking more than before. I think that this will just take time but it's great to know that they actually like and get excited about falling asleep together. Overall I would say success!!! We did wake this morning to Ethan asking Simon if he could tell him a story around 5:45am. The story had to do with his disapproval of last nights dinner and something about his make believe dragon friends, Freddie and Eddie. I'm not sure how it went but Simon was not impressed. They both fell back asleep until 7am or at least were quiet until then. Ethan knows that he is not allowed to leave his bed until the numbers match on his alarm clock. I have blocked the minutes with the number 7 to prevent Ethan getting out of bed so early. It's been fun to listen in on their conversations. I'm sure they will get more and more animated as they grow up. =)

These are pictures from our family movie night. Ethan and Simon both LOVE popcorn and we watched Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin. Even though Halloween is over, Ethan couldn't wait to watch it. Simon wasn't too impressed but it was still a fun time! Ethan also made a snow globe at preschool today! He did such a great job and even though we had to bring it home and patch up a few leaky spots, the Xmas tree and snowman were placed perfectly! Way to go Ethan! Simon wasn't involved in the making of a snow globe, but he did create one big art project on his food tray and face with his slice of pie! We had some pie after lunch today and Simon loved mushing it with his hands. He oftentimes will decide that it's too much work to use a fork or spoon and takes the liberty to use his hands! I'm all about it! It makes for a great picture and less dishes! =) Fun Times!

Sharing a Room!

THe boys and I spent the afternoon cleaning, sorting and rearranging most of the upstairs today as we have made up our minds and decided to conduct a risky experiment. As of today at 3pm, the boys are sharing a room together. I don't know how this will work, especially after the long bedtime routine tonight because it took me about half an hour just to explain to Ethan how this was all going to work out. Like instead of screaming "Mama, Dada" first thing in the morning, he has to quietly whisper into the monitor and let us know that he is up. He was a little worried about how we were going to hear him through this little device so we checked it together several times. He would listen to me talk to him from his bed as he was listening in our bedroom. He had to tell Simon several times to lay down and that it was time to be quiet and go to bed. Simon was a bit confused himself especially because he has never had to sleep with the door cracked open. Ethan usually has a light on in his room but was willing to say that the crack in the door would suffice. I think we will give it a couple of days and go from there. I think after the initial getting used to it, they will love being together. They are such great buds during the day that I think it will be something that builds their connection and friendship with each other. If not either of these, I am hoping that they will keep each other company in the morning and stay in the room just a few minutes longer so that we can get just a few more minutes of sleep =). This is probably less likely, but maybe they'll surprise us. Needless to say, it was a fun afternoon and we shared quite a few laughs and funny stories together. The pictures are of where Ethan's bed used to be and we replaced it with his book shelf and puppet theatre. We converted his bedroom into a playroom/reading corner. I think he likes the new look!