As you can imagine, the days at our house are pretty busy. We spend a lot of time reading books. It's a favorite pass-time of all of us. We also like to go to the mall play place and to shop for after Christmas sales. On the days we stay home we try to be creative and have different activities in which the boys can engage. With those activities we try to include varying tactile experiences. This time around Diane devised the plan to get some toy trucks and animals to play with in the 'mud' (also known as chocolate pudding). It also included walls of graham cracker and rocks of marshmallows. Thanks to the dollar store this fun and messy activity cost around $8 and was worth every penny. The boys had a blast! They are really enjoying activities in which they get permission to make a mess. :-) Each day with these boys is a blessing. No, every day isn't perfect. Yes, being 2 can be hard and the lessons constant it seems. However, the smiles, giggles, imagination, laughter, and love are immeasurable. I get up each day ready for as much of that as I can absorb into my being.
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Two of the great things about working in academia are the flexibility of my schedule and the time that I get to spend with Diane and the boys. That time is becoming more valuable to me with each passing day. The boys are growing so fast and we have so much fun. The days are full of smiles and laughter. Just before the holiday break from work the boys and I were fortunate to have the chance to spend the afternoon together while Diane was at work. They slept late into the morning so there was no afternoon nap. Diane brought us the car and we went on a grand adventure. First we tried out a new park. It was tons of fun, but it was little chilly out. So, the boys and I headed to the Vadalabene Center where they rode their scooters and played in the gymnasium. When the days gave way to holiday break then the festivities began. The boys got their first taste of helping us make cut out sugar cookies. They helped make the dough, roll it out, cut out the cookies, and put them on the cookie sheet to be baked. Oh, and of course, they helped us eat them! Christmas Eve was a day of fun! Aunt Tiffany and Uncle Joe gave the boys finger paints and pipes they could play with in the tub. Henry thought that having permission to make a mess was amazing. The boys had a blast - although Elliott wasn't sure about this messy business! Christmas morning was a blast with the boys. It was a whirlwind of excitement. They each have a canvas bag with their name on it that we used to put their presents in this year. They got dinosaurs, a book, and puppy fruit snacks. They were thrilled! We intentionally kept Christmas focused on our time together, rather than on presents. The day ended with a drive to look at Christmas lights. While we were driving around Henry declared that he was hungry. It just so happened that Steak-n-Shake was open. So, we went through the drive thru and got some food. Then I drove to downtown Edwardsville and parked along the street. While we were sitting in the car talking and eating I looked across the street and in the window of a shop full of retro decorations was an old console tv and on it was playing A Charlie Brown Christmas. There we sat, just our little family, hanging out, chatting and munching on french fries while Christmas lights decorated street lamp poles and Linus told everyone the true meaning of the holiday. It was magic. It was perfection. We made our annual trek to see Uncle Joe, Aunt Tiffany, Cousin Lily and Cousin Zion for a wonderful week of family and fun over Thanksgiving. The boys did great on the plane ride both ways. In Raleigh the boys got to ride the shuttle to the rental car office for the first time. It was very exciting! The weather was beautiful and allowed us time to play outside. They enjoyed playing on the trampoline, crawling through the tunnels, and kicking a soccer ball around the yard. We also got a chance to go to Pullen Park in Raleigh. Created in 1887, it is the first public park in North Carolina. It is the 5th oldest operating amusement park in the U.S. and the 16th in the world. Aunt Tiffany bought us tickets to ride the train and the carousel. Elliott and Ethan learned how to go up and down on a teeter-totter together. The boys had a great time. Aunt Tiffany made us a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner. We got time to visit with everyone and the boys had so much fun playing with family. They loved hanging out in Lily's room, playing with her toys, and listening to her read books to them. We are so thankful for the time we got to spend with family and for the chance to see our friends Jill and Mike. When we get in the car we're still hearing "Go to Uncle Joe's?" from the back seat. Mommas' aren't the only ones fond of visiting North Carolina. Looks like we'll be going back! :-) |
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We thought it would be fun to chronicle our adventure on a blog. We hope this brings a smile to your day! Archives
November 2020
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