Down on the Farm

Last week Colin and I went on his final preschool field trip of the year to Country Lane Tree Farm. It is an awesome farm and it was a great time of year to go. Right off the bat the kids got to milk a cow. I was shocked when Colin volunteered to go first and despite his expression in the picture below, he really enjoyed feeding the cow afterward. He even got to milk the cow twice since I missesd the first picture opp (not that my second picture came out much better). He loved it and thought it was hilarious that he squirted milk on his boots.

After milking the cow, the kids got to feed a ton of animals including deer,

pigs,

reindeer,

 goats,

sheep,

llamas & alpacas,

and baby goats that they got to bottle feed (Colin's favorite part - awww!).

They also got to hold a baby bunny,

go through a straw maze that had a super fun (and tall) slide,

take a barrel ride around the farm,

and plant 2 sunflower seeds to bring home.

We can't wait to visit again with the whole family!

Happy Mother's Day!

Daddy Has The Magic Touch

On Saturday Colin started a swim classes. I wasn't sure how it was going to go. The last swim class I signed him up for was accidentally child-only, but since he clung to me outside of the water on the first class, they let me switch him into a child-parent class. Even then, he would cling to me whenever the instructor came near us and was pretty much horrified to put his head under the water or to lie flat in the water. Even though I know he loves water and going "swimming", I thought maybe taking a class without me (which is all that's offered at his age) combined with water was what was making him so uncomfortable. He told me he really wanted to play basketball, so I signed him up. From the first day, he would hide behind my legs, wouldn't participate if I wasn't on the court with him (thankfully the coach was really laid back and didn't care), and even if I was there, still wouldn't participate if the coach came near us. I told him I wasn't going to sign him up for anything else until he felt comfortable taking classes on his own because it was just a waste of money and stressful for everyone...

Then I decided maybe the problem was me. Maybe he was using me as his crutch and if I wasn't in the picture he could do great. I mean, he does so well at school and all I do is drop him off. I changed my no-classes-for-Colin policy and signed him up for a Saturday class so Chris could take him. He told me he was excited because he wants to be able to swim with his cousins in Florida next year. He may have been excited, but I still wasn't holding my breath. Don't get me wrong, I was hoping for the best, but I just didn't want to set my expectations too high.

Well, Chris and Colin went off to the first class Saturday morning and a half hour later, I received a text message showing my little man in the water not only looking relaxed but like he was having fun! Class with Daddy was a success! He had a great time, listened well, did more in this one class than he did in the entire session he took with me, and is looking forward to going back next week. Chris thinks the change in behavior is attributed more to his age and increased self-confidence. I think Daddy has the magic touch.

Happy Easter!

We had a very fun-filled Easter today. Our morning started off with a scavenger hunt to find the boys' baskets. Both were especially excited about their silly bandz.

Next, we moved outside for an Easter egg hunt... in the rain. Thankfully it was pretty warm and the drizzle didn't faze the kids one bit.

Later, we headed up to Michigan to celebrate Easter and all the April birthdays (Ellen, Chris, Alex, Hannah, & Eli) with Chris' family.

Happy Easter!!

Egg Art

Yesterday we decorated eggs for Easter. I was pretty excited about the kits I picked out. One was a "no-spill" kit that I thought would be perfect for Eli. The other was a glitter kit that Colin chose because, well, what kid doesn't like glitter? Chris and I each chose a kid to help and off we went. I should have known this would not run as smoothly as I hoped when putting together the "no-spill" kit turned out to be more complicated than getting a child's toy free of its packaging on Christmas morning. At least I'm looking at the situation as a learning experience. To start with, the "no-spill" containers spilled and I discovered my children are not ready for glitter eggs  I am not ready to tolerate the mess that ensues when combining small children, glitter, and coloring eggs. On the plus side, the kids had fun, the no-spill kit prevented Eli from breaking any eggs, and I know what kits I won't be buying next year. :)

Spring Crafts

The boys and I have been keeping busy despite the rainy spring we've been having. Earlier this week we revisited a craft from last year and made caterpillars out of egg cartons. The boys both love painting so this one was a big hit.

For my spring craft, I made Easter baskets for all the kids and teachers in Colin's preschool class. The design and supplies were courtesy of Nana (thank you, Nana!). Now that they're done though, I don't think I have any more good reasons to put off doing my spring cleaning....

Egg Hunt

Last weekend, I took Colin to an egg hunt at the home of one of the families in the Toledo Parent's Group. It was a little windy, but the rain stopped and the sun was out for all the fun outdoor activites. There were tons of eggs for the kids to find so everybody got a chance to fill their baskets. Colin was cracking me up because he shook every egg he found but if it didn't make a sound, he'd put it back. I kept trying to tell him that the eggs might still have a surprise inside even if they didn't make a sound (which they did), but he was convinced he only wanted eggs that rattled. He still found a ton and was quite pleased with his loot. In addition to the egg hunt there was a balance an egg on a spoon race, bubbles, tons of space to run around in, and of course, snack. I think it was good practice for the egg hunts he'll partake in this weekend.