Ice and Snow

So here's a hodge-podge of items from this past week.  I didn't seem like a busy week but apparently we did a lot.

After a Christmas time visit to our local Children's Museum, I was inspired by an indoor snowball fight activity we participated in there.  I was fortunate to find white 3" craft pom poms at Consumer Crafts.  We are now the proud owner of 80 snow balls.  

They have been a blast!  So far we've had at least one snowball fight per day.  I love the snowballs because they have just enough weight to throw a short distance but are so soft that I can't imagine anyone or anything getting damaged.  I'm completely comfortable having hemo-baby involved, and that says a lot.

If you are interested in your own snow balls, you can find them here.  Consumer craft offers sales frequently so make sure you check for coupons and sign up for the newsletter before ordering.

Another exciting development is my new cubbies!  My father made these custom for our garage entryway.  I adore them already.  The children took to them immediately and have done a wonderful job of returning shoes, jackets and bags when they walk in the door.

Last Sunday we went took the older two to Disney on Ice.  We all had a blast.  Of course, what would the experience be without ridiculously over-priced concessions such as snow cones in a flower cup.

Minnie mouse waved to Elora.  She was a bit star struck.

William's favorite part of the show was the blue snow cone.  He was captivated by the Cars portion.  I must say that I was as well.  There were actual cars driving around the ice in formation.

This is from the Toy Story 3 section.  Mrs. Potato Head lost all her pieces after being played with too roughly in the day care.

Mickey himself waving hello.  And thank you Grandma for springing for some amazing, rink side seats!

The final wave good bye.

William with his light up sword.  He now wears it around the house tucked into the back of his shirt.  He sleeps with it at night.

Daddy and his little princess!

While we've had our far share of snow and below freezing temps lately, we had a magical day where the temperature was in the low 60s!!!  Of course we took advantage of it.  There was bike riding, car rides, swinging, sliding, running and even some mowing.  Lockelan walked through the grass a bit, which was a new experience for him.  

While I was changing Lockelan downstairs, Elora discovered a new box of dixie cups.  She covered the bathroom counter and floor with them.  When I found her, she had taken a pitcher from the bathtub and filled nearly all the ones on the sink.  No, I wasn't thrilled as it technically crossed a few rules.  She cleaned it up and I will reuse those cups for some upcoming planting activities.  It was a strong reminder that I have not been giving her enough of an outlet for her practical life needs.  It's also time to revamp and reintroduce rules.  Of course, Lockelan was thrilled to see the cups everywhere.  He took to it like Godzilla to Tokyo.

And finally... we made it to the Children's Museum.  I get more comfortable taking the kids out in public every day, specially Lockelan.  I am amazed at how much more independent the older two are.  Elora is a help, ensuring William stays with her and attempting to keep Lockelan entertained.  William is learning to be calmer and listen to my instructions.  It's a huge change from a few months ago.  While I enjoy more peaceful adventures, it makes me a bit sad to realize how fast they are growing.

Lockelan had his first ride on the carousel.  He was a bit unsure and wasn't keen on sitting on the giraffe at first.

Elora is old enough to ride the animals that move.  I will admit that I'm proud of myself for handling three children on the carousel by myself.  At the same time, I grateful for the man who helped her down when it was over so I could tend to the other two.

Lockelan was not particularly amused.  William, on the other hand, had a blast, not that you can tell from the picture.  This is one of his favorite activities at the museum.

William has started to take a larger interest in the visual exhibits.  He wanted to stop and observe a number of things.

This is the human kaleidoscope.  I enjoy playing around with my camera here.  This is with the flash on.

And the flash off.

They discovered the game area on their own.  I briefly showed the controls to William and he made it through level 1-1 of Super Mario Brothers.  Perhaps he will take after his father.

Elora played Pac-Man.  She didn't do that bad herself.

The toddler/preschool area is closed for revamping.  I miss the fantastic water table there.  Instead we visited the water table for older children.  Lockelan was barely able to reach over it but he enjoyed it nonetheless.  And in true Lockelan fashion, his hands developed a rash from the high chlorine levels in the water.

This is another part of the water table.  William enjoyed inserting plastic piece into various frames to see how it would affect the water flow.

Whew!  We'll there's our week in a nutshell.  We have another fun filled one ahead of us including an Art Fair this evening and a Valentine making play date.