Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Mollala Train Park

On Saturday we went to a birthday party at the Mollala Train Park. We had SO MUCH FUN!

Some of the fun little trains!
Chris was going to take both kids on the train, but Sienna got scared and got off and helped me take pictures.
And, they're off!
While we were following their train around the park, this little "Thomas" train drove by us...how cute!
After the boys were done, Sienna decided to go for a ride. I wasn't going to go for a ride because I was wearing a skirt (I was going to a bridal shower after the b-day party), but I changed my mind and took Sienna on her train ride. She was still a bit frightened (kids have to sit on a bench or on the floor, not on your lap), so she wanted to hold my hand. :)

What fun! Oh, and the train is open every Sunday (May-October) and is FREE! All they ask for is a donation. I can't wait to go back!

Monday, June 21, 2010

The Children's Museum (& Zoo)

There's nothing like a free trip to the Children's Museum! A few weeks ago, I checked the Children's Museum Pass out from the library and we set off for a free morning at the museum, then a picnic lunch at the Zoo! Although, it ended up being colder and cloudier than they had originally forecasted (big surprise!!!), so our picnic lunch ended up being inside instead.
The kids spent over an hour in the "digging room"...if only I had brought a book to read!

I finally got the kids out of the digging room and into the "water" room!

On the way to the "store", the kids made a quick stop to brush the alligator's teeth!
The kids took turns doing the grocery shopping and being the "checker"!
Next stop: Installing the plumbing in a house!
The kids weren't ready to leave the museum, but it was lunch time. So we walked across the parking lot to the Zoo, which just so happened to also be free since we are Zoo members! After our "picnic" lunch inside, the kids talked me into buying them some cotton candy!
I was surprised they ate as much as they did, which wasn't all that much, since they both hate to be messy/sticky!

What a fun, free morning with the kids! It was definitely one of my favorite outings and I can't wait to do it again!

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Swimming Lessons!!!

Yesterday was the first day of the kids' swim lessons. If you know the kids at all, you know that they do NOT like water! We can barely get them to run through the sprinklers, let alone go into our inflatable baby pool! You can imagine their horror when they got to the pool and saw just how big it was. Their previous excitement about swim lessons vanished in the blink of an eye. Luckily their first day was on a day Chris was working from home, so he could help me coax the kids into the pool.

Sienna was the easiest one to talk into sitting on the edge of the pool, and after a few short minutes, she let the instructor pick her up and set her on the toddler platform in the pool. At this point, Brayden was still clinging to Chris and refusing to get anywhere near the pool. I finally talked him into sitting on the edge and dangling his feet in the water. Step 1 complete!
After a few minutes, he still refused to get into the water with Sienna. So, I grabbed both of his hands and lifted him off the edge while the instructor grabbed him and carried him into the water. Step 2 complete!

Since he didn't seem too traumatized, they started playing "Simon Says". As you can see, Brayden still wasn't sure what to think, so the instructor helped him play the game while he was getting comfortable with the water. Behind them, you can see that Sienna is doing GREAT!
Then Sienna went for a swim in the pool, and loved it!
YEA SIENNA!
The kids had 2 instructors...one female, one male. Sienna absolutely did NOT like it when the guy got anywhere near her! She would start crying and Chris would have to come to her rescue.
Brayden's preschool friend, Brianna, tried talking him into going for a swim. How cute is that?!?!?!Yea, Brayden decided to try it! We thought it was pretty funny watching Brayden work so hard to keep his head as far above the water as possible!
More Simon Says!
Sienna even learned to blow bubbles in the water!
Then it was time for all of the kids to get out of the pool so that they could JUMP in!
I was pretty sure that this wasn't going to go well, especially since Brayden was first in line, but to our surprise, he did it!!!
And, loved it! He ended up jumping 3 or 4 times!
Next up, Sienna!

At the end of class, the instructors gave all the kids high-five's! Of course, Sienna refused to give the guy a high-five! Hopefully she'll warm up to him soon because the class is only 2 weeks long!
We were so proud of the kids for doing so well!!! It made my day and I can't wait to take them back today. I'm on my own, so hopefully they'll remember just how much fun they had! Oh, I guess I should mention that after the 30 minute class was over, Sienna started crying. When we asked her what was wrong, she said that she didn't want to get out of the pool! YEA!

Monday, June 14, 2010

Random April & May Pictures

Here are the last of the April & May pictures that I haven't had time to share! Next on my list is to catch up on our June pictures, including Sienna's 3rd Birthday (June 10th)!!!

In April, the weather wasn't great, but I decided to take the kids to the Zoo, anyways! It was the first time that we went without meeting any friends, and it was so much fun to hang out, just the 3 of us!

I just love this pic of the kids, even though Brayden has a funny expression on his face...I think he was trying to tell me something.




Brayden's last day of preschool...next year he'll be in Teacher Andy's 4 year old preschool class on Monday, Wednesday & Fridays (his birthday is October so he's super old for his class) and Sienna will have Teacher Andy on Tuesdays & Thursdays in the 3 year old preschool class!
The kids were so tired after the fun "last day of school" that they came home and watched tv. Usually they are running around playing while the tv is on, but they were too tired to play!
We also met our friends Katrina & Lucas at the Zoo earlier in the month. The kids had so much fun hanging out together...now that the weather is getting better, we plan to hit the zoo at least once a week!



Friday, June 11, 2010

VIDEO: Riding Bikes!

Last month Chris took the kids on a bike ride behind our house and took a video of it with his cell phone. This was over a month ago and now Sienna can pedal so fast that I have to do a slow jog to keep up with her! Enjoy!!!

Wednesday, June 09, 2010

Brayden's Preschool Playdate at The Children's Museum!!!

On May 1st, Brayden and I had a playdate at The Children's Museum with 2 of his preschool buddies, and their moms. We had so much fun hanging out...the moms got to chat while the boys all played together!

Brayden, Koen & Logan

Brayden surprised me and wanted to paint his face at the Hand & Body Painting station!
Fun in the water room!
Brayden & Koen driving the ambulance!
Brayden and Koen got a little wild playing chase around (and in) this pretend log, but at least they took a break for a picture!
We finished the day off with lunch at Big Red's! Luckily we got there before it got too busy because the kids were still pretty wild from the excitement of The Children's Museum!!