Discovery Center…

The boys and I spent the morning at the Discovery Center checking out the Curious George exhibit. I was so grateful for the free admission in honor of MLK Day…but, in retrospect, my anxiety level was so high from trying to swim through crowds of kids and parents with all of their activity and noise…not to mention attempting to keep an eye on all three of my little boys who were exploring in three different directions in the midst of it…that I think the $25 would have been well worth it to go on a different day with way fewer people. I still hung in there with it, and they had a blast checking everything out. And then, when we were all feeling over it, we enjoyed spending the rest of our time outside…eating a picnic lunch, playing on the playground, and walking down the boardwalk over the natural wetlands.

Ice Globes…

The boys and I tried a fun winter experiment. We filled up balloons with Koolaid powder and water (I totally splashed blue and purple water all over myself more than once…next time I’ll wear an apron…ha), left them outside to freeze, cut and peeled away the balloon, and enjoyed playing with and looking at our colorful ice globes (next time we’ll ditch the purple and try for brighter colors like the blue).

Snow…

We woke up this morning to a little bit of snow, so the boys and I bundled up and headed out to play. They had fun trying to spoon snow into baking tins for painting later. Jonas enjoyed the snow scooping challenge the most, Xander loved eating snow by the spoonfuls and could’ve stayed out there forever, and Roman was not long for his mittens and as a result not long for the cold. But we had fun and enjoyed a warm cup of hot chocolate afterwards.

Jonas…

Jonas is getting to be such a big guy: he’s more often than not being kind and helpful to his brothers (although he definitely still goes around and around with them); he’s continuing to ask all kinds of questions about anything and everything that make his Mommy and Daddy really think; he’s showing his heart, talking about his emotions, and being more affectionate these days; and he’s asking to do “chewers” (chores…ha) like helping pick up, set the table, and put away the laundry (Grandma gave him a really good idea about saving up for a Lego set he really wants, so he’s all about that right now).

Forcing Bulbs Indoors…

The high today is 54, and the low is 7. And I’m experiencing a whiplash of weather-induced feeling…the warm has me thinking of spring and longing for those first signs of returning life outdoors, and the cold has me going into hibernation mode and wanting to get immovably cozy indoors. So, I thought maybe forcing some bulbs inside might do the trick to bridge the gap for me with the best of both worlds.
Jonas helped me pick out a bag of red tulips and yellow daffodils that were 50% off at Home Depot this morning. Then, I literally had to drag our bag of potting soil out from our outdoor storage room into the sun this afternoon so it would thaw out…it was frozen almost solid! Jonas and Xander suited up in their coats and enjoyed taking turns busting the soil up with a screwdriver and grabbing handfuls of soil to help fill up our pots and vases. (I thought a clear glass vase would be fun because we can see the bulbs start putting roots down and sprouting up.) I’m looking forward to watching our springtime experiment bloom in the dead of winter.

ArtQuest…

The boys and I met Aunt Heather and Cousins Val and Annabella this morning at the Frist Center. Admission was free with canned goods donated to the Second Harvest Food Bank. Thanks so much to Aunt Heather for letting us know about it. I was so excited to get to check out the Norman Rockwell exhibit! Soaking in the beauty, even for a moment until my little ones quickly figured out how the sounds of their voices and footsteps carried within the great acoustics of those halls, was such a treat. The boys loved exploring the ArtQuest with their cousins. (I think the last time we were there was with the Morozovs as well when Xander was Roman’s age or younger…amazing how time passes.) ArtQuest is a fabulous interactive art exhibit for kids…Jonas’ favorite thing was kaleidoscope drawing and Xander and Roman loved building with magnets and painting.

We All Live in a Yellow Submarine…

The boys and I spent the day after Christmas in our pajamas, recovering from our holiday travels.
While Xander and Roman were catching up on sleep with a pair of super long afternoon naps, Jonas and I headed out to the front yard to soak up the warm winter sun, share a snack, and work a United States puzzle that came in his stocking.
When Xander woke up, he joined us outside for snacks and had fun helping me clean out the van while Jonas found a big empty cardboard box and an empty wrapping paper roll to turn into a submarine. They had seen a cardboard box submarine in a book we recently checked out from the library and had been wanting to make one of their own ever since. So, I outfitted them with smocks, wipes, paintbrushes, and paint and they went to town creating their masterpiece.

Christmas Day…

We spent Christmas Day in Hendersonville with Pops and Maw, Eddie Stubbs, Uncle Darren, Cousins Kaia and Marina, Uncle Kerry, Aunt Julie, Cousins Jordan and Dylan, and Aunt Jeanne. It was so sweet just to be around everybody…eating yummy food, playing with the kids, opening presents, and catching up by the fire. Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve…

We spent Christmas Eve in Gallatin with MeMe and PaPa, Aunt Jean, Aunt Julie, Cousins Jordan and Dylan, and Aunt Jeanne. We ate a delicious lunch (MeMe would totally win Master Chef), had fun watching the kids open their presents (I will never forget MeMe and PaPa coming down the hallway with a big wheel and a cool hat for each boy), and enjoyed a White Elephant gift exchange with the adults (the stealing part of the exchange is always so interesting and funny). Eat, drink, and be merry!

Uncle Darren and Cousins Kaia and Marina Visit From Norway…

It was SUCH a treat to meet my brother, Darren, and my nieces, Kaia and Marina, who are visiting from Norway for the holidays…for lunch today!!! Everybody made it out, which made it even better, except for Tom, Xander, and Roman (daddy stayed home with the napping boys) and my nephew, Rueben (he couldn’t make it over from Norway this year, and we are all so BUMMED…it’s not the same without him). Jonas and I had a wonderful time just hanging out. Here’s a picture of the whole crew. We’re looking forward to more family time…

Uncle Kerry Home From Taiwan…

Uncle Kerry is home to stay after almost 17 (count them) years in Taiwan!!! I mean…huge. We are so excited that he’s here. The boys and I ran by his house this morning (they were still in their pajamas…ha) to deliver a homemade caramel chocolate almond covered apple Christmas treat (thanks to Aunt Tree for the recipe). He showed us the most beautiful and inspiring slide show of his hike to the base camp of Mt. Everest. (It’s good for me to be reminded of how big and wonderful our world is…I can’t wait to see more of it.) Here he is with a captive audience.

Playground…

It has been so cold and rainy and gray lately that it’s starting to get to me (and I think the boys too). So, we have been really thankful for the warm sunshine this week…we’ve gone to the playground two afternoons in a row! (It gets cold quickly when the sun goes down, but it’s still worth it for the boys to burn off all of that wild boy energy.)

Gingerbread House Decorating Party…

I was so excited to be able to spend some one on one time with Jonas at his Gingerbread House Decorating Party at preschool this morning.

Wondering on the way there how they were going to afford gingerbread house kits for all of the kids in the 4 and 4/5 year old classes, I smiled when I saw the milk cartons framed with graham crackers and held together by hot glue…I love the resourcefulness and creativity of teachers.

Jonas and I worked together…I iced the gingerbread house and the upside down ice cream cone tree, and he did all of the decorating. He had bowls and bowls of fun, decorative sweets to choose from: marshmallows, peppermints, candy canes, jolly ranchers, M & M’s, gingerbread man cookies, butterscotches, gumdrops, and coconut.

Here are a few pictures of us hard at work and of his gloriously festive finished product.

Christmas Alphabet Tree…

After the big boys came in from their trail blazing explore in the woods with Daddy and Roman finished playing with Playdoh (i.e. throwing all the Playdoh and tools on the ground), they set to work on this fun Christmas Alphabet Tree craft I saw on Pinterest. I’m trying to ramp up my winter activity stash, as it’s been cold and rainy and Christmas Break is coming up (help me, Lord).

Bird Feeders…

The boys made bird feeders this morning with their sweet neighborhood buddies, Claire and Eleanor. We tried out a different recipe than the one we used last year that worked much better (it was simpler and held together even if it was a little bit messier). It was as easy as 1, 2, 3…spread soy butter (our substitute for peanut butter) on the outside of an empty toilet paper roll, roll it in bird seed, and hang it on a bare branch to give the birds a midwinter’s treat. Here’s a picture of Roman working it out and a few pictures of the finished product.

Jonas Bonus…

Jonas is super into playing with his Legos right now…he started out loving keeping them in sets but is now really enjoying sorting all of the pieces out by color and coming up with his own creations. He’s also really wearing us out with potty talk and learning how to balance independence and obedience. Here’s a one-liner classic:
“I won’t stop talking until the day has ended.”

Science Experiments…

I’ve really been looking forward to Fridays lately. It’s so crazy during the week with school (not to mention any other planned or unplanned activities) that the boys and I are all WIPED out when Friday rolls around and ready for a rest. We like just hanging out in our pajamas and rediscovering the toys and games we have at home.
This morning, while Roman was having some play time in his bed, Jonas and Xander and I played with the Tasty Science kit Jonas picked out from Target with the gift card Aunt Julie gave him for his birthday. First, we tested a group of liquids to see if they were a neutral, an acid, or a base (totally brought back science class memories). Then, we tested citric acid/water and baking soda/water and mixed them together which was the really fun part. We’re looking forward to doing more science experiments…