Ballet

Claire received ballet classes for a Christmas gift. We thought this would be a good activity to try instead of gymnastics again. However, Claire is a little uneasy trying new things. When we talked about the class she said she did not want to go. But while playing dress-up recently, she came across some little skirts a neighbor had given her. I told her she could wear them to ballet and her face lit up. That was the ticket.

On the drive there she requested that we ask the teacher's and all the students' names upon arrival. She was a little timid, but followed instructions to begin the class.

It didn't take her long to warm up. Twirling around with a bunch of girls in pink tutus is right up her alley. There is also a long mirror in the room that enthralls all the girls.

Claire very much enjoyed Miss Cece, who has been teaching for 41 years! Claire asked if she could go to class every day.

Kyle had fun hiding in some lockers and exploring a few classrooms with toys and pet guinea pigs. I'll be excited when he can start some rec classes of his own.

Weekend Update

We visited the art museum last weekend. You never know how it will go with young kids. Claire was engaged and told us stories about lots of the pieces (video below). It was too close to lunch/nap for Kyle, so he was rather ornery.



Here's Lucian and the kids goofing around at Home Depot. We'll do whatever it takes to make errands fun.

We visited Uncle Jesse's new apartment. The kids had fun exploring and coloring on the floor.

Beautiful Claire in Jesse's chair.

I arrived home one night this week to find this in front of our house. Luckily it was an issue with the neighbor's pipes. Phew. Kyle loved watching the shovel and trucks.

Claire will start ballet class this weekend. She tried out her outfit tonight.

Where Have We Been?

I realize I haven't made a post since our Florida trip. Life is busy! Here are some updates.

It was freezing cold when we returned and we got dumped with snow on top of that. We tried to make the best of things and played in the fluffy white stuff. I like the sand better.

 

We saw a cooking show where they made apple fritters. I've made a few batches now. They are delish!

We went to visit Spencer one Saturday. We took him grocery shopping and out to lunch and even grabbed some ice cream in the union.

The next day Claire was pretty sick, which does not happen often. She fought a fever and a bad cough for several days. Kyle ended up with the cough later in the week, but seemed to get a much more mild version.

And just a silly shot of Kyle in Claire's play shoes.

Florida Trip

At the end of January we spent about 10 days in Bonita Springs, Florida. While the weather wasn't super warm, we escaped yet another cold snap back in Wisconsin where wind chills were around -40°F. I'll take low 60°'s any day over that. We made the best of our time eating fresh seafood, doing a little shopping and trying to keep the kids busy.

We visited the Naples zoo one day, where the kids fed birds and a giraffe.

Poor Kyle came down with a nasty cold of some sort. We actually made a visit to urgent care a few days before heading back. There was no way he could fly with how congested he was and we were worried about his ears. He recovered just in the nick of time.

We spent as much time as we could at the beach. The kids loved playing in the sand and dipping their feet in the ocean.

We flew direct both ways (thank goodness) and on the flight back we had two full rows available to us. Claire did amazing and Kyle wasn't too bad. I think we all enjoyed the time away.

Back in the Swing of Things

We are settling back into a normal routine. Claire is back at school and enjoys being with her friends again.

Last weekend we met Claire's friend Sydney at Jumpin' Country for another round of bounce house play. We also got a note that Claire's class will take a field trip there next month!

This Sunday, we celebrated winter birthdays at Lucian's parents house. They include: Kyle, Papa Dave, Lucian and Uncle Jesse. Kyle is great at singing happy birthday. He even blew out his own candle.

Then he was fed cake while sitting in a box. King for a day.

Kyle has been waking up a little too early. We try to put him back down, but this particular morning we hung out quietly in the kitchen trying to let the rest of the house sleep in. He is such a sweetie, it's hard to be mad. But I'm hoping this trend ends very soon.

Happy 2014!

Lucian was home for a full week and a half with the kids over the break. I just started a new job, so I didn't have the vacation time, but enjoyed the breaks I did get. We plowed though numerous art projects, watched new movies and played with new toys.

Lucian texted me these photos one day that I was working. Kyle brought Lucian a ring pop after being in the kitchen alone. Wondering where he got it, Lucian walked in the kitchen to discover little Kyle had pushed over a chair, climbed the chair and up onto the counter to open the upper cupboard and get his treat. Nothing is safe with this little guy!

New Year's Eve we ran a few errands and picked up lunch. Here's Claire while we waited for our order.

That night we made a fabulous dinner at home, which Spen joined us for before going out.

The kids watched a movie and had popcorn, Claire's favorite.

The next day we all went out for a Vietnamese food lunch.

Nothing too crazy for us. Wishing everyone a wonderful 2014!

Kyle is 2!

Our sweet Kyle Reed is 2-years old. This mild tempered baby has grown into an inquisitive, adventurous and loving little boy. He loves trucks, cars, trains and dancing to music. His speech has really taken off lately and he can clearly express what he wants (and disappointment in not getting it:).

We brought the kids to an indoor bounce place on Sunday to celebrate Kyle's big day. Everyone had a great time.

Claire was much more adventurous this time, climbing and sliding over just about everything. She even helped Kyle out and guided him through the obstacles.

We ended the day with birthday cupcakes. Happy birthday little guy!