Staycation-ish at the Great Wolf Lodge

We haven't done much out of the norm in the past few months. Caiden started "sports" practice on Monday mornings. This consists of two weeks of soccer, then two weeks of football, then two weeks of t-ball (which he's on now), then basketball and track and field. I think he's enjoying this a lot more than just soccer week after week. And when he finished gymnastics last month he said he didn't want to do it again. He's really learning how to run fast and follow directions from the coach so well.

He also is going into his last couple months of school. He's enjoying it more and more every day. Up until a month ago he would run into my arms when I pick him up. Now he stays put in circle time and just smiles at me until the teacher finishes the story.

So with just doing the same old thing week after week we went to the Great Wolf Lodge about an hour away this weekend. They opened a couple of months ago and have been advertising heavily with some sweet discounts so we went. We all had a blast! I think the most fun was had by the adults going on the water slide where the floor drops from under you and you are free falling for a second or two! So intense!

Caiden equally had a blast. He was in heaven. He loved every single water slide he was big enough for -even the one we snuck him on that was clearly out of his league and you had to be about 5 inches taller. He kept asking to go on it again and again but after the second time they said he couldn't go anymore. 

He never wanted to leave and it was a challenge getting him to leave the water park every day. Grace was too young (Caiden is probably the earliest age that makes sense to take them) but she hung in there even though the life jackets are such a pain for her to wear so you end up carrying her around and holding her in all the pools. She could go down a couple of the smaller water slides in the baby/toddler area and she loved it. 

There was an arcade and mini bowling alley at the hotel. Bowling went something like this...

 ....me running after Grace down the alley or her high jacking a ball and tossing it where it shouldn't be.

Easter weekend 2016

Boy are holidays getting more and more intense! Caiden had a BLAST doing all things festive for Easter this weekend. When Marc got home from work on Friday we colored eggs. Caiden was so patient waiting for the eggs to color and so careful as he worked with each one.

Grace on the other hand just wanted her hands in everything. We tried to keep her as far away as possible.

I'll never forget this picture. When I was boiling the eggs one of them cracked and when Marc got home he ate it. Caiden was so confused and sad when he couldn't find the last egg to color. When we told him that Marc ate it he didn't believe us. He was looking at Marc's stomach and asking us over and over again what happened to it and how do you eat an egg like this. He was so sad in this picture and kept pointing to the open spot.

On Saturday morning we went to our neighborhood egg "sweep". 

Grace's egg hunt was first and she was a champ! She was picking up two at a time, throwing them in her basket then on to the next. 

Caiden's was pretty intense...he was in the 3-5 age group so there were some big kids going for the eggs.  He did really good though but at one point got a bit too close to the Easter bunny and then just stood there and stared at him and didn't move.

After that we drove up to Orange County to visit some family. Caiden got a sword balloon at the morning festivities and proceeded to poke us in the head the entire drive up.

Easter morning was a success! Caiden saw his Easter basket right away and his favorite thing was the teenage mutant ninja turtle dive sticks. He hasn't put them down since.

They ate breakfast then we told them that the Easter bunny left some eggs outside. Caiden was so excited but after his first egg he dropped his basket and then proceeded to just open the egg, throw it on the ground, get the goodies inside the egg then move on to the next. Grace on the other hand held her basket so daintily on her arm and collected the eggs and put them inside. She LOVES holding on to the basket. We spent a few days playing hide and seek with the Easter eggs and now I'm trying to collect them all around the house and store them away until next year!

We did Brunch at the Santaluz Club with the Taylors and Colemans. It was one of the best brunches I've been to. An entire room dedicated to desserts, plus crab legs and shrimp, five different kinds of meat ready to cut, a pasta station, omelet station and tons of other food! Grace had a blast dancing to the live music and was terrified of the Easter bunny. 

And the best family photo we could get!

Caiden's first parent/teacher conference

I had Caiden's first conference this week at school. One of his teachers met with me, Miss Lisa, who I love. She's an older lady who has taught at the school for over 25 years. She is so sweet and just so lovely...but also doesn't let the kids get away with anything. His other teacher is Miss Kimberly and she has also taught at the school for over 20 years.

Overall Caiden is right on track. She said he's a bit of an observer...but as the school year has progressed he has come out of his shell and opened up a bit more during community talk time. She said he has two boys that he plays with the most, Micah and Grady -but Caiden really doesn't tell me too much about them. He loves the water table, riding the bikes and playing with the shaving cream play board during outside time. Inside he's very into his art time, loves play-doh, and story/imagination time. 

She said he's pretty good at sharing except for this one time when they had a "space day" and there was a Buzz Lightyear. They had to remind him many times to share. I just couldn't help but laugh because I could just see him trying so hard to share but not really wanting to -Buzz Lightyear is his favorite toy at home...he won't even let Grace look at it let alone touch it. I swear I tell him 10 times a day to share Buzz with Grace. She said he also needs help with his scissor skills -which I'm not sure I really want him taking off with scissor skills just yet so I'll leave that to a classroom activity. 

Just in the past month he has started to get into writing. He got a writing board for Christmas and he's starting to use it everyday. He's trying to write the letters of his name -but the only one he's really got down so far is a "C". And we're trying to properly show him how to use a pencil but he's still a little wonky on that. He's starting to draw stick figures for people and loves drawing random things on the writing board and then asking us what it is...because clearly it's just a bunch of scribble but we come up with a good creative answer every time and he just loves it.

Again, overall he's right on track and loving school more and more every day. Just this week I told him we are going to Costco to run an errand and he told me he didn't want to go. He said it was boring and he'd rather go to school! I was disappointed (because Costco is awesome) but also very happy because he finally enjoys school!

Here is his progress report and also a few of the activity sheets they do each day. I try to take a picture of it when I pick him up after school so I can talk to him specifically about what he did that day...otherwise I get nowhere with the "What did you do at school today?" question.

The past few....errr....months

It's been awhile since I've posted what we've been up to. When we got back from Christmas vacation we settled back in and then Caiden got sick for a few weeks then me and Grace got sick...and this sickness stuck around for weeks. We were stuck inside for multiple weeks while we all tried to get better and now we're finally venturing out.

Caiden had his first dentist appointment last month and the cleaning appointment went great. He did so well, was so chill and loved being there because they had Buzz Lightyear wings! He was in heaven and was even excited when he found out he had to go back (because he had two cavities).

I felt like the worse mom ever. They were both very tiny cavities -between his lower back two molars on each side. We brush and floss his teeth twice a day but I was never flossing between those lower back molars because I didn't think they were touching yet...MAJOR FAIL. Needless to say the next appointment was a nightmare. I'm not going to go into detail but I just want to say -BRUSH YOUR KIDS TEETH REALLY, REALLY GOOD. I never want to go through that again...and I'm pretty sure Caiden is traumatized that he doesn't want to ever go to the dentist again either. One positive is that he does let us brush and floss his teeth really good now with no complaining!

The kids took their first bubble bath together -Grace's very first bubble bath ever! I know, so deprived. But seriously...who has time for baths...ever?!?!

We went on our first family bike ride! Caiden did so well on his tricycle and made it all the way around the park. He's finally learning how to steer...it's been a long time coming. Grace was pretty chill on the ride as well. She was not into wearing the helmet at first but thankfully gave in.

We've been to Seaworld a few times and to a few museums. February is museum month so all month long museums are half price. We're trying to fit all the kid friendly ones in! We've done the Birch Aquarium and the Children's Discovery Museum in Escondido.

Marc also went to SuperBowl 50! I was so bummed I didn't get to go but his buddy only had two tickets. I even saw him on TV in the background of the NFL Network. He had a blast and got to check one off on his bucket list!