FFF: Steelers Edition

This weeks's theme is suppose to be UP and I could legitimately reason why this all fits but that would be way too much effort on my part so early in the morning. Sunday is the Superbowl for those of you that don't follow such things. I am not a huge sports watcher but I AM A STEELER FAN. I am part of the crazy Steeler Nation that spans this country and even the world. And only someone that has lived in Pittsburgh can truly understand it. Here are my little Steelers...

Liliana doing her Touchdown Dance

This one was too cute to pass up

All Decked out in her Steeler Gear

Playing the Steeler's theme song on his "guitar"

Look out Cardinals cause we're coming after you ..... GO STEELERS!!!

Toddler Tip Day

Today we are making MARACAS. Not only are they easy to make but they are loads of fun for those cold days. Especially when you turn on some music and have a dance party with them.
To make the maracas you will need: a soda bottle (or a spice container or some other container with a screw top lid for security), a funnel, rice or dried beans, stickers and a hot glue gun.
1. Let your child decorate the container with stickers.
2. After they have decorated the container, they can use the funnel to put some rice into the contanier.
3. Place a small amount of hot glue around the top of the contanier and the screw the lid in place.
4. Have a BLAST!!!


And now a few pictures of my cute toddlers.....
See this look....it's mine. She acts just like me. It's very scary. :)

Cheese Mommy!

I love this picture. Two of my favorite guys laughing.

Striking a smiley pose

FFF: New

This year all the themes are going to be one word and then we have to interpret them. This week is new. So I picked two things that were new so to speak.

This is definately new....Toby actually smiling for the camera. He ususally hides. Could be that I'm not taking that many pictures right now. Don't you just love his cheesy smile.

This is Lili's new thing. You tell her "Reach for the sky" (from Toy Story) and she puts both arms up in the air. It is just precious. She is blossoming so much and it is so cool to watch.

For more FFF go over to Sarah's blog. And have a great weekend everyone!

Toddler Tip Day

So sorry I'm a day late. Here are todays ideas......

*The first is a construction activity. You will need mini marshmellows and toothpicks. Show them how to stick the toothpicks and the marshmellows together and let them go at it. Tons of fun and the best part is when you're done you can eat them. Too much fun.

*Also I know last week I mentioned playing with snow (water or sand), but another fun item to let your kiddos explore is rice. You can put it in a large container for measuring and playing or use it for art as a collage material. To dye the rice: place 1-2 cups of rice in a ziploc bag. Add a few drops of food coloring and about a capful of rubbing alcohol. Mix well and spread out on a paper towel to dry. (DO NOT let your children eat this) Here's an activity you can do with the rice:
You will need a set of matching cards (from a memory game or a favorite card game), a bin or large tupperware container, rice.
1. Place some cards at the bottom of the bin and cover with rice...taping them to the bottom helps them stay in place.
2. Let your children dig to find them
3. When they find them then they have to find the match to the card.
It's a nice twist on a memory game.

I'd also like to share a site with you. As our children our reaching an age where we are choosing preschool programs for them and beginning the task of cultivating a lifelong love of learning, their is a site that can give you excellant direction. From things like how to raise a problem solver, to why learning through play and the different areas of play are so important, to how to choose a preschool that's right for you....NAEYC is THE place to go. They are the National Association for the Education of Young Children and they are the guiding force in early ed. Fantastic site with loads of info. Hope you'll check it out.

A Celebration

Saturday night to celebrate Toby's Homecoming Anniversary we went out to our favorite Mexican Restaurant. I really want to start making a Guatemalan meal on both their days, but this was not the weekend for that plus he really doesn't care right now. And I make a Guatemalan dish every couple of weeks so I guess it's okay I didn't follow through with my plan.

Playing with the tortilla foil. Don't know if you all can tell, but I can see the signs of her getting sick in this picture.

"AYE-YA Cheese" He cracks me up!

Pictures by Toby...Daddy

...Uncle Dave (Toby was po'ed because david kept sticking his tongue out instead of cheesing)

... A Lovely shot of PapPap

Love that I caught him mid laugh

Eating his fried Ice cream. He ate almost all of it...it was pretty much his dinner as he only ate the Mexican rice and some lettuce and cheese.



SOME PICTURES OF THE SNOWFALL...this was before Saturday's 2-3 inches

Our back deck

My front yard

Our driveway...it's gravel so we can only sweep it

A Case of the Sickies

Well I had my first trip to the ER for one of my children last night. Liliana had a fever of 104.3 and was having a hard time sleeping and breathing because of her congestion that I decided to take her. Mom came with me and we were in and out in under an hour. Not too shabby...it was 12:30 in the morning however. The ER doctor (who btw was the nicest guy ever) diagnosed her with an ear infection and conjunctivitis (pink eye). We had our follow up this morning with our doctor. He said a severe sinus infection is what caused her ear infection and the pink eye. Fantastic.....ahhhhh, not so much. My poor baby girl is completely congested. She can't breathe all that well laying down so she takes brief naps on my chest. She is VERY irratable and is a Mommy beast. She wants nothing to do with anyone but me....not even NaNa. She is constantly snotting and oozing. It's horrible. Her fever has remained pretty high, going only as low as 102. It is absolutely no fun at all. Thank goodness Greg is off today so he can hang out with Toby. Not quite sure what I'm gonna do tomorrow.

FFF

This week's theme is eyes. I could have posted plenty on this since I think my children's eyes are gorgeous. BUT....tomorrow Toby has been home TWO YEARS! I can't believe time has gone by so quickly. And I've tried to cherish and take in every moment even the not-so-perfect ones. I hope you'll take a minute to watch the slideshow and listen to the song.

I love you baby boy. You have brought so much joy to my life and made me a Mommy. I have been blessed and privaledged for the last two years and look forward to watching you grow into a handsome man.

EEK! Just looked at the calendar......HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAP PAP!!! Wish we could be there to celebrate with you. LOVE YOU BUNCHES!

Snow Bunnies

It was friggin cold here today. I do believe the high was around 19 at most. But this afternoon, it snowed in buckets and while the snow was falling it really wasn't too bad. So me and the kiddos put on our Ski suits and headed outside. We had a blast making snow angels, sledding, playing with the dog, and throwing the snow around. We even walked next door to Aunt Becky's to play on the swings and help her shovel the driveway. Too much fun I tell you. And there's more on the way. Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow!


So far I think this stuff is pretty neat Mommy

Making snow angels just like Max and Ruby

Come on Sadie, Let's Play!!!

My biggest snow baby. Sadie LOVES the snow. She begs to go outside just so she can run in it.

Yeah for the snow....I think

Oh no there's a snow monster coming

What the hell is falling from the sky? (This picture just cracks me up)

View of our field...purtty isn't it?

Swinging in the snow

Helping Aunt Becky shovel

Silly boy

Hey Mommy, I'm getting cold over here

Making snow angels with cousin Matt

My stunning snow beauty

We're Jammin

Sunday Our Church had a spaghetti luncheon. Nothing too thrilling there. But the entertainment was fantastic. My Alma Mater now has a Steel Drum Band (I so would have been there in high school had they offered it). They played for an hour and were wonderful. The kiddos LOVED it. Liliana danced and danced. Toby really enjoyed it since he loves music and drums, but the slow songs got the better of him and my sleepy boy slept through most of it. Can't wait til the next show they put on....we'll be in the front row.
*Gasp* Drums NaNa

Go Steelers!

Past out on NaNa...he was one sleepy boy

Is she not precious?

Hangin out watching movies with a gimpy NaNa. (Note to family...NaNa just sprained her knee and foot...she's fine....just call her Grace. lol)

Tuesday Toddler Tips: Snow

For anyone that may be new to Tuesday Toddler Tips, they are ideas for you to use with your children so they can learn through play with you. Most ideas will work for ages 2-6 but use your judgement on if your child is ready. It is my hope to develop these into small themes that you could pick activities out of each week (kinda like preschool only on a much smaller level).

Today I have a few Snow tips complete with pictures. :)
1. Place cotton balls (snow balls) into a bowl and have your child transfer them to another bowl using a pair of tweezers. This will work their pincher grasp, an important pre-writing skill. Let them explore the cotton balls and tweezers. There is no right or wrong way to do this.

2. Write their beginning letter (such as T for Toby) on a piece of Construction paper. Place a small dish of glue on the table (I use the lids to their tupperware containers). Let them dip the cotton balls in the glue and place them on the line your wrote. Talk about how their name starts with the letter and maybe mention some other things that start with their letter. Great for letter recognition and pre-reading skill.

3. Place snow into a large container (I used their bathtub) and let them explore it in their own way. I used to do this for my preschoolers because we weren't allowed to take them out in the snow. Amy's post a coouple days ago reminded me...so thanks Amy. Live where you don't get snow...use ice cubes, water, or sand.

To tie it all together, go to the library and pick out some books about snow to read. There are tons of them. Hope you enjoyed this weeks addition of Tuesday Toddler Tips. As always if you'd like ideas about a particular area just ask.

FFF: Cold

Today's theme is cold. It is incredibly cold here right now. With snow....FINALLY! Unfortunately I have a dead camera at the moment so no new pictures of the snow. This picture is from December when we went to see the lights at Olgebay. (Sorry honey, I would've put the picture of all of us up but you didn't wear a coat making it not look so cold. But it was...it was only like 22 degrees)

For more FFF go to SARAH'S BLOG Have a FANTASTIC weekend everyone!

Oh, and we made these for NaNa's birthday yesterday. If you'd like to make these for Tuesday Toddler Tips, let me know. If there is something in particular that you'd like ideas for let me know that too.

More Birthday pics to follow tomorrow.

Happy Birthday...

to the BEST MOMMY ever. Yes I still call her Mommy. She also still takes care of me when I'm sick (like making me soup) and I still call her when I need to whine (like last night when my cell phone got stuck under the fridge...don't ask). She is also my best friend...I'm not sure what I would do without her. If I can be half the Mommy she was/is then I think my kiddos will be just fine. And BTW, she is also a rockin NaNa. She loves her grandkids with everything she has and calls me to complain when she hasn't seen them in awhile. Awhile being more than 36 hours, I kid you not. So here's to you Mommy on your special day. I made a special little gift. I think you'll like it and so everyone else will too. I threw in a couple of photos that I'm probably get in trouble for.....but it was SO worth it!
************LOVE YOU THIS MUCH**********