Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Legoland


My mom got us free tickets to Legoland that were only good for Saturday. I had free tickets to Thomas and Friends LIVE! – A Circus Comes to Town that day too, so I was a little bummed that I couldn't take Porter to both. Legoland was a lot of fun and perfect for little kids. Liesl would have liked to go on more rides, but she was not tall enough. Porter could have gone on more rides, but he was too scared. It was a fun day and I am happy we were able to go.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

visit to LA

Tuesday we headed up to LA to visit my sister and her family. We stopped at Griffith Park on our way up because Liesl has been talking about riding the ponies. She tried to ride them a year ago, but said the saddle was hot and didn't want to go. This time she picked out the pony she wanted to ride and loved it. She wanted to go again, but Porter was anxious to ride the train, so we did that. The train ride was fun as always and after we went to the park for lunch before continuing on.

Wednesday we went to Placerita Canyon where the kids were able to play in the stream. They were wet when we left, but they had so much fun, stomping in the mud and building a dam. Wednesday evening Henry told my sister that he wanted to have a fun day the next day, so we made a little map of the complex. The next morning I took the kids on the walk while my sister buried envelopes of money that they used at Target to buy a toy.
Checking out the map.


Sunday, March 15, 2009

Saturday

Saturday we had a little birthday celebration with my family at my parent's house. My dad heated the pool, so the kids spent a lot of time in the water.

Liesl got a bike from her Grammy and Papa for her birthday. She liked it, but does not know how to ride it yet and is not that coordinated.




Here is a video of Porter swimming. He spent about 4 hours in the pool yesterday and another hour today. He just taught himself how to swim and was so proud.

Saturday, March 14, 2009

i want to ride my bicycle

Last Sunday we took Porter to the park to try and teach him how to ride his bike without training wheels. I think Porter was more interested in the removal of the training wheels that actually learning how to ride the bike.

Here is the video of his second attempt. It is on the grass and he did well, but not so well on cement.

Friday, March 13, 2009

Birthday Girl

Today was Liesl's 3rd birthday and we celebrated it with our playgroup at the park.

Showing off the birthday dress I made her. I was so happy with the way it turned out and I think I was a little annoying telling everyone "look at the dress I made".
I can't believe that my baby is 3! She is such a sweet little girl and brings so much joy and happiness to our family.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

army men take over the gnome village

We have been on a one tv show a day schedule for almost two weeks now and it has been so much easier than I thought it would. The kids are not as whinny and I think they are happier now. In an effort to try and get the kids outside in the yard more, Porter and I built a gnome village. Porter was having fun playing with it for a while then Jason said he needed some army men. I told Jason that I would make some army men and the brick could be the tank. Porter played with my little men for a while, but Jason went out and bought some men anyway. Porter loves them and plays with them all the time.

Wednesday, March 04, 2009

I confess

My kids watch way more tv than they should and it is all due to my lazy parenting. It is one thing to tell my friends that, an another to share it with the world. I have used the tv as a babysitter for as long as I can remember. I really suck as a parent and I really don't want my kids to grow up and remember me as the mom who was there, but not really there for them. Sure, I get up in the morning make them breakfast, turn on the tv, take care of their needs and then go back to sleep. I take them to the park or a museum, I take them on adventures, but when we are at home the tv is on. I decided today that we were going to have a no tv day and told Porter this. Porter turned the tv on twice in a 30 min period before he went to school, but quickly turned it off when he remembered. After school today he asked me a few times to watch a show and I just told him that it was a no tv day. He played outside just for a little while, we played battling cards, read books and he played in his room by himself, something he rarely does. I was honestly shocked that he did so well and I got a lot more done and played with my kids more. I remember when I used to babysit and I would tell myself that I would be the kind of mom that sat and played with their kids and watch movies with them. It is sad to me that I have chosen to use the tv as a replacement. This is really hard for me to write. I want to be a better mom, I want them to remember me as a mom who was there with them actively engaging in their lives. I say to you my kids, my husband, my family, my friends, my readers that I am going to make a change and be a better parent.

Sunday, March 01, 2009

neighbors

Yesterday Jason was outside with the kids watering the trees and some neighbors stopped as they were walking by and introduced themselves. They invited us over for breakfast this morning and to come check out their chickens. We didn't make it for breakfast, but we did stop by for a little while. They have three chickens and are planting the yard with fruit and vegetables. It was just this really awesome space with cool people hanging out. Some people were eating, some were starting seeds, some were working on a new planter bed and some were just chatting. It was this great community of people living together in this apartment building that Jason now calls "the hippie commune". It was so fun and inspiring. When we got home I cut down a tree that was shading my planter box and started some seedlings. I want to take out a grass strip by the sidewalk and plant vegetables. My neighbors have a weekly mostly vegan potluck that I am going to try and go to. I am just so happy this in on my block just a few houses down.