2014...so far!

We rang 2014 in with a bang!

We started by going to a party hosted by a family in our ward. They're basically evil geniuses who (starting at 4:00) set all the clocks in their house ahead 4 hours, party hard for 4 hours, and then ring in the new year at midnight (8:00) by banging on pots and pans and pretty much just making a ton of noise. Then they get their kids in bed by 9 (geniuses, I tell you)!!

We got home from this party around 9 and I got the girls in bed by 9:30. One of the perks of not having a 'baby' anymore is that none of my kids were crabby or frustrated staying up that late (which I kind of expected from Sammie, but she handled it so well)!

After about an hour at the party, Clayton caught on to the deception. He wears a watch all the time now, and couldn't be fooled because he knew that his watch was right and the other clocks were wrong (smarty). Fortunately, we convinced him not to ruin the secret for the other kids. It made him feel like such a grown up to be in on the secret. He melts my heart. For real.

Because Clayton was on to us, he knew that it wasn't actually after midnight when we got home. Justin and I agreed that Clayton and Noah could stay up until real midnight if they wanted. They both wanted. So the four of us ate pizza rolls, read a few chapters of Percy Jackson (we're reading The Lightning Thief - such a fun read aloud for our family), played Imaginiff (which was a really fun game to play with them), ate ice cream sandwiches, and counted down to the new year.

I can't remember the last time I actually celebrated the new year (shoot, I can't remember the last time I stayed up until the new year). It was a lot of fun though, and I so look forward to making this a new tradition!

A few pictures from our new years:
Noah decided to ring in the new year in a very zen state.

He was meditating everywhere. Not sure he found his inner calm, but it sure was entertaining to see all the places he meditated.

Me and Sam. She had been sad about something (see the tears in her eyes), but getting the camera out made her smile.

 Me and sassy Miss Jos.

 Clayton's face here cracks me up. This kid is seriously the best!

The four of us who made it to midnight. It's hard to take a picture of a group of four. In hindsight I'm thinking we should have used the automatic timer, but this way was more entertaining!

On the first day of 2014 we got busy taking down Christmas (which is always sad, but I feel like my house always looks so clean and uncluttered afterward). We were gearing up for the polar vortex which was making its way over to us.

For those who have been living under a rock, the polar vortex is a massive cold that hit the Midwest and New England earlier this week. We experienced temperatures in the -30 to -40 range for two whole days. Schools were closed (for 3 days actually), roads were considered hazardous and closed to everyone except emergency vehicles and first responders, and just about everything was closed (not that you could have gone anywhere anyway). It was bitter cold. It was so cold that even Disco wouldn't go out to go to the bathroom! I would open the backdoor to let him out and my lungs would burn - and I wasn't even outside the house! Thankfully we were prepared and were able to spend three cozy days just hanging out.

The big freeze hit our house on Monday. The Sunday before, it was not too cold outside (mid 30's) and snowing like crazy. Church had been cancelled so we went outside for some backyard fun while we had the chance!

Umm, let's talk about how adorable this baby is. Seriously, she kills me.

The snow was too soft for a proper snowman, so the kids an I made a snow turtle. Noah named him Sheldon. Get it? 'Shell'-don! Ha!

We then turned our deck stairs into a mini sledding hill. It wasn't our best sledding ever, but the kids had a great time with it!

After a while, they realized they didn't actually need the sled and could go down penguin style. We were laughing pretty hard!

Monday and Tuesday we stayed put. We hunkered down and road out the big freeze together and had quite a bit of fun.

Justin worked Sunday night. He was also supposed to work Monday morning doing C-sections but because of the weather, they cancelled all non-emergent procedures and sent home everyone who wasn't absolutely necessary. When Justin got home he couldn't get his car into the garage because of the amount of snow that had fallen (even though he'd shoveled the drive the day before so he could get out for work). So my poor babe had to shovel the drive. In -40 degree weather. He assured me it wasn't as bad as I thought it was, but it sure looked cold!

We weathered the big freeze with some movies, some games, some reading, some cleaning, and lots and lots of playing.

This makes me laugh. The girls had disappeared and were playing quietly when we heard Sam cry. Not a hurt cry, but cry nonetheless. Justin went up to check on her and called "Ari, come up here! Quick!" I could tell by his voice that it was going to be funny so I grabbed the camera. Sammie had tried to climb INTO her crib and had gotten stuck. She wasn't too happy about it, but it made us laugh (**side note: we are wondering if she's ready for a big girl bed. I vote no. She's my baby and there are just some things I'm not ready to let her do.)

We played some checkers. It took some time for the boys to figure it out, but once they got the hang of it they loved it. Clayton's actually not too bad. It won't be long before he stars beating me on a regular basis!

Finally, on Wednesday, the roads were deemed safe for travel. School was still closed but at least we were able to get out! We went to the gym (I was in desperate need of serious physical activity) and the boys gymnastics and karate classes were on. Clayton recently got his yellow belt. Yellow is the third belt (after white and orange). He's pretty proud of himself (and we are pretty proud of him too)! He's loving karate!

On Thursday they opened the schools back up (as I type this, the Hallelujah Chorus is playing in my head) and the boys went back to school. They were excited to get back but not excited about waking up early (here here).

Finally, today, I went on a field trip with Clayton's grade. We went here:

This is part of the Studebaker Museum and Northern Indiana Museum of History. It was a fun field trip, but if I ever have to chaperone a group of 11 fourth graders again, it will be too soon. My favorite part was being with my guy:

 Ha! Check out his long tongue!

This one's my favorite. On the bus ride back from the field trip, he hugged me and told me how glad he was that I came and how he always wants me on his field trips. This is exactly why I do this. I don't particularly love field trip chaperoning, but I most definitely love Clayton. I would do this a million times just to feel his tight hug and hear his sweet thanks. Man alive, this kid's the best!

So now we're back to normal around here. Schedules and routines and all that goes with raising this brood. It was nice to get those extra three days of vacation (especially since Justin was around for most of it - that was one of my favorite things), but I'm glad that we're returning to normal now.

And here's a picture of Sammie. Just because she's adorable and squishy.

Our 2014 has gotten off to a great start! This is going to be a busy, crazy, and exciting year for us. I can't wait! It's going to be a good one. I can feel it!

Pumpkin Patch

**This is my second post of the day ::pause while I wait for you to stop applauding:: so scroll down to see my earlier post about Noah's gross tongue.**

We went on a field trip last week with Josie's class to the pumpkin patch. This is our fourth year going on this field trip and I love it every year. It's my absolute favorite! This year I was worried about the weather (we've gone in both great weather and in nasty weather - I prefer the nice weather). The day seemed like it was going to be a cold one so I made sure we were extra bundled. I'm glad we were. The weather was cold, but with all our layers we were nice and comfortable!

Since pumpkin patches are pretty self explanatory, I'll let our pictures do (most of) the talking!
Hay ride (me and the girls with Josie's super cute friend Ruby)

 Love these sweet excited girls!

After the hay ride we went through a corn maze. I wanted to take pictures of it, but Josie was running so fast and so far ahead of us that it was all we could do to keep up with her!

Jo with her prize pumpkin:

Sammie (who wouldn't look at the camera) with hers (she loooooves that pumpkin, she wouldn't let it go for anything - even though she struggled to carry it):

 The kids in her school (this is four classes worth of kids):

They also had a playground and a petting zoo but I didn't get pictures of that either. Hmmm, maybe my pictures don't tell that great of a story after all. Oh well, it was still a great time - even if I didn't photograph it all! We also picked up some cool pumpkins for Clayton and Noah. If you stay tuned (hopefully tomorrow) I'll post about what we did with them!

Josie's first fieldtrip!

Josie has been on fieldtrips before, but never with a class of her own. Her class went on the traditional apple orchard field trip and she was SO excited! She LOVES school and had been talking about her field trip for days. The day of the trip she was ready in record time. We dropped Sammie off with a friend (stroller + apple orchard = no bueno) and headed off.

Josie jumped right in and got to picking! Because of all the drought issues that the farmers had this year, the apples were pretty little not particularly appetizing, but she was still determined to fill her bag!

 Josie and her friend Ruby. It's hard to get a picture of preschoolers.

Once our bags were nice and full, we met back up with the class for a delicious snack of crackers and apple cider! Yum!

 This one's blurry, but I love the look on her face. Soooo Josie.

Just for fun: Here is what Josie looked like the last time we went apple picking (we skipped last year because Sammie was so tiny):

And this year (she's growing up too fast):

Each child had to give two of their apples to Mrs. Halliday so that they could make applesauce for snack the next day. Josie loved doing that (which is good, because it's what we're going to do with the apples that she brought home too)! I loved being able to go with her on her very first field trip. I love that all my kids are still young enough to be really excited when I show up at their school or when I can go on field trips with them. I know they'll loose it at some point, but hopefully we've still got a few years before that starts happening!

Frederik Meijer Gardens

A few weeks ago the second grade classes at Clayton's school took a field trip to the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, MI. I guess this is an annual trip that the second graders get to make every spring and I was fortunate enough to be able to chaperone. I've been having a fair amount of mommy guilt this year because I haven't been able to volunteer in his classroom/accompany him on field trips like I did in kindergarten and first grade.

I knew that this field trip was coming and I wanted desperately to go for three reasons: 1. I want Clayton to feel like I am always interested in his schooling and I want him to know that I'm involved. 2. I wanted to meet one of his friends that I'd been hearing about constantly for weeks (more on him in a minute). 3. This field trip sounded AWESOME! I wanted to go and see it for myself.

I was hoping I could go but there were a few problems. First, since Grand Rapids is so far away this field trip was going to take all day (seriously, they left at 8:30 and we got home at 5:15). Second, I was told that siblings couldn't come. I knew that Justin was working that day so he wouldn't be able to help me out with the kids. Thankfully, my awesome sister in law was able to come over for the day. I appreciated that so much. It's so nice to live near family.

Grand Rapids is a two and a half hour drive from South Bend. I was a little skeptical at first when I heard that they were taking a field trip up there. Fortunately, the chaperones were asked to drive their own cars while the students and teachers rode the bus. I was grateful. I mean, five hours total on a bus full of second graders doesn't sound like the most appealing start and finish to your day so I was glad to have the time by myself in my own car (I have learned that I actually don't mind road trips when I get to listen to whatever music I want and no one is yelling/screaming/crying at me). Clayton got to ride the bus with his class to Grand Rapids and then ride home with me - it worked out perfectly!

When we got to the gardens I knew that our trek out there was worth it. Immediate first impressions: It was a HUGE place - I knew we could easily spend hours there without running out of things to do or getting bored; it was GORGEOUS from the get go.

We started off eating lunch and then we were given a brief overview of the area. The adults were given groups of three kids to watch over, maps of the gardens and butterfly preserve, and instructions to meet back at the bus by 2:00. Then we were set free to go, learn, observe, and have fun in our own small groups. I was thinking there was going to be some sort of guided tour but there wasn't, it was all self-exploration which I always enjoy so much better.

Okay, pictures. From here on out, it'll be mostly pictures and a little narration. I didn't take as many pictures as you might have thought. At one point I gave my camera to Clayton but there were so few of his pictures that were usable (LOTS of shots of people's feet, random elbows, etc.). Also, I was trying to keep my group together and point out interesting things so I wasn't always getting the camera out. Rest assured though, Frederik Meijer Gardens are awesome and gorgeous, even if you can't always tell by the pictures.

Beautiful tulips. There were flowers everywhere.

 That huge building is the exotic butterfly preserve.

 Water feature.

 My handsome boy.

Our group. I had Clayton, his BFF George, and a girl named Leah who was about the same height as me.

 The Children's Garden. This was my favorite part of the whole field trip. This garden was amazing.

 The kids all thought this sculpture was cool and wanted a picture in front of it.

 A giant butterfly.

 Clayton wanted to take this picture. It's supposed to depict children of the world.

This was cool. They had a sensory garden. This was touch. Each fingertip had a different texture. They had then planted a bunch of plants around it with different textures for you to touch (velvety, soft, hard, spikey, etc.). Very neat.

Taste (no he didn't really put his tounge on it). Obviously at this station there wasn't actually anything to put in your mouth, but the kids were able to learn about edible plants. Also, this mouth remided me of KISS. Anyone else?

Sight. A periscope. Clayton and George really enjoyed this one. The periscope looked out over a large field of flowers with all different colors.

Sound. The logic was kind of like the tin can telephones you used as kids. One kid would press his ear up to the big ear and a bit further away there were wind chimes and other instruments that the kids could play (that had all been dulled). The kid who was by the big ear could hear them perfectly.

There was a large waterway that the kids could play in. It reminded me SO much of the water table at the Echo Aquarium in Vermont (one of our favorite VT places). Made me slightly VT-sick.

This one was much larger though. Clayton loved this (I think it brought back fun memories for him too). Unfortunately, George and Leah didn't love it as much so we didn't spend as much time there as I know we could have.

Classic self portrait.

 The kids being archeologists.

 Friendly dragon.

 Hedge maze. It kind of reminded me of Alice in Wonderland.

 Clayton ringing the bell to signal that he'd made it to the end.

 Sculpture of a wolf family.

 Jungle book.

This is the little entrance to the children's garden (not to worry - there's a large one as well). These crazies thought they were in jail.

 In the exotic butterfly preserve.

I can't tell who took these pictures. I know I took some and Clayton took some, but these butterflies were cool so you get to see them all (lucky you).

This one was so still that there was a small debate over whether it was alive or not. I choose to think yes.

 All sort of chrysalis (chrysalises? chrysali?). I liked how different they all were.

 Moth chrysalis. Very large and leaf like. Nice cammo.

 I just liked the color of the green ones.

 More butterflies.

Because this is a zero predator environment, the butterflies were very friendly and social. They never landed on us but it was fun to have them flying all around us.

 The kids doing a little school work in the preserve.

Meet George. George is Clayton's best friend. Clayton has been talking about George all year now. He talks about him so much that all of us feel like we already know him (Noah, in fact, talks about George as if he sees him every day as well). He's almost achieved celebrity status in our house. When I met George I was pleasantly surprised to discover that George was exactly who we had expected him to be. He's 8 going on 30 and pretty funny. Sample convo between me and George:
George: My mom finally got an iPhone. I said to her, 'Welcome to my generation mom!'
Me: I don't have an iPhone.
George: Well, you really should get one. You're seriously behind the times.
He's polite, smart, kind, funny, and just as happy to be Clayton's friend as Clayton is to be his. I always worry about the friends my boys make at school. I just want them to have friends who are nice and good. This is the first year that Clayton has had a "best friend". I'm glad it's George.

 Random chrysalis.

 I threw this one in because Clayton took it and it was his favorite of the day.

 Random goat fountain.

 This sculpture was awesome. Do you see two faces?

 Marching band.

We had a great time. I loved every second of this trip. Honestly. My favorite part was all the time I got to spend with my guy. I could tell he was so proud to have me there. He kept reaching to hold my hand (he NEVER wants to hold my hand) so I savored every second. As we were leaving he told me how glad he was that I came. I hated for it to end and was pretty sad to leave. I know that soon he probably won't want me to come on field trips and I'll (probably) respect that. For now though, I love that I got to experience this with him and only him (thanks again Kerstin). He's the best kid and I'm really blessed that he's mine.

For more information about the Meijer Gardens, go here.