Category Archives: outdoors

April Showers

So much green everywhere is making me so happy! Which is especially nice on a day that is somewhat somber after the passing of Prince. I wasn’t a massive fan, but he was a talented artist and driving by his home seeing the flowers and many people there is just sad.

I’m holding off for another weekend or two until we go pick out flowers and stuff, but we’re all excited to get outside and work on the landscaping some more. There are so many things I’d like to get done inside and out of the house including little things like upgrades to flooring in the kitchen and even the faucets. In the meantime, though, we wait for the Spring rains to let up.

Thankfully we have lots of games to play inside and we’ve been pulling out the board games more often. Do ignore the fact that this picture was clearly taken in December. We really did play it the other day!

Phoebe doesn’t usually have the patience to sit through games yet, but Enzo is catching on quick to so many games and is still greatly loving Poopy Head. We like to team up and try and get Josh to end up with all of the poops while he’s distracted by Phoebe.

Another great find I came across are these awesome window markers that Crayola makes that crystallize on the window as they warm up. They are so fun to watch as they change, plus they clean up easy and we don’t end up wasting any paper. Considering Enzo reminded me it’s Earth Day today, I felt this was worth noting. 😉

Happy Earth Day everyone and have a wonderful weekend! Do something that brings and spreads joy.

Happy Friday!

We are so ready for this warm weather we’ve been having. Enzo asks every morning if he can wear shorts and Phoebe has been loving skirts and dresses. I think we’ve finally turned the corner and can kiss snow good-bye. Maybe I shouldn’t say that out loud and jinx it. Josh has already started our outside yard projects and opening up the windows has been awesome! Enzo is already asking about when they’re going to start doing water day at Preschool and can you tell we’re all really excited about warm weather?

These pictures were from the first really nice weekend and we all went outside on the deck in our pajamas to get some of that morning sun. I can’t remember where Josh was, but the kids and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The cats are also excited about being outside, but I have some dead plants I need to remove because if it’s a plant, Uzi will eat it and vomit it up. Time to buy some catnip and grass just for them, even though he’ll still get into whatever I end up planting this year. I would love to have houseplants, but no matter what I do, he always finds a way to get into them… that or I have to stick them in a place where we forget about them entirely and no one gets to enjoy them.

Sigh, cats. Anyhoo, we’re going to make the most of this weekend and the great forecast by getting outside! I’m taking advantage of the library’s smART passes and we’re going to go check out the Bell Museum of Natural History. We haven’t been yet, so getting to go for free is an even better way to finally experience. We haven’t decided what we’ll do afterward, whether it be wander some more, go to one of the zoos or another museum, but it will be glorious.

Driving, Toys and Eagles

Last Friday day care was closed for annual training, so rather than sitting around the house, I thought it would be fun to get out and do something. The weather was supposed to be nice, so I figured we should go for a drive and hopefully see some wildlife. The National Eagle Center is around 2 hours away, and then I realized that Lark Toys was just 10 minutes away from that, so we had our plan! We popped a movie on for the kiddos to watch and we were golden! Phoebe managed to take a quick nap in the van and by the time we arrived at Lark, both of them were more than ready to get out some energy. Also, they were hungry. Why is it that whenever we’re at home they pick at their food, but the second they get in the van they (okay, mostly Enzo) become famished and want all of their snacks in the first 5 minutes.

The kids were overcome with joy looking at all the toys, and thankfully there were a lot of toys that are actually okay for kids to play with while they look. Phoebe did not want to leave behind “her” baby that she had found and it took some coaxing to get them to move on to other things. They have been playing with their own kitchen and toys a lot more since we went, so I call that a win since it reminded them how much they actually enjoy playing “house.”

Besides all of the great toy displays, the highlight of Lark Toys was the carousel. I wish I had gotten more pictures of it, but the kids were antsy and had so much pent up energy still. We went on one ride, got some lunch and then decided to head to our next stop.

I think we were both a little surprised at how busy the National Eagle Center was on a Friday. It was a lot later in the day than I had originally planned on arriving, but with kids that’s not exactly unusual. It was chilly, but the kids enjoyed some fresh air while we looked for eagles. Alas, they were all pretty far off and despite being zoomed in as far as I could, it just wasn’t far enough. Inside, however, the kids got to see them up close and without glass or anything in the way.

(Enzo took this picture of the barge – time to get him his own camera!)

We tried to stay as long as possible, but both kids were acting rather unruly and at this point could not hold their wiggles in and were running around and yelling and the last thing I wanted was for them to get underfoot of other people who were there trying to enjoy their day as well. We went ahead and called it and headed home so the kids could run around like maniacs in the comfort of their own home. We did get to see more eagles flying around and some in nests, but one of these days I’ll just have to drive around on my own… or wait until next season to do so.

Ice Castles and frosty toes

For someone who is without a doubt, an introvert, I get stir-crazy very easily. It is for that reason I tend to drag my family out of the house – Phoebe comes more than willingly, but sometimes I have to convince Josh and Enzo to come too. Something about the phrase “Ice Castle” had Enzo even more excited than Phoebe.

We decided to go opening weekend since it was the first weekend where the temps were at least in the 20’s. In hindsight, we should have probably waited until it was a tad warmer out. Enzo doesn’t mind getting bundled up, but Phoebe is really not a fan of layers and gets very unhappy when it’s time to put her big coat on. I don’t blame her; I really am not a big fan of bulky layers either – I get claustrophobic and uncomfortable.

Anyhoo, it was cold, but the kids thought it was neat for about the first 5-10 minutes. One big draw was an ice slide, which Enzo obviously wanted to do, but Phoebe was cold and just wanted to be held, so Enzo and I rode down the slide together. While my hips are padded, they sure could have used extra on the way down. Totally worth it to hear Enzo’s excitement on the way up and then down. Alas, due to a faulty battery and Josh’s phone dying, we didn’t get a lot of pictures and none of us coming out of the slide. Thank goodness for smart phones! We walked around a bit, but the kids got cold fast and wanted to head out, so to dinner and home we went!

So Long, Fall!

There is a chill in the air and after several days of unusual November rain, we are about to get much cooler, so now seems as good a time as any to soak up the last of Fall. Last year it took a little time for Enzo to warm up to the idea of playing in the giant leaf pile Josh’s Dad prepares for all the kiddos. This time, though, he ran right into it and his cheeks were already getting rosy by the time his cousins came to join in on the fun. This boy runs hot, that’s for sure.

Phoebe, on the other hand, is like me and wasn’t too thrilled at the idea of playing in cold leaves. She was more content to sit and eat her snack, but eventually we managed to get her to at least sort of join in. I can’t blame her, I’d rather sit on the sidelines and just watch too. I kind of don’t want to tell her what’s in store considering she whines when it’s cold out at day care and they go outside to play.

If you’re Enzo, however, the highlight of a giant leaf pile is being tossed into it. I have a feeling if his thrill seeking continues, I’m going to lose just as much sleep in the years to come as I do now. I guess it makes sense, though… kids aren’t aware of all the dangers and worries that adults consider, so why should being tossed 6 feet in the air into a pile of leaves be at all disconcerting? Granted, even bloody noses and other bumps and bruises don’t stop him from jumping off things he shouldn’t and fearlessly climbing whatever he can.

While we’ll need to keep Enzo’s active side busy this winter, we’ll have to come up with a combination of inside and outside activities considering Phoebe isn’t a fan of being cold and wet. I loved sledding when we were kids and building snow forts, so hopefully we can do some of that with the kids and find other activities now that they’re older and not quite as affected by a late night here or there and an occasional missed nap. Last winter was a bit of a bummer, especially after we got back from a nice warm vacation in California, so I plan on making it as fun as possible this year.

If anyone has any tips on winter activities with small kiddos, do let me know!

Dino and Bunnies

Every day adventures