Best of 2009

Today we reflected back on past fun activities we have done and repeated some. We popped popcorn, did some art, sang songs, played music, went for a walk and played outside.

Tube of Beads

One of our Christmas presents came in a little plastic tube with a cap. I saved the tube knowing that we could make something with it.
Today with Will I pulled out some old beads and bells from my bracelet making days.
I thought Will could fill it and use it as an interesting looking noise maker.

Will put beads into the tube and dumped them out for over a half hour! It's funny how the simplest things can be the most entertaining to a toddler!

Waffles and Will Time

Today we made homemade waffles. We also mixed up extra of the dry ingredients so next time we can make them even faster. It's a very healthy, but tasty recipe (posted at the bottom).
This afternoon, Westley went to Grandma Kathy's house so it was just Will and I all evening long. It was fun to focus in on him. We played with his new Christmas toys, read (and ate) some books, and took a nice long bath.

Westley "reading" the recipe

WHOLE WHEAT WAFFLES
MAKES ABOUT EIGHT 7-INCH ROUND WAFFLES

INGREDIENTS

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 large eggs (one time I accidentally left out the eggs and they still came out fine)

2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1-1/2 to 2 cups milk

Optional ingredients I also add in:

1 tbsp flax oil

1 small scoop protein powder

1/3 cup sweet potato & apple puree

1 mashed banana

blueberries or finely chopped apple

Place the flour, sugar and baking powder in a medium bowl and whisk with a wire whisk to combine well. Add the eggs, butter, oil and 1-1/2 cups of the milk; beat with the whisk until smooth. Add more milk as needed to thin the batter just to a pouring consistency, being careful to keep it thick. Cook on waffle iron.

Hemet Play Day

 Yesterday we made a special trip to Hemet just to play - taking advantage of the open space. Westley rode his bike, rode is power wheels styled tractor truck (Santa brought for him), both boys played on the swing, and we all fed the goats/sheep, and raked more leaves.
Usually when we go to Hemet it is for a reason, and us adults are distracted by cooking or something. Today, the boys basically got a whole day of Mom's, and Grandma Martha's attention.

Will pushing Westley

                       Exceeding the weight limit

guest appearances by Sheep, Little Goat, and Butterscotch

Thank You Notes for Santa

It's tradition to send Santa a letter before Christmas with gift requests, but I've been thinking it should be as equally as customary to send him a thank you note after Christmas.
So, that's what we did today, and will continue to do each year
Westley and Will both decorated thank you cards for Santa.
Westley "wrote"
Thank you for another truck.
Thank you for my bike.
Thank you for Will's new bike.
Thank you for Drew's bike too.
From,
Westley

Lake Balboa Park

The day after Christmas was spent in LA (Van Nuys area) visiting Kevin's relatives.
They introduced us to Lake Balboa Park.

The boys enjoyed the unique playground equipment, and seeing hundreds of ducks.
Will would have jumped in the lake with them if we would have let him!

Christmas Day

We had a wonderful Christmas
Thank you God for Jesus
and thank you Santa!!

Cookies for Santa

On Christmas Eve we made some sugar cookies for Santa.
The only Christmas related cookie cutter we could find at my mom's house was a star- so we made a lot of stars.

Then Westley decorated them with a few sprinkles before we baked them.
It turned out to be pretty mess free!

Here's Westley on Christmas morning diving in on the crumbs Santa left behind

Christmas Lights and Santa

Tonight we went to our friends Jenny, Ian, and Zephyr's house to have Jenny lead us on a walking tour of neighborhood lights and to a very generous neighbor who decks out the whole yard with lights and even has Santa come for the children to see, visit, take pictures, and get a candy cane, coloring book, and toy.

Westley was a little more shy with this Santa, but was excited to get a candy cane.

Westley sharing a stroller ride with Zephyr when he was tired of walking

Wrapping Presents

A sure thing for the holiday season.
I expected that Westley would want to help wrap presents, but I was surprised by Will's interest to.
He jumped right in, wanting a piece of tape and stuck it (randomly) on the package.

Our packages will not win the best wrapping job award, - but they wouldn't anyway since I am a horrible wrapper.... there are a few I might have to say the boys helped me with just from the embarrassing job I did on my own :)

We've been doing a few here and there as none of us have the patience to wrap them all at once

Wrapping must tire Will out just like it does to me

Signing Time w/ Lisa & Drew

Today Aunt Lisa and Drew came over to play. We all sat on the playroom floor and sang and signed songs together.

Will signing Butterfly for the first time

Raking Leaves

Today we went to Hemet and there were tons of leaves! We all helped Grandpa rake them up. Westley and Will thought this was great fun.

For the grand finale Westley got to use Grandpa's leaf blower!

Christmas Chain

Westley had never seen this kind of chain before, so it was a simple activity he enjoyed... watching the chain get longer and longer.

He did good at the patterning too - picking which color needed to come next

Roll Painting

I covered a mailing tube with some easy-off masking tape. Then, Westley painted it all red. Then we took off the masking tape and it was spired red and white like a candy cane.
There was a reason we did this activity as we were making a Christmas Present. We filled it with Whiffle  Balls.
It would be a fun experience anyway though
:)

Cookies in Class

This morning I helped make cookies with Westley and his classmates in his preschool class. Baking with 8 squirming three year olds was an adventure of his own, but ended successfully. Before I left Westley said "I'm so happy you stayed in my class." After seeing how much it meant to Westley to have me there, I'm going to try and join in activities a little more in the Spring.

No pictures- I had no free hands for a camera!

Snowman Poop

We have this Little Snowman that sings and dances and bounces. "I'm a bouncing snowman, catch me if you can"

The boys, especially Will, love to dance with him.

Since Westley is at the age where he thinks poop is hilarious, I thought he would enjoy this one- and he did! Will jumped in on participating too.

I gathered a handful of mini marshmallows and while dancing with the snowman I let some go right behind the snowman. "Eww Westley look - the snowman pooped"

Westley and Will would get excited and pick it up, and then set it on the toy table. When they weren't looking, I'd grab it and throw it back down by the snowman.

I think Westley was on to me, and Will just enjoyed the pick up part of the game, but they still had a lot of fun.

It wasn't until Grandma Kathy's dog ate a "poop" that Westley decided to try and eat it.
That was his first marshmallow tasting. Not surprisingly, Westley was a fan

Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice

Today at school Westley's class went on a walking field trip to the Agricultural Departments site to pick oranges and other fruit.
Westley got to bring some home and insisted on making orange juice.
Luckily we had a few more oranges on hand.
Dad helped him use our juicer and we all had a few sips of orange juice!

Christmas Stories

Tonight we took a little time and dedicated it towards reading Christmas stories. Westley's two favorites seem to be Frosty the Snowman (just like the song) and If You Take A Mouse To The Movies.
Will even seemed a little interested in reading the books too (instead of just eating them as he typically does)

Grandma helped the boys build a fort where they read more Christmas stories by the light of a flashlight

Embrace a Family

For the past 3 years I have adopted a family in need to give presents to for Christmas through the Embrace a Family program. This year I involved Westley. Today was the day to drop off the items at the organization's collection site.
I had Westley help me pack up the boxes, and log everything we got. He also helped me add in a few more stocking stuffers and wrap a couple of the presents. While doing so, I explained to Westley that these presents were going to a young mom who doesn't have any blankets or warm clothes like we do, and to a little baby who doesn't have any toys. He jumped in to the giving spirit and kept suggesting things in our house for us to give to them. It was an extra special moment.

Cookie Cutter Rice Crispy Treats

This evening we all made some rice crispy treats. Since there's not too much to the actual process of making them, the fun came in finding the shapes to cut them into. I got out my bowl of 100 cookie cutters and started looking for the Christmas themed ones. Everyone got to pick their own shape for their rice crispy treat. Kevin had a bell, I had a snowman, Westley chose.... a rectangle! That was the shape he got most excited about. Kids are always surprising!

The bowl of cookie cutters was a hit. Westley and Will continued to play with them for 1/2 hour - until I stopped them for bed time.

Making a Present

Today Westley and I stirred up some fun that we will be giving away this Christmas.
For now, I have to keep what it is a secret :)

Christmas Drawings

Yesterday, Westley and Will both participated in some drawing with Dad.
Dad drew a Christmas tree on big paper and the boys helped add "ornaments" garland, and presents under the tree.
Their attention span (I'm referring to all three of them) was longer than I thought it would be.
Now we have a new Christmas Decoration

Dog Walking

Wednesday we babysat baby cousin Drew and dog Casey all day and night. To give Westley a little break from babies I agreed to go on a walk with him as he tried to walk Casey.

I found out this dog listens as well as Westley does sometimes.
I told Westley "see how it is frustrating when Casey won't listen and how we can't go as far cause she isn't behaving - that's how feel when you don't listen"
Not sure he got the moral of the story, but he liked holding the leash regardless.

Surprise Project

Today we made a little something with paint- but the project wasn't messy. It will be used as a Christmas gift, so I can't ruin the surprise!

Mailing Christmas Cards

Today I asked Westley to help me put the stamps and return address labels on all the Christmas card envelopes. To a kid it was as fun as playing with stickers. I think I had him help me last year, as I remember having to watch him carefully and help him get them in the right spots on every envelope. This year, he had it down all by himself, right side up and not too crooked. He was truly a good helper!

Whose Laundry?

Somehow our house got extra messy and we had more laundry than usual. I had to think of ways to keep the boys entertained while we tried to get on top of the household chores.
While folding laundry, I would hold up each article of clothing before folding it and say "Whose is this?" Westley did great at answering correctly and then thought it was pretty funny to be silly and answer wrong.
He participated through the whole basket of clothes.
Most of the clothes were Westley's so I joked with him that he wears too many clothes and that I'm going to start having him do his own laundry. He thought that was funny too. I was half serious about the latter.

Jack's Pond

Today I took Westley and Will to Jack's Pond where we met Jenny and Zephyr and Westley made friends with another little boy his age. The boy's played on the playground, rolled down the hill, and we took the walking trails to see the pond.  It was a peaceful place.

There is supposed to be a nature center there that is open on Saturdays, but it was closed just for today, so we will have to go back sometime to check that out.