River Bend Nature Center

These are pictures from Saturday. Isabel was having so much fun and so in to looking for rocks that when brother fell in the water and we had to leave she though we had only been there for 5-10 minutes when in actuality we had been there for 1.5 hours already.

As we were walking to our car we saw that there were 6 deer that were eating the corn that RBNC staff had put out. The kids actually got pretty close and were so excited to see so many.

Preschool Field Trip

Isabel's preschool field trip was to the River Bend Nature Center. Mommy went along to chaperone. They had a scavenger hunt to do, but Isabel also brought along a notepad and marker to draw things that she found interesting (something her friend Casey did when we went on a nature hike with them to Kaplan's woods recently.) She had a great time and it was a beautiful day for a field trip there.

Ice Skating & Kicksledding

We had an active weekend. We really needed to get out of the house & burn off some energy and it's so much easier to do that on the weekend when daddy is home to hang out with Henry since he wouldn't be able to take being in the cold as long, he'll get there, just not this year.

So, yesterday we first went swimming as a family (all four of us) at an area community center pool. Then it was home for supper and then I took Isabel ice skating at our snow park. Just as we arrived a youth group came to play broomball and they let us borrow some and I grabbed a ball out of our trunk and we played some ourselves. Although, I think Isabel's favorite thing to do it to play tag with me (although, she always wants to be it, which is fine because I can skate around more.)

Today we started out the afternoon with kicksledding (see the picture below) and it was quite the workout. Last year we did kicksledding on an icy path & this year we were in the snow, so there is a lot more drag which is a lot more work. We went to River Bend to do this.

Next up was swimming again as a family, home for supper, then off to Morehouse park to do some ice skating & ice hockey there with friends. We decided that we are going to plan a family event to come back on Saturday (weather permitting) as a family event when they have their bonfire and w can bring marshmallows and hot dogs to roast. How fun is that!

Halloween 2010

This top picture is of Isabel at the picture station at the Old Navy Lil' Monster Bash. I think the witch costume was her favorite this year. I had bought her a fairy costume and a witch costume.

Isabel wanted to be a fairy princess (from her costume box) to go to the Halloween Carnival at the firehall that was put on by the high school Student Council. Grandma & Grandpa M. took her to this carnival. The night before daddy took Isabel & Henry to a Haunted Schoolhouse & bus at the firehall, which was put on by the high school SADD organization.

I took the kids trick-or-treating around the neighborhood and pulled them in the wagon. They seemed to have a good time and liked checking out their loot once they got home. We didn't stay out too long, because after a while Isabel didn't want to put her hoodie back on because it covered her costume. She is wearing it for the above picture, but as soon as we got to the first house she took it off & it stayed off.
Last night we took the kids to a Halloween event at RBNC. We went to it last year and it wasn't too crowded, this year it was very crowded and not as enjoyable as it could have been because lines were too long for things. But we did get to go on the horse-drawn wagon ride (made that a priority since Henry loves animals so much and really wanted to go by the horses), did the halloween games, Isabel went on the inflatable dinosaur slide, and had campfire food by a bonfire. To this event, she was just a princess (from her costume box).

The picture of just Isabel is of her is at the Halloween & Monster storytime at FPL. She is wearing the fairy costume I bought her for this year. The other pictures are of her preschool Halloween party.

Level 2 Swim, RBNC, Open Gym, Shades

Nature Hike & Picnic Lunch

Today we met some friends at the River Bend Nature Center to hike around, play a little bit and have some lunch. It was great weather when we arrived and it didn't start to rain until we were finished & already in our cars. Lucky timing.

The kids really wanted to build a fort, but it looked like someone had diverted the stream into many other little streams down into the valley where the kids play area was, so it was kinda muddy there and it didn't seem like the kids were too into mud today.

But we did see may different types of fungus, so that was neat to point out to the kids and let them toucch them to feel the differences.

Insects on the Prairie

We had a ton of fun doing this "class" at RBNC, called "Insects on the Prairie". We caught bugs ourselves and learned about them. Some of them that we saw (plus many more I am forgetting) are: stink bugs, katydids, grasshoppers, hopping spiders, tree insects, plant insects, crab spiders, inchworms, some kind of wasp, a couple kinds of butterflies, dragon flies and we even caught a tree frog, which they said is really hard to do.

Let me tell you though, it was FREAKIN' HOT there. Well, anywhere outside it was. It was over 90 degrees with humidity in the upper 70's, so the heat index was in triple digits.

Hiking, Track & Field, Festivals, Music & Food

Tonight we went on a summer solstice hike at River Bend Nature Center with our friends Jessica, Sadie & Tristen. Isabel goes to preschool with Sadie. It was a lot of fun and we learned a lot and Isabel got to stay up two hours past her bedtime as it was about a 1.5 hour hike.

This was Isabel's 2nd sports class and tonight was track & field night. She had fun, but we have to teach that girl how to throw a ball and how to run with purpose. She runs like such a little princess; she has a spring in her step & sways her hips. It's cute but it's not going to win her any races.

We took the kids to Heritage Days. It was kind of a let-down, but we made do and still had some fun.

For Father's Day, Isabel had made daddy a few presents & a card (I made him a photo card) and we made hium waffles & sausage for breakast. He had a jam session with the kids, had a chance to clean his car inside & out (gave him some $$ to go get his car washed) then went swimming as a family and finally went out to eat as a family.

Visit to RBNC

This top picture is at the end of our visit to RBNC when she was sad that we had to leave and there were other kids who came to play with the log house they had built. Sharing is hard sometimes.

We went to RBNC with our good friends Caitlin, Amelia & Gavin. Isabel & Amelia worked really hard at building their log house, Gavin (see below) worked really hard at playing in the mud. He got even messier than I have pictured.