Class Trip - Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum

Noah's class took a field trip yesterday to the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum.  We are so fortunate to live in a city with so many great places and museums at our fingertips!  I was lucky enough to join the class as a chaperone...I was as excited as the kids...this was the ONLY place in Chicago I had not visited! 

This was my group to look after. They behaved soo well - the whole class did. It was so fun for me to see their excitement....

(Noah and his two friends)

One thing this museum is known for is their Butterfly Habitat. It is a beautiful area that is dedicated to butterflies. There are flowers and lush folliage all over to make them happy.  I apologize for not listing the names of each butterfly...it was just a little crazy in that place with excited kids everywhere!

(Noah looking at all the butterflies flying around the amazing waterfall)

Randomly placed plates of fruit are what the butterflies love to eat...funny, my kids would make great butterflies...except they aren't quite as quiet as butterflies. Hehe.

(See the pale green one sitting on the orange?)

For some reason, Noah has always said..."Mommy you love flowers and butterflies!"  Well, Mommy does love flowers...she does NOT love butterflies, well at least not some butterflies.  I don't mind the small, colorful, fluttery type - I can appreciate their beauty...but the huge, harry, moth-like ones - NO THANKS.  For some reason (Silence of the Lambs, maybe?) they give me the heebeegeebee's.  I just picture them getting tangled in my hair and flapping around and I can't deal...

This was one of those...it was huge!  Good thing for me it was up pretty high.

(note: as far as Noah is concerned, I do love all butterflies and even pointed this one out for him to see...why should my 'phobia' ruin it for him?!)

(huge, very creepy butterfly - probably about 12in across - yikes!)

(I did like this one - his wings looked like fur with an 'eye'spot.)

The 'lab' part of the habitat where they monitor the hatching of new butterflies.

Another exhibit was the National Geographic Crittercam.

They showed how cameras are attached to different animals in order for us to learn about how they live.

(Noah and friend peeking at a penguin)

Next was the 'Water Park' (my name for it)...

a hands-on area where the kids could pull levers, push buttons, float boats, etc to change the movement of water

(Noah and his class-mate getting their hands...and shirts, and pants, and shoes... wet)

We all had so much fun, but boy was I BEAT when I got home...so was Noah. Luckily, Jon worked from home to spend some time with Millie while I went.  When I got home I CRASHED!  I don't know how his teachers do it everyday!  As tired as I was, I know that I am very fortunate to be in a situation where I can volunteer in Noah's class and see first hand what he is learning...that made every minute of the crazy day worth it!  Thanks for a great day Noah!

Curious George...Live!

Curious George has been a staple in our house since Noah was old enough to start watching a little television.  We always started our mornings with good ol' George.  (One exception was during a period of time when I thought George might be to blame for Noah being a little behind on his speech - how could George be a good example when he doesn't talk and at times is a little 'too curious.')  Anyway, once I got over that we started including him in our mornings again and now Millie enjoys watching that silly monkey too. 
About three months ago Jon noticed Curious George Live would be in town...well, in Merrillville, Indiana - 40 mins away - close enough.  We have never taken Noah (or Millie either for that matter) to a 'Live' character show so we thought he would enjoy it.  So Millie played at home with her Grandma K for the afternoon (she would have LOVED the first 10 mins, but then would have lost interest...we learned our lesson after going to the circus!) and Noah and Daddy and Mommy had a fun outing together.

Noah's first reaction when George came out on stage. 

He was very excited and kept calling to him...'Curious George!' 

We were seated in the third row with no one in front of us, so I'm not sure Noah even realized anyone else was there to see George but him.  He was so intent and followed the plot through until the end.

George and the Man with the Yellow Hat.

Noah and Jon after the show. 

Noah is holding the balloon he just HAD to have. 

He was excited to use the $$ Santa put in the wallet he gave him for Christmas.

Also...Noah recently won a 'prize' at school - a $25 Visa Gift Card.  Since that doesn't really mean a whole lot to a 3-year-old I thought it would be a good idea to teach a little money lesson and tell him he could wait and use it to get something at the show.  When the time came, he pulled the card out of his wallet, handed it to the lady and even signed the receipt.  He thought he was hot stuff!

And this is what he bought...

You push the button on the side and the red, blue and green things light up and whip around while George spins in the middle.  We tried to talk him into something else thinking this thing wouldn't make it home before breaking (or before I threw it out the car window), but his mind was made up.  We quickly learned the 'Whirley' (as we call it) and the balloon string do not mix...but after untangleing it, it is still going strong...lucky me.  This morning I found him beating Bear in the face with it...better than his sister!

Noah truly enjoyed the show...so did Jon and I actually. 

Great idea Daddy! 

Millie, we promise you will have your turn!!

It's a Mystery to Me!

I am a T-shirt and jeans kind of girl.  Don't get me wrong, I love to get dressed up when the occasion calls for it, but on a day to day basis I am usually in my 'mommy uniform.'  I have quite a collection of T-shirts and love them all for different reasons.  Some are just your standard, plain colored T's.  Some have a unique style or neckline (those I call my 'fancy' T's... hehe). Some I use just to layer.  A few have designs - not many though, I usually like plain. But the one thing many of them seem to have in common lately are HOLES!  I don't understand it!  It has happened to so many of my shirts and I don't know what is causing it.  ALL the holes seem to be right in front  at the bottom.  Some of the t-shirts are J-Crew tissue T's so they are thinner and I can understand that they would be at a higher risk for this to happen, but not all of them are thin.  Not all the T's are old either.  I have a shirt that I have probably only worn 5 times and it already has a hole in it!

Soo before I throw them out... I thought I would ask for your thoughts on what could be causing my dilema. 

Has it ever happened to you?

Please respond in the comments if :

1.  You have any idea why I am getting holes in so many of my shirts

2.  Any ideas of how to prevent it

3.  Creative ways on how to re-use these shirts (as you can see, some of them are no longer wearable, but I hate to throw them out...)

(The shirts pictured here are older and by far the worst)

Our typical morning.

I know I have written about our typical day before, but that was a while ago and since Noah started school last fall, the schedule has changed slightly. We still try to take Jon to work most days, pick up

a bagel, banana, etc for breakfast and then head to school. Eventhough mornings are hectic, it is (strangely) nice to be in the car for a little bit in the morning. Jon and I use the time to talk about what
we have planned for that day/week and the kids get some quiet time before the craziness of the day begins (unfortunately that waking up time isn't always quiet, hehe). After Millie and I walk Noah to class

we usually run a few errands, spend some Millie & Mommy time playing, then it is time to pick up Noah again.

Anyway, this morning was just like any other morning, except, for the first time I looked back and Noah and Millie were holding hands while sitting in their carseats. There are many times in the course of the

day that they are so sweet to each other...and definitely times when they are not! Today I am choosing to savor one of the sweet moments...

(as you can see, Bowman is also always a part of our daily routine!)

A December to Remember.

In 'Typical Tonya' fashion, I have been neglecting my blog.  The longer you are away from posting, the harder it is to get back into it!  I have been putting off posting my December to Remember post because I wanted to wait until I had time to sit down and write down every detail, every memory, etc....and in the meantime I am missing new memories... so here is a summary of our December.

Before December 1st even arrived I was in a race against myself and the clock.  I signed myself up to be a vendor at a nearby Holiday Fair to sell my custom stationery, labels, invites, etc.  I had never participated in anything like this before and had no idea what to expect, nor did I realize the time commitment it would entail.  Whoa was I in over my head, but with a little (okay, a LOT) of help from my husband and some great friends, I managed to pull it off and I was pretty happy with the outcome.  It was by NO means a money maker (I didn't even break even), but I can't quantify the benefit of what I learned.  Anyway, because of my attention to this project, I was behind on everything else I needed and WANTED to do for the holidays, but everything worked out and we had a wonderful Christmas.  I hope everyone who reads this blog (if there is anyone left out there!) had a very merry Christmas too!

Me at the Ascension Holiday Fair selling my 'wares.'

I think this was actually in November (oops)...we took the kids to the Circus.  Millie lasted for about this first 20mins and that was probably only because she likes popcorn, ha!  Noah enjoyed it though and said his favorite part were the clowns.  To me, the clowns were no big deal since I spend everyday with two of the silliest clowns I know!!!

Family picture at the Circus. 

Not the greatest picuture, but you take what you can get when you are at the mercy of a stranger.

An unsuspecting Millie is about to take a big snowball to the back of the head!  Good thing she's tough.

This was one of our first big snowfalls.  Millie and Noah both really enjoy playing in the snow...so does Bowman.  He loves to rip through the back yard and make the snow fly!

Millie helping Mommy do a little shopping.  I usually don't let her ride in the big area of the cart, but you do what you have to to get the shopping done sometimes...peacefully!!

The only decent picture I have of Noah's Christmas program at school.  We took good video, thank goodness!  Don't ask me why he is standing in front of the rest of his class...he kept turning back and forth trying to hit the poor girl's candle to his left while singing 'This little light of mine.'

Millie and Noah after opening gifts at Grandma and Grandpa B's house.

Christmas Eve at our house.

Millie with her new kitchen and frying pan...look out Noah!

Noah and Santa at the K Family Christmas.  Noah LOVES Santa! 

He just opened the wallet Santa brought for him.

Noah and Millie after opening gifts at Grandma and Grandpa K's house.

Millie really needs to learn to 'watch her back!'

I am so looking forward to the year ahead.  As you can tell just from our December picutures, I am blessed to be the crazy mom of two little 'characters' and I can't wait to see what the next year has in store for us!
Also, thanks for being patient with me while I get my act together and start posting again...

Our Christmas Tradition

This weekend we continued our tradition of cutting down our own Christmas tree.  This year was a little different than the last three though...there wasn't snow on the ground yet, but we decided we didn't want to wait for Mother Nature to cooperate.  Also, every year we go with intentions of getting a smaller tree (living in the city means our space is very limited) and every year we come back with a huge tree that we swear must have grown two feet in both directions on our way home.  We usually have to cut off part of the back side and a few inches of the trunk to allow it to fit in our dining room.  This year was different.  We chose the PERFECT tree.  The size is just right!  We also wasted no time picking it out which is usually a challenge all of its own.  Jon and I are both pretty particular, but I am TERRIBLE at making decisions.  I have to make sure I have measured ALL my options before I feel I can make an educated decision, but this year I bet we found our victim, er, I mean tree in less than 10 mins...now I just have to get the lights on it and get it decorated!

Our family picture. 

Not the greatest pic, but that is what happens when you are at the mercy of a stranger :o )

That is our tree behind us - before the cut.

Bowman is a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog.  He is bred to pull, so his Christmas 'treat' is to pull our tree back to the car every year.  Although he looks a little hesitant in this picture, I assure you he loves it!  Noah is excited to race Bowman.

Bowman at work.

Millie loves to have Noah pull her in the wagon.  Surprisingly, she sits still!

And Noah loves to pull his little sis.

The three amigos.

(I wish I could say the kids are so good at posing for pics and that is how I was able to get them both looking in the same direction - which NEVER happens, but they were actually looking at the tree as it fell off the top of the car!  I just got lucky.)

At this moment...

Noah is laying face down on the hardwood in the middle of the dining room floor...who knows why...maybe because the window is open and a nice breeze in coming in?  It probably feels good to have fresh air - he has 'The Flu' - ugh.  Millie, is walking around flipping a pair of my (clean!) underware in the air...guess I should go find out where she got them.
That is what I get for trying to get some work done.

Too Sweet...

Noah has started a new collection - framed pictures.  He takes them from the lower shelves of our bookcases and moves them to his nightstand.  When I found the first one in his room (the family picture), I asked him how it got there.  He said he put it there because he likes to look at it when he wakes up in the morning.  I melted.  Over the past few weeks the collection has gradually grown to the four shown here.  I think that will be it...those are the only ones he could reach! 

Double Trouble

We actually don't have very many 'time outs' in our house...maybe one a week?  Not because I am a softie, but because Noah is pretty laid back overall and doesn't really push me to sending him there (which means either sitting in the hallway or sitting on the stairs - depending on where we are at the time). That being said, one action that will send him there without a warning is throwing things...especially hotwheels...especially at his sister.

Aparently she felt guilty about instigating...

Halloween 2009

I have always enjoyed Halloween and it is especially fun now that I have children, but man oh man it can be a lot of work. Noah talked about being a 'Scary Green Monster' for the past two months and I looked for a pre-made costume for some time...without any luck.  There also doesn't seem to be a demand for patterns for monsters...so after close to TWENTY 'mom-hours', most of the time spent at the sewing machine pulling black fur out of the needle, I managed to put together a green monster costume that he was happy with and that withstood the test of two days at school and an evening of Trick-or-Treating.

Noah, the one-eyed, scary, green monster...ready to scare his classmates.

I volunteered in Noah's class on the day of their Harvest Party.  It was so fun to see how he interacts in the classroom setting...even if it was a little crazier than normal that day!

Millie was a little neglected this year when it came to the costumes. I had great intentions of making her an owl costume, then I was going to use the extra fabric from Noah's costume to make a matching monster costume to Noah's but with pink fur instead of black...

...and as you can see, in typical Tonya fashion...she is not an owl or a monster.  She is a ballerina, that I threw together at the last minute.  Sorry Millie, next year can be your year!

We walked around the neighborhood with our neighbors and each of their girls - a ladybug and a pony (both adorable!) - and pulled them around in our wagon.  Noah walked with Lilli (one of his 'best girls').  My parents were in town so my dad came along and helped corral the two big kids.  It was pretty chilly, but still very fun.  After about an hour we headed back and Jon and my mom had made a delicious dinner for all of us!  Yum!

Needless to say, things got a little crazy with 5 kids and 8 adults in the dining room.  Toys and candy were scattered everywhere, but it was just a sign of a good time.  In the midst of the chaos, Millie enjoyed playing with her treat bag.  She hasn't eaten any candy (exception: one sucker), but she loves to dump it out and put it back in the bag.

I hope everyone had a very happy Halloween!

A couple of Noah's latest antics

Today:
We sat down to have lunch and Noah started talking to his hotdog.  It went a little like this:
Noah:  "Hi Hotdog, I'm going to eat you now."
Hotdog (aka Noah using his low 'hotdog' voice):  "Okay, Noah"
He takes a bite of the hotdog
Hotdog:  "Ouch, ouch!  Noah, that hurts!"
Noah:  "Sorry Hotdog"
Hotdog:  "Thats okay, but your teeth are sharp.  Do you use your teeth to talk?"
Noah:  "No, hotdog, I use them to eat!"

As he is doing this I ducked behind the counter to call Jon.  I just had to share this with him!  I was trying to whisper so Noah wouldn't hear me, but I think my giggles gave me away.  I stood up and he was sitting there with a big grin on his face.  He totally caught me.

A week or so a go:
We were in the car and both Noah and Millie were a little fidgety.  I gave Noah a book to read and Millie the DoodlePro.  Noah was then upset because (of course) he wanted the DoodlePro.  I told him he needed to wait until Millie was finished with it, and gave him a pad of paper and a pen to drawn with instead.  He took the paper, tore off a sheet and asked me to 'show him how to draw an 'X.'  This was a little strange, because I know he knows how to draw an 'X', but I did it and handed it back.  He then took the pen and started to draw a little, but soon got frustrated and said in a very stern voice..."Mommy.  I don't know how to draw Millie's face on the 'X'.  I need you to help me."  Again, giggles insued.  He has done the samething another time since then, but used a red marker to make the 'X'.  He said he was making a sign to show Millie to 'stay off his stuff.'



The sibling rivalry begins...

My little pumpkins

For the past three years we have driven to County Line Orchard in Hobart, Indiana to choose our pumpkins and to pick apples. I love that we have continued this new family tradition so far. It is one of my favorite days of the year. We started going mainly for the pumpkins, but now I think we enjoy the apple picking just as much!

The first year we went Noah was 20 months old and it was exciting to see his reaction to the big pumpkins (they were all big compared to him!) and to watch him try to roll them. Last year was definitely not the best year, but memories were made nonetheless. It was Millie's first year to go, she was just 2 months old and I spent most of the time feeding her while Noah and Daddy stomped around the pumpkin patch. It was also very hot and buggie that year and we found ourselves losing patience with the mud and mosquitoes.

This year was different. Noah and Millie are now both at such an adventurous age it made this years trip the best yet!

The visit always starts the same...with pumpkin and apple spice doughnuts and hot apple cider. (I didn't say anything about it being a healthy day, but it is quite a treat for all of us!) This year we went through the petting zoo. The kids loved feeding the goats, piggies and cows. Once through the zoo we hitched a ride on the wagon to take the ride out to the pumpkin patch. After trudging through a little mud and picking our perfect pumpkins we headed back to the apple orchard to pick (...and sample) our apples. It always proves to be a long day, but the fun we have and the memories we make always make it well worth the trip. I can't wait to go back next year...

Noah being a good big brother and giving Millie a ride.

He did a great job and she surprisingly sat still and enjoyed the ride.

Noah searching for the 'perfect pumpkin.'

It had to be 'hu-uge' he said as he stretched his arms out to his sides.

Millie was determined as ever to pick one up.

She went from pumpkin to pumpkin trying to lift each one.

Family picture in the patch.

Millie liked taking bites out of each apple she picked.

"Mmmm, apples! My 'bays-rite'!"

Millie sharing her apple with me.

As you can tell we filled our wagon with lots and lots of autumn goodies!

Book Review - How Do Dinosaurs Say I Love You?

I decided to do a book review, my first, because I just love the newest addition to our personal library. How Do Dinosaurs Say I Love You by Jane Yolen is a book that just makes my heart melt. We have every 'How Do Dinosaurs...." book printed so far. The latest edition was released on October 8th - I pre-ordered it through Amazon and received it on October 8th and I have to say that eventhough Noah is the dinosaur lover in our house, I couldn't wait to open it either. All of these books have a little humor while teaching a little lesson. The illustrations are unmatched - so bright, fun and with lots of detail. I have always enjoyed reading them, but this one is different - it pulls on the old heart strings a little. It talks about how dinosaurs sometimes test their mommy's and daddy's patience, but mommy and daddy love them anyway. It is the perfect bedtime read at the end of a loooong day, the kind of day when you just can't wait for bedtime to come...but when it does come, this book will help you appreciate that day - good or bad and will make you look forward to the next.

Happy Reading!