Little Sportz ~ Micah Style

Since we were not able to find a Mother’s Day Out Program once we moved here (let’s all bow our heads for a moment of silence for me, please), I decided to see if there were any little classes Micah could take this school year through the Phoenix Rec Department.  After going through their catalog, I decided on Little Sportz (not sure why they couldn’t have just spelled it correctly ~ I guess the “z” lends a bit of street cred).  It is a class for 3-5 year olds that teaches the basics of sports such as soccer, basketball, floor hockey, etc.

We are about half way through the session, and so far I am not impressed.  He doesn’t love it either.  There is a lot of sitting around while some rather young teenagers talk to them about how to play these sports, and then they wait forever in line to take their turn at trying it.  Last week it was taught by someone else, and it was much better.  However, I think she is not the normal teacher, so I will just have to lower my expectations.

If nothing else, Micah is learning to sit and listen, follow instructions, and gets to run around a little bit with other kids.  Tonight they learned about Lacrosse.  Lacrosse!!!  That does not strike me as a great game for 3-5 year olds.  You could see the kids were a little confused.  Basically they practiced running (about 2 feet) while holding the stick properly and then shooting the ball into the goal.

I think the most fun part of the class for us parents to watch is the stretching at the beginning.  There is not a lot cuter than a bunch of 3-5 year olds sitting on the ground stretching like adults.

Tonight on our way home I asked Micah what he thought about Lacrosse.  He said, “Mommy! (in an exasperated voice) that stick and that game is not called a cross, because a cross is what Jesus died on!!”

After I explained the difference in the words, he seemed to calm down.  And then he told me he never wanted to go back to that class.  Then I told him we finish what we start.  And then we had a Popsicle, which is what I bribed him with to get him to go back and finish the class.

At least he’s paying attention in Sunday School.

Micah other favorite Little Sport ~ wrestling his (mostly) willing sister.

Super Micah!!! (And Savannah)

I don’t know where Micah picked this little move up, but lately he has been striking quite the pose at home.  Since Savannah mimics EVERYTHING Micah does (both good and bad), she wanted to get in on the superhero action.  Ben and I can’t agree on if we are seeing superhero moves, or body building poses.  What do you think?

A Day At The Farm

Another Wisconsin activity for us this year was a fundraiser called “A Day At The Farm.”  It was a great day spent with my mom, my sister, my niece, and of course us.  

We started the day with a pony ride.  It was a smart decision.  Just an hour later the line was super long.  The picture below is a little misleading.  Savannah didn’t actually go on the pony ride because the second I set her in the saddle, she started saying, “No, no, no” and dove into my arms.  We took the picture, and then she stood on the sidelines with me while I snapped pictures of everyone else.

Next we moved on to feeding the sheep and the goats.  All the kids loved this, although Micah took his entire cup of cut up carrots and just threw the whole thing into the pen.  I think he was scared they would bite him.  The was $1 well spent.  Savannah loved this part and giggled whenever the goat took a carrot out of her hand.  They also had some camels you could feed, but we stayed away from them.  I think camels are a little unpredictable, and we didn’t need any bites or anyone spit on that day.

This is my niece, Aubrey.  The barn had chicks, a white donkey, and another pony to pet.  They also had ducks, swans, calves, and chickens that were not for petting.  Right before leaving the barn, the kids had a chance to “milk” a cardboard cow.   Good times.

Another favorite of the day was the corn bin.  Micah, Savannah, and Aubrey probably spent 30 minutes in there.  I think they could have played in there all day if we had let them.  Later when I changed Savannah’s diaper, I found corn hiding in some interesting places.

The hay ride was super fun.  I just love fall activities like this.  I’m glad I got a little taste of it this year.

This was a hay maze for the little kids.  It was perfect, and Micah and Aubrey had so much fun.  They also had a corn maze there, but we didn’t do that.

While Micah and Aubrey played in the hay maze, Savannah loved getting dirty in the big sand pile.

Last picture of the day.  Maybe we’ll have to plan our trips back to Wisconsin around this event next year.

When You Need A Little Encouragement, He’ll Be There

There are times that Micah says things intended to hurt me.  Some of his favorites are, “I’m not going to be your friend anymore!”  ”I don’t like you anymore!”  or my personal favorite, “You can’t come to my birthday party!”  I’ve got news for you kid: without me there is no birthday party.  Oh, and your birthday is not for three more months, so let’s cross that bridge when we come to it.

However, there are times that the most encouraging and unexpected things cross his lips.  For instance a few weeks ago I walked into the living room just wearing my running shorts, and a sports bra.  This is not a look I frequently sport, but I was on my way to the dryer to find a shirt to wear to the gym.  When Micah saw me, his face lit up and he said, “Oh, mommy!  That looks really good!  You look really good like that!  I really like this right here! (pointing to my stomach)”  I have news for you.  That area is not attractive.  It was not my best feature four years ago, and having two kids and not losing all the baby weight has not increased its attractiveness level.  But to Micah it was beautiful.

Then just this morning when I picked him up to give him a hug he said, “Oh, Mommy, you smell really, really good! Do you know why you smell so good?  It is because you put good smelling stuff on you!”

He can be quite the charmer.

Oh, and later today he told me that he didn’t like me at all anymore, so don’t worry, all these compliments won’t go to my head or anything.

 

Home Sweet Home and Some Monkey Joe’s

We are back home, and enjoying some Daddy time today.  We had a wonderful time with my family in Wisconsin.  The flight there went pretty well.  The flight home was harder, but we made it!  The weather here is gorgeous.  The kids and I walked about two blocks down from the gym this morning to a grocery store to buy some fruits and veggies at 11:00 am.  Just a few weeks ago this would not have even been possible, because it would have been too hot.  Yay, for cooling temps and getting to enjoy more outdoor time.

We did a lot of fun things in Wisconsin.  Got to keep those kids busy during the day!  Here are some pictures from a place that was so great, we went twice.  It is called Monkey Joe’s and it is a giant indoor inflatable fun land in Appleton.  Since school is back in session, we were just one of a handful of families there both times, and the kids loved it.  Okay, okay I thought it was pretty fun too.

We had to stop at Target on the way there and buy socks for Micah and Savannah.  Yeah, we don’t wear socks anymore.

The huge slides were so steep that if I didn’t slow us down, we would shoot right over the barrier at the end and wind up on the floor.

Micah loved the obstacle course, but wouldn’t go on it alone.  I am curious about how many calories I burned on that thing.

Thanks for a super fun day, Grandpa and Grandma!!

Picture Perfect

On days when one or both of my kids has pushed me to the patience limit, it is helpful to look at cute pictures.  Is today one of those days?  I guess you’ll never know . . .

Micah wants to have sleep overs with Savannah so bad.  Unfortunately they are a little young, and I told him someone would probably get hurt.  I have no doubt that once she is a little older, they will have many, many sleepovers.

It’s hard to be mad at a sleeping beauty.  Oh forgive me.  If Micah could read, he would make sure that I wrote “sleeping handsome.”

Beating the Heat ~ Woolly Blankets?

A few weeks back Micah and Savannah decided that a fun afternoon activity would involve walking around with their blankets on over their heads.  Didn’t seem like a great idea when it was over one hundred degrees out, but I guess that is what air conditioning is for.

After a few minutes of not being able to find Savannah that afternoon, I opened her closet door and found this:

She had emptied everything off this shoe rack (which was not stable at all) and climbed aboard.

She will climb anything that stands still.

See even when it is really hot, and you can’t go outside, you can always throw a blanket over your head, and then do some expert climbing in your very own closet.

Growing Up

Today I looked at Micah, sighed, and said, “Micah, why are you getting so big?” He looked at me with a blank look on his face, and said, “Because of all the food I eat.”

Good to know he understands basic biology.