Foamy Fun Playdate

I added a messy play date to the play group calendar and envisioned children creating shaving cream castles on the picnic tables after playing on the playground equipment. It didn't quite end up that way. The kids were covered in shaving cream from head to toe! It was far more exciting than my original vision. Children's creativity never ceases to amaze me.

Cornbread and Muffin Mix

I made corn bread muffins from this mix last night. These are a huge hit with my family.

Classmate's Birthday Party

I'm diving back into hands-on learning activities with the boys. I took a break while dealing with all of the changes in our lives. We went back to "A" and made alligators out of the letter A. We took out the magnets and found the letter A.



We also read Alligator Baby. The boys asked me to read it several times and giggled through the entire book. I think they would recommend it to all of their friends.

Gabriel attended a birthday party for a classmate on Sunday. All went well until it was cake time. He didn't want juice and the parent was fine with giving him water. When the mother tried to give him cake, he had a complete meltdown and said that he hated birthday parties. The mom didn't give him any cake and left him sitting there with just water. While this would work with many children, this action further upset him. Ahhhh - the joys of autism. We have absolutely no idea what started the problem - was there blue on the cake? He no longer likes the color blue after two years of obsessing over everything blue. Was the cake the wrong size? He likes things BIG. Daddy got a piece of cake for him and all was somewhat better.
We have always opened gifts after our friends have left. I recently read an article that said that it is better etiquette to wait - who wants to sit and watch a kid open gifts any way?! It's boring. Other kids get jealous and most kids do not know how to react if they receive a gift they do not want or already have at home. Also, it causes awkwardness about who purchased which gift. These parents chose to open gifts in front of the kids. Gabriel flipped out. I'm sure the cake incident made everything much worse for him. Sigh.
Gabriel is home from school today. He threw up in the middle of the night. Maybe that is what caused the problem yesterday? The many questions that run through my mind while parenting Gabriel.

This morning we did Lego painting. The boys created some really neat artwork with legos.

This is Day 2 of our GFCF lifestyle. So far, so good and my attitude remains positive. I made rice pudding with our leftover rice last night. Lane decided that she could eat it from a spoon! This is a HUGE accomplishment for her.

Daddy Daughter Photo Session

Andrew took Laney to their first Daddy Daughter photo session. I think the idea is uber cute and I was even happier when I saw the photos. These were taken the day before she turned 10 months old.

Where the green grass grows

A bad mood can ruin everything for me. I couldn't get out of my funk and it didn't help that I was running behind for our play date. I had to run to the store to get dirt and seeds so we could make grass caterpillars. I need to get myself in check on these days because I didn't enjoy the morning at all.. I think the kids enjoyed getting out of the house and playing at the park. This is something I need to work on!

St. Patrick's Day Celebration

Here is a photo of the playgroup celebrating St. Patrick's Day. Alex is screaming about being in the photo and I think Lane is trying to figure out why we are sitting behind everyone.

I've always liked St. Patrick's Day. I don't know why but getting dressed in green and talking about the Irish has always appealed to me. Green clovers and little leprechauns make me grin. I supposed green beer does the same.

In contrast, my husband started wearing green in just the past couple years because his children have Irish ancestry. He was teased and pinched in school when he didn't wear green on St. Patrick's Day. He doesn't have an ounce of Irish ancestry in his blood and didn't participate in the celebration. Having children really does change a person, doesn't it??!!

ChuckECheese in March

We went to a birthday party at ChuckECheese's. I don't enjoy going to ChuckECheeses but my kids LOVE it. The place is overstimulating for me and I usually leave exhausted just from the surroundings. However, I take the kids because I enjoy seeing their smiles. We only go a few times a year so I can shove my loathing aside for them. In the winter, it's a good place for them to get some wiggles out so there is a silver lining as a parent!