Notables, The Zoo, and More Snow

The day after we went to the Butterfly Pavilion, Eli had his Day of the Notables presentation. All the kids in the school had to choose a notable person to dress up as and present a poster on. Eli chose Thomas Edison, with a little guidance (he didn't know about Thomas Edison before, but when I explained he was an inventor, Eli thought he sounded pretty cool). I helped Eli make his "church hair" white on the morning of his presentation.

Here he is with his poster and costume. I made a cardboard light bulb to go with the costume, as sending a kindergartner to school with a real light bulb seemed ill-advised. Eli  did a great job presenting, even with some nervousness. This year I have been amazed at all the things they have kids doing in kindergarten. I certainly don't remember having to do an oral poster presentation when I was his age. Way to go, Eli! 

Thursday was free day at the Denver Zoo, so I took Benjy and Emmie down and we met some friends there. The weather was perfect-- we started out with jackets in the morning but by noon we were in our short sleeves. Emmie was quite enthralled by the whole experience. She has seen pictures of zoo animals and I think she was amazed to see them in real life, moving. 

Benjy would not unplug his nose the whole time we were in the primate exhibit. At lunch a peacock took quite an interest in Benjy's granola bar.

In true Colorado fashion, the weather changed dramatically so that this was our view on Saturday morning:

The boys had fun making a snowman and throwing snowballs. We've enjoyed the snow over the last few days, although each time the kids go outside they last progressively less time before they are banging on the door to come back in.

These chips looked irresistable the other day so I picked them up. It turns out they are irresistable, and Justin and I have been eating them ever since. What's more, the flavor was a contest winner, and Justin submitted this exact flavor to the contest last year. Somehow, he didn't get chosen for the million dollar prize... but we have been enjoying the flavor nonetheless.

A Love-ly Weekend

Whew! What a fun and busy long weekend. Eli had Friday and today (Monday) off for President's Day, so we had time to do lots of fun things. Thursday Eli had his class Valentine's party at school, which the little kids and I went to. Eli's class had games, food, and some epic silly faces for the camera.

Thursday night, since Eli didn't have school Friday, the boys got to stay up past their bedtime to help me make sugar cookies.  

Friday morning we decorated them and took a bunch with us to choir practice. 

Thursday afternoon, the kids and I went to my friend Melanie's house where she showed a few other ladies and me how to make chocolates. Our fingers were gooey from dipping and we were busy chatting so no pictures were taken, but it will forever be a fun memory. She has a huge yard with chickens and ducks, so the kids had the time of their lives playing and running around outside.

Friday night we went to a Valentine's dance at church. They had some basic dancing instruction and then dancing and refreshments. Nursery was provided for the kids, but Emmie just cried and cried so we brought her out with us. I love this picture. I don't know what part is my favorite-- the kids in their pajamas, Emmie with my bracelet in her mouth, the fact that our romantic couples photo was crashed by these adorable rugrats... 

Saturday was warm enough that Justin and I were able to work on our garden plot. Last year we dug out several large tree/shrubs in our backyard by our deck to make room for some garden beds. We bought the lumber for making raised beds but didn't actually get to putting them in the ground. Since it was nice out, we borrowed a rototiller and loosened the ground where we want the garden beds to be. I am excited that now I can work on the beds gradually as I am able with the kids now that the ground is loosened.

Saturday night Justin and I went on a Valentine's date to Cracovia, the Polish restaurant near our neighborhood. Then we went with another couple to a Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra concert up at CU campus. We were lucky to have been given tickets by some friends at church who couldn't go to the concert, so we got to enjoy a night of "Legendary Love" with the symphony. We also discovered "pizookies" at BJ's Brewhouse after the concert. Again, we forgot to take pictures, but it was a great time and will forever be a great memory.

This morning (Monday morning) the kids and I went to the Butterfly Pavilion. I signed up for passes several weeks ago knowing Eli would have the day off, and it turned out to be a perfect day to go because of the snow. The boys wanted to hold Rosie, the tarantula, first thing when we arrived. Brave kids! 

After the insect/arachnid and sea life exhibits, we headed over to the butterfly room. Both boys were determined to have a butterfly crawl onto their finger, and they managed to make that happen.

After that, we spent some time in the play area before heading out to lunch. I took the kids to Chick-fil-A for a special treat today. Eli is always sad when he hears about fun things I've done with Benjy and Emmie while he's at school, so I tried to make today extra special for him. 

After we got home, Eli and I worked on his Thomas Edison poster while Emmie took a nap and Benjy took a "nap." Then we went outside to play in the snow. 

After playing in the snow, the kids warmed up with a nice bath. Emmie and I got a few selfies as she was getting out. 

That about wraps up our fun weekend! Back to school and routines tomorrow. Not a bad thing though!

A Sunny Day, A Snowy Day

This past week we experienced Colorado weather in all its glory! Tuesday was in the 50's, so the little kids and I took a picnic to Lake Arbor. We met some friends there and played on the playground, chased geese, and walked down to the lake. 

Emmie went down the slide by herself for the first time and was SO excited about playing outside!

I did a double take Wednesday morning when I looked out the window.

 I was glad we had gotten out the day before because we spent most of Wednesday inside. We did get outside to play in the snow for a little bit, because Benjy was determined to make a snowman. The snow was a bit powdery to roll, so we had to build the frosty fellow by hand. He was a bit on the stout side but Benjy seemed to think he was all right. 

While we were inside, I thought it would be fun to let the kids play with cups and spoons in a plastic container of water. I thought of setting it up in the kitchen with towels on the floor to keep the water from getting too messy. Then I thought it would be even better to have the container in the bathtub, because then I wouldn't have to worry about cleaning up any water. Well, I filled up the container and put it in the bathtub, and Emmie promptly climbed in, fully dressed. 

So much for that bright idea... so the kids just ended up taking a bath, which was even more fun and much easier than the original plan. I need to remind myself daily: Keep it simple, Sarah.

After bathtime we made some cinnamon rolls. Benjy loves to be my kitchen helper and says he wants to be a chef when he grows up. As he was cracking one of the eggs, I saw an eggshell fall into the bowl but I could not find it despite my best efforts. I later got that eggshell in my cinnamon roll. :) Next time I will have him crack the eggs into a separate bowl first.

Unfrosted. Frosted. Both ways, delicious.

That night we had Activity Days with the 8-11 year old girls at church. My co-leader Shayla was in charge of the activity, which was a spa night in the kitchen. The girls did facials with homemade cleanser, scrub, toner, and moisturizer. They also did nails. It was a ton of fun!

On Thursday, the weather started to warm up. By Friday, the snow was melted and it was hot enough to go to the park again. That's Colorado for you-- crazy, unpredictable weather. I love it though! Winter doesn't wear out its welcome so fast when it give you respite from the snow and ice.

This is a random picture I took of Benjy while he was playing with kinetic sand. He made a ton of little sand balls and called them "ball nuts." Not sure why, but it must have made sense in his imagination.