A Concert at School

Last week Joe McDermott put on a concert at Elina's school. (By the way, I love that Elina's teacher let Eli take the above picture with Elina's class with Joe after the show.) Joe McDermott is a songwriter for children and kids love him. J took Eli to the concert and they sat with Elina's class. (Unfortunately, I had to stay home with a napping Evie.) The kids had a great time! J said that Eli seems to be more into music and acting silly than Elina (surprise, surprise).
At the beginning of the concert, Joe asked everyone to hug their neighbor. J caught this cute pic of Eli and Elina. Awwwwww.
Eli and Elina both loved the "Air Guitar" song and the "Roller Coaster" one. It looks like they had a great time, right?

A Saturday Hike

We didn't have any plans today so we decided to do a hike in Eisenhower Park. It's a park I've been wanting to explore and the weather was perfect for exploring (cloudy and 70). The park is so nice because it has a play structure, a big rock wall, and wonderful trails that lead to a tower with a nice view of San Antonio.
The kids thought the hike was so much fun. Although, toward the end we were really losing Eli. It was my fault since I picked a rather long hike (around 2.25 miles) for 3 year old legs. Plus, Eli didn't get a nap so he was already tired to begin with. But he was still a trooper and made it almost the entire hike. During the hike there were 2 times he started to get really tired. The first time he said, "Mommy, can you hold me please? I can't do this anymore." And then when we were going back from the tower, Elina told Eli to run with her and he held my hand and sadly replied, "Jie Jie, I can't run anymore." For the last 500 feet of the hike, Eli just hugged me by the waist and wouldn't let go or budge until I picked him up. Smart strategy, right? Even though he was so exhausted, he wasn't too tired to climb the rock wall when we got back to the trailhead. Hmmmmm.The hike itself was wonderful. We did the first 1/2 on natural terrain (to get the kids excited) and the second 1/2 on asphalt (to get the kids back to the trailhead quicker). We knew that once they got to the tower, they would just want to get right back (especially since the playground was waiting at the trailhead).
The kids loved searching for cactus, flowers, and poop. They loved climbing up and down the rocks on the trail. We really had a great time. And little Evie didn't make a peep while she enjoyed her view in our Kelty on B's back.
What a great way to spend a Saturday! We will definitely be exploring more parks before the weather starts to get unbearable!

Elina's Big Downtown Field Trip

What I love about Elina's school is the fact that there's at least one field trip per month. It's really great! Elina just had her big field trip to downtown San Antonio. The theme for the past few weeks was Texas, so the kids learned all about the Alamo, bluebonnets, pecan trees, and all things Texas. They even made cute Texas t-shirts to wear on the field trip. The kids painted the shirts, used their fingerprints, and used cute Texas-themed stamps.

For the field trip, we rode a trolley through downtown, visited the Alamo, ate lunch in Hemisfair Park, went up the Tower of Americas, and watched a 4-D movie about Texas.
The elevator ride up the tower was really exciting for the kids. They couldn't believe how high up we went.





The glasses for the movie were AWESOME because they were HUGE. Unfortunately, the movie was a bit much for a lot of the kids...although Elina was the only one who had to leave the theater. There was a scary rattlesnake who "attacked" the audience and Elina couldn't handle it so she left with a teacher. Evie didn't do well during the movie either. Each time her face got sprayed with water and with air, she would scream and cry. Poor thing. Eli was the only one who made it through ok. (The picture of Evie with the glasses on is great because she thought the glasses were food, so she opened her mouth real wide like she was going to take a bite. Love it!)
At the Alamo, the kids had fun on a scavenger hunt where they looked for specific items listed on a sheet of paper. Elina especially enjoyed looking for the Travis ring (of course, since it has to do with jewelry!). No pictures of the scavenger hunt though, since there's no photography allowed in the Alamo.It was definitely a long, but fun day with friends! (Here are great pics of Elina with her closest friends from school...cute, right?)

I Changed My Mind

Ok, I spoke too soon. I'm not sure I'm a fan of Western Week anymore. After school, I was squatting on the driveway, picking out dried pony poop from the bottom of Elina's shoes with a wooden skewer. Of course, MY KID would be the one who accidentally stepped into it somewhere on the schoolyard. That stuff was caked into the tread of Elina's shoe and I could only use a skewer to get it out. At least I got it all out. Yay, me.

Western Week

Since the Rodeo is in town, Elina's school has a Western Week where the kids dress up in their ranch duds, eat a cowboy breakfast, and ride a pony...all at school! I love Western Week because I love seeing all the kids in their little get-ups. Last year we had to borrow our entire ensemble from Elina's best friend, L. Luckily, this year I planned ahead and got all of Elina's cowgirl gear when school first started. I know it sounds unbelievable that I would get her that stuff early, but it just makes my life easier when I don't have to rush around at the last minute.

Aren't Elina's little outfits cute?Here's Elina riding the pony, Blue Jeans--

Yee-haw! What a fun week at school!

Valentines Galore

Valentine's Day was busy for us this year. I made the mistake of agreeing to make treats for 2 different parties (Elina's school party and Eli's music party), so I spent a lot of time in the kitchen the weekend before Valentine's Day.

The kids and I made chocolate covered peanut butter balls for the kids to pass out to their friends. I got the recipe from Parents magazine and they turned out delicious! Elina helped me roll the peanut butter into balls. Then after I dipped them into melted chocolate, the kids and B covered them with sprinkles. It turned out really cute especially because I bought little boxes to hold them.
For both parties, I decided to make my red and pink rainbow jello. This is my 3rd year making them and I've definitely gotten better and faster at it. Each year I learn something new, so I think I've perfected the process now. It's still time-consuming, but the pay off is great because the kids just ooooh and ahhhh at the layers. Plus, I like that it's a treat that's not quite as sweet as everything else.
I was actually in charge of Elina's class party, so I had to attend that one while J took Eli to the music class party. (Thank goodness for J!) For Elina's party, we read Guess How Much I Love You, had snacks (heart-shaped PB&J sandwiches, heart jello, and red fruit), did a craft (Magic Color Scratch hearts), and handed out Valentines. I loved the craft because setup and cleanup were both a cinch! Plus, the kids love to scratch the black paint stuff off to see what colors are underneath. The party went well and the kids had a great time.
Eli had fun at his party, too. He decorated a bag, exchanged Valentines, and ate lots of Valentine-themed food. He was so excited to come home with a bunch of candy! In the collage below (from top left going clockwise), Eli is listening to a Valentine's Day book, Evie is hanging out with a fellow baby, Eli is showing off his loot, and Eli is chillin' with his new friends and preschool buddies (T and P).
In the next collage, Eli enjoyed his Valentine's Day snacks at music class (left) and then he got a nice Valentine's lunch from J at home. Yum!
At home, we also did our Valentine's Day mailboxes again. I started a little later than usual this year just because Chinese New Year was at the beginning of the month. Every day the kids would look in their mailboxes and find clues leading to a treat or to a prize. Elina really looks forward to this every year. And as it gets closer and closer to Valentine's Day, the treasure hunts get longer and the clues gets a little more difficult. The big prize at the end was a play mixer that I've had hidden for a very long time. (Seriously, I think it's been hidden in the closet since last June or July!) Eli didn't really understand the treasure hunts, but Elina would ask him questions and he would try to answer. All he knew was that if he kept following Elina around he would end up with some sort of prize at the end!
For our Valentine's Day breakfast, the kids had heart-shaped pancakes, strawberries, and strawberry milk. We had our red and pink dinner that night--heart-shaped pasta with red sauce, strawberry milk, Valentine's Day dinner rolls, and more jello hearts. Yum! (Check out Elina's new "funny face" in the picture below...yikes.)
B and I went on our own Valentine's Day date the next night. We went to La Frite, this Belgian French restaurant that I've been wanting to check out. B wasn't so sure about it, but after the meal, he was convinced that it was a great place. All the food was delicious. The tomato bisque and green salad with basil vinaigrette were to die for. Then I got a bowl of mussels in a pesto sauce and B got the steak. We ended the meal with a yummy chocolate tart. The best part were the frites (hence, the name), or the fries. You wouldn't think there would be that much difference in taste, but these frites were amazing! Just perfect little fried pieces of heaven. I would definitely go back just for the frites!
Elina's always sad to see the end of Valentine's Day because she loves the mailbox surprises. Plus, this year she became obsessed with creating Valentine's Day cards. The first day we sat down to make a few for friends who live far away. I figured she might sit and make 5 or so. Nope, she sat down and made 12 of them...then later that day she made more. Every day she would find something new to add to make even better Valentines. It got really crazy...but it was cute that she kept making them more and more intricate. That's our crafty girl!
All in all, it was a busy, but yummy and fun Valentine's Day!

Chocolates + Stars = A Fun Saturday

On Saturday we had a very eventful day. First we went to Chocolate Day at the San Antonio Botanical Gardens. There were free samples of chocolate, chocolate fondue, marshmallow building, lollipop flowers, face painting (Elina got a heart and Eli got an owl), and lots of other fun things. The kids were in heaven with all the chocolate. Can you tell by their chocolate faces?And here they are doing their marshmallow building. Eli built a "person" so he spent a lot of time making him "walk around."
In the evening we went to Medina River Natural Area for their Star Party. Once a month, the San Antonio Astronomical Association brings in their high-tech telescopes for the public to use to see the stars and planets. The kids also did a craft (they made star bookmarks), drank hot chocolate, and ate cookies. The park also had an informative presentation about the Solar System while we waited for the sun to go down. The kids were giddy to just be in a park after dark. We weren't allowed to use flashlights either, so it made things even more exciting! Looking through the telescopes was so cool, especially for Elina since she just finished a big Solar System unit. The moon was so bright and clear in the telescope. It was amazing to see! We also got to see Jupiter and some stars in Orion. Jupiter was so small, but we could still see the stripes.
When Elina heard that we were going to see Jupiter, she got a little scared and said, "I don't want to see Jupiter because there's a big storm on it!!" Typical Elina to be worried about something like that. We told her it was ok and after she saw it in the telescope she bluntly said, "Why is it SO small??" She was not impressed at all. It was definitely good for Elina to see how small Jupiter is even though it's the largest planet.

And if you can believe it, that night I had another forgetful moment. I packed everyone's jackets except for my own again! I couldn't believe I managed to do that twice in one week! Luckily, my winter hat happened to be in the car and I had Evie in the carrier, so I stayed as warm as I could. What is happening to my memory??

Unfortunately, no flash photography was allowed where the telescopes were...so no pictures of the kids using them.

Anyway, it was a fun day for all of us. Who doesn't love chocolates, stars and staying out late?

100th Day!

Elina had her 100th day of school celebration on Friday. One of the things they had to do was bring in 100 of something. Of course, Elina chose to take 100 pieces of macaroni because that is what our sensory tub is comprised of...and that is what they play with every single day. Macaroni plays a big role in our house. It's used as tea, lemonade, birthday cakes, and everything else in between.

Then the kids had to answer questions related to 100 objects...Elina made sure to let me know that she actually drew in 100 red dots for her bites. If you know Elina, you know that Elina WOULD draw in 100 actual red bites!For the last one, she wanted to be funny so she chose bathtubs. I think it's funny that the "mom" on the right side of the picture has a disapproving look because the kid is trying to eat a bathtub!

It sure looks like it was a fun day!

Rodeo 2011

This week we decided to go to the Rodeo and Carnival. It was going to be the only "nicer" day for the week and the weather has been so spotty lately that we decided we should just go.

I was determined to take Eli back to the carnival because last year he got rejected from all of the rides. It was so sad because he just wasn't tall enough...but seriously, some of those kiddie rides were SO slow and ridiculous. I guess rules are rules...although I have to admit that I was one of those parents begging the operators to let him on. No one caved though, so I guess they're serious about the rules.

Even though Eli is taller this year, he just barely makes the 36" mark. (The spiky hair definitely helps.) Luckily, Eli got to go on most of the rides, but there were about 3 that he wasn't allowed on. What was funny to me was that all the rides he got rejected from were operated by women. I hate to say it, but the male operators were definitely more laid-back and the women were more sticklers. I guess as a mother, I would be more concerned if a child wasn't tall enough...BUT the thing is, he really is 36", which was the minimum to ride those kiddie rides solo. So B was definitely a little peeved whenever Eli wasn't allowed on a ride. It was a good thing that Eli was a good sport about it all.
The kids had so much fun going on the rides together. We had a great time! The only bad thing was that the weather started to change that afternoon, so the wind was picking up and getting colder. (I was also a total dork and packed everyone's jackets except for my own! Good thing B is a gentleman and lent me his.)
Eli's favorite ride was the airplane ride where the planes went up and down. Elina's was the Speedway where the cars swing around a curve quickly. Eli liked this one, too, but he didn't want to ride it the 3 times Elina wanted to ride it. The Speedway is definitely my favorite ride for the kids because their facial expressions are priceless when the car swings around the curve. I love it!



Besides the carnival, we also went onto the Rodeo grounds for a bit. We watched the Pig Races, which are always fun. The kids also enjoyed the petting zoo, especially the wallaby that was hopping around. Unfortunately, there are no pictures of either event because I was busy trying to keep Evie warm and entertained.

When we left, the kids kept saying, "That was so fun!" Elina even added, "I wish I could stay here forever!!" We had a wonderful time and can't wait for the rodeo to return next year! (Maybe we'll even try to go again before it leaves this weekend!)

Bust Out the Doilies--Seriously

These doily Valentine's butterflies have become our favorite craft at the house....and, honestly, it's my favorite craft as well. You will soon understand why.

First, all the materials it required were already in our house--doilies (leftover from last Valentine's), watercolor paints, a paintbrush, googly eyes, a pipe cleaner (you can even just use more red/pink paper), and construction paper in red and pink. It's always nice to already have all the materials at home.
Secondly, the painting of the doilies literally kept the kids occupied for almost an hour! It must be the intricate details of the doily that make all kids want to paint. I mean, Eli isn't known for sitting still, but he just sat there and focused on the task at hand (look at hard they are working in the above collage!). The kids loved the craft so much that we've already done it a second time, this time with 2 of their friends. I tested it out with the little friends (both the same ages at Elina and Eli) and all 4 of the kids were painting for over an hour! I was able to make dinner while all 4 kids sat at our dinner table doing this craft. How wonderful is that?
I love that the 2nd time the kids did this craft, they did an even more amazing job than the first time. Elina got more creative and made each bump of edge of the doily a different color (picture at beginning of post). And for Eli's second time he also chose more colors...although I don't understand why black and gray are just popular color choices for the 3 year old set. Anyway, I just love how Eli and Elina improved on their butterflies the 2nd time around. I'm wondering if I should try it a 3rd time just for kicks.

I need to incorporate doilies into all my crafts! (Although the novelty would probably wear off after awhile...like everything else.) So, if you have doilies just sitting around in your house, bust them out and make your kids paint them. Put on some kiddie music or a kiddie audio story, sit back and take an hour for yourself. You'll be amazed at how quiet it will be...look at all these smiling faces!