Zoo and Tempe Market Place

Friday we met Brent at the zoo after he got off work. Croix loves the zoo. We always have a great time when we go. We always end up with great pictures of Croix and Brent, with no evidence I was there. So I told Brent it was his job to be photographer! I'm really trying to be in more pictures. Not out of vanity but for my children. One day when I'm gone they are going to be looking through pictures and want to find ones of us together!!!

The orangutans were putting on a show for us.  It was pretty fun to watch them swing and play.

Croix thought he was a monkey too and started swinging around on the fencing.

A little baby wearing (nursing) during international baby wearing week.

Who needs a double stroller.

Croix thought the cactus looked so cool and wanted to get a  closer look at it. He squatted down and kept inching closer and closer. And then he almost lost his balance. He teetered a little I held my breath and he narrowly escaped toppling face first into a cactus!

The baboon came right up to us. I thought it was pretty cool. Trying to do a quick excited face for Brent I some how did this.  Its too funny not to share!

Miss Maizy enjoying a ride, and gnawing on her blanket.

They put food out for the tiger as we got there so we got to see him come and eat his dinner.

The lions were practically posing for us.  We did a photo booth and as we were coming out one of the roared. It was awesome!

Speaking of the photo booth, aren't they fun pictures!?!

We were there until after five which is when they close. We kept telling Croix he had to hurry up because the zoo was closing. So then he started telling us to hurry up because the zoo was closing.

We had a blast at the zoo!

After the zoo we went to Tempe Market Place for dinner and ended up spending the entire evening there.  We walked all over checking out people and things. If I could afford to I would dress my children in nothing but Gymboree and Baby Gap! Why must they be so expensive!?!

Croix and I held hands while we watched a water light show

Maizy was enjoying the evening

Oh goodness how I love these two!

There just happened to be a band playing that night. We stayed long enough to listen to a few songs. I'm so glad we did. Croix was absolutely adorable!!!  He was running all over dancing and laughing and clapping with the biggest smile on his face!

After I took some pictures the lady next to me said, that must be your little boy. I said yes, he makes my heart happy! She said, he makes all our hears happy! Is he always this joyful? How how I love him!!!

He would go dance up on the stage and the sit and bounce up and down.  He'd run over to me, Mommy I sure do love you! And run back to his Daddy.

One of the song titles was Big Cat spit in Little Cats Eye. After they announced it Croix comes running over laughing and repeats the title.

As I sat watching him love life and that moment and the music my heart overflowed with love for him, my life and our perfect little family!

My life is so blessed!

He crashed on the way home, covered in graham cracker!!!

 

Sock Bun

Ok so this is silly but......I finally mastered the sock bun! I've loved the way it looks since the first time I saw it! I've been trying it every now and then honestly for like 6 months. I don't know if my hair just needed to be longer or what but FINALLY I did it!

Cousins

My brother Trenton moved down here.  While he was trying to find childcare I became the child care.  It wasn't so bad the first couple days.  Croix and Seth play great together so they just entertained each other and I was able to get some things done.

 I taught Seth to spell and write his name, he was pretty stoked about it!

We had ants on a log

They both loved them

They both loved them.

They played endless hours of  cops and bad guys, trains and cars, and every other boy thing you can imagine.

But after two weeks I was dying.  Maizy was waking up every 3 hours to nurse at night still.  And I could never sleep in or get a nap.  They started to act more like siblings (squabbling all the time) then cousins that are excited to see each other.  Having Seth here meant I got no breaks, ever.  Not during nap time, not during preschool, never.  Seth for some reason also felt he always needed to know where I was.  If I went upstairs to have maybe five minutes of peace, or put Maizy down for a nap, or take care of something , he'd be following behind trying to see where I was.  He and Croix could be playing and I'd head to the bathroom only to hear him say "Let's find Terina".  I found myself one day thinking "CAN I NOT JUST POOP IN PEACE!!!!!".  I also don't really have room for three car seats in the back of my Altima.  I managed to squeeze them in there but really it doesn't work.  To say the least it was making my already stressful life even more stressful.  I love Trenton and I love Seth but I was very happy to hear that Trenton had found other child care.  It made having just two kids again seem a lot more manageable.  Good thing too because right after that is when Maizy got really bad again.

I still help out and watch Seth one day a week.  He also comes over on Sunday and goes to church with us.  If Trenton is working on Sunday it's a full day, if not it's just for church.  One day is perfect!  I do love seeing Croix have so much fun with his cousin!

Hold Your Head Up High

Maizy is getting ready to roll over any day now! She gets up pretty high during tummy time. Looks all over and loves it when Croix or I get down on the ground and play with her.

She especially loves her mirror, who wouldn't love looking at such a pretty girl!

Nibbles

I love to nibble on Maizy.  Her scrumptious double chin, her chubby cheeks, the rolls on her thighs, pretty much I just love to eat her up!



Look at that gummy grin....she loves it too!


Croix loves to nibble on her too.  (He has had to learn that we are really just kissing not actually  nibbling, poor Maizy!)






My children have beautiful eyes.  If I could I would nibble on them too!

Mess Maker

The other day morning Croix was into one thing after another.  While I was fixing breakfast he got into some lotion and smeared it all over himself, and the couch.  Then He was finishing eating breakfast while I was feeding Maizy.  He finger painted himself, the table, chair and a little bit of the floor with yogurt. Then after that while I was trying to get some laundry folded he decided he needed more hot coco and got a cup out of the sink, the coco and milk off the counter and made  himself a cup! 










Oh how I love this naught naughty boy!

Little Helper

Croix found my kitchen gloves that because of my advancing age I have to wear while washing dishes in order to avoid my hands getting so dry they crack.  He thought they were awesome!  he put them on and then wanted to help me unload the dishwasher, with the dirty gloves on.  But encouraging the helpfulness I ignored the dirty gloves on clean dishes and had him hand me cups, that way he only touched the outside and bottom.

He's such a sweet boy!

I've decided it's time to do a chore chart.  I'm going to put things on there we need to work on, like eat your food with good manners.  And some things he's already good at so that it feels good, like be a good helper with Maizy.  And some actual chores like pick up your toys every night before bed and help put away the dishes.  We'll do that and continue with our pom pom reward system.  Hopefully it will work out great!

Science Experiments

We did some science experiments the other day.  We started by making quick sand with some corn meal that I found in my cupboard that was two years past expiration!

Checking out the ingredients

Mixing it up

Seeing what it feels like.

Spreading it all over

His face cracks me up!

  

After we were done with that I decided to try out corn starch and water.  I'd heard it's pretty cool.

We added blue food coloring to give it a little kick.

We felt it before we added water.  It's squeaky, and soft.

Once you add the water it turns into pure awesomeness!  When you hold still it turns into a liquid and runs off your hand.  But once you start moving it gets hard.  When you put your hand in the bowl if you move slowly you can move with ease, but speed it up and it turns hard.  It was so fun.  I even was laughing and having fun with it!

He quite enjoyed the goupiness of it!

He was sure Maizy wanted to help and experience it too.

It was not for the faint of heart when it comes to a mess.  What a huge mess!  Lucky for me I let Croix keep playing while I started dinner.  Then Brent came home and cleaned it up!  Nice!  Love that man!

Our little observer.

I love doing fun things like this with Croix.  It's just so great to watch him experience new things, new textures and hear how he describes things.