Cincinnati Zoo

On nice days back in Columbus, the kids and I would love to go see the animals at the zoo. We had a season pass so it was easy to make quick trips. Our favorites were the elephants, tigers, lions and polar bears. I also loved going for the workout. The Columbus Zoo is really spread out so it made for a good walk while seeing all the neat exhibits. I love being efficient.


So when we moved to Cincinnati, we had to get a pass to the Zoo here too. Fortunately we received it as a gift for the whole family for Fia's birthday back in January. Last week we finally had a beautiful day that we weren't busy, so off we went.


Madeline was our navigator. She is obsessed with Dora lately and everything to do with maps. So when we had to consult our map to see where to go, she was all over it.



Poor Fia missed a lot being stuck in the stroller. Many of the animals can't be seen from such a low vantage point, so that was disappointing. I pulled her out a few times though so she could see. I suppose she's more of a people-watcher anyway.



Madeline saw a picture of the new baby giraffe in the newspaper a few weeks ago (because you know, she reads the paper everyday) and hasn't stop talking about it since. So when we passed by the giraffes, she was super excited. I also think she was especially excited because the Columbus Zoo doesn't have one, so she'd never seen one in person before. Unfortunately, the line to see the new little guy was super long so we had to skip him this time around. But we did get to see one of the bigger guys.

The polar bears are always fun to watch. These guys were taking a swim. This habitat doesn't even come close to the brand new one at the Columbus Zoo, but I'll try not to compare. Madeline won't notice.

I will say that I like the Lion exhibit better here though. They have decking that pretty much makes the Lions sit right out in front so you can't miss them.

As we were walking along, we saw a face painting booth and Madeline got super excited. Normally I wouldn't give in to this, but I've been feeling like we need extra fun in our lives so I gave in. She LOVED it!!

Check out this cool path! Hard to get the stroller through, but definitely fun.

As we were leaving, we saw a peacock showing it's feathers. I couldn't get a good picture because this area was really crowded, but it was neat to see. Madeline didn't know what to make of it.

We had a great time and we can't wait to go back and see more. I had Madeline walk the whole time so we only made it through about 40% of the park. She did great but was a little slow. Next time I'll bring the double stroller so we can move a bit faster and I can get my workout.

Rainy Day

This has been a cold, wet, boring week. Blah! One day in particular was especially yucky outside so we kept things interesting and fun inside.

Fia discovered she can climb into Madeline's chair. She loved getting in it, moving around and then falling out (on purpose).




While Fia was having fun, Madeline and I were coloring.

A friend and fellow Mommy blogger wrote recently about how Moms are usually the picture-takers and therefore aren't in most pictures with their kids. This is true for me too. She called on Mommies to get in there! So here are mine. I either took the picture myself or used the timer. I love them!

Later that day, it was still yucky outside. So I decided to turn snack time into an egg hunt. Or is that the other way around? Hmm, anyway the kids LOVED this. Fia found one egg but didn't really know what all the fuss was about. Until she saw what was inside. Her eyes lit up when she realized they were filled with goldfish and raisins.

Once Madeline started going crazy opening her eggs on the floor, I realized we probably should have done that at the table. But oh well, I keep things fairly clean around here. And germs are kinda good for them, right?

Coloring Easter Eggs

We didn't color eggs last year so I was excited to get this tradition started this year. I helped with the messy part since I didn't want our new house getting colored along with the eggs.

She loved putting the stickers on.

We also used Crayons on a few of them which was kinda fun. We had to use the eggs straight out of the hot water and the crayon would melt while you were drawing. For obvious reasons, we stuck with the traditional route for the rest of them.

My sweet girl and her cheesy grin.

Meeting the Easter Bunny

They look excited, don't they?

Cruisin'

Look who just started cruisin'! She's learned that standing is what the cool kids do and now has started taking her very first cruisin' steps. She has only gone maybe 2-3 steps so far. But I know she is well on her way to creating more trouble in this house.

Fun in the Sun

We had a summer day in April and we took full advantage. The kids LOVED the pool! I think we'll be out there all summer.

Madeline was a bit timid with the sprinkler at first but she eventually ended up running through it. The funniest part was that she would run through it and then keep running to the far end of the yard like 50 feet away. Hey, at least she got part of the concept.

Then we put the slide in the pool and Madeline was in heaven. I think we're gonna need a bigger pool. :/

Tumble Bees

Madeline is now a Tumble Bee. We have her enrolled in a gymnastics class and this past Saturday was her first time. She was a little unsure at first, but she warmed up once they really started doing the fun stuff. This first picture is the warm-up. I couldn't take pictures during the middle part of the class because they were too far away. You can see how big this place is.

The last part of class ends with bubbles and parachute time. I think you can tell she thoroughly enjoyed this part.

And what cool class doesn't end without getting stamps on every appendage. Seriously, each foot and hand got a stamp.

Even the belly.

Needless to say, she can't wait to go back.

Haircut

As you can see in this picture, Madeline's hair was getting super long and it needed a good trim. So I took her to Cookie Cutters and she loved it. The next day she said she wanted to go get another hair cut again.

She lost several inches.

Her new do is adorable!

Naptime and Potty Training

We are going through a double naptime drop with both kids now. For a few days here and there the past week or so, Fia has dropped her morning nap and Madeline has dropped hers alltogether. I'm excited about this new development with Fia. This will open up our mornings for better activites out of the house. On the other hand, I'm not excited at all about Madeline dropping her nap for obvious reasons. So far she will lay quietly in her room and read her books until she hears Fia get up from her afternoon nap. I hope I can get her to continue this for awhile so I get a little bit of "me" time in the day.

In other news, Madeline is showing real signs of interest in potty training. She made a comment the other day about me wearing underwear. Then she saw her underwear in her drawer and wanted to wear them just like Mommy does. We told her she had to go pee in the potty if she wanted to wear them and she proceeded to do just that and was very excited! This is just the beginning but we are very much hoping this is the turning point for her.

Fia Bia

"Mom, why are you taking pictures of me?"

"Oh yeah, because I'm cute."

"It's a hard life."

"But someone's got to do it, ya know?"

Rainy Day

I'm getting back into the swing of things now that the important items are mostly unpacked. Yesterday was a yucky, rainy day so we had an art session in the kitchen. Fia did her usual and ate more paint than she actually painted with.

Madeline LOVED it and literally sat here for an hour painting.

Afterwards, we all had a good time playing together before Daddy came home from work.

Focus

When I'm getting Madeline dressed in the morning, she will typically run around the room making the chore last as long as possible. When I'm low on patience, or haven't had my coffee yet, I will tell her to stop and focus. Nowadays, she has a response for EVERYTHING (she talks all.the.time) and she'll say, "Mommy, I no have any focus." Yes dear, I know.

So the other day I'm trying to clip Fia's fingernails and as any Mommy of a baby knows, this task isn't easy. I'm trying to get Fia to sit still and Madeline says, "Mommy, Fia no has any focus?" Yep, she does not.

We're Home!

We moved into our new home last weekend and are about 60% settled. We still have to baby-proof, get the electric fence wired and hang up pictures. Those are the last of the "need to get done now" items. There are still a ton of boxes in the dining room and basement that we need to go through, but those might sit there for awhile. I think we are burned out on all this stuff and just want to relax for a bit. In these 6 whole days we've lived here, we've had a temporary fence put up for the dogs, a yard survey done, a split-rail fence installed, internet and TV hooked up (by two different providers and they weren't easy installs. One guy was here for almost 3 hours!) and various large items delivered.

We have a functioning kitchen and living room and our bedrooms are sleepable (I don't think that is a word, but work with me), so anything else is just icing on the cake. I did start to decorate the kids' bathroom though and it looks super cute! I'll get pictures up soon. As for the remaining boxes, I know I don't want them sitting around forever so I'm putting us on a deadline for 2 weeks. That should be enough time.

Madeline loves her new room and her new big girl bed. I can't wait to start decorating it. For the meantime, we borrowed sheets and a comforter from Nonna. But I want to do her room in a purple butterfly/bird theme or something like that. I've seen some super cute comforter/quilts at Target but I need more time to shop around.

Fia is happy as usual but seems more tired than normal. I think it's all the extra crawling from checking this big place out. She does great in her new room too. We put her to bed and don't hear a peep until morning.

Even though it's only been 6 days, I already miss my friends. And it's not like anything has really changed yet since I don't see them all the time. I guess it's just knowing I can't call them up for a quick playdate or happy hour. What makes me feel better though is thinking of the quality time the kids are getting with their grandparents now. We met Nonna for lunch one day this week and had Nana over for dinner another. Nothing was extra special about either event, but that's what's so great about it. Just spending the time together makes it special.

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Snapshot in time

Madeline - Obsessed with Swiper the Fox from Dora and has started acting like him. She hides a toy and then says "You'll never find your [insert toy] now." It's kinda funny and kinda annoying. - Also obsessed with dragons and dinosaurs lately. Loves to pretend Fia is a baby dragon when she is crawling around. - Loves telling anyone that will listen about her "new house and new bedroom and new basement", including strangers at the store. Fia - Cutting molars and has been quite the crankypants lately. - Pulling up to her knees consistently. She is just starting to get one of her legs bent up, on her way to standing. - Likes to rub her fingers through her hair while eating. So not loving this new development. - Refuses to keep socks or shoes on her feet. Good thing spring is almost here. - Loves to follow her sister everywhere.

Packing

So that's where my empty box went! I thought it was too quiet in here.

COSI

I took the kids to COSI's Playarea this week for what will probably be our last visit for awhile. It's too bad because this place is great! Fia started out by examining the floor. Probably for bits of something to put in her mouth.

Madeline was a good big sister and built towers of blocks for Fia to knock down.

Fia returned the favor and built a wall around her with giant legos. I didn't help at all. Well, maybe just a little bit.


Madeline liked turning the building lights on and off.

Then it was time for water play. There is a really cool table for babies that lets them get right up close to the action. There weren't alot of kids in the big kid water area, so Madeline wanted to play with her sister. I figured, what the heck and put her in. She barely fit, but she fit none-the-less.

They had a great time here. Not sure if you can tell in this picture, but Fia is covered in water from her sister spashing her.

Our last stop was the Bodily Functions Sound Wall. Yes, you read that right. You press a button, and one of the animals burps, farts, sneezes...you get the idea.

I love this kids space and I'm going to miss it when we move. It's so perfect for them to explore and have fun. Not to mention the rest of COSI with all it's cool, interactive exhibits. We'll plan a family trip back to visit for sure!

Changes

I haven't announced this on the blog yet, but I think everyone knows by now....We are moving!!! It is such an exciting time for us and we can't wait to get settled in our new place. It's a nice 4 bedroom house with a finished basement and private, flat backyard. Perfect for raising our growing family. So this explains the lack of blog posts lately. I haven't had time for things like this.

We took the kids to see it the other day and Madeline LOVED it! I took her on a tour and told her what each room was, like her new bedroom and a whole room just for all their toys. She could have cared less about the new play room. Her favorite rooms were her bedroom and the basement. That is all she talks about now. "I want to go see my new bedroom, and my basement." After her tour, my Mom showed up at the house and Madeline was instantly her tour guide. She walked her through the whole house and told her what each room was. It was hilarious to watch because she was so excited about it.

Another change is that I quit my job and I'm now home with the kids full-time. I knew what I was getting myself into since I've been working part-time for awhile now. It's been tough because life isn't normal right now. I can't spend the days doing activities with them and keeping them entertained, although I do my best. Instead I need to pack the house and do other activites associated with moving. But once we are settled and I can focus on them, it will be great!

Sophia is crawling!

It took her awhile to get going but now she is EVERYWHERE and into EVERYTHING. (And she's actually been crawling for a few weeks now, but life has been a tad crazy around this household so I'm a late getting this posted.) Anywho, she loves to get into the garbage at daycare. They had to start hiding it from her. They call her "Troublemaker" now.



Here she is at home crawling around and playing.