Picnics and Pools

It's wading pool season! Once or twice a week, we have been going to the playground and wading pool at Lithuania Park. We bring our Spider Man backpack of toys to share with everyone. Some of our regular programming time is lost due to the sunscreen I have to slather on them all. (And I thought getting them into their snowsuits was time consuming! Still, this is much easier!)

The water is absolutely frigid. No, I'm not being a big baby. I'm basing this opinion on the fact that after wading in it for more than 10 seconds, my feet actually hurt. But kids are made of different stuff, and don't seem to notice. (Remember actually enjoying a good frolic in the freezing cold sprinkler as a child?)

B. doesn't like to go in the water yet. He prefers to play with the toys "by the shore". Lucas is the one who seems to enjoy the pool the most. He goes to the middle (the deepest part) and fills up buckets from the ice water coming out of the tap.

The part of the excursion they look forward to most, though, is the picnic. We bring cheese sandwiches and cucumber, or pita bread with cream cheese. There's something so enjoyable about eating outside, isn't there?

Aidas is pretty much toilet trained. We are all so proud of him! Every day we all have a little treat to congratulate him for being a potty star. I give the treat to all of them because I want the other kids to be happy for their friend, not jealous. At first Noah was motivated by Aidas's success to also become a potty star. Now he prefers to reap the rewards Aidas brings in without doing any of the work himself. (Smart boy.) Sometimes he comes to the bathroom and says to Aidas, (as if he is very excited about his buddy's hard work), "Aidas! You go pee pee in potty?!" Then he adds, "What treat you want later? Freezie, or Gold Fish, or Nutrigrain Bar?" He's got it all figured out.

Maya and Lucas love to show support for their friend by wearing (clean) underwear on their heads. As you can see in the photos above, they are intent on promoting their fashion line.

The following video demonstrates Lucas's skill, not only at playing guitar, but at being cool and cute at the same time. He is very passionate about his song. A true musician!

Noah's Oma and Opa got him a 10-foot long alphabet train puzzle. It's a great teaching tool for toddlers! And fun too! They love singing their ABC's over and over again to see what puzzle piece they need to put next.

Noah and I picked up some new foam shapes (and pom-poms) from the dollar store, and the kids all made pictures by gluing them to a coloured paper of their choice. We haven't done a gluing activity in a few weeks, and I was surprised to see that most of the kids had forgotten how to do it! It's a lesson for me: make sure this is, in the very least, a bi-weekly activity. 

The kids are loving Play-Dough more than ever, as they are able to do more and more with it themselves. 

Lucas and Maya are still treating nap time as "concert rehearsal time". I often have to go back in, after a little while, and change their diapers. Sometimes they can only settle down if I lie down in my bed and encourage them to be quiet. The following video shows Lucas entertaining himself after his sister has already dropped off to sleep. He has such a sweet, playful character! Little imp!



Speaking of performing, Noah continues to entertain. We have made a few trips to the Choo Choo Playground (Vine Parkette) after the kids have gone home. He loves to use the empty wading pool as his stage. I love to watch him singing. During one of his songs, titled "It's a nice day out", he pointed to the sky and sung about it being blue, and the fact that it was sunny outside. I love my little ham!