Playin' in the Rain

These pictures are actually from a couple of weeks ago. I completely forgot to post them, but they are so cute, I figured it was better late than never!

It was a pretty mild, spring rain on this day. When Noah and B.'s classes got out of Junior Kindergarten, all the other kids left to get out of the rain.

It was kind of nice to have the yard all to ourselves! Noah, who I think fancies himself a Phys-Ed teacher at times, had us running circles around the playground.

Thomas practised his jumping skills, so he could make the biggest splash possible!

Even Leila was well prepared in her rain pants. She also wore plastic baggies over her shoes. (I cannot for the life of me find rain boots in her size!)

I can't wait to play in the summer rain as it warms up!

Mother's Day Craft: Flower Photograph

We did a simple craft for Mother's Day using Bristol Board, various foam shapes, and photos of the children. The kids just had to glue their photo onto a circle shape, stick the foam stem onto a rectangle outline, and then add the leaves and petals. They are all their mommy's little flowers!

These are the pictures we used (plus a few more takes of Thomas).

Lazy Days of....Summer?

Between April and May, the season seemed to change directly from winter to summer. (We're not complaining!) Much of the time it has been shorts and t-shirt weather. We have even started applying sunscreen.

As of late April, Oscar has left the daycare. Then last week, B. went on holiday with his family for one week. So, it has just been Noah, Leila, Thomas and me. It really seems like vacation time around here too! It is very quiet compared to the usual din. It's not my style to keep it that quiet around here, but it's been a nice little break!

One afternoon, when the babies went for their naps, Noah and I made some popcorn and watched The Wizard of Oz. Thomas woke up from his nap a little too early. I debated whether to encourage him to sleep more, or to come on out of bed. In the end I got him out, but I guess that was a mistake!

Glad he got his zzzz's one way or another!

Another afternoon, Noah and I played Chutes and Ladders on the balcony.

He won. Phew. You don't want to see Noah when he loses the game. It definitely wakes the babies up.

Leila's finally riding like a big kid in the wagon! I babied her longer than I have any other child in the daycare (yes, including Noah). She's tough as nails though, so I really have nothing to worry about. Here she is riding with her bestie, Thomas. They're both donning their Pooh Bear hats. That's what the cool kids are wearing these days!

I thought Thomas looked like quite the sight, with his hat, sunglasses and "susie" (bottom left). So cute! Someone actually said to him, endearingly, "You've got a lot going on with your face right now".  Leila's favourite game is to pull the "susie" out of his mouth, then give it back to him, so they can play the game again. Despite some of my pictures, Thomas actually spends a lot of time without the "susie". He's working on it, okay?! :)

We've been spending much more of our time outside lately. In the late afternoons, after the babies wake up, we've been trekking outside for walks or to the playground. Last Thursday we were leaving Lithuania Park. The ice cream truck was there, and Noah kept commenting that he would like ice cream. I kept telling him "another day" and was pulling the wagon up the hill when I realized, it was the perfect day.

We had the PERFECT reason to get ice cream. Noah had been working very hard on something in particular, since last September, and had completed a large portion of it on this very day. I was so proud of him! I started backing the wagon back down the hill.

The younger two were surprisingly patient as we waited in line for our treats. I got Noah, Thomas and I twist cones. I offered some to Leila, but she preferred her cracker. Thomas had his cone pretty much glued to his face for the whole way home. Oh, and did I mention this was right before dinner? Yes, on this day, we were "Rebel Daycare"! I was pleasantly surprised when the kids went on to eat their dinner at home, like champs!

Conflicting Goals

My goal: to get Leila to stop banging the remote
Leila's goal: to bang the remote
Final Score:    Leila: 1           Mommy: 0

High Park Cherry Blossoms 2013

As of the May 4/5 weekend, the cherry blossoms in High Park have, well, blossomed! Although they are located in a few different places within the park, the best spot, hands down, is the steep hill, leading from the road (right by the Grenadier Restaurant) to Grenadier Pond. This is at the southwest side of the park.

As we headed over to see them on Sunday, I felt very lucky that we are a quick walk from High Park. This was NOT something you would want to drive to, especially on a weekend. I don't ever remember seeing the park this busy, although we have never been to see the blossoms on a weekend, so I guess that just added to the mayhem!

They were very beautiful. Leila was squawking happily in her stroller, so I guess you're never too young to enjoy their beauty.

A lot of people were admiring Leila's beauty too. Some people asked permission to take a photo of her, some did not. She's my little cherry blossom!

 Here she is trying to grab the camera from me. She had had enough of the paparazzi!

I hope you get a chance to see the cherry blossoms. They're only here for less than a week. But if you go, expect quite a crowd. It's just one big sakura party!

Field Trip to the ROM!

B.'s mother generously offered to share her family pass to the Royal Ontario Museum with the daycare. So she, myself, B., Noah, Thomas and Leila went on a field trip! We had a blast!

B. is especially fond of dinosaurs. Okay, he is downright crazy about dinosaurs! He had quite a bit to teach the rest of us while walking through the dinosaur exhibit. Thomas and Leila seemed to enjoy it too.

I think Noah's favourite part of the entire museum was the T.V. screens. Noah loves T.V. (It seems so taboo to admit that one's child loves T.V. these days, but it's the truth.) He loves being able to choose and play videos, and he had the opportunity to do this at the ROM (while learning about dinosaurs at the same time)! As you can see, Thomas got right in there too!

The kids area on the 2nd level was great. Thomas and Leila played with puzzles and bead toys, and also enjoyed eating pretend food at a little dining table. Noah's favourite part of this area was the toy castle, while B. loved digging for dinosaur bones (no surprise there!).

Later on, Thomas and Leila pondered the meaning of life while watching some very beautiful fish in a tank. Thomas finally fell asleep in his stroller. We had brought his "susie" and "blankie", and this was enough for him to drift off. Leila, never wanting to miss anything, pulled through the rest of the day with no nap! (She woke from her morning nap at 11am, and didn't sleep until bedtime - around 8pm! That is a log time for a 13-month-old!)

All the kids enjoyed the subway ride there and back. Once we got out of the subway station and were heading home, we let Thomas walk with the big boys. He practised his jumping skills the whole way home. He'll say "Watch, Charla", take a big bend in preparation for a big jump, and then take a big...step. So cute! He has been watching B. and wanting to do the same big jumps as him. It didn't take B.'s mom long to fall in love with him!