Category Archives: children’s museum

five on friday! (11/15)

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We’re halfway through November already. I really can’t believe it! I’m trying my best to get caught up on here before the holidays start.

ONE. Our beloved Kangaroo Kids class has officially ended until next year. I have just as much fun as the girls do, and I really could make a whole post out of it, but I’ll just keep it to the highlights here.They loved this new inflatable pizza.Kaya and Kaelyn ask about these hopper balls nearly every week. These were one of my favorite things in my elementary school gym class, too.Bubble time is Evie’s favorite! She is also obsessed with the bounce house now that she screams when we get out of it!Eve is also now a pro basketball player. Her little ponytail and headband made this even more adorable!

Michael got to come with us to an evening class (unusual for us, but it was a make-up class), so I had extra time to bounce around with the girls. This is one of my favorite things for sure.

TWO. Michael went to a conference at Cornell University last week. He even had the opportunity to present! I’m so proud of him for all the amazing presentations he does and how well he represents his team at work.He got to enjoy some snow, but thankfully, it didn’t affect his flight home at all.So pretty! I love seeing other university campuses.The girls had a very hard time with him gone, which meant they were constantly waking up at night and crying. It was rough. We did do quite a bit of Facetiming with Daddy (and when you have four little girls, it’s totally normal to have a unicorn on your head)!Kaya sent Daddy this text, and I thought it was just the sweetest representation of how much she loves him.We’re happy to have him home!

THREE. Our children’s museum closed at the beginning of the year in order to renovate a new space and move! We really missed going, and it seemed like forever until it was finally done, but it opened last week! We went for the first time and had so much fun with all the new play areas.The girls loved the vet clinic and had to play there first, of course.Eve loves guinea pigs, so this piggy was her best friend for the rest of the day. (Also, those fuzzy boots on her just melt me!)Daddy had just as much fun building tall towers and knocking them over.Kaya became a builder!They had these benches that you could decorate with markers. Kaelyn surprised me by writing this on the bench, and I hope they never paint over it.Kaya made a cat, of course!FOUR. This one was from a few weeks ago, but I love time with our friends so much that I had to put it in here. We had a few play dates with Aaliyah and Talyah at the playground before it got so cold. The girls play together so well, and I am grateful for friends.FIVE. After a rough week with Michael being gone, and then the girls taking turns being sick, everything felt hard. Sometimes, I feel like I’m doing this whole motherhood thing wrong, and I get discouraged. Without ever knowing how much this means to me, Nella took the special sticker she got at Kangaroo Kids (hearts are her very favorite), put it on a paper, and added some yellow scribbles. She gave it to me and said, “I luh you”. My heart melted.These precious little moments are what get me through the hard days.Happy Friday!

the children’s museum of richmond

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Back around Thanksgiving, we spent the day at the Children’s Museum of Richmond! We met up with Jeff, Lelia, cousin Bryce, and Grandma Gina late in the morning and spent nearly the entire day there. It was our first time going, and it definitely didn’t disappoint!

We were surprised to see a real fire engine and a full-size bus inside the building. Nella immediately wanted to climb up and drive!There were so many fun things to do, and Kaya ran up to me over and over again to tell me to come see all the amazing places you could go. Daddy and the girls went to a little retro diner where another little girl served them some pizza and steak.I got some Lelia time (and Evie got some Auntie Lelia cuddles)!Grandma Gina always asks Nella, “Are you my cuddlebug?”, and she certainly was that day. Nella played with Grandma almost the entire time we were there, and even snuggled with her on the pirate ship.Kaya and Kaelyn climbed the rock wall about 100 times (and Bryce had some crackers)!There was also this very cool apple tree that would use air pressure to move the balls (“apples”) you put in the tubes. Kaya loved it.We left for some lunch and rest. My mom got off work a little early, so we decided to go back for her to enjoy some time playing with girls. I’m so glad we did. She really loved watching them have so much fun.Kaya gave us all a bus ride!Nella was the backseat driver… and Michael was terrified. Ha!Kaelyn and Grandma Debbie got their workout in!And Kaya climbed the wall some more.Kaelyn rode the scooter around for a while!And we ended up back at the diner. No matter how real those juke boxes look, don’t try to put a quarter in the slot. Don’t ask how I know!Kaya ended her day playing in the veterinary hospital. I just love this picture because it’s so her: wearing her cat shirt, donning cat scrubs on top of it, and holding a cat while pretending to take care of animals. That’s my girl.Nella and Kaelyn ended the day in the little “sandbox”. Nella was also completely soaked because she played at the water station for a long time just before this!It was such a great day with family! I’d definitely love to go back sometime (and I’m sure the girls would, too)!

five on friday (08/19)

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ONE. These two sisters and the way they interact and play together never fails to warm my heart. I’ll say it over and over again… I’m so grateful they have (and love) each other!

They still love to play this pretend game where Kaelyn is a baby (named “Gaga Baby” every time), and Kaya takes care of her by giving her pretend ice cream, changing her pretend diaper, and making sure she has her baby doll’s pacifier. I hope all this baby care practice gets put into action for real here in a couple of months!_MG_4572

They were also both so excited to be wearing sandals on the same day. I looked into the passenger seat when I was pulling out of the garage, and they had their feet together, chanting “sandaaaaals!”

They loved saying “whooooooooooa whooooooooa” over and over when we visited the merry-go-round this week. Everything is so much more fun when they are together.

TWO. We did the letter “O” for preschool, so we had a whole lot of fun decorating our letters with orange paint, cheeriOs, and ocean animal stickers.08162016collage Their favorite craft by far was this octopus, made from a toilet paper tube!_MG_4593 Kaelyn has been proud of her creation all week long. You can’t really see it in the photo, but she even painted a glittery smile on hers!_MG_4588 THREE. When we did the letter “S” just over a month ago, we planted some seeds that we picked up at the dollar store. Kaya’s tomato plant has really grown quite tall! She’s so proud of her little sprout and loves to check on it and give it water._MG_4421

FOUR. We went to the children’s museum for the first time in a few months. I didn’t tell them where we were going beforehand, so the girls were pleasantly surprised! Kaya was delighted to dress up as a cat and put on a “show” for me, complete with music, dancing, and chanting.

Kaelyn was pretty excited about the fake flowers, haha. 🙂

FIVE. If you need someone to wash your windows, Kaya is your gal! I’m always amazed at the games she creates out of the simplest things. (And yes, that’s totally a clean paint roller… and I definitely need to Windex the windows now. But she makes me laugh!)_MG_4552

Happy weekend!

Linking up here, here, and here today!

five on friday (04/08)

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Happy Friday!

ONE. Last week, we had a stroke of good weather, so we took advantage of the sunshine and went down to the pond to feed the ducks. I’m looking at these pictures with a little bit of weather-envy right now, since we are potentially expecting some severe winds and/or snow this weekend. Where did springtime go?_MG_1443

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Kaya could not have been any more excited to throw the bread, and Kaelyn was just happy to see some real-life ducks._MG_1434TWO. This sweet little sister cries for her big sister as soon as we drop her off for preschool. She wails “Peeeeeeky!”, and it just breaks my heart. Then again, I’m grateful to see how much they truly love being with each other. We try to have some good one-on-one time while Kaya is gone, but usually she’s happy to just do her own quiet activity while I clean up around the apartment.

THREE. I’m usually up and out the door, running, before my babies wake up, but yesterday was a “rest day”, so I woke up to this precious face at the side of my bed. I love that bed head, sweet little smile, and that she’s got a Daniel Tiger character under each arm. These little moments make me the happiest.

FOUR. We went back to the children’s museum for the first time in a few weeks, and my girls had the best time, as usual. It helped that some of their best friends were there to play, too.

Kaelyn could color forever.

FIVE. Are moments like these ever going to not melt my heart? I hope they always do._MG_1536 _MG_1537

Linking up here!

tall towers and pizza bigger than my face

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My in-laws came up to visit this past weekend! As always, we had a really great time with them. They arrived late on Friday night, after the kids were already in bed (disclaimer: just because they were in bed does not mean they were sleeping…)

Mom went with Michael and Kaya to her final gymnastics class on Saturday morning. After running, I made a new batch of muffins for Dad- they’re his favorite, and he eats them for breakfast and lunch when he visits.

After everyone came home, had eaten, and got cleaned up, we headed out to the children’s museum. Grandpa was really into the jumbo-sized blocks.

They built the tallest towers together (and had fun knocking them down of course)!

Shopping with Grandma! Kaelyn wasn’t quite her peppy self (we thought maybe she was teething, but it might have actually been the start of a cold…).

We came home, and the kids took much-needed naps while Dad and I played some Wii! At dinnertime, they insisted that we take advantage of their offer to babysit and go on a date (we only ever seem to go out on our own when they’re here to watch the kids)!

We ended up driving around for about 20 minutes before we could make a decision on where to go! We ended up at this little locally-owned Italian place that we had gone to once before Kaya was born, and then forgotten about. It turned out to be the perfect choice, and since we never really go out as just the two of us, we totally splurged. Mozzarella sticks for appetizers! 

And then I ordered two slices of pizza and they turned out to be bigger than my face. I seriously ate this pizza for three meals… and it was consistently delicious!02272016collage2

We saved room for this triple chocolate cake. Best cake ever. I’d order a whole cake for every one of my future birthdays if I could.

We returned home to find a crazy game of “hide and seek” going on. And then Grandpa taught Kaya how to “lose” her thumb while sucking it, and then blow on it to get it to reappear. This girl was cracking up.collage02272016We enjoyed going to church together on Sunday, and after lunch, they headed home. We can’t wait to see them again in a few weeks!

five on friday (02/19)

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Happy Friday!!!

ONE. This girl has just been cracking me up nonstop lately. She does things just because she knows she’ll get a laugh out of us. My little goofball looks like she’s ready for the beach! Me too, Kaelyn, me too._MG_0989

Cutest little Hokie baby (Daddy might have instigated this one)!

TWO. Speaking of adorable, Kaya had her first-ever bun in her hair this week! Of course, it lasted about 5 minutes before she pulled the hood up on her jacket and messed it up, but hey, it’s exciting to know she has enough hair for this now!

THREE. We’ve been going to the children’s museum once a week every week since we joined, and my girls still get so excited for this special outing. Building with magnetic blocks is one of Kaya’s favorite activities.

Kaelyn was way too excited to “drive” the firetruck there!

FOUR. Every night before bed, these two cuddle up, read a book, and then play a few minutes of “Crossy Road” (just imagine “Frogger” on your phone) together. I don’t let Kaya play games or watch shows normally, so she really looks forward to this special time with Daddy._MG_0991

FIVE. I guess you could say that we are officially house hunting! We’ve been researching and looking into what we’re interested in buying for a while now, and we went to see our first property this week. It turned out to be a disappointment, but I’m still pretty excited that we’ve started the process.

Happy weekend! 🙂

Linking up here!

a visit to the children’s museum

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We had our first-ever visit to the children’s museum on Friday! I think we might’ve been the very last people in town to finally go check it out… so when a friend offered us some free day passes, we definitely had to go.

As expected, my girls absolutely loved everything there. They have so many different stations for imaginative play, and despite being there for over 3 hours, we still didn’t try everything out. I think they spent the most time “grocery shopping” and pretending to cook food.

I have to admit, it was nice to play with my girls away from home, where I usually am constantly trying to clean or get something else done. I loved being able to just focus on them.

Kaya absolutely adored this little fort filled with books.

And, of course, she made friends with a giant teddy bear. She won’t stop talking about going back to see him. Kaelyn is such a goofball sometimes, pretending to lie down and go to sleep…

I loved seeing them explore new situations and figure out how to complete different tasks.We stayed well past lunchtime and into the beginning of nap time, so when we made it home, we hurried to get lunch ready, and then we all promptly passed out.

We had such a good time that we ended up buying a family membership for year. I think it’s going to be well worth it!