Summer Fun!

The boys had a blast this summer.  They spent many days outside either riding bikes or running through the sprinkler.

Sprinkler time!

 Let's go fly a kite!

Digging in the dirt pile that was created when we had the fence built.

 More sprinkler fun!

 Benny helping Timmy ride a big boy bike.  Timmy is even wearing Benny's helmet.

 Enjoying ice pops and watching the birds.

 What happens when we add water to the dirt pile?

Home School Adventures!

Hopefully by the end of October Benny will have finished Kindergarten and moved onto First Grade.  Back in the Spring, we joined a Meetup group called Fox Valley Home School Co-op.  We have been very busy attending play dates and field trips. 

O is for Octopus.  We made these from hot dogs.

I is for insect.  Benny had a lot of fun observing our ant farm.

 He would wake up every morning and run downstairs to see if the ants had made any more tunnels overnight.

 For the letter G we studied goats.  Benny had the opportunity to try goat cheese.  He actually liked it.

 Here he is at one of the science co-ops.  He really likes doing experiments.

 For the letter B, we studied butterflies.  We started out with 5 caterpillars and after a few weeks of waiting, we were blessed with 5 butterflies.  

 Here you can see the chrysalis.

 Can you spot the butterfly?

 How about here?

 Another one of our field trips with the co-op group.  We went strawberry picking.  Timmy ate more than he picked.

 Benny did a great job of picking strawberries.

 We ended up with three pints of strawberries.  We had some delicious strawberry shortcake for dessert.

For the letter R we explored rocks.  We went to a park next to the Fox River and the boys had a blast picking up rocks.  These were the ones that didn't get thrown into the river.  We had fun sorting and classifying them.

Silly Boys!

Here are pictures of the boys being silly brothers.

One of Many Updates: Fair Oaks Farm

Okay here comes one of many updates.  Since my last post (in March) we have been quite busy.

In April since Benny was studying cows in school, we decided to visit a dairy farm.  We traveled to Indiana to the Fair Oaks Farm.  We got to see a baby cow being born, how they make butter and how they milk the cows. 

 Benny riding the Cow-go-round.

 That is one big ear of corn!

 A mommy cow and her newborn calf!  Benny and I watched the birth of the calf.  Due to the amount of cows, they birth about 80 calves a day.

 Our bus to visit the cows and see the milking barn.

 The cows enter the big wheel and by the time they get off, they are done milking.  Doesn't take but a few minutes.  Each cow is milked twice a day.

 Part of the playground at the farm.

 On our way to see the cows.

 Some of the new calves.  They only keep the female calves and sell the male calves.

The boys had a lot of fun and we hope to go back.  Supposedly they added pigs to their farm so we will have to go back to see them.

Super Update!

Wow, has it really been five months since I updated this blog?  To say that we have been super busy is an understatement.  The biggest news is that we have moved.  We bought a house in Plano, IL.  It is located about an hour west of Chicago.  We moved in the last weekend in June so we are still unpacking boxes.  As soon as I compile all of my pictures, there will be more updates to follow.

Check Up

Timmy had his 3 year old check up the week after his birthday.  We found a great pediatrician (Doctor Gus).  Timmy did very well.  He didn't need any shots. He was very happy about that.  He measured at almost 37 inches in height (which puts him at about 32% on the chart) and 26.6 lbs in weight (which puts him at about 4% on the chart).  Doctor is not worried because he is still on the chart, he is growing proportionately and he is a happy and healthy boy.  We don't need to see Doctor Gus until July when it is Benny's turn for a check up.

Snow!

Last week winter decided to give us one last blast.  We ended up with at least 6 inches of snow.
The photos below show how much snow fell in about a 2 1/2 hour period.  

Happy Birthday Timmy

On Sunday Feb 24th, we celebrated Timmy's 3rd Birthday!  Grandma and Grandpa were here along with Aunt Leslie, Uncle Steve, Aunt Jill and Uncle John.  Aunt Jen couldn't make it because she had to work at the last minute (you were missed!).  Anyway, Timmy wanted a train party so we went to Choo Choo Johnnies for our cake and ice cream (we had lunch at the house).  Timmy did much better with the candle this year, but it is still a work in progress.

I made Thomas cupcakes.

 They brought Timmy's ice cream and cupcake out on the train.

 Timmy wanted to sit with Uncle Steve. Can you see his apprehensive face?

 Timmy let Benny blow out his candle.

 Timmy really enjoyed his ice cream.

Before we went to Choo Choo Johnnies, Timmy opened up his gifts.  He received a Lightning McQueen pillow and a custom made quilt from Aunt Leslie and Uncle Steve.  He received some cool clothes from Grandma and Grandpa as well as a WALL-E lamp (which by the way works great as a nightlight). By this time, Benny speaks up and says, "Hey, where are the toys?"  Aunt Jill comes through with the Duplo Lego Farm.  I have to say that both boys play with those Legos everyday. 

D is for Dinosaur!

A few weeks ago Benny was working on the letter "d" for school, so we decided to take a field trip up to Rockford, IL to see Jane the T-Rex at the Burpee Museum of Natural History.

Here is a picture of Benny with Jane.

 Oh no, Look out behind you!

Inside the museum was and exhibit called "Rick's Pics".  The exhibit was all about the band "Cheap Trick". 

The display included many guitars.

 as well as photos and concert memorabilia.

 

Going through the exhibit all I could think about was listening to my Aunt Cyndi's Cheap Trick records when I was young.

Right next to the Burpee Museum, was the Discover Center.  This was a museum dedicated only to children of all ages.  There was a lot to do and see at this museum and we could have easily stayed there all day.

Benny had a blast at the water table.

 Timmy did too once we pulled him away from the trains.

 Timmy loved the trains.

 Timmy also loved playing with the farm equipment.

All in all, we had a fun day.  I think a return visit to Rockford will be planned soon.