Let "Let It Go" Go!

This is exactly how I feel about the song! I'm glad the hype has gone down a lot lately. (I originally discovered and wanted to share this weeks ago, when I was still being bombarded on Facebook with YouTube videos of kids singing and on my blog feed with Frozen party ideas, but couldn't get it to post on the iPad.) How do you feel about the song?

My Golden Birthday

This year was my golden birthday (when your birthdate and age are the same). Had I still been in Phoenix, I would have thrown a big party. But instead, we just celebrated as a family. We went shopping at a huge mall, where I found 2 skirts at Burlington Coat Factory and a makeup promo for what I wanted at Bare Minerals. And earlier this month I bought myself a double jogging stroller, which Justin is putting together right now.

Justin wore Gabe so I could try on clothes.

 

Once home we had delicious red velvet cupcakes from Justin's work, and a friend from church brought me a homemade carrot cake. She didn't even know it's my favorite!

We watched Letters to Juliet and later had dinner at a little Italian restaurant I discovered at a local event when we first moved here. Everyone enjoyed their meals. Except Gabe, who only had pureed peas.

playing Peekaboo

It was a simple but pleasant birthday. I just can't believe how old I'm getting!

10 Sidewalk Chalk Games

photo by Ryan Bourne

Summer means throwing the kids outside to play. If you think they may get bored quickly with their usual activities, try these 10 sidewalk chalk games!

1. Connect the dots. Draw a picture with just dots, number them, and let the kids connect the dots to see what you drew.

2. Hangman. This fun standby game is even more fun with a larger area to draw on!

3. Pictionary. Write words or phrases on paper and then have a child pick one and draw it for others to guess.

4. Hopscotch. This one gets the kids exercising too!

photo by Adrian

5. Chalk race. Race down the sidewalk, forward or backward, while drawing a line of chalk behind you.

6. Self-portraits. Trace your child's body on the ground and have them draw in the details.

7. Hole in the Wall. Similar to the TV show, have your child lie down in a silly pose. Trace his or her body with chalk. See if the other kids can lie down in the pose.

8. Tic tac toe. An easy game that never gets old!

photo by Horton Web Design

9. Dot game. Make a grid of dots. Take turns drawing a line connecting two dots, with the goal of making a square. Whoever closes a square on their turn puts their initials inside the square. Once all the squares are made, whoever has the most squares wins.

10. Photo scenes. Draw a scene on the ground. Tell the kids to lie down and pose according to that scene, get on a ladder above them, and take a photo. (Go here for an example.)

What chalk games do your kids play?

The Move Part 2: Wisconsin

That first night in Wisconsin we had dinner with all the family. Caden and Gabe shared their first bath together, Gabe's first time in the big tub.

Caden found lots of fun things to play with and do at Grandma's!

watching the snow fall

Grandma let him ride it inside!

That weekend, the first in April, was our church's general conference. Thanks to awesome bloggers, I had plenty of activities for Caden to keep him busy and attentive. Gabe was obsessed with the clock below the TV and would wiggle and army crawl his way to it over and over.

Both boys loved Auntie Jessica, much to her delight!

Justin and his dad arrived safely Saturday afternoon. It was good to have him back! Monday Justin and Caden went to the eye doctor. Caden did great! Although he doesn't need glasses, he probably will eventually. Poor kid will have my terrible eyesight instead of his father's. Funny, Justin is the only one in his family who doesn't wear glasses!

Tuesday Justin and I had a date and saw Divergent. We really enjoyed it! After dinner, we went to Keilani's school for an art show, were she got a prize for an art project made from dried corn kernels.

Wednesday was Indian taco day, much to Justin's pleasure. The church across the street sells them all day. We went for lunch and dinner. The next day Auntie Linn took me to get a haircut at the Paul Mitchell school. I finally got my hair evened out, though I kept it a little longer in the front. Now I'm trying to grow it out and then get it layered.

Friday was my turn seeing the optometrist; not surprisingly my eyesight is worse. I made dinner that night, Parmesan chicken (I need to post that recipe some time!) and roasted red potatoes. Then we went to the church for a dessert auction and viewing of Frozen, the boys' first time seeing it. Justin and I won Auntie Linn's pumpkin roll.

Saturday was their stake's women's conference. We went to Dad's class on patriarchal blessings and another on changing your perspective. Dinner was at Koreana, at Justin's request because it is his favorite Korean restaurant (and we've been to quite a few!). Sunday I went to Primary with the boys since I felt more at home there. After church was a potluck lunch, and later was dinner at Grandma Amelia's. We do a lot of eating whenever we go to Wisconsin!

Monday we took Grandma and Great Grandma to the new Costco in town. Unfortunately, there is none here in New York. Later we visited some elderly family friends, who loved seeing the little ones.

Getting ready to go out in the snow. Caden made a snowman with Grandma!

Tuesday was our last day. We visited one more lady, had lunch at El Azteca (Justin's favorite Mexican place), and took Caden and Keilani to see the Muppet movie. We had a very enjoyable time with the family, and it was nice to have a mini vacation to break up the long-distance move.

More Cadenisms

Funny things this funny boy says:

Pack pack (backpack)

Prophident Monson (mashup of prophet and president)

Grirl (girl)

Pompcorn (he used to say popcorn so I don't know what happened)
Chockit (chocolate)

Bisghetti (I always thought that was a fake mistake, but apparently kids do say it!)

Samwich (sandwich)

Gum gum / gaga (just nonsense words he uses to replace real ones when he's being silly)