Discovery Space

Due to teachers' meetings, our district didn't have school on Thursday, April 26th.  It was a little rainy out and we NEEDED to get out of the house.  I decided to take you both to Discovery Space, a hands-on children's activity center in State College.  We'd never been there before, but I'd heard good things about it.
 

The beaver house.  You thought it was especially cool because it had a movie playing inside of it.  You also thought the specimen of fake beaver scag was great.

There is a great little walled-off section just for little kids.  Lily, you loved this music area!

Wyatt showed you the ropes.

This display of local rocks was outside a darkroom exhibit.  Inside it, you could see how different rocks glow in blacklight.  You and I thought this was neat.  Lily wasn't blown away.

This was the Invention Bench.  This second grader befriended you and you worked side-by-side for a long time creating your marble run masterpiece.  I was amazed how well you two worked together and with what you could build.

April Catch Up

Some happenings in April:

We were dressed as our favorite literary characters for Family Reading Night at the elementary school.  Wyatt is Horrible Harry and I am Anne of Green Gables.  I love her, but I'm not sure she is my absolute favorite--I didn't have many costume choices so Anne it was!  Wyatt, throughout the whole night I kept doing double takes wondering who you were!  You looked so different in that wig!

More evidence of Wyatt's secret photography sessions:

Your favorite word is still, "Ooooooo,"  followed closely by "Ohhhhhh."

This picture disturbed me when I found it.  It still disturbs me.   I need to keep an eye on you two a little more, I think.

Other highlights of the month included:

You made and affixed this yourself with pipe cleaners and scotch tape. 

Lily, you are using the"spillproof"lid.   This cracked me up.

My first attempt at pulling your hair up.  You loved your new look. 

Wyatt's first game of the 2012 season.  Go Brewers!

You are getting better and better at hitting from the coach's pitch.  Your attitude is still great, too!

Imagine trying to continue a game when this sucker goes right over your head.  You all finally just stopped and watched it for a few moments.

Playing pitcher

Wyatt, we took you to a specialist about your sleeping.  You tend to gasp and snore a lot when you sleep.  You also sweat like crazy, enough to drip from your hair.  It turns out you need your tonsils and adenoids removed.  We've scheduled the procedure for late June.  Hopefully after that is taken care of you'll have much more restful nights!

Lily, as well as getting faster at walking you also began climbing.  I don't remember Wyatt climbing all that much but you love to try to get up on everything.  I'd be lying if I said I wish this phase would last forever.   You are getting funnier and funnier, though.  And the temper is coming along nicely, too.  You must get it from your Italian genes. :)

 April was a busy month!

Headlocks Make You Happy

I watched a segment on Good Morning America several months ago that was about dads playing with their children.  Turns out, studies have shown that the roughhousing I (and probably a lot of other moms) shake my head at in disdain actually is helpful and healthy for kids.  If that's the case, you two are probably the most well-adjusted children in the tri-state area.  You LOVE to wrestle. I do my best now to gasp quietly in the corner and let you have fun without yelling, "Watch his neck! Gentle! Be nice to Daddy!"  It is a challenge.

Once you are all done, I exhale.

The Relatives Came

I love it when we have family in town.  It is so wonderful to look around and see you two having a great time in a full house. 
Nona and Papa came to visit the week before Easter. They always stop at Delallo's (an Italian market) and bring us wonderful bread and prepared goodies. 

Nona went a little overboard when cutting the bread for this PBJ! 

Reading with Lily.  (Translation:  Lily throwing books at Nona)

A few weeks later our cousin Hannah came to town with Grandma.  Hannah was so disappointed at the beach, Lily.  All she wanted to do was hold you and every time she got near you, you screamed to high heaven.  This visit was completely different!  You had a great time with Hannah, and you even let her pick you up now and then.  The day before Hannah and Grandma left, you even decided you would start walking!  I think you were trying to make up for the fact that Hannah had missed so many of your firsts.  :)  

 

Hannah and Grandma went with us to tee ball practice and they were both very impressed by the team.    We all wished they could stay longer, but we had a great time visiting!

International Children's Festival

Wyatt:  

On Saturday, March 31st, you and I went to a children's festival in State College.  You got a passport to keep track of your "travels" and off we went!  We stopped first at a food display.  You got to be an official taste tester for international desserts.  Your favorite was one from Malaysia, but we thought all of them were pretty good.  We also tasted two different preparations of dates, and you liked both of them.  There were lots of other things going on, too.   

Having tea in Saudi Arabia.  The ladies that helped you dress said you looked just like a Saudi prince only you were much more handsome.  :)

Getting a henna tattoo in India.

Once the dye dried we washed it off.  Your tattoo lasted for about two weeks.

The festival had lots of dancing acts.  We watched these girls from the Chinese school perform.  The music was very Chinese and very loud.  We also saw a Bollywood-inspired dance as well as Irish jigs.

Your wish for the world:  Sleep.   You explained that if you don't get sleep you can't live well.

"I didn't smile because the Sphinx doesn't smile."

These ladies got into quite an argument about how to write your name in Chinese.  One woman ended up grabbing the brush from another one and after MUCH discussion finished your nameplate.

The finished product...finally!  We also got your name written in Thai and Hindi at other booths.

 

 

This was a stamp scavenger hunt.  You enjoyed this.  You must have gotten this from your great-grandfather's genes--he was a stamp collector.

We bought some kettle corn to eat on our way out.  Through the munching and crunching on the way home, you told me that you had the best time ever.  We'll definitely put this on our calendar for next year!

Easter 2012

We had Easter at home this year.  We sometimes travel to Uniontown, but since we'd just gone to Pittsburgh to celebrate Amelia's first birthday we decided to spend the holiday here.  Wyatt, you and I went to the annual Easter egg hunt over at Faith United Methodist Church.  We saw a few of your old preschool friends there.  The weather was junky, so they had the hunt indoors.  It's not so much of a hunt as a free-for-all.

The moment before they released you to collect eggs.

There were WAY too many eggs to hide, so they were scattered everywhere.  Even with tons of kids grabbing as fast as they could, everyone got a basket full!

You and your friend Aly.  I think you have a fun-size M&M package in your mouth.

Easter morning we woke up and did our own egg hunt at our house.  Bailey was eying up one of the hard-boiled eggs, but I shooed her away and the hunt began.  The only two pictures I got of you kiddos were these:

These nesting toys were in your Easter basket.  I think they are supposed to be tub toys, but you love them so much we just keep them out all the time.

Where could the rest be?

As you can see, Bailey is behind you looking a little guilty.  She disappeared for a while during the hunt.  Daddy brought her into the kitchen and she opened her mouth.  This is what came out:

Daddy found Bailey trying to hide this in a living room chair.  We cleaned the mess up and I didn't think about it at all until about a week later when I found tiny pieces of green eggshell on a blanket up in the guest bedroom.  She must have tried hiding her prize there first before Daddy caught her in the living room!

After the egg hunt we went to early church at 8am.  It was wonderful because it wasn't crowded at all.    Once we got home, we did a few chores and then cooked lamb and salmon over our fire pit.  Lily, you decided to take one really short nap so you were a little crazy.  I think Daddy and I were more tired at the end of the day than if we would have traveled to Uniontown and back!  Happy Easter!