7.28.12

It was a good day today.  We got a lot done - I cleaned the laundry room (even vacuumed out the dryer vent), added a shelving unit for more linen storage (since we have no storage closets anywhere in this house!), and hung a shelf for the detergent, dryer sheets, etc.  Josh shoveled all the dirt and rocks out of the walking path in our backyard - it was more dirt than rocks, and the weeds were out of control.  We'll get more delivered next week. 
Our grass is already growing in where the hot tub once was, the yard looks so much bigger.  Very happy about that decision!

7.26.12

I bought a play tent for the kids on Tuesday.  We set it up in the living room, and all kinds of fun was had until one of the tent poles broke (yeah, you can probably see it happening on the left).  I exchanged it for another one on Wednesday and the new one met the same fate today.  Guess that's what a $12 tent will get you. 

7.26.12

 For a while now, I've been thinking about repainting Wyatt's Cozy Coupe.  It was really faded and grimy.  I figured at the very least I should wash it....but if I'm going to do that, I might as well take the extra few minutes and paint it. ;)
I didn't take a before picture, but everyone knows what a faded Cozy Coupe looks like, right?

Right.  Ours was slightly cleaner.  Very slightly.
So after washing it down, I took the roof off (easy to do, there are two screws at the back behind the seat to unscrew and with a little wrestling it popped right off).  Next time (there will not be a next time, really) I would take it apart and THEN clean it.  The amount of dirt in those crevices was slightly astounding.

I taped off the wheels and steering wheel and sprayed it with Krylon Fusion for Plastic spray paint.  It took 2 cans to cover the roof and only one for the body (most likely because it was the same colour it was originally).  We decided to go with a Fire and Rescue car.  Josh had an extra fire department decal at home, so we used that on the roof, and I used contact paper to cut out "911" and some stripes for the doors.

I added a coat of lacquer to hold the contact paper down a little better, but I already can see the sides coming up after about 2 weeks.  I'll probably get a local sign company to cut some vinyl letters for me that will adhere better.
Since the decals were either faded or gone, I ordered a new set from Little Tikes.  We also ordered the light bar and siren (and a replacement gas cap, since I busted ours when taking it off to paint).  Shipping was free, and it came quickly.  I did have to drill 2 holes in the roof for the light bar, since it is intended for the Ride and Rescue Cozy Coupe, not the classic.  No big deal though, it took about 5 minutes.
Wyatt was thrilled, and I'm sure Paige will love it when Wyatt decides he's too big for it (he already has to coerce his legs in and out of the thing, being that he's almost 40").

7.22.12

Playing in the moat Josh built. Every single time, he builds a moat.

Wyatt filling up the moat.

Right before she ate sand.  Of course.

Swimming around on her belly.  She loved the water!

Wyatt preferred to stay out of the water, as usual.

We decided to hit up the beach this morning.  We got there around 9:30 and it was really quiet - only 2 other families.  We settled in the middle of the beach and not 5 minutes later a family of FIFTEEN situated themselves right beside us. Figures.
The kids played in the sand quite a bit, but as soon as we got Paige in the water, that's where she wanted to stay.  She was quite happy.  We did leave after about an hour or so - she needed to nap, it was HOT and Wyatt was getting pink, despite being covered in sunscreen.  He was asking to go home too - he had his fun in the sand and didn't want anything to do with the water.  Josh did convince him to walk in up to his waist, which was pretty big for him.  I hope a day comes where he is comfortable with the water.  I never got past Maroon in swimming lessons (which would probably be Level 4, or whatever it may be these days) because I can't really hold my breath under water.  I don't think he'll ever be the kind of kid to hop off the diving board, but who knows?
We also went to a friend's son's birthday party this afternoon, but had to leave a bit abruptly when they started playing with the toys that he got for birthday presents.  Wyatt was on the verge of tears and starting to shake because of one of the toys, and I figured it'd be better if we just went home.
We're hoping to get into see an occupational therapist shortly - we've already been referred.  She'll help us figure out if Wyatt does have sensory processing disorder and how to cope.  I hope people realize that I am not the type of person to slap a label on a kid the moment they act differently than people are used to.  For the last few years, I figured he was just REALLY cautious.  And stubborn - I mean, he was three when he finally figured out how to take his own socks off (and there was SO much crying involved there), and Paige had that down at 6 months.  But apparently things like that all fall under the umbrella of SPD and hopefully, if that is what we're dealing with, we'll get some good coping techniques.
We had a nice little picnic outside for supper, walked down to Warky's for ice cream afterwards, and then Josh went fishing with his dad and caught a master angler!  It was a great weekend, hopefully a great start to the week ahead!

7.21.12

I promise I'll have pictures of the kids tomorrow (sorry, mom!).
Today, I built a picnic table for the kids. I found the plans online at ana-white.com. They claim you can build this table for $15, which is clearly a better deal than a plastic one that will fade over time.
Well, I'm not sure if the issue is that Ana is from the states and I'm in Canada, but the pine boards cost me $45. Still, I think mine looks better and should last longer. :)
It really didn't take too long, but I did need some help from Josh with assembly, definitely a two person job.
I haven't decided if we'll just clear coat it or paint it yet.
I'll admit, I kind of felt like Super Mom when I was done, ha ha.

Cutting the boards to size.

Everything cut to size and ready to assemble!

All done! 

7.15.12

We had a very busy weekend over here. We ripped out our hot tub and the deck that surrounded it with some (a lot) of help from my parents. It was SO hot. But we got it done quickly, hauled everything off to the dump and even picked up a load of topsoil to level things out. After my parents went home, Josh and I leveled out the topsoil and dug out a really overgrown dogwood.
In between all of that, I turned Wyatt's faded yellow and red Cozy Coupe into an awesome fire and rescue car. We're just waiting for some replacement decals and a light bar, but he was THRILLED when he saw it!
Of course I don't have any pictures of the really hard work, but here are a few of the Cozy Coupe. The decal on top is actually from the fire department.

7.10.12

Posing at the Butterfly Gardens.

Picnic!  I picked the table with the most bird crap, apparently.

Sitting on a ball at the Nature Playground.

Wyatt liked climbing the stairs. Over and over and over again.

So happy to get off the stairs!

Most expensive train ride in the world, I am pretty sure.

A little late posting the pictures of our visit from the zoo on Sunday - thought I had them up already!  Anyway, we had a lovely day at the zoo, headed in at 9:30, hoping to miss the rush and the worst of the heat.  There weren't too many people there, but it was definitely hot already.  Both kids did great though, and Paige was in love with the flamingos.  We had a picnic at the Nature Playground next door, and did a quick tour there.  There's lots of fun things to explore there, but Paige is too young and it's far too overwhelming for Wyatt.  After we got home, the kids cooled off in the pool.  Paige loves the water, but Wyatt had a better time playing with his toys outside the pool.  He's obsessed with his Cozy Coupe, which of course, he is too big for now.  The last two years we couldn't get him to touch it with a 10 foot pole, and now he's constantly in it, filling up with "gas', washing it, fixing the tires, etc.  He has to do some fancy bending to get in and out, but it doesn't seem to bother him now that Josh showed him how to get his foot out if he gets stuck. :P