Valentines

The kids decided that they wanted to give bubbles with their valentines this year so we started making them today. Pudge was very excited to pick which bubbles went in each bag and which tag I would tie on. He got to use the hole punch for most of the foam heart but then decided that he wanted to run around like a madman in his bandanna (made from one of our cloth napkins). 

Shaving Cream fun and Coloring on Windows

This morning the kids wanted to do some crafts. We've been stuck in the house for a few days now so I let them pick from a group of different things that we had all of the supplies for. 

Their first choice was to play with shaving cream. This has been something that the kids have loved over the years. I decided to fill ziploc bags with the shaving cream and a few drops of different colors of paint. Then I taped the tops shut (because Pudge would otherwise have immediately opened his and made a mess) and handed them over. The older kids immediately started playing with them and trying to mix the different colors together. At some point, Pudge started pounding on the bag which everyone thought was hilarious. 

 Pequeño wasn't too sure what to think about it. he kept hitting the bag but if we tried to get him to push down on it with his finger he would turn away and say "Nooooo". However, he didn't want me to take the bag away either.

 Little Bear and Pudge ended up with green bags while Pequeño only had a little bit of color mixed into his.

 The next fun thing was coloring on the windows. Yes, you read that correctly.I let the kids color on the windows. With window markers given to them by their Abuelo and Abuela. The older kids had a blast and kept giggling and checking over their shoulder to make sure that they weren't going to get in trouble.

Then we blew plastic bubbles. I remember using this when I was growing up. The kids thought that they were amazing.

Pin the Carrot on the Snowman

One of the things that we had gotten for the kid to do during their Christmas vacation was a Pin the Carrot on the Snowman game. It was a big paper that you hang up and then it came with stickers which had carrots on them. So we decided to try it tonight. We taped the snowman paper to one of the walls so that it was at the height for the kids and then they each got to take a few turns being blindfolded (it came with a blindfold but we also used a regular one too since the kids were peeking out of the cardboard one), spun around by Papa. and then tried to put the carrot nose on. They had a lot of fun (especially with being dizzy) and didn't want the game to end. We saved a few stickers so that we can pull the game out another time since it was such a big hit!

Pequeño's Morning

Every Monday, the older boys have school and Pequeño gets a few hours to himself. Today, Daddy was off from work and he got to spend the time with both Mommy & Daddy which is rare. Since it's getting close to Christmas, we decided to go shopping. One of our first stops was Barnes and Noble where we let Pequeño play for a while. I love that the Barnes and Nobles around here all have things for the kids to do in the Children's area. 

Checking out the trains

Building with Legos

Daddy surprised him with some puppets!

Dance Party!

 Turn on the disco balls, flip on that strobe light, start blasting the music, and dance your heart out! Dance parties are some of our favorite ways to have fun as a family. The kids love showing us all of their cool moves and mimicking our (obviously) awesome ones as well. Even the baby bounces around and giggles. 

 

 

 

 

From Stairs to Slide!

Papa decided to check off on of the items on our "180 out of school experiences in a 180 day school year" list. He started 5 days early but I think the kids will forgive him. 

So tonight, with the use of  giant cardboard boxes, a couch cushion, a "pull me up" rope,and a helmet, our staircase was transformed into a slide. The kids (obviously) loved it and Mama and Papa got to try it out too.

 

At the bottom of the slide, there was tons of pillows and a giant inflated ball to soften the landing.

Cyclone Ball

When my parents were in Puerto Rico last, they came back bearing a gift for the kids. The Cyclone Ball. After the initial pain in the rush of blowing it up (every single pocket had to be blown up and then we had to tape all of the valves because they kept popping open and deflating), it was a huge hit! Papa Bear was wishing that he could get in it but there is a 100lb weight limit. 

 

 

 

 

Crayola

For my birthday, my mom and sister came to visit. We had planned to spend the day at the amusement park but since it was forecasted to rain, we change our plans to an indoor venue... The Crayola Factory!

The kids had an amazing time. The first thing that they did was make their own crayon labels. Little Bear chose a yellow crayon and names it Officer Yellow. Pudge picked purple and named it Ari's Purple. Then they played with modeling clay.

Pequeño had fun playing with the markers and accessories that were out foot the clay.

Next, they got to make their own marker. Little Bear chose one that put blue on one end and hello on the other so the middle section of the marker will be green. Pudge chose to make his only yellow.

Then they got to play and draw.

Then, we went to an area that had a climbing thing. My sister went in with Pudge and I'm so glad that she did. There was a crazy amount of kids in it and I think that he would have needed someone to come in and get him if he had been on his own. We ended up leaving after they crawled around here a few times because more people kept coming in and it was getting too loud and crowded for us.

Before leaving, we stopped at the gift shop where there were other things to play with as well as things that we and my mom wanted buy. My mom bought each of the kids something special and also their own cup. I bought the kids each their own ornament with their names on them. (I couldn't resist because we are never able to find their names!) We also got one for Pudges's pen pal.

 

 

 
 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bedtime Stories in the Playroom

Papa Bear read the kids their bedtime story in their fort tonight. 

The tent was on the top bed of Little Bear's bunk bed before we separated it into two twin beds. When we decided to give the kids a reading nook in their playroom, we knew that it'd be perfect. Little Bear uses it all the time for laying down with a book or playing with his Army men.