Snow Daze

Albert Einstein once said "Imagination is more important than knowledge." I fully agree with this statement and we have been using it a lot to have fun while being at home so much lately. It's kept us busy and kept us from going bonkers in our house. We have turned our house into a pirate ship and looked for treasure, we've gone into the deep ocean searching for sharks and whales, we've built huts and hibernated like bears and we've made some fun recycled crafts to add to our creative fun. See below for details.

We learned about the Arctic this week. To introduce this topic I put together a sensory tub filled with cotton balls for snow, clear rocks for glaciers, blue and white pom poms for the ocean, silver sparkly pom poms for snowflakes and some arctic animals for Xavier to search for and find. A lot of the animals were white and blended in perfectly with the cotton balls, so it made it a challenge for Xavier to find them all. He had fun and learned some fun facts while playing.

He then took all the animals and Eskimos and created his own play with them. He doubled the fun!

I made some ice cube sail boats for Xavier to play with in our kitchen sink. He took his sailboats for some great adventures.

Xavier loves it when daddy works from home, so I decided to help him make his own office to work alongside his daddy. We made a foam Blackberry to call his clients and attend conference calls.
Then we created a cereal box laptop to send emails. He loved it and we even had some more letter learning along the way.



Next was our "race" car. Yes it's a Huggies Box, but with some imagination it's soooo much more. We added a personalized license plate, some paper plate wheels and steering wheel, some headlights, and a Chevy symbol because it had to be a Chevy Camaro like Bumblebee.

Oh and we couldn't forget his sponsor: M&M's.

Vroom! Vroom! Xavier takes the lead. One more lap to go and it's Xavier by an entire car length! Way to go Xavier.

Oh did I mention that Xavier's most recent occupation aspirations are race car driver, monster truck driver, and Rock Star. If you can imagine it, you can do it!

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it SNOW!

Okay so January has been a non-stop snow fest here in the East. In the last month we've had several major snowstorms and the schools in our area have cancelled school as much as they have attended school. In the last two days we've had probably 11 inches of snow. The picture above is what our front yard looks like right now. One great benefit to Tim's job is that on days where the roads are terrible and it's just not a good idea to drive (like this week) he can work from home. So, while Gavin has napped, Xavier and I have made like frosty and played in the snow

I filled some spray bottles with water and food coloring to do some snow "painting".

We made a caterpillar

Xavier requested a shark. I hope you can see it in this picture. The shark is eating Xavier's hand. I was pretty proud of myself for pulling this one off.

Our snowman. I found this snowman kit at a craft store during Halloween and I'm so glad we have it. It came with everything to dress up our snowman. The carrot nose was huge, so we added our own carrot instead. Xavier named him "Frosty". What else would we name him right?

I also started working on an igloo, so if it works out I'll post some pictures of that soon.

First Day of Preschool

I can't believe our little man has started preschool. Since his first day was on a Tuesday I thought we'd make Family Home Evening special for this moment in Xavier's life. I made him a first day of preschool kit that I found on the executivehomaker.com.

Preschool First Day Kit

• Starburst: You will be a shining star in school if you smile and always do your best.

• Penny: To remind you that you are a valuable member of the class.

• Sticker: Always stick together and help one another.

• Smarties: You are going to learn SO much in Preschool this

year!

• Eraser: Remember, it’s okay to make mistakes. That is how

we learn.

• Hershey Hug: We all need hugs now and then. If you need

one, let me know.

• Lifesaver: I am here to help you. Don’t be afraid to come

to me if you need something.

We also role played a little on how to act in school. Xavier was ready to go. Then bedtime hit and he was a little nervous. We assured him it would be lots of fun and a chance for him to make lots of friends. Well, when we woke up Tuesday morning there was a huge snow and ice storm so school was cancelled. That was a huge bummer after we had gotten Xavier all excited about his first day. The excitement had to be postponed until Thursday.

Finally the second BIG day came and I of course had to capture this moment by taking some pictures. Xavier was less than willing to appease me. As you can see he didn't want to give me a big cheesy grin.

Mom, do I have to be in the picture?

Okay I'll kind of smile for ya.

Nope, not feeling it mom.

Finally, we got a keeper. He might not look excited in the pictures, but he was just anxious to put his coat on and get out the door.

As we were driving to his preschool I couldn't help but want to turn the car around and keep him home. I was letting my baby go somewhere and I wouldn't be there with him for the first time? It's a strange feeling to have to let go and let them be there own person sometimes. I kept praying that he would be a good boy, that he wouldn't pee his pants because he was nervous, that he would make friends and listen to the teacher. Then as I was lost in my thoughts Xavier said "Mom, I believe in Jesus Christ."

I was taken back by this wonderful testimony he shared with me at the most random moment.

I replied, "I believe in Jesus too."

Xavier said, "A boy I know doesn't believe in Jesus."

I said, "Why do you say that?"

He said, "Because he's mean."

I said, "I'm sure he does believe in Jesus, he's just learning how to get along with others. As he grows up and learns to make good choices he'll be more like Jesus. Sometimes we make mistakes, but that doesn't mean we don't believe in Jesus."

He said, "Yeah. I'm like Jesus."

I said, "Do you know the best way we can be like Jesus?"

He said "What?"

I said, "By being kind to everyone and helping others. You can be like Jesus when you go to school."

The more I thought about this the more I realized that I can't keep Xavier home forever. He will go out into the world as he grows and matures. But this conversation reminded me that as long as I teach my kids about Jesus and to be like Him they can go out into the world and be an example to others. They can know who they are and teach others that too. Plus, knowing that my kids believe in Jesus will help me in knowing they will make good decisions throughout their life.

When we got to Xavier's preschool he was bouncing off the walls with excitement. The other moms were waiting outside the classroom and Xavier met a couple of the kids. As soon as his teacher opened the door Xavier was the first one in the classroom. No hugs, no kisses, he didn't even look back. I was a little sad that I didn't get to give him one last hug. But I was glad that he wasn't clinging to me not wanting to go.

When I came to pick him up though, he yelled "MOM!", ran up to me, and gave me the biggest squeeze ever. It was the best! He had a great time and I can't wait to see how much more he learns from this experience.

6 months

I can't believe our little man is already 6 months old. As he hits his half year birthday we have also introduced him to the wonderful world of solid foods.

Here he is getting ready for his first bite. He is ready to go.

He wasn't so sure about what this eating thing was all about at first.

I love his facial expression. He wants to like it, but it's not quite the same as mommy's milk.

By the end of his meal he had eaten every bite and had one fat and happy little tummy. He did such a great job and most of it ended up in his stomach and not on his bib.

His stats for the month:

18 lbs. 1 oz.

26 1/2 inches long

He's decided to put a strike on the whole rolling thing, but is sitting all by himself and scooting around a bit. He loves to grab anything within reach and absolutely loves chewing on his socks (I can't keep the darn things on his feet) and paper towels. He is starting to say "ma ma ma ma" and "ba ba ba ba" He loves making raspberries all day long.

Happy 2011!

To finish off our week of festivities I made a yummy roast and some famous Lion House rolls from scratch. This is what eating with the Richardson's looks like. A little happy, a little goofy, a little "special". Never a dull moment.

For Family Home Evening the week before New Year's we came up with some goals for 2011.

Tim's goals:

1. Take all SCMA tests by May.

2. Do push ups and sit ups during t.v. watching

3. Be a good dad-

Take Xavier fishing when it gets warm

Take boys to a baseball game

4. Review investments

Ashley's goals: (I have a ton, but here are my main goals)

1. Read scriptures and pray daily

2. Get 72 hour kits put together

3. Do something for food storage each month

4. Organize our filing cabinet

5. Organize, organize, organize: Xavier's toys, craft cupboard and drawers, kitchen pantry

5. Put together a file of important docs and a will

6. Learn something new

Xavier's goals:

1. Xavier start doing a personal prayer each night after family prayer

2. Start pre-school

3. Learn to read- start sounding out words

4. Learn to write my name and letters

5. Play on a baseball team

Gavin's goals:

1. Learn to eat solids and drink from a cup

2. Sleep through the night

3. Crawl

4. Walk

5. Say words (preferably "mamma" first :)

We played a countdown for the kids around 7 and had them make as much noise as they could to celebrate the new year! They loved their noisemakers and Xavier loved shouting "Happy New Year!"

What will 2011 bring for these boys? Time will tell.

Goodbye 2010. You've been good to us. We hope 2011 is even better! We can't wait for another year of growing together, learning together, playing together, and making memories together. We wish everyone a safe, happy, healthy, and blessed 2011. Welcome to a new decade.

Peeps Fest? or Peeps Bust?

Our last field trip during Dave and Katie's visit was to the Peeps Fest. I'm not a fan of Peeps, but I thought this might be a fun thing to check out. As with most festivals there is usually good music, good food, and good fun.

Just Born is another candy company that started in the Lehigh Valley. They make Hot Tamales (one of Tim's all time favorite candies), Peeps, Mike and Ike's and others. The day we went they were going to have all the candy mascot's visiting the entire day so the kids could get pictures with them.

As we were walking to the festival's main entrance we stopped to watch the beginning of the 5K race. Then we entered the festival and were sorely disappointed. There were a few craft tents, a couple clowns making balloons for the kids, and a glass blower making a peep out of blown glass. We also watched a man make ice sculptures. Then we walked over to the family tent where there was an average kids performer playing pretty cheesy music and some rides that you had to pay $3 and $4 a piece for; (This was after we had already paid admission).

This was the highlight of the event, getting our picture by the Peep car.

The kids made Peep S'mores. The Peeps tasted stale and the graham crackers were not so savory. The kids enjoyed them though. Kameron didn't even wait for the graham and chocolate. ;)

Xavier roasting his Peep.

All in all this festival was a pretty big disappointment. For being a pretty popular candy company, the festival didn't live up to expectations. I was a little bummed that this was the last thing on our activity list. I was hoping to end Dave and Katie's visit with a bang, but instead it was kind of a bust. Maybe Peeps didn't have such a good year?

As for our visit with Dave, Katie, Kam, and Ally- it was a blast and at least 2 of our 3 activities were a lot of fun.

The last leg of our Philly visit

We sure worked up an appetite with all the walking we did. So we had to top off the visit with our very first Philly Cheese Steak. We walked quite a ways to get to a place called Jim's Steaks. This was highly recommended from one of Tim's co-workers.

Even in the middle of January there was a line out the door. This is an immediate sign there was good food to come. Since we had our gigantic strollers, Katie and I ended up staying outside and eventually found a Starbucks to sit and get warm while Tim and Dave got the food. It took about 45-60 minutes before we got our food.

Tim said that if you didn't order the "right" way the guys would laugh at you and know you were new to the place. Tim said you had to ask for a cheesesteak with "Whiz" and mushrooms. When we first got in line I noticed there were food storage sized cans of Cheese Whiz they would open and just plop it on the cheesesteak. I must say, it was delicious!! Our first cheesesteak experience lived up to the hype. I'm glad Tim's co-worker mentioned Jim's to us.

By the time we were fat and happy we had about 3 miles to walk, in the dark, to get back to our cars. On our trek back we got to see the Liberty Bell in it's glory. No crowds. No noise. No security officers checking our bags. Just the bell. It was really neat to see it like that.

We got a little silly by the end of our journey. We had so much fun and we can't wait to visit again and explore more of the city. It has so much depth, culture, and history yet to be uncovered by US.

Cityscapes

On our walk to the Liberty Bell Xavier kept saying "Mom, look a skyscraper. Look another skyscraper!" So this is what the city looks like on foot.....

This mural was absolutely beautiful to see up close.

After ten years of being with Tim what better way to celebrate- a kiss under a famous statue.

L-O-V-E (forever).

This picture reminded me of a picture we had taken during a dance our first Christmas together. See below.

10 years together, 5 moves, 2 kids, and countless memories like this one- our visit to the Liberty Bell. This made for a memorable day!

Philadelphia Part 1

While Dave and Katie visited we thought we should be tourists and visit Philadelphia. We'd only been once for dinner with friends, so we thought we'd visit the Natural History Museum for the kiddos and the Liberty Bell for the adults. It was perfect weather. Well, as perfect as weather can be in January. It was high 30's and sunny. So we bundled up in our hats, coats, and gloves and headed to the big city.

I think this picture is so funny because Kameron looks completely mesmerized by the gigantic moose and Xavier seems to be wondering what Kameron is doing. If only Xavier would look behind his back he'd probably fall over in amazement and the animals size.

The boys were listening to one of the museum workers description of all the dino artifacts on the table. Xavier is holding a Megaladon tooth. The one tooth is bigger than both of Xavier's hands combined.

It's T-Rex run for your lives!

Shivering in their skin.

Boy am I glad they're extinct.

Dino dig. The dinosaurs were by far the favorite attraction. They even got to dig for dinosaur bones like a real paleontologist.

The other favorite exhibit was the butterfly room. Cousins don't shake, cousins gotta hug!

A big collection of the cocoons.

After our visit to the museum we decided to do some sight seeing by foot. The kiddos were ready to go in their strollers and we had some awesome views of the downtown area while getting some good exercise. I think we walked about 6 miles. I'm glad I wore comfy shoes.

Stay tuned for more Philly adventures.....