Botanical Garden

Pre-Christmas we went to DSM for the afternoon to go shopping (disaster, we drove around the mall for 20 minutes without finding a parking spot and left) and then to the botanical garden.  Lucy was thrilled.  It was kid-friendly and reasonably priced.  I'll have to go back in the summer to see if there is more, but the winter activity was in their massive greenhouse dome.  The rainbow sculpture in the front is pretty neat; I took a bunch of pictures from different angles.  It reminded me of a whale skeleton.  Lucy desperately wanted to jump the chain and climb on it, and I can't say that I blame her, because I wanted to climb on it too.

These are a couple of pictures of the Christmas decorations they had set up.  It was hard to get a picture of any of these around the number of people with a group of kids set up in front of  a camera with a tripod - obviously a popular place for taking the family Christmas photo.  Some of the decorations, namely the snowman and reindeer, were made of plant material.  The candy canes were PVC pipe, and reminded me of vent pipes for leach fields.  The scale of things is partially visible in this picture - the candy cane pipes are about 5 feet tall, with the tallest present about 8 feet.  There was obviously a lot of work put into these and I'm interested to see if the same decorations will re-appear next year, or if they've got a team that will change it around.

 There were also several different trees decorated with lights and ornaments.  They looked beautiful as it started to get dark outside.

Lucy loves the camera.  Me and Jamie from the perspective of someone who's 39 inches tall.  Jamie now spends most of his time sitting up and looking around, rather than sleeping.  Though he did spend the majority of the time in the stroller, he got out and crawled around the floor for a while too.  Jamie's the kid who just takes it all in.  I'm excited for him to start talking more, as I imagine what he has to say to be very different from comes out of the mouth of high-energy, no-indoor-voice Lucy.

 There were a lot of different rock walls to climb up and peek over, with perfect little footholds.  Lucy was excited and proud of being able to see things on her own, with little regard to the fact that some of these rock walls had over a story drop off the other side.  I spent a bunch of time tugging those little legs down off different rock features.

 Ponds with massive goldfish are always an incentive for hanging yourself over a 2-story drop.

 Feel the love.

 Feel the squish.

 The other section the botanical garden had was a Zen garden-type place.  I don't have a great camera (or great photography skills for that matter) but this was a long trellis walkway and all those white things are supposed to be doves.  This section of the garden had a very different feel to it.  It was much warmer, cozier with a low greenhouse ceiling, and quieter.  If I were the kind of person inclined to meditate, this is the place I imagine meditating.  Even Lu was a bit more subdued here. 

I'm not sure if this was intended to be something for kids or just for show, but it was a fake art station, complete with a painted-on pallet and book that didn't turn.  Lucy had a ball doing an art project.

After almost 2 hours, Lucy was not ready to leave at all.  It inspired us to get a membership to Reiman Garden here in Ames, which doesn't have the extra-large dome but does have an amazing butterfly garden.  Plus, is 40 minutes closer.

Ha!  I could have gone around and taken pictures of what looked like experimental varieties of plants they had growing, all named something funny or creative, but this one was my favorite.  Beware, Harry.

Christmas

And the big day :

 Lucy unwrapped all the presents - hers, Jamie's, mine, Eric's.  There were several presents that we found unwrapped that we're not really sure who they were from.  That's enthusiasm!

Unwrapping 2011 from Kristin York on Vimeo.

It was a very musical kind of year - Lucy got a drum, guitar (or a tuh-tar as she calls it), and the kids got shaker eggs.  Jamie was supposed to get a drum too, it's the second time Amazon failed me in a row.  Fortunately, Lucy's great at sharing.  Mostly.

Jingle Bells 2011 from Kristin York on Vimeo.

A couple of the highlights of the toys were the activity walker for Jamie, which he took off with at first, and has been wholly uninterested in since Christmas day.  He's really working on walking, is beginning to stand and balance for a second, and scoots along on almost anything he can.  Except the toy that I bought for him for that express purpose.  Hmmm.


Jamie's Walker Toy 2011 from Kristin York on Vimeo.

And the bouncy horse.  Lucy wanted a pink and purple horse she could ride on for Christmas.  Since we (Santa) had already gotten the kitchen, I didn't really plan on another big gift.  Outside of those two large items, we didn't spend that much on the kids, but it seemed a little over the top to me.  I was, however, convinced.  We got a Radio Flyer version, instead of the pink-and-purple request, and I don't think she even noticed.  It's huge and sturdy and should last for years and years.  Lucy's favorite thing to do on her horse is to make us pretend we're sleeping while she rides in, brings us gifts, and rides off waving with a Ho Ho Ho! so we can wake up on Christmas morning. 


Bouncy Horse 2011 from Kristin York on Vimeo.

What a great day, right?

Oh yeah, and if you didn't see the Christmas Eve post, scroll down past the Oh Deer.  I couldn't find it after posting, but since I had uploaded the photos the same day as the deer/car pics, it placed the Christmas post under the deer post.  Eric would probably have an answer for me about why it happened or what I could do to fix it (as would my tech-support student that's always saying "Oh, señora" in class) but you can just scroll...

Oh Deer

Thanks, Minnesota.  I'll remember you too.

Both kids were asleep when we hit the deer - Lucy woke up and wanted to be part of the action.  Our crash was the focus of her storytelling for several weeks.  Baby J?  Jamie didn't even open an eye.

Christmas Eve 2011

The wonder of Christmas through the eyes of child.

Our stack of shipped boxes - Christmas gets more complex and simpler at the same time when you're far away from your family.  More complex as everything needs to get shipped around rather than loaded into the trunk.  Pre-planning is crucial.  Simpler as we (for the first time ever) didn't need to race around house to house on Christmas Eve and day trying to make sure we get enough time in with all the different families.  All these boxes sat in our garage until Christmas Eve, as not to throw Lucy into fits.  I knew she would be begging to open gifts as soon as she saw them so we kept our under tree area bare until the last possible minute.  It was a very good idea.

The kids in front of the presents - Jamie smiles because he's Jamie, Lucy smiles because she CAN'T BELIEVE THAT THESE PRESENTS ARE FOR US!

Baking some Santa cookies was a last-minute project.  Thanks Grandma, for again saving our skins with the cookie mix, frosting, and sprinkles.  The sprinkles are about half gone now, as Lucy has put them on cookies, cupcakes, and toast in the morning.  We put the big confetti-looking sprinkles on and call it "vacation toast".

And it's a good thing we baked all those cookies because Santa must have had a heck of a time hauling the loot into the house.  The kitchen is so much fun, Lucy's been wanting one for a long time now (how does St. Nick know all this?) with some kitchen accessories and a guitar.

Jamie's decidedly smaller pile.  Lucy did not seem to notice or care, which I was kind of worried about.

Amazing!  He came and the reindeer too!  (I wish I had videoed the jumping in thrill when she realized the treats had been eaten.)

To borrow a phrase from a friend, an embarrassment of riches.  We are so fortunate to have all this, thanks to everyone who has been thinking of us this holiday season.  And our tree really isn't as pathetic or crooked as it looks here, I swear.

Minneapolis Visit

 My mother has officially lost all her children to the midwest.  Ryan and Grace live in Minneapolis now, about 3.5 hours north of us here.  The first time Ryan came to visit we joked that we lived on the same street.  He's about a mile from I-35 and so are we.  I gave him the directions and he said "That's it?"  In case anyone was wondering about coming for a visit, we're really, really easy to find ..... once you get to Iowa.

I had a 3-day weekend at school so I decided to head to Minneapolis for a quick overnight visit.  It's the kind of drive I NEVER would have made for a night living in Maine, it would have seemed so long.  Since doing the drive back and forth 5 times now at 1600 miles each way, a short jaunt to Minneapolis seems like I could do it for an afternoon.

Uncle Ryan brought us over to the UM campus to see where he goes to school, and wouldn't you know that the performing arts folks have an ampitheater?  What luck, as it's a great place to show off your latest song and dance routine.

Take a bow, Lucy.

And no trip to Minneapolis would be complete without seeing the spectacle at the Mall of America, right?  Ryan apparently spends a fair amount of time there, as Grace works at a couple of stores in the mall, but didn't bat an eye when I told him I'd like to see it.  I'd go back, too.  It was a vacation destination.  We didn't even get to the aquarium.

Idol fans, Scotty McCreery was there signing autographs.  And no, I did not wait in line for one.  (Took the picture for Mom, really, and she tells me she already has an autograph from the concert.)

Behold, the wonder of the indoor amusement park.  We walked by the aquarium then walked by the park and gave Lucy the choice.  Take a guess which one she picked to go to.

Lucy and me in front of the big kid swings.  Tickets are super expensive when purchased individually, so we gave her a one-ride limit.  The swings were the ride she picked.  These were the real deal, too.  No baby ride here.

This is Lucy's dance of joy when she found out she was tall enough to ride!  (You can see Uncle Ryan pushing the stroller in the background - a natural.)

Uncle Ryan kindly stayed with Baby J while we took to the skies.  The thrill of anticipation ....

This photo does nothing to show the ABSOLUTE TERROR Lucy experienced on the ride.  We look like we're having a nice time here, right?  Nope.  As soon as we started to swing she started screaming Stop! Stop!  Before the ride began, the kid working the controls came over the speaker to tell us if anyone needed the ride stopped to simply signal with your hand.  Visions of my father here, but my kid was not going to be the one to do it.  I had timed the ride while we were waiting (mostly to figure out how much we were paying per second of ride) and it was about a minute and a half, so I knew it would be over soon.  I say I didn't want to stop the ride, but I also didn't want Lucy's experience with something so grown up to be a total failure either.  So I squeezed her tight, we were in a double seat, and told her how brave she was and how proud Uncle Ryan was going to be. 

We made it!  Now that I look at it again, the picture of us might have been after the ride.  You would never guess the amount of screaming and shaking she did by the way she acted when the ride was all over.  She might have even mentioned going on it again.

Totally random but this is the LEGO store.  Those are all larger-than-life lego creations.  They were up on the roof of the store, though, so you couldn't touch them.  Probably for good reason, but I would have loved to see them up close.

And awww, thanks for having us Uncle Ryan and Aunt Grace!  Great hospitality, great company, and a great time. 

But ... oh Deer.  I'll get a couple of pictures up of what my car looked like after the trip home.

Trick or Treat 2011

Halloween this year was SO MUCH FUN.  It fits the holiday category that I've been looking forward to since Lucy was born (or since I was pregnant really) where she gets super excited.  Yea!  We had a Halloween extravaganza with two weekend trips to the Reiman Gardens spooktacular, the downtown trick-or-treat in the afternoon, and time out in the neighborhood in the evening.  Whoa.  Lucky for us (and thanks to Grandma), there were two available costumes.

Ladybug girl!  As we were headed to Reiman Gardens, we chose the bug costume.  It was perfect, too, as one of the attractions of the day was costumed dancing bugs.  The event was a lot of fun.  There were the dancing bugs, trick or treat stations throughout the garden paths, crafts, a story circle, and a wildlife station with owls and hawks (very cool).  We will definitely go back.

 This is Lucy with Nataleah, a friend who met us for the afternoon.

 And did someone say Halloween?  There must have been a mix up, as Jamie thought it sounded like naptime.  I love sleeping babies.

 Salsa with the ladybug.

 Waltz with the butterfly.

And on to our next trick or treat experience!  This is the downtown toddler time, 10-2 on a Monday.  How cool that even though I'm working, I still get out in time to do this?  Lucy chose the pirate costume for the occasion - can you see the map in her hand?  She likes a cartoon on Disney called Jake and the Neverland Pirates, and there is a song they sing called "roll up the map" so a map was an essential part of the costume.  Also, check out the purple striped pirate pants.  This costume was homemade, if you can't tell, and the purple fabric was the inspiration. 

 Lucy and Jamie the bumble bee. 
 
 This is our crowd - Jamie, Carson, Hayden, Lucy, and Jordan.  The other boys you might recognize from our 4th of July parade.  Three strollers meant Lucy and Carson were heading into stores alone, and coming out even before one of us parked a stroller and followed.  When I finally started going in with the two of them, it was mayhem.  They ran, grabbed candy, and Carson literally would shove a piece of candy into his mouth in every store.  I told Ann, but I'm not sure I got the message across.  This picture was taken right before Carson had a complete meltdown, sugar crash, and had to be dragged home kicking and screaming (literally).  I'm always secretly glad it's not Lucy having the moment.

 We also met up with Lucy's friend Stella from preschool, and her little brother Oliver who's exactly the same age as Jamie.  The girls were so excited to see each other.  I get a kick out of the fact that Lucy is now a woman of the world, and has a whole bunch of experiences I'm not a part of.  She's growing up.

Finally, the evening (real) trick or treat in our neighborhood.  This is Lucy's "my daddy is coming" face.  Jamie's just trying to figure out how to bend in the middle with that costume on.

 For Eric, I think it was a lesson in how many neighbors I know.  There is a neighborhood play group, so I know almost everyone who has small children around out street and they were all out and about.  Our fun was cut short by an emergency trip to the potty, but after our Halloween extravaganza, I think it was ok.

I'll leave you with the cutest photo of my Jamie Bee.

And on to November with the next post ....