Fun in the... Rain

Usually when it rains here it really pours hard and if you were to go out in it you may end up with bruises from some of the giant drops. Recently we had an unusually light rain, perfect for playing in! The kids went out side and discovered the stream of water coming off our roof line, they had a great time sticking their heads in it. When I finally got my camera they were both soaked! Here's our rainy day photo shoot!

Lilli would run out in the rain, turn around and say CHEESE! Then run back to see what she looked like, that's how we got these 3 fabulous photos! She also had some Elmo stamps all over her face which of course just adds to the awesomeness :o)

The Little Engine that Could

I really enjoy finding budget friendly things to do here in Waco with our kids. Our latest adventure was to see "The Little Engine that Could" at the historic Hippodrome theater. The theater is struggling financially and it didn't look like they were going to be able to finish out this year's season but after receiving a donation to carry them through the show was back on. We bought our tickets for $5 each and didn't have to pay for Lilli since she's still under 2. Unfortunately it looks like after this season the theater will be closing for a while (possibly a few years) until they can figure out a way to stay afloat financially.

To make the night extra special we met our friends Brian and Breck Gamel and their little boy Oliver for dinner at Gratzianos. (their baby, Bennett, stayed home with a babysitter this night) Oliver's birthday falls right between our kids' birthdays so they all get along really well. Following the show we got some frozen yogurt because, really, who goes to any performance without getting some ice cream afterwards!

The kids enjoyed every bit of our evening including the face-painting before the show. Lilli's favorite part was dancing in the aisle during the musical numbers and Roy's favorite part was when the little blue engine helped and said "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can!"

Lilli sat super still for a flower to be painted on her face.

Roy chose to get a smiley face.

She wouldn't smile to show off her painting, I think she was trying to let it dry :o)

Here's a shot of the cast of the show, the bright colors are what kept our kids' attention.

Roy's face while watching intently.

Lillian's face while watching intently.

Roy and Daddy eating frozen yogurt.

Lilli and Mommy eating frozen yogurt.

Oliver, Roy, and Lilli had a great time chasing each other around the frozen yogurt shop!

Family night out!

Mommy Tip #1

So since I became a mother I have realized that I live my life in procedures. Yes... I have a procedure for just about everything from how to get from the house to the car... to what is the best way to deal with a vomiting child. I think through what would be the most efficient and logical way to do things before I even attempt to do it. This can be a good thing... (when the procedures go as planned) or a horribly stressful thing... (when the procedures don't go as planned). I have decided to log my best tips and tricks and would love to hear some of yours too!


Mommy Tip #1: Park next to a cart return every time you go shopping.
The best way to tackle the grocery store, craft store, Wal-mart, or Target (especially with multiple children) is to secure a spot next to the cart return. Even if you have to walk 1/2 a mile it's worth it! When you're finished shopping and you want to get your purchases and your kiddos to the car safely and quickly you just roll them right up to the cart return and load up. Mission accomplished!

At least she has a tongue...

Roy says the goofiest things lately, things you would think a 30 year old might say... not a 3 year old. While watching an episode of The Land Before Time (yes they made a TV show of it) and there is a girl character named Ruby, she is pink and I'm not sure what kind of dinosaur she is but Roy was watching her talk and said very matter-of-factly, "She doesn't have any teeth. At least she has a tongue."

Then later during the show the dinosaurs were walking on a path that went near the edge of a cliff and he said "That's dangerous mom, they shouldn't be doing that." So I asked him, "What shouldn't they be doing?" and he said, "They shouldn't be walking so close like that they could fall." Then indeed they did fall and he said, "See I told you mom!"

Build A Bear

The Monday following Easter Josh and I both had off so we split up and did a special Daddy-Son day and Mommy-Daughter day. Roy and Josh went to the theater to see "How to Train Your Dragon" they saw it in 3-D and Roy even wore his glasses the entire time. Since that day his Happy Meal dragon toys have gone with him everywhere. We've let him play the memory game on the movie website so now he wants to do that everyday too. It's hard to teach a 3 year old moderation!

Lilli and I went to the mall to hit up Build-a-Bear while the boys were at the movie. She loves stuffed animals and is very loving to them so I thought that she would really like it and she most certainly did. She picked out her bear, helped stuff it, did the heart ceremony, brushed it, and chose a cute little fairy dress for it. I helped her name it... Porky D is the bear's official name on her birth certificate but we just call her Porky. She got that name because that's what Josh calls Lilli sometimes, Porky, Porky Delectable, or Porky D - it's ironic nickname since she's so small. The lady in the store said that Lilli was the youngest to do the entire heart ceremony, I got out my camera to catch the last few things she did and will post that as soon as I get it on the computer. Here are some pics to show the birth of Porky!

The lady who helped us assemble Porky
Lilli touching Porky's nose

Putting her little heart in it...I got to put a heart in her too

Brushing her off at the washing station

Dressing her in her new outfit

Lilli's New Carseat!

As you know both of our kids are on the small side... we thought Roy was small and then we had Lilli! Roy was able to move out of his infant carrier carseat at about 14 months, you can't be turned to face forward in a car seat until you are 1 and weigh 20 pounds. Most one year olds are over 20 pounds, not ours. Lilli took even longer, we could have put her in a big girl car seat and had her face backwards but decided not to make the purchase until she was ready to face forward. At her 18 month appointment she was really close to 20 lbs so shortly after that we ordered her new car seat for her. It arrived just in time for her 19th month birthday! I made a pretty big deal about it, taking pictures and showing her how pretty and soft it was, she was pretty excited. She really loved it when I was ready to drive and turned around to back-up; she had a huge smile on her face and said "hi momma!" She's most definitely a happier rider now that she's in on all the action!

She was pretty proud of her new ride.

This is when she realized she could see me while I was driving .

Classroom Makeover

Two teachers from my district are finalists to win a $25,000 classroom makeover and they need your help! Visit this website: http://www.perryop.com/overhaul/finalists.html and vote for Rapoport Academy in the elementary category and Meyer High School in the high school category. There will be one winner for each category and votes decide who wins, our school is kind of small so we need all the help we can get!

Roy's Stats

Both of our children have been near the bottom of the growth charts all of their tiny little lives, the last time Roy went he was sitting about the 4th or 5th percentile meaning that about 95% of boys his age are bigger than he is, and Lilli is in the 1st percentile putting 99% of girls her age bigger than her. The place where they excel is head size... Roy's head has always been about the 70th percentile and Lilli about 60th. Roy hadn't been to his pediatrician in a while so I was really curious to see how he would measure up at his 3 year visit.

The results are in:
Weight: 28lbs 2oz - putting him in the 14th percentile!
Height: 36.25 inches - putting him in the 20th percentile!

Our little guy is getting so big!!

While at his visit he was also given a vision and hearing test. After some explaining and a few "I don't knows." He passed his vision test just fine.

He seemed more confused about the hearing exam. He was supposed to raise his hand to show what ear he heard a noise in but the nurse would push a button and he would just sit there, she asked him if he heard anything he'd say yes and then point to the ear he heard it in. Then after being reminded to raise his hand he would raise it. He did this 4 or 5 times and she finally passed him. Later the pediatrician said he must have done really well, she said 3 year olds rarely pass the hearing test because it's so difficult.