The Orlando Science Center

Today we went to the Orlando Science Center. This is a place that I have very fond memories of from when I was little. It's changed a lot but it's still very cool. They have since moved to a new building and added a bunch of new things for kids of all ages. The first thing we did was "pick oranges" and it turned out to be Jaiden's favorite. The kids would "pick" the oranges off the tree then put them in 1 of 2 places. I think he spent 30 min in this room alone...

The next stop was the kitchen which is always a hit with my boy. This one was even red so it was a fire kitchen.

After that was the water table. This is one of the better ones that we've seen. It's basically a flat table with pegs in it that moves water from one end to the other. The kids would then use the blue and yellow barriers to divert the water different ways. Then they could use the boats to show where the current way flowing... He had a blast and he was very focused.

Of course they had a transportation room which was again, set up very nicely with trains, planes and a space shuttle. (Grandma liked this room because there were nice soft couches.)


As with most museums, they had a rotating exhibit. The one we saw was frogs. Jaiden was not very impressed with this one but this tank was pretty cool...

Then we came to the room that reminded me of the old science center with all of the classic stuff. The one that captivated Jaiden was the pine car track. He mist have run that car down the track 20 times and he was so focused! Grandma and I got to play with a lot of the other toys but we'll have to come back when Jaiden is a bit older.

Another traveling exhibit was the Dino's. Again, Jaiden was not very impressed. He just wanted to see the one that moved. Jess and Anna wanted a video of Lilli 'growling' in front of the Dino's but no luck. The closest I got was a picture.

Last but not least was the toy room. Grandma and I were quite tired by this time but Jaiden was still going strong. They had this great house where the kids could build the house. I think he earned his contractors license today...It was a great day. We were sad that Nanay wasn't there too but we'll come back. Lilli has been learning b leaps and bounds. She can now roll with ease and is even pushing up on her hands. I call this baby yoga. She is so tickled with her new skill. Tomorrow is fishing with grandpa guy so more picture to come...

In love and light,

Steph, (Anna), Jaiden and Lilli

More FL

So today was a GREAT day. The kids and I spent the morning by the pool enjoying the FL sunshine. After lunch, we went to Bounce U and Jaiden and I got our date. Grandma help Lilli so we got to play and play and bounce and bounce. I was laughing so hard my whole head hurt and Jaiden and I were both sweating after the hour and a half. We were the only ones there so we had the run of the place! After that, we met Ashley and Claudia for dinner at Joe's Crab Shack. Ashley brought her "lil man" who is 2 months younger that Jaiden. Again, Jaiden played and played and played some more. (Close to the end of dinner, the music came on. I looked over to find Jaiden in a fenced off corner of the deck dancing. It was great!) Needless to say, he didn't eat so we brought his dinner home. Shortly after we got home, this is what I found...

Here are a few pictures from our morning too...

gotta love the hair!!!

Love and hugs,

steph, anna, jaiden, and lilli

Our Fl Trip

Here is a little teaser from our trip. More to come... :)

Lilli

This one speaks for itself (or herself)...

Enjoy!

Snow Day!!!

Here in GA, it's pretty rare that we get snow and when we do, it surely doesn't stick arourd too long so we quickly took advantage of it. Jaiden and I stayed in mostof the day while it snowed, and snowed, and snowed... 3-4" total. Before the sun went down, we managed to get all dressed up and outside. (all 4 of us.) Here are a few pictures...
Love and hugs,
Steph, Anna, Jaiden and Lilli

Part 2

Here are a few misc pictures from my camera. I found that toting 2 kids and a camera is often impractical so the phone is a blessing.

Jaiden at the park exploring all of the different ways to go down the slide.

Sister Love!

Beautiful babies!! (even though Jaiden says he's a big boy.)

The Yellow River Game Ranch.

Happy Hair!

Not so happy hair...

Even with a bow, the hair still wins.

This is from Christmas day when the big boys (Tommy and Davie) race their rc cars. Jaiden had to get in on the action so... If you listen, you can hear him say "Watch out, race cars coming through."

I think this one speaks for itself.

Love and hugs!

Steph, Anna, Jaiden and Lilli

ps - Anna is doing great too. Maybe she will hijack the blog again and tell you for herself ;)

Wow, it's been a while

So I just realized just how long its been since I updated the blog and to my defense, I tried about a month ago. I got a few pictures uploaded and someone needed something so... I guess we'll start with Christmas. It was wonderful! We went down to FL which we haven't done in a while and of course, Jaiden loved all of the attention and Lilli got plenty of hugs (not to mention all of the presents that both kids got. A BIG Thanks to all!) Above is one version of the traditional "family photo" which is always amusing. It's great to see how the family has changes over the past 30+ years.


I recently read a book in my quest to become an API leader that really inspired me and got me thinking about family and the real meaning of the word. The book was "Hold on to your Kids" and it was all about attachment, what that means and how to create it. In years past, society was set up to foster the child's attachment to an adult (usually the parents) but now, with technology going faster than traditions, parents need to actively pursue a relationship with their kids. One part of the book was about creating traditions. I realize now that my family DOES have them, I really enjoy them, and I want to share them with my children. I guess have kids of your own lets you stop and think about what is important. For me, it's my kids.
Speaking of which, we have all enjoyed me staying home with them. Jaiden thoroughly enjoys the library and the park (when it's warm enough) and Lilli LOVES the bath (see the pics below).


Gilbert loves everyone but especially Lilli. It seems like whenever I am nursing or she is sitting somewhere, he is right next to (or on top of) her. Sometimes he will play with her but we try to limit that behavior since his play includes his needle like appendages.

I still struggle to get Jaiden in the bath but when I succeed, he has a great time. I am constantly trying to find some new use for an old thing that will entice him to de-stink so on this occasion, it was a pitcher. These pictures are definitely going in the scrap book. He is not bathing with sister yet but I'm hopeful that when she gets a bit bigger, they will have pitchers of fun together.

With the extra time of us being home, we had the opportunity to make a cake. One evening, while Anna and Jaiden were on YouTube, they came across this cake so... we made it. Of course jaiden had as much fun eating it as he did making it but that's what it's all about, right!

Lilli, on the other hand, would probably stay in the bath 24-7 if she could. that is my secret weapon if she gets too fussy, which isn't too often but it's still good to have. She is a GREAT baby but I often say how could a baby not be great. Last week she started blowing bubbles and just yesterday, she rolled over 3 times! She sleeps great at night and it helps a lot that she is in our room.

( I figured I'd include a picture of me for once...)

Jaiden's breakfast face: frozen blueberries.

I'm going to upload a few videos and a few more pictures from my phone so stay tuned.

For those of you that are interested, I am in the process of becoming an API Leader. That stands for Attachment Parenting International. You can get more information at http://www.attachmentparenting.org/ but to me, it's all about parenting with love and respect. I will keep you up to date as to my progress.

Love and hugs!

Steph, Anna, Jaiden and Lilli