visit to vermont

At the end of April we took a trip to Vermont, where Matt's family is from, for three days.

The kids were able to meet Grandmom and Granddad for the first time.  They walked right up to them, asked for hugs, and wanted to share their toys.  It was wonderful to see them all interact with their great grandparents.

While Granddad had some doctor's appointments we went to all the traditional sites.  We went to Ben & Jerry's, the Cider Mill, and the Cabot Cheese Store.  Matt had a blast showing the kids all the places he went to and traditions he did as a kid.

We stopped by to see Grammy and Grampy's grave site while we were nearby.  It was nice to "visit" them.  The kids didn't really understand what we were there for but they knew it was important.  Bryce loved sitting on the little step and Zoey wanted to kiss the stone.

We loved being able to spend time with the family.  The kids loved Granddad's "toys", running the halls of the rehab center, playing with the family, and walking with Granddad.

We had a wonderful visit to Vermont!!!
.katherine.

easter

This year we had a quiet Easter here in Minot.  It was wonderful to spend the day as a family and remember all the gifts we have been blessed with.  In the morning we went to mass and of course got the kids all dressed up.

While we were at mass the Easter bunny brought baskets for all of us, even the dogs!

The rest of the afternoon we all hung out, got in some naps, and played with new toys.

We finished off the day with a ham dinner...complete with deviled eggs that look like chicks.

Overall it was a wonderful Easter and a great reminder of what is important!  Hope you had a wonderful Easter as well!
.katherine.


 

saint patrick's day

St. Patrick's Day was very low key at our house this.  We did wear our green both the day of and day before

and Zoey and I made green cupcakes.

It was a great weekend with the family!
.katherine.

learning time

You hear it everywhere...kids are sponges, they soak up everything.   I am amazed at how true it is when I watch Bryce and Zoey!  About two months ago I was talking to a friend about the kids development and the fact that they weren't talking much.  Although I know this is normal, it was difficult because I didn't always know what they wanted and we were all getting frustrated.  We taught them the basic signs (all done, milk, more, please, thank you, dog) and they did those consistently but I was ready to hear words or understand more.   She suggested the Baby Signing Time videos, her twins used them and loved them.  I wasn't sure at first...I didn't want to just sit my kids in front of a TV and expect them to learn.  They actually didn't watch any TV or videos for the entire first year of their lives!

We started watching the videos and the kids vocabulary exploded and they were signing nonstop within days!  They love the videos and they have some fun catchy songs.  Now the kids have signs for all their clothing items, the weather, foods, drinks, animals, and vehicles!  The best part is, now they are also now trying to say the words too.  Zoey says a lot more than Bryce but girls tend to do that!

In addition to the Baby Signing Time, I added the LeapFrog "Letter Factory" video into the mix this week.  I had been looking into effective ways to teach the kids their alphabet and this video kept popping up and several of my friends recommended it so I figured we would try it.  Again, like most videos for children, it has catchy songs and a lot of visual stimulation but the kids love it.  We started watching it three days ago: Zoey already does/attempts the sounds for the letters B, D, F, H, L, M, Q, S, T, and V!  Bryce LOVES the "S" sound and watches the video closely...I am sure one of these days he will just blurt out the sounds like a mad man!      

I am still not a fan of the kids watching much TV but I will gladly use educational videos/programs to expand upon what I can teach them, especially with these wonderful results!  I highly recommend both these video programs to any parent!!!  Just beware that you will be signing the songs in your sleep...they are VERY catchy!!!

Here are the links to the videos I am talking about:
http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Signing-Time-DVD-Collection/dp/B007NZ1JBY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1363302654&sr=8-2&keywords=baby+signing+time+dvd+set
http://www.amazon.com/LeapFrog-Letter-Factory-Ginny-Westcott/dp/B001TKUXUC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1363302706&sr=8-1&keywords=letter+factory

.katherine.