Can we fix it?

Imagine It! Children's Museum of Atlanta

Can we fix it? Yes, we can!

When we were down in Atlanta for the Thanksgiving weekend Chief, G'Pa, and I were able to check out the Children's Museum of Atlanta. They were sporting a Bob the Builder Exhibit so we just had to check that out! If it involves tool, machines, building, or (de)construction we Yeagers will be there. I don't know if this was the same Bob exhibit that we had here at our children's museum, but it was very similar if it wasn't. I'm not sure if most of these exhibits are like many traveling museum exhibits or not. It was fun, so I don't suppose it matters, but I think I might look into that just to sate my curiosity.

As you can see, we were one of the only groups there that day. By Atlanta standards I think the weather was too cold and too windy. And it was cold and windy! I didn't think it would be like that down there. It was nice to be able to explore the facility with out having to push our way up to activities, though. It really is a nice set up. One large room with different stations to explore, cafeteria style tables to eat at, and a gift shop.

I asked him to jump on Scoop "just like Bob"

I had no idea that moon sand was SO fun! We molded and shaped for quite awhile. I am tempted to buy some for home, but I lack the 10 foot table and janitorail staff to help with containment and clean up.

This water station was cool. It was a water fall design with little pools. It was filled with little "fish" and had fishing poles easily accessible. My only complaint was that instead of aprons they provided rain coats. Most had buttons missing so the child got wet! We ended up purchasing a shirt form the lovely gift shop so he wouldn't be totally soaked when we went to lunch. We would have bought pants if they had those, too!

I'm really glad we decided to go to this musuem. We will absolutley go again when we get back to Atlanta. Fun, fun, fun!

Thanksgiving in Atlanta

Happy Thanksgiving!
This year we flew to Atlanta to spend time with G'Ma and G'Pa. We had a fantastic dinner! Turkey, mash, sweet potoatoes, salads, pumpkin pies, oh my! Did I mention the appitizers? Shrimp, crab dip, brie, nuts, crackers, and more I have forgotten! I swear to you we ate for days!!! Not only was dinner fantastic the cold turkey sandwiches the next day were divine. Is there any thing tastier? My only complaint is that we did indeed eventually run out of food. I suppose the culinary joys of this eat-fest had to come to a close sometime.

Aunt Barb, Aunt Judy, Cousin Allie, Cousin Brian and g'friend Allison, and Aunt D'arcy were all there to join in the feast. People came in from St. Louis, New York City, Saint Paul, and Chicago.

The weather was beautiful on Thanksgiving and we had a smooth flight experience. Of course, the weather turned on us for the rest of our trip. It rained buckets for days after that, but I suppose Atlanta welcomed the water so I can't be too upset.

Dinner table all ready for the feast!

Everyone hanging out inthe family room getting ready to eat!

Great Aunt Brab and Aunt D'arcy doing a little cooking

We also got to celebrate Aunt Barb's 60th birthday! Happy Birthday, Barb!!

I have loads more photots and I will break them up into different posts. I didn't want to overwhelm you with a gigantic holiday thread. Stay tuned!

Painted Illumination

So, what do you do with a $5 lamp shade from the clearance end cap at Target and a $3 lamp base from Goodwill? Why you paint it, of course! We have been hunting for a nice bed side lamp for Chief's room and have yet to find anything we loved. When I came across a plain white lamp shade my brain lit up and I knew what we were going to do! Papa Bear, Little Chief, and I sat down one evening at the kitchen table with some craft paint and with brushes in hand had a fun filled family craft night.

A friend of mine complimented me on being able to let the child participate in decorating and designing accents in his room. While I thank her from the bottom of my heart, I would be lying if I said it was easy to turn creative control over to a 3 year old. I tend to like things just so and I have strong feelings when things go/look differently than I think they should. That being said I do try to allow him to have a say in his surroundings even as I add my own flair. It turned out to be an awesome lamp shade.

The three of us had a lot of fun spending time together, working on a project. Life moves so fast sometimes that it's easy to let family time fall by the wayside. When we sit at the table together and do little things like this lamp painting it reminds me of how fortunate I am. I have good, loving spouse- even though he makes me a little nutty at times and I have a great kid- even if he regularly drives me to Crazy Land. I'm sure I inflict upon them my own brand of craziness, but they don't seem to complain too often. I don't know why I am so blessed, but far be it from me to question the reasons of the universe. So I will just give my thanks.

back of lamp

front of lamp

I have to say that it is SO nice to have a bed side lamp in his room. No more harsh overhead light for reading books! Whoo-hoo!

Such a boy!

I'm not quite sure when it happened, but sometime within this past year my darling toddler turned into a rambunctious little boy. He loves nothing more than to run, jump, leap, and climb. We now spend at least a few minutes everyday taking all of the pillows and cushions off of the couch and creating elaborate agility courses. We run down the hall, jump over blankets, kick the football, weave through the kitchen, walk the couch frame, jump to the lounger, and finally leap into the pile of pillows. and then we do it again. And again. Well, he does it again and again. I participate some, mostly keeping a phone handy to call 911 (Heaven forbid!).

When the lure of diving into pillows wears out, he then turns to the ever popular "build a fort." He gets upset if it's not just right or the cushions fall. Who knows? Maybe I'm looking at a future architect.

Actions shot

Boy's got some good air onthis one!

The pure joy is so apparent on his face. How can I say no?

Winter is a comin'

Just a few days ago this was what greeted us when we woke up and looked out to the back deck. It was just a dusting, but it was a little preview of what's to come. I'm not sure I'm ready for the snow to fly, but Chief is more than ready. He can't wait to build a snow fort, eat the snow (I know- stay away from the yellow snow!), make snow balls, and do just about anything snow related.

the back deck

out the kitchen window

OK, Winter. We're getting ready for you. We have the boots, the hats, the mittens, the coats. The 4 wheel drive is working and the snow blower has been fixed. I think we can take it. Bring it on.

Visit with the G'Parents and a gift from Teri

A few weeks ago G'Ma and G'Pa came up for a little visit. We had a great time! A very good friend of G'Ma's, Teri, stopped by to deliver a belated housewarming gift to us, a book for Chief, and then wisked G'Ma off to lunch.

The book Teri brought Little Chief was Colorful World illustrated by Melodee Strong. Complete with music CD, he more than enjoys his new book. We have a few books illustrated by Melodee Strong, and they are his favorites. Thank you so much, Teri!!

Sharing a nice day with G'Ma outside on the play set.

Swinging, a favorite thing

Soon we will be on an airplane on our way to Atlanta to visit G'Ma and G'Pa at their house for the Thanksgiving holiday. We are excited to go and Chief is SO excited for a plane ride. Get ready for us- we'll be there soon!!

Obama '08

Today Chief and I went to the polls to cast our vote. My little guy stood next to me while I registered us (new address), while I waited in line, and I held him while I filled out my ballot. He is too young to realize it, but today, he participated in an historic election. Barack Obama is the President-Elect of the United States of America. I am always proud to be a citizen of this country, but today I am especially proud of us, as a nation, for taking a chance and believing in hope. Many blessings to this new first family and to all of us, as citizens of the United States and as citizens of the World.

BOO to you!

OK, OK, I know I have been a bad blogger lately, but it seems like the past few weeks have been really full. First Chief was sick for a whole week. That was not fun. Then this and that just kind of took over our lives and before I knew it over two weeks had passed without a word from us! I know you have been missing us, and I apologize ;p

Now that the excuses have been meted out, it's time for the good stuff.....


Mama and her garbage man

Happy Halloween!!!!

This year my darling son wanted to be a garbage man for Halloween! (Those of you who have heard this before stop rolling your eyes and bear with me.) Well, he wanted to be the actual truck, but I was able to convince him to be the man driving the truck. I asked throughout the month of October if he was sure he wanted to be a garbage man. I knew there would be a lot of work on this costume so I wanted him to be sure. I repeatedly asked if he wanted to be a superhero, a pirate, a cowboy, a monster, anything other than a garbage man. I reminded him he could dress up as anything in his imagination for Halloween. He would just look at me and say (more than once): "I'm going to be a superhero when I grow up. I'm going to be a garbage man for Halloween." So, the garbage man cometh.

The child was excited! Like really, really, really excited. He counted down the days until Halloween. He went to his friend"s Halloween party on Wednesday, had a costume parade at school on Friday, and had a sleepover on Halloween night!

The kids were freaking ADORABLE at preschool. They were all so happy to be dressed up and they put on a "show" for us parents by singing 4 songs in circle time. It was touching and sweet to see them engaged with their teachers and really being a part of a classroom.

Preschoolers on parade

All around the building and outside, too!

The Knight and the G-Man out trick or treating

We were able to trick or treat throughout the neighborhood with our good friends, the Backs, and our new neighbors as well. Happily the kids were more interested in getting the candy than eating it. (more for us grown ups!) We did have a little pizza party after the candy carousing, and Chief's best buddy, Evan, stayed the night. For not eating much candy those two sure stayed up really late! It was a special night, so exceptions were made : )

I have to admit that I was just as excited about the night as he was. I really enjoy All Hallows Eve and costume making is a huge part of it. I have, in the past, purchased ready made costumes, and I have made some of them myself. This year I think I have out done myself in the handmade category. (toot-toot!) It was fun to make, but Papa Bear's working headlights really put it over the top in for it's coolness factor. Way to go, Papa!

The whole crew getting ready for some candy!!

The highlight of the weekend was that both G'Ma and G'Pa were able to fly up for the weekend. I will be posting on that next. I think it deserves it's own post as it is special every time they stop up to visit. So, more of that to come.

I hope everyone had a safe, fun, sugar filled Halloween! I'm already planning on my yard design for next year : )

Preschooler Talk

The other day I was lucky enough to have not one, but two little boys named Owen in my car. As I was driving along I caught a bit of this conversation:

OY: Do you like steak?
OL: Steak? What's that?
OY: Oh steak is so good. I love steak.
OY: Do you like mac -n-cheese?
OL: Oh yea, I like ma-n-cheese
OY: Me, too! I love mac-n-cheese!
(pause......)
OL: I like bugs.
OY: To eat?
OL: nooooo.... mac-n-cheese bugs!"

I kinda lost the rest of the conversation, but it cracked me up! They were totally into this dialog. It was a funny and fantastic moment : )

Can I have S'more, please?

While the boys were off on their fun, fishing adventure I had a little one of my own. I went to Fleet Farm and picked up a great little outdoor fireplace. I haven't been to a Fleet Farm in a long time and it was pretty hoppin'. I did get the fireplace for a great deal and I saved .04 cents a gallon on fuel at their gas station. Not too shabby : )

So, after dinner Papa Bear went out and picked us up the fixings for S'mores. It was so nice to sit out in our back yard, fire glowing, melting marsh mallows, drinking a warm cup o' joe, and winding down the weekend. I had whittled a few sticks to nice sharp points and Chief watched as I set a fair share of the marsh mallows on fire.

We ate way too many S'mores, but that's really the pull of the the s'more, right? You just need some more : ) Unfortunatly, I think too many sweets has caught up with at least one of us. Little Chief seems to be having belly issues and keeps waking up. Poor little booger. I hope it was the sweets and not my overly dry roast (I will learn one day!) Oh wait- he wouldn't eat any of that...

Anyway....

I hope everyone had just as wonderful of a weekend as we did. I wish you all a beautiful week filled with shortened work hours, well behaved children, and winning lottery tickets.

Gone Fishin'

Is there any better way to spend a Sunday than going fishing with your G'Pa and Papa Bear? Today Little Chief got to go on an adventure with the taller Yeagers to Lake Elmo Park Preserve. G'Pa bought Chief a brand new Lightning McQueen fishing pole and the child has been asking non-stop since he got it to go fishing. They practiced casting off of the deck before they put it to real use.

Lake Elmo is a fantastic park! Fishing dock, hiking trails, swimming, camping, and great play grounds. And, if you're a lucky little Yeager, you even get to see an otter swimming by!
Papa Bear picked us up some vehicle passes so we can visit the park more often. They are good for a year and I know they will be well used.

G'Pa is going to be leaving this week to go back to Atlanta, so I am glad that the guys had a chance to hang out and spend some time together outside before the snow flies.

These are a few shots of the super cool playground. Papa took them with his iphone and I am pretty impressed with the quality.

P.S.- I made the Twins pullover that Little Chief is wearing. Turned out pretty well (if I do say so myself!).

Carve it up!

So..what did we do with those lovely pumpkins that we picked from the patch? We carved 'em up, of course! Well, actually we carved one up and decided to carve another next week, and another the week after that. I hope they all make it until Trick-or-Treat night. By "make it" I mean not rot and by "not rot" I mean not smashed by the neighborhood hooligans. (Not that we really have any neighborhood hooligans, we live pretty suburban, but still you never know...There was a gang of about 15 middle class white suburbanite girls hanging out across the street a few days ago, but I think that's a post for a different day.)

Anyway- back to topic- usually I am a big fan of the stereotypical Jack-O-Lantern with triangle eyes and a jagged, toothy grin, but this year I decided to try something new. Well, I decided to have Papa Bear and G'Pa try something new. I bought a pumpkin carving kit complete with little saws and patterns. The Chief decided that this first pumpkin was to be carved to the likeness of a skull and crossbones or The Jolly Roger. Beloved by little boys everywhere who like to play pirates and sneak the phrase "Argh, Matey" into as many conversations as possible.

As you can see my picture came out a bit (a lot) fuzzy, I think you can get the general idea.

Apple Pickin' and A Pumpkin Patch

This Saturday was the perfect day for going to an apple orchard! Each year for the past three years we have gone to one of the wonderful orchards that surround our fair city. We have gone to
Aamodt's Apple Farm and Afton Apple, and this year we went to Fischer's Croix Farm Orchard. Little Chief and I have also been to this farm for raspberry picking a few years ago. Although it seemed a bit smaller than either Aamodt's or Afton, we had a great time and the smallishness of the farm and orchard made us feel comfy and welcomed. Despite it's small size it we had big fun! There were lots of things to do (and eat!). We went on a tractor/wagon ride, picked pumpkins from the patch, ate apple brats, played in hay, and ate some of the BEST Honey Crisp apples I have ever had. The best part, of course, was spending the day with the family. G'Pa is in town visitng and he is just about Little Chief's favorite person in the world and Papa Bear and I admit to loving a babysitter :)

G'Pa, Papa Bear, and Little Chief

This was some crazy, inflatable, balloon filled apple that Chief played in. I thought it looked a little boring, but it was only a buck and the child loved it.

The corn maze, or the maize maze, as it were

Which way, Son? Go West, Dad!

Oh no! It was a good maze- we really did get lost....but we were following a three year old : )

We found it! Yipee! the maze ended at the .....

Pumpkin Patch! Time to pick a few pumpkins. Thank goodness the wagon picked us up and drove us back. We ended up with three good sized pumpkins.

Back at the orchard, Papa and Chief eat some apples right off the tree (stolen!)

After spending the day taking the pictures I convinced the child to take a picture with his Mama.

Happy Apples and Pumpkins to all!
Love,
The Yeagers

Fun at Chuck E. Cheese

Last Friday we were invited to the 3rd birthday party for our friend, Dela (the lovely lass in the above photo). We were pretty late because Chief had school that day, but one of the great things about our friends (and Chuck E.) is that late arrivals are welcomed as long a you show up ready for FUN!
We had a great time and there was even a few cupcakes left by the time we got there. There were rides, tickets, games, and friends, fun times to be had by all!! We stayed till there was no one left but the birthday girl (pictured above riding sideways in the vet car) and when I decided it was time for our departure from this wacky-child-Chuck E.-fun-extravaganza I was met with cries of discontent and demands that we stay for the rest of the day. Neither the birthday girl nor my darling son wanted the fun to end. I can't say as I blame them. If I were young enough to truly enjoy the sights and sounds of Chuck E. Cheese I might not want to have left either.

Happy Birthday to Dela!! Thanks again for inviting us!

Swimming!

I know, I know, I haven't had a new post in about a week. Bad Mama!. We did have had a few fun days here and there this past week, but alas, for most of it I have either forgotten my camera or been a situations where it wasn't appropriate to start snapping pictures. One such occasion was...swimming lessons!!

Little Chief had his very first swimming lesson this past Tuesday night at the Maplewood Community Center where we are new members. It went great! I really wanted to take a picture, but there were five other kids in the group as well as two other swimming group lessons going on. I was not going to go around and figure out who belonged to whom just to get a shot of Chief.

Anyway, it was so adorable to watch. It was another of those almost tear jerkers when I realized how much he is growing up. He followed directions from his instructor, Amy, and appreared to be really brave (from what I could see). It was a nice introduction to swimming. Amy had them all jumping around in a circle, she took them each on a guided loop, first on their backs and then on their bellies. They sang a song and played a game. After his lesson, Papa Bear and I donned our suits and continued to splash and play for another hour.

Sure, dinner was really late, and Chief didn't get to bed until 9:30 p.m., but we had so much fun it was totally worth it. Good Times.

My Heroes

So Papa Bear and little Chief are sitting on the sofa reading books while I am busy in the kitchen. They are chatting about this and that and I overhear...

Chief: Were you a superhero today, daddy?
Papa Bear: yep, sure was
Chief: Did you wear a cape?

I love my family!

Teddy Bear Park

Yesterday was a beautiful day! The sun was shining, the weather warm, and moods were high. We decided to meet our friends, the Wencl's, at Teddy Bear Park in Stillwater. We had a great time and the Chief got to play with his buddy, Leo. They had a blast! Afterward, we went to lunch with our friends followed up by another hour of play. The Chief only napped for a 20 minute car ride, but we had such a great day I was willing to sacrifice the nap. Thanks to Julia, Leo, and Landon for a fun day :)

Here O is telling Leo "This sign says no climbing on the rock." To which Leo replied "well, then I'll erase it." Too funny. Too smart.

They have the coolest play structures at this park.

Action shot of my guy jumping off some rocks.