Maplewood Nature Center

This past week Owen and I went with our moms group to the Maplewood Nature Center. Even though there was a tiny turnout we had a really fun time. The child and I discovered this place (as in new-to-us) a few weeks back and had a chance to explore the place a bit.

It is quite a nice facility. The staff is really helpful and the naturalist they had on hand spent a lot of time with Owen and explained things to him in a very relaxed and unhurried way. I really appreciated that. I feel like I spend so much time trying to hurry him up (for what?) that seeing another person slow down with him and engage him was wonderful to see. A little reminder to stop and smell the roses. Or in this case, stop and make a picture of a butterfly's life cycle. He did great. The egg to the larva to the chrysalis to the butterfly. Poetic

As you can see in the photo there was a small turn out, but that's OK! We had the room to ourselves : )

I took a few outside shots of the water behind the nature center. There is a nice path to walk around, but it was too chilly to venture far on the water. Instead we played outside closer to the building and in the warm sun.

Did you know that a pair of Cardinals will keep a territory of 3-10 acres?

Nemo 1 and Nemo 2

A few months ago we bought the child a small fish tank and a few gilled friends to go in it. Originally we had two glofish. They were named Goldie and Stripey. Occasionally, their names were switched for a day or two and then promptly exchanged again.

Unfortunately, Goldie and Stripey were not long for this world and the fish tank was literally shelved until a couple of weeks ago when a spur of the moment trip to the local Petsmart brought us together with our newest aquatic friends, Big Nemo and Little Nemo. ( I don't even wonder about name choices anymore) Along with our new fish we also bought them a new treasure chest to swim through. Funny enough, they seem to like it and spend a fair amount of time swimming through it and poking around it. Little Nemo is quickly becoming as large as Big Nemo and we are running into the Yeager curse of overfeeding our pets. Since these new buddies are indeed Fantail Gold Fish, and I do not believe Goldfish are known for their longevity, we had better ease up on the flakey food if we want to keep them around awhile. We are trying to convince the child to get a few snails, but so far no go. What little boy doesn't want snails? I think I am close to breaking him down. (just kidding)

Chilly day fort

What do you do on a dreary, weary day? Well here in the Yeagerhood we take off all of the couch cushions, find a sheet, and grab a few Planet Heroes and build a fort.

Apparently there weren't enough pillows on the first attempt at fort building. I can't complain- it's pretty fun : )

Weather

So, on March 21st we had this beautiful day. In the evening we actually had the sliding door open and enjoyed a nice evening breeze. It felt like Spring was finally here......

Until of course, April 1st, when the view that greeting from my kitchen window was a bit less Springy than I had hoped for. What a cruel, cruel April Fool's Joke.

At least this time of year is warmer and the snow doesn't last long. But still....

Sushi

A few weeks ago Troy and I decided to try our hand at making sushi. You know what? It turned out alright! Not perfect, but for our first time I think it went well. A few weeks prior we visited with a few of Troy's friends who were sushi making gurus and they made it seem so fun that we had to try it ourselves. We stuck with the basics; crab, carrot, cucumber, egg, and avocado. Yum! This is something we will definitely do again. Maybe next time we'll try a little tuna or halibut.

Minnesota Science Museum

On Monday we joined a few friends at the Minnesota Science Museum. We had a really wonderful time exploring the dinosaur bones, the human body, and other mind expanding exhibits. I was unsure if Chief was too young to enjoy the Science Museum, but we stayed for hours. I suppose it doesn't matter if he "gets it" or not- it's all about exposure. We have recently started reading The Magic School Bus books and it was wonderful to be able to reference our experience at the museum to the stories. Seeing the lightbulb of connection going on is a really amazing thing.


























We aren't quite ready to trade in the Children's Museum for the Science Museum just yet, but we are definitely looking forward to our next adventure in exploration.

Happy Birthday!

Happy 4th Birthday !!!!!!
Well, the past few years have just flown by and our Little Chief has celebrated his fourth birthday. We started this most special of days with some wonderful snuggles with Papa and Mama, lots of hugs and kisses, and a pancake breakfast. Some maple syrup is just what you need to get the day off to a sugary, energetic start.

Good Morning, Birthday Boy!
Mama: Wow, do you feel 4 years old?
Chief: Well, I still feel 3!
Mama: Really? because you look 4
Chief: Well, maybe I do feel 4!!!!

At about 12:30p.m. the birthday party was beginning. The theme this year? Pirates!
I'm not sure if it's every little boy, but most of the boys we know love a pirate, a superhero, a space hero, or a race car. We really could have closed our eyes and picked any of these themes and our son would have been happy as can be, but when you leave the choice to an almost 4 year old, you will undoubtedly end up having a party where the guests say "Argh, Matey," battening down the hatches is expected, all sails must be trimmed, if your not careful you will be swabbing the decks, and everyone is looking for treasure.

Two peas in a pod. Or should I say to pirates on a boat? These two buddies have so much in common they even dressed alike!

Papa Bear led the scallywags on a treasure hunt that ended with a treasure chest pinata. I had no idea it would take Papa finally busting the thing open to get to the goods. They make them tough! We ended up putting it on a stool in hopes that one of the kids would bust it up.

Finally booty!

The Pirates Yeager

Make a wish Birthday Boy!

Cake for all!

Birthday gifts! Better than gold!

By the end of the day we were all tuckered out. A couple of the boys chilled out on the sofa and watched Cars. It was a fun, busy, very full day for everyone. I want to send out a big thank you to Erinn for sharing with us the secrets of the perfect paper pirate hat. They were awesome. Thank you to all of our friends and Chiefs friends who made this day very special to us all.

Four years ago the most amazing person entered my life. He was born at 11:30 p.m. March 7, 2005. He was beautiful and perfect. He still is. When his daddy and I wrapped our arms around him we knew that our lives would be forever changed. Yesterday, Papa and I were giving each other a hug and Chief came up and said he wanted a hug, too. We picked him up and wrapped our arms around him, holding him close to hearts. I am blessed. Everyday.