busy, busy, busy

This week I started a new "job". I get the privilege of watching a sweet little boy while his mommy goes to work. So far, it really has been fun! He is the same age as Ady, so she has someone to play with all day while her brother is in school. They get along very well, and we've been having a good time.

Yesterday, I took advantage of yet another Culture Pass. This time, we went to the Arizona Museum for Youth. I was a little worried about what it would be like. It is clear on the other side of town, so it took more than 30 minutes to get there. I looked it up online and found some less than rave reviews. But, since it was free, I figured we would go anyway.

It was GREAT! They have a very cute display there right now called "My Favorite Monster". There were all kinds of exhibits about MONSTERS! There were also lots of art supplies to make masterpieces with, and blocks to build with. There was a little play area that was perfect for three-year-olds.

But, the very best part was called "ArtVille". It is a "town" made of art supplies big enough for ages 4 and under to run and play in. And boy did they run! And, in the middle, there was a little area for JUST ages 2 and under. It was perfect for crawlers like Ainzlee. I was able to put her in there to play and still watch the older kids as they ran around. We stayed there quite a bit longer that I thought we would because the kids were having such a great time!

I'm hoping have something fun to do with the kids everyday. I want to do a "preschool" with them. At least try to teach them something every day. Having two kids to teach will keep me motivated.

(Once again, I forgot my camera. Only had the cell phone, so these aren't great pictures, but it's the best I could do.)

Monster Puzzles



Dancing like a monster


The Dinosaur we built (Robbie is hiding, he didn't want me to take his picture)


Building with blocks


Playing the baby zone


All three kids fell fast asleep on the way home!

First Day of School!

Today was Zander's first day of kindergarten. He did great! He said that he had a really good day. They learned about how school works. They had a fire drill. Had lunch and recess. Plus, they talked about the color red and circles.

He even had homework! It was just a simple tracing worksheet, he was quite proud of it.

It was a little bit rough on my to send my little boy out into the world. The school had what they called a "boo-hoo breakfast" for all the kindergarten moms. I thought it was a neat idea. It was fun to meet some of the other moms. Plus, it made it a little bit easier on me - I didn't cry at all. (Although I came very close a couple times.)

We are doing a carpool with two other moms. Since the school is about 15 miles away, it will be nice not to have to drive all the time.

The Last Week...

My baby boy starts school next Tuesday! So, I wanted to do what I could to make the most of our last week together before life as we all know it changes forever. *sigh*

So, I thought getting Culture Passes would be the way to go. Fun family entertainment/education for FREE!

So, on Monday Morning, the kids and I headed over to the Desert Sage Library to try to get some passes. The best word I've heard to describe that library is "hardcore". That is the truth. There is always a large crowd of people waiting to get in, and then as soon as the doors open, there is a mad dash to the stand that holds the passes. It is seriously a race! Well, with three kids in tow, it's pretty hard to be speedy, so we did not get one of the more sought after passes. Instead, we had to take what we could get, which in our case turned out to be the Phoenix Zoo.

Now, ordinarily, I would probably be pretty excited to take my kids to the zoo. It's fun, right? Well, we live in Phoenix, and this week we happen to have an Excessive Heat Advisory. Yikes. So, I decided that we'd still try to make the most of it. We tried to get there early - 8:30 is actually pretty early for us. I took lots of water bottles, in a little cooler to try to keep them cold.
The first hour or so that we were there wasn't too bad. We watched the monkeys for quite a while - that was lots of fun. We saw elephants and giraffes and birds...
They had a "Wild About Animals" show at 9:30, but only showed 4 animals, all of them were desert dwellers.
That's when it started to get HOT. We found the splash park and got wet. I should have planned ahead and brought suits and towels, but I figured with the heat, it really didn't matter. A few minutes in the sun we'd be dry anyway. Plus, being wet made it a little more bearable.
Then we made our way over to the petting zoo. The only animals to pet are goats, but the kids like them. (mostly)
I forgot my camera and didn't think to use my cell phone until this point of the day



We left the petting zoo in a hurry when Sebastian the goat came out of his pen. He is the biggest goat I've ever seen. He was almost as tall as me - on all fours! The kids petted him for a minute - until he turned his head and nipped at Ady. She screamed and we left.
We played on the tractors for a few minutes.

Then we met Daddy for lunch, came home and crashed! Being in the sun is tiring. But it was nice to go to the zoo without having to deal with big crowds!

Today, I thought I would try my luck again. But, I decided to go to the Maryvale Library instead since I've heard it isn't as crazy. That was true. We were able to walk right in (not run) and get a pass for the Arizona Science Center.
We decided to leave right from the library and head over there to use our pass. It was REALLY fun! They have a LEGO exhibit which is really incredible! Castles of all kinds made out of LEGOs. And lots of LEGOs to play and build with. Plus, dress up costumes for knights and princesses! They even had a baby area that Ainzlee was able to play in. All the kids LOVED it and didn't want to leave!
(my cell phone doesn't do very well taking pictures indoors)





I am very glad that we were able to spend this fun time together. I'm a little sad about sending my baby boy off to school next week, but I know that he is ready, and it will be the best thing for all of us.