playing

Building trouble

Posted on August 6, 2010 by wadmanclan

I have conflicted opinions about building toys – Legos, Tinkertoys, K’nex, Magnetix, anything where you take little things and put them together to make big things.

I love watching the kids play with them and seeing their creativity, they can make some pretty cool things.

The problems I have:  1) Having little pieces that don’t always get picked up and hurt to step on, 2) Once something awesome is built, the proud child doesn’t want anyone else to play with it….Ever.

Yes, what you made is cool, but it’s still made of [insert name of small plastic toy here] and it’s meant to be played with. If you use all of the whatever it is and expect it to stay intact, then no one else has any to play with. Not very fair for anyone else. Somehow they don’t seem to mind.

After too many arguments about he/she broke my toy or took my pieces, our solution is to take a picture so it can be taken apart and shared again.

Today Saedi went Art Deco.

Categories: playing, Saedi | Leave a comment

TODAY they get wet?!

Posted on June 27, 2010 by wadmanclan

Today was filled with more visiting/catching up for me but the kids only had to go along with part of it. I went to breakfast with Anna (very nice time) while the kids stayed with Grandma. When I got back they were just setting up her kiddie pools outside. Even after spending most of the afternoon yesterday in the pools at Grandma Kathy’s, they still wanted to swim at Grandma Lori’s today. I went out and watched them play and it was amazing, Nels AND Solvei wanted to get INTO the water. =P So all four kids had fun IN the pool today.

(They are all watching a train go past in this one)

Solvei and Nels were pretty fearless today. They loved getting into and out of all the different pools (they had 4 to choose from).

Gavin and Nels got their mo-hawks fixed up.

Solvei loved sitting down in one pool and flipping water all over herself.

I had planned on them only playing in the water for about an hour, but the were out for closer to two-and-a-half hours.



They were done just in time for the shade to disappear, and we had more visiting to get done before we go home. They didn’t mind too much though because they got to play when we visited Andrea’s family (always fun) in the evening.
Categories: Gavin, Nels, playing, Saedi, Solvei | Leave a comment

Party Time

Posted on June 26, 2010 by wadmanclan

Today started with breakfast at Jessie Jean’s with Laura. This trip has been pretty hectic but it’s nice to visit friends and catch up, even when it feels sort of rushed. Then we went and bought presents for the party today.

Today we celebrate Solvei and Nels’ birthday! Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Donnie are letting us have our celebration at their house so after we picked up the cake, we headed over there. Grandma had set up two kiddie pools and one big pool for all the kids to play in. Solvei and Nels were so excited to splash around in them but they REFUSED to get into them. (Solvei got in but wanted to get right back out again, and Nels wouldn’t even get in.) They loved splashing anyway from the side of the pool. Saedi and Gavin were little fish as long as their faces didn’t get wet (or would that make them ducks?).

Clay brought down some balls for the kids to play with in the water. Nels and Solvei liked to throw the ball into the pools at each other so it would splash each other. They did that for at least half an hour until the ball got so full of water it wouldn’t float anymore. Every time Solvei got splashed she made the same face, it was so cute. When Grandma Lori and Grandpa Larry came, Grandma stuck her feet into the pool while sitting in a lawn chair. Solvei thought that was so neat that she wanted to try it and only then would Nels put his feet into the water (while sitting between Grandma’s legs on the edge of the pool). They all had so much fun.

When everyone was done in the water we had dinner, the kids played some more…

We had cake and ice cream…



Hung out some more…

And then they opened presents. Nels was really into it at first but then the toys talked to him and made noise when they were opened so he wouldn’t have anything to do with the presents after that – Solvei had to finish opening everything for him.


After a very long day full of fun Solvei and Nels were asleep in the car before we got more than a block away. Happy Birthday little ones, love you!

Categories: birthdays, Gavin, Nels, playing, Saedi, Solvei | Leave a comment

Play-un in the Mount-uns

Posted on June 25, 2010 by wadmanclan
(in our best Utah accent)

Today we started our activities by having lunch with Vicki. I loved working with Vicki because it’s almost impossible to have a bad day around her; she’s always laughing. It was very nice to see her again. Thanks Vicki!

After lunch we went up to the mountains with Grandma Lori. Her church was having girls camp and she was supposed to be there, but since I was visiting she wasn’t. We went for her to make an appearance and to let the kids play “in the mountains”.

The kids spent a lot of time on the playground that is there. Solvei loved the swings, but Nels not so much.

Saedi and Gavin played with the merry-go-round for a long while (until Saedi’s “tummy was kinda yucky”). I love how Gavin thought it was neat when his cape was flying behind him because he was running so fast.

Solvei and Nels found the girls’ bucket stools and had to sit on every one.

Then we had dinner cooked on a campfire – hot dogs and s’mores.

Of course the kids loved it.

The kids played for a little while after we ate before we went home. Nels found a path that went from our fire pit to the playground by way of a tiny bridge over a little trickle of water so he had to go over it at least 50 times, making me nervous every time. Solvei loves to have her picture taken so I ended up with a bunch of her. (The first one shows her “where-did-it-go” expression.)

And of course there is an appearance with the hat.

While the big kids were back at the playground Grandma and I took the little kids to see the river. It was fascinating and rocks were thrown, as always happens when my children see water.

Categories: Gavin, Nels, playing, Saedi, Solvei | Leave a comment

Puddle Splashing Day

Posted on June 21, 2010 by wadmanclan

Usually you tell kids to not go near puddles because you don’t want them dirty or all wet. One of the best days I had living up here before, when Saedi was little, was when we took advantage of the frequent rain. One evening when we didn’t have anywhere to go and it wasn’t cold, I let her have at it – splash in as many puddles as she wanted. She loved it! It was so much fun.

Now Gavin is the one who can’t stay away from the puddles. I told him he could have a day like Saedi’s when it was warm and we weren’t doing anything.

Today while I was putting the roof-top-box onto the car it started pouring down rain. I was soaked in no time at all. Gavin came out to wanting to help me so when we were done I told him he could put on his rain boots and get as wet as he wanted.

There is a spot in front of our garage where the gutters either leak or just overflow (even though they were supposed to have been cleaned right before we moved in). Gavin stood under the stream for quite some time. He told me, “Mom, look! Rainbows are falling on me!”

When the rain started to let up, he found out that he could jump to grab the branches of the Japanese maple and shake them to make the water from the leaves fall in his face.

When he had shaken all the branches and they were no longer weighted down with water, he couldn’t reach them anymore no matter how high he jumped. So he moved back to the puddles.

When he was thoroughly soaked he was ready to go back inside.

 

Thanks to his trusty rain boots (that are so cool because they glow in the dark) –

– he said it was the best puddle splashing day ever.

Categories: Gavin, playing, rain | Leave a comment

"SIDEWALK" chalk

Posted on June 6, 2010 by wadmanclan

I needed to do a little yard work this weekend, to make it look like we do actually live here. I have mostly been working inside the house (unpacking and keeping up with dishes and laundry) since we have moved in. Nate has kept the lawn mowed, but we haven’t really done much else and the flower beds and shrubs are starting to show it. I brought the kids outside to play while I was working, so when I was done mowing the front I got out the sidewalk chalk for the kids to play with while I weeded the front flower beds.

It ended up being a lot more work than I thought so we were out there a while (good thing I sprayed everyone down with sun-screen when we went out). The kids got bored with the chalk before I was done with the work so they started to get creative with their drawing surfaces. (It may be called sidewalk chalk, but that’s not where they like to color with it.)

Nels started coloring on the front stoop,

Nels and Solvei colored their clothes and faces,

Solvei got her rear-end especially well,

and then they both colored on the house and the front door!

GOOD THING CHALK WASHES OFF!

After I got all the front work done and the chalk put away, I had to dump everyone into the bath before I could make lunch.

We ended up spending most of the day outside. After everyone got bathed and had lunch, I put the kids down for a nap and went back outside to mow the backyard and start weeding the iris beds in the back. I got quite a bit done before everyone woke up so when they did I brought them all back outside while I did a little more before dinner.

While we were out there we found a ladybug with no spots. Saedi said that made it zero years old.

 

Saedi and Gavin played on the big toy and Solvei and Nels were content to watch in their stroller for a little while.

When they got impatient, we went inside. Very long day but it was a nice one, now I’m just sore and tired.

Categories: chalk, Gavin, Nels, playing, Saedi, Solvei, yardwork | 1 Comment

It’s So Nice…

Posted on May 23, 2010 by wadmanclan

…….when they all get along.

If only it happened more often than it does.

Categories: Gavin, Nels, playing, Saedi, Solvei | Leave a comment

Slug Bug

Posted on May 22, 2010 by wadmanclan

Nate and I were talking about the new Volkswagen commercial the other day and Saedi overheard. She asked what “slug bug” meant so we explained it to her. Yesterday morning she asked if we could play “slug bug” on the way to and from school. Sure, why not; we ended up playing it all day. We only play “slug bug” with –

these:                                   and these:

and we still found seventeen yesterday!

Just to see if we could find more, we played again today. If you played slug bug all day one day, how many do you think you would find?

Today we found FORTY-ONE!

Categories: playing, Saedi | Leave a comment

We’re Going on a Hunt, We’re Going on a Hunt…

Posted on May 9, 2010 by wadmanclan

We’re Looking for a Mountain, We’re Going on a Hunt!

I got the idea of getting pictures of Mt Rainier from a few different places, so it’s the same mountain that doesn’t really look the same, and putting them in a collage frame to show-off/remember the views from living here. Today was supposed to be completely clear skies, so this morning we went mountain hunting.

One place I want a picture from is Pt Defiance Beach, so I loaded the kids, and the jogging stroller, into the car and headed to the beach. The skies were beautifully blue, water nice, not too many people…..a great day for going to the beach.

This beach is not really sand (parts of it are) but mostly small rocks which makes it my favorite kind of beach because you don’t end up with sand in everything when climbing back into the car.

(I love finding lady bugs at the beach!)

The kids really like this kind of beach too because they can throw rocks into the water.

I LOVE this one!
When we first got there Solvei and Nels were afraid to take any steps because the ground was so uneven and “mushy” so they just stood still unless I would hold their hand while they walked. Solvei stopped right at the tide line (where the sand/rock kind of steps down) and tried to take steps by herself. She fell forehead first into the sand and couldn’t get up! I jumped over and picked her up and she had a mouth full of sand, blech! She tried to wipe it out but her hands were also covered in sand. I had to wipe out her mouth and try and get her to spit (which didn’t really do anything), I’m sure she swallowed some. She was so sad and hilarious at the same time, I couldn’t help but laugh. She didn’t mind pretty quickly though.
It was a very nice day and the kids had a really good time.
Oh, and that mountain? We found it…….hiding behind clouds.
We made the most of the afternoon and I showed the kids some of my other favorite places in that part of town. We had lunch at the Antique Sandwich Company. I have been wanting to go there since we moved back here, but it’s never been a good time to go with Nate and I was not about to take the kids there by myself when Solvei and Nels were smaller. Lunch was just as good as I wanted it to be so I’m glad we went today.
The kids were being very good while we waited for food.
You can kind of see Solvei’s  sand scraped face in this one.
After lunch we drove the “5-Mile Drive” at Pt Defiance (which was beautiful) before we went home.
Even without the mountain, the trip was worth it!
Categories: beach, Gavin, Mt Rainier, Nels, playing, Saedi, Solvei | Leave a comment

Shirt as a Hat

Posted on May 7, 2010 by wadmanclan
Solvei discovered today that she can pull her shirt over her head. I had to fix her shirt at least six times in the time it took to make dinner. She was so proud of herself she couldn’t stop giggling.
Categories: Belly, playing, Solvei | Leave a comment

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