A trip to the playground

We usually try to go to music & art class on Fridays, but the weather was beautiful, so we decided to head to the playground in Killaloe. We had to wipe down the equipment with towels I brought, but once that was done, the kids had a blast. After we finished playing, we headed over to Simply Delicious in Ballina to refuel.

Crazy-hair girl! I wish Adele would let me do her hair.

The kids had fun pretending on the bridge

I took this photo to share the sweatshirt with some people on FaceBook and thought I'd just include it here. Just because I exist, too!

The kids look so big on the swings now.

Boys in a basket

They all 3 stayed on this toy for a LONG time. I finally had to force them off after a while. I was getting dizzy just watching them.

Walt has attempted this climb before, but this is the first time he's done it unassisted. And he went back few times!

A quick snack

We re-fueled at our favorite cafe, Simply Delicious.

Puddle splashing

The kids have been cooped up in the house a LOT since Christmas. I decided since we've got the water-proof boots and and pants now, that I'm going to get them outside for 20 minutes even if it's raining. Today, it actually stayed clear when I took the kids on a walk. They had a blast walking around and jumping in a puddle. Well, mostly, they had fun. Walt is going through a phase where he has a hard time enjoying the moment because he's so busy asking to do the NEXT thing, whatever he thinks it should be.

The only thing I didn't get on photo or video was when we got back home, I had the kids sit at the top of the grassy hill in the front yard, then I pulled them down the hill so they 'slid' down on their butts. That was so fun! Walt even got into the event by helping me pull the other two kids when it wasn't his turn.

We first stopped to watch the construction up the street (of course).

The kids are really good at staying on the sidewalk and Gordon ran way up ahead, so then first Walt, then Adele, had to go catch up. Adele says, "I have to go fast to get my brothers."

Puddle time!!!



I love how much fun they had. It was so deep that their socks (and Adele's pants) got soaked despite all the waterproof stuff.



I took three videos and normally would only post one, but I just couldn't choose!

I love they were just randomly holding hands even though we weren't crossing a street.

I also love that Gordon's new jacket arrived so that now he has one that actually fits!

Cool kids

Team Berube's (sorta) first time in the snow

It was snowing this morning when the kids woke up, though nothing was sticking to the ground. We headed to Tons of Fun for most the morning and as we got closer to home, the falling snow got heavier. We pulled into the driveway to see all our grass snow-covered. The kids asked to play in it, so I ran in the house to get their waterproof pants and mittens, and let them loose. I'm glad I did because even as I type this now, the snow is melting away!

This is their first time playing in the snow, though definitely not their first time seeing snow.

Adele geared up and ready to go!

This was just before I grabbed their mittens. Gordon got a kick out of handprints in the snow.

The hills across Lough Derg look very pretty!

The boys traipsing in the grass.

Adele

Kinda like how he is with sand & water, Gordon LOVED the snow.

The kids helping me assemble a snowman

Do you wanna build a snowman?

Buckets & shovels!

Rainy Day Art & Music

The kids spent the morning at the creche and when they got home, I gave them a little snack and let them watch tv for a bit. Then I pulled out our easels, birthday gifts from Grandma & Grandpa S, and we painted for a while. Walter was bored after 5 minutes and ready to move onto the next thing, but I kept explaining that we were painting now and eventually, he came back around.

Love our easels!

Gordon is quite serious and precise with his painting

Adele's a goof and loves experimenting. She ended up wiping her painted paper with a wet wipe, then painting with wipes and paper towels. She loves to paint her hands and use other objects on the paper.

Walt gets a bunch of different colors on his hand and makes very cool, multi-colored handprints.

Some new artwork handing on the wall. From L to R, Walter, Gordon, Adele

After painting, it took me a while to clean up, so the kids were running around doing this and that. But once clean up was done, they decided it was time for some music.

And the band plays...

And the band plays some more...

The kids were singing "Let it Go" from the movie Frozen. They don't know the words, so it involved a lot of shouting. Of course, most of Walt's singing involves a lot of shouting.

Adele actually sang a bit from the song, but I missed it on video. I had to at least post this little snippet because she almost never sings.


A day of art and music just isn't complete without a little dancing.

Bigger kids at Tons of Fun

When we first started going to Tons of Fun in Limerick to play, the kids were some of the younger  toddlers in attendance. They spent most of their time playing in the age 0-3 areas and occasionally ventured in the area for age 2-5.  This fall, when we returned, they started going more and more to the big kid areas and climbing into and on the structures that reached all the way to the ceiling. They also started playing more in a group. Now since we've been back from our Christmas vacation, the kids are also, whether in a group or individually, not just playing with equipment, but making up games pretty much all the time, too. 

It is amazing to watch them grow up! Of course, this age we've entered is also full of stubbornness, whining, and many tantrums. I'm simply amazed by the way the kids can completely lose their minds and melt down over the smallest things (not enough butter on their toast or too much butter on their toast or their coat being unzipped.) Luckily, they are also easily distracted when we are away from home.

Speaking of big kids, last Thursday we had our developmental health check with the public health nurse.The kids all did fantastic. She had them draw circles and lines. She had them name objects, animals, and colors. And she asked them to count blocks. All 3 of them were polite, well-behaved, and happy to perform for her. In other words, NOTHING like they act at home. LOL. We talked about Walter’s speech, Gordon’s eating, and Adele’s eye. I think she mostly wanted to make sure we’d had Adele’s eye looked at by a doctor. She has no concerns about Walter’s speech at this point. She says many of his words are clear, though she agrees many are also garbled. But at this point, they are looking for 5-6 word sentences, assuming mis-pronunciations, and still focusing on communication/comprehension, which he has.  We also talked at length about Gordon’s diet, which didn’t concern her because he is obviously healthy, happy, and when she asked me what foods he did eat, she was good with the fact the things he eats are healthy.  What she said was, ‘he might not be eating much variety, but whatever he does it is causing him to flourish.’

Walter - 38.8 inches, 32.4 lbs
Gordon - 40 inches, 36.8 lbs
Adele - 39.2 inches, 31.1 lbs 

Making cards for Daddy.  When he got them, Jeff noted Walt's was minimalist compared to the other two. That's because Walter only lasted a couple minutes at the craft table before moving onto other things. 

Gordon spent a long time on his card, then sat at the table and played with playdoh for a long time afterwards.

I think he may have been dancing as well as jumping. Whatever it is, he is awesome.

They did this many times in a row. One of many games they made up today.

Playing ball as a *team*. They have skills!