Fire Station Visit

A couple of weeks ago we visited our local Fire Station. 

Both Lil Sis and Bro love fire trucks. 

Our local station lets kids visit anytime they are not busy. 

In the summer if they love to have the kids stop by and help wash the trucks.

We will for sure be visiting again this summer.

Big Sis wasn't interested in joining us :( So we took Baby cousin along.

So in the picture above we have a 1.5 year old, 3 year old and 4 year old.  

Bro tried on the fireman's uniform and hat. 

He is too darn cute 

Lil Sis did not want to try anything on.

Bro driving the truck.

I love this picture of Lil Sis. It is hard to snap a picture of her NOT making a face.

Ahh Bro and Lil Sis love each other.

Thanks for looking. I really just wanted to share some really cute pics of my kiddos!

Dinosaur Cake

Happy Birthday to my boy. He turned into three the day after Thanksgiving. No that wasn't a typo. That's what his sister kept saying. Bro, you are turning into three today.

So of course he had to have a dinosaur cake. I managed to snap a couple of pictures of the cake during the construction. I forgot to pick up my usual foil wrap so I had to use aluminum foil. I hate using it, because it is too reflective. But it works in a pinch. So my pictures didn't turn out so great. I have linked the site where I found out how to make this cake below. It was actually really easy.

Here is the naked body of the dino. I only needed one cake mix which I baked into two 9" circles. 

The head was not so easy to deal with. I stuck a sucker stick down the center of it to hold it in place. I even melted some white almond bark and tried to glue the head pieces together hoping it would help support it. You can kind of see the white stick poking up out of the head.

I started to crumb coat the cake, then quickly realized I was wasting my time. So I quit.

 Here is the finished cake. What you don't see are the FOUR sucker sticks that I ended up using to support that head. I had the entire thing decorated and the front part of the head fell off. GRRR. So instead of panicking and throwing it away I decided to dip the end of the head piece in the melted almond bark in hopes it would "glue" it back on. The I placed three additional sucker sticks right under the dino's chin and angled them into the body. It was easy enough to cover with frosting. Luckily it stayed put for the party.

The eyes and toenails are chocolate chips. The green and blue is buttercream. 

I used the star tip to decorate the entire cake, because it's easy and looks nice and neat.

Here's a picture of Bro blowing out his candles. The boy loved his cake! 

He had a great third birthday!

You can find the instruction on how to make the cake here:

Dino 3D Cake Instructibles

They suggest you use a from scratch cake. If I am making a cake that requires me to cut it up and piece it together I usually bake the cake a little longer. The only problem I ran into was the head. The rest of the cake went together easily.

Rudolph Color Match

The Rudolph Color Match game is perfect for a file folder. 

My kids love any games that match colors.

Match the colors on Rudolph's belt and nose. 

I thought this would be a good game to do a tutorial on how I put together a file folder game.

Step 1. Measure your contact paper and cut to size.

Step 2. Make a small tear in the contact paper. Pull the rest of the back off.

Step 3. I find it best to place my materials on the contact paper and not the folder first. 

This prevents air bubbles and creases. 

Once you have your materials in place, flip the contact paper and press on the folder. 

Repeat with the second side.

Step 4. Place the folder name and storage pocket on the front. I like to use contact paper on these as well. It keeps them in place and provides a little extra protection against my crazy kiddos.

Click here to downland the Rudolph Color Match Game

Thanks for checking this out. I have lots more coming in the next week. 

Visit my other downloads by checking out their original posts.

Snowman Number Match

Trace The Letters -Christmas Theme

Preschool Activity Package - Christmas Theme

Snowman Number Match - FREE Printable

Here is part two of my Christmas Package. This includes number 1 - 10. 

Now that I think of it, I should have included zero. I will be sure to add that later. 

Each card has the number spelled out and the number. 

Each card is a different color and pictures a unique snowman. 

My children are young and need the extra help to be able to match the number and the word.

 I thought this might be a good way to help them recognize both. 

You can download this by clicking the link below. I use 4shared.com for my downloads. 

It is free and scans my files for viruses. So you know the file is safe.

Snowman Number Match

Now back to my Turkey! Hope everyone is having a terrific Thanksgiving!

Visit my other downloads by checking out their original posts.

Trace The Letters -Christmas Theme

Rudolph Color Match

Turkey Coloring Page

Here is a simple Color By Number Page. 

I plan on using this tonight, along with several other turkey related crafts,

 to keep my kiddos busy while I am baking pies and rolls. 

You can download it here:

Turkey Color By Number Page

Gobble Gobble!

Christmas Themed Trace The Letters

I have been working on a Christmas Themed Package of preschool activities. 

I search the web all the time for FREE activities for my kiddos. 

I thought I could do this myself and share on my blog. 

I laminated the cards and cut them out. 

My kiddos use the Dry Erase Crayons from Crayola to trace the letters. 

I love these crayons, because they wipe off so easy.

You can check out my review of the Dry Erase Crayons here.

You can download the Tracer Cards below.

Christmas Themed Trace The Letters

I forgot to mention that when I originally designed the cards that I left out the letter G. Duh! 

So I added it to the end of the document. I had some extra space so I added the numbers 1 - 8. 

I hate to waste space and paper. 

Also, the preview image on 4Shared shows up funny, but the download should work. 

If it doesn't, please let me know ASAP!

Check back soon, because I have several activities that I will be posting with the Christmas Theme.

Visit my other downloads by checking out their original posts.

Rudolph Color Match

Snowman Number Match

Coffee and Spin Class

I never use to drink coffee. Then I had two crazy babies that are 13 months apart that still to this day do not sleep through the night. I love them. But now I drink coffee. Blah. I usually have one cup at least three times a week. Okay, so I'm not a big coffee drinker...but still, it's more than I have ever had in my life.

Monday and Friday mornings I attend a spin class at 5:45 A.M. Yes, I am one of those early morning worker outers. Is that a word? Anyway, it's the only time in my day that I can escape and no one misses me. Well, unless Bro wakes up...which happens often. Then it's pandemonium. There's crying, and refusing a cup of milk from dad, and a lot of wondering around and turning every light on in the house from Bro. Oh well, not there, don't care.

I have noticed that the majority of my coffee drinking takes place on spin days. Sometimes I drag my rear to the gym on Wednesday for a light workout. But lately my bed has been too warm. Just to keep the habit, I enjoy a cup that day too.

I take my coffee strong and hot, like my men. Haha. Just kidding. Well, maybe. Seriously though. I do like it strong, hot and with a lot of sugar free hazelnut creamer from Aldi. How do you take your coffee?

My absolutely funny kiddos!

I read somewhere that most parents suffer from thinking their 
kids are funnier than what they actually are. 

I am pretty sure I suffer from this. 
I think they are stinkin' adorable and hilarious to boot. 

You can tell by the status updates I post to Facebook! 

  

Lil' Sis wasn't at all embarrassing at parent watch night at dance. 

It's perfectly normal to lick your toes during circle time right?

~

Bro's wearing a pink straw hat. 

That's it, just a pink straw hat. 

Oh, he's calling himself a witch?

~

Really Bro. 

Did I just have to tell you NOT to play on the stairs with your roller skates on?

~

How many times will Bro try his dads Hot Fries before he remembers that they burn his mouth? 

We are on try three or four now!

~

I just told Bro this is your left foot. 

And asked him which foot is this?(meaning the right foot.) 

His response, triangle. Boy, you're lucky you're cute.

~

Lil Sis just asked me for three bolognas. 

I said, how about one. 

She said, well maybe that will be enough.

~

Just walked in to the den to find Bro eating a jelly sandwich while sleeping. 

His eyes were closed and he was chewing.

 I startled him awake when I said his name.

 Now that's talent.

~

Just heard Lil Sis say, now close your eyes Bro and it won't hurt. 

That can't be good right?

~

Lil Sis just said she wanted to go see her Grandma Lou. 

I told her no, not tonight. 

To which she replied, " But she loves us and will open the door for us."

~

According to Bro, taking your shirt off means stopping to be a ghost half way through.

~

Someone was knocking on the door.

 Lil Sis looked at me and said, "Someone is knocking at the door you freak."

~

Bro likes to be called Dorothy.

~

FYI.

Running out of milk at our house equals end of the world. 

At least according to Bro.

~

What a fun and busy weekend. Tonight we built a little fire in our yard and roasted marshmallows. 

S'mores were delicious...we had to finish up when Lil Sis wouldn't stop poking the dog with her roasting stick.

~

The adventures at Burger King continue for Lil Sis. 

Tonight she mooned everyone when she was running to the bathroom with her dress hiked up while pulling her panties down. I couldn't get to her fast enough!

~

Hubby took Bro to get his haircut tonight.

He fell asleep halfway through in the chair.

 I wish I would have sent the camera.

~

After telling Lil Sis to please not eat her boogers, she told her dad, but they are my favorite, like sandwhiches. 

For the record I have NEVER fed her a booger sandwhich.

~

Yesterday Lil Sis got to hold a live starfish. 

At dinner last night she told me she held the starfish and she didn't even squish it. 

Then she whispered, but I really wanted to squish it hard. 

That kid cracks me up.

~

I love it when we are the Burger King children's area and Lil Sis comes out with her pants off.

~

I am listening to Lil Sis and Bro play. 

Lil Sis keeps bossing Bro around. 

She ends every statement with "you hear me boy!" 

I don't think we say that...so I'm not sure where she heard it.

~

FYI. Ruining an 11 year olds life happens when you forget to write a check for their yearbook.

 Said check isn't even due until Friday. Fun times.

~

Haha. Bro was playing with something of his Dad's.

 Lil Sis said, Bro you better put that back or Daddy will be a cow. LOL!

~

We are getting ready to go the mall.

Lil Sis insisted that she take her own purse. 

Guess what she stuffed it full of.

 Panties. Lots and lots of panties.

~

Who needs toys. 

Bro and Lil Sis are having more fun running around with socks on their hands. 

Just wish Bro would put something else on :)

~

Lil Sis and Bro were so excited for the two new toys we brought home today. 

Empty boxes!

~

Bro just hurt his toe and was crying.

Lil Sis told him he needed to go to Halloween and get it better. 

I think she meant the hospital.

~

Lil Sis said to me tonight, Mom I would like to stick my finger in the peanut butter.

 Kind of makes me wonder how many times she has done this without asking/telling me first.

Just realized after re-reading this post that I don't talk about my oldest daughter much. I will have to dedicate an entire post or two to her. She's 8 years older than my younger kids and is very much involved in school and sports and dance and 4H and well anything that anyone asks her to join. So please don't think I don't love my oldest.