Chitty Chatty

When Audrey and Barrett started talking, I was so happy.  They could finally communicate what they wanted and needed instead of just screaming.  I felt so much better able to help meet their needs. It totally changed parenting for me...for the better.

Fletcher started talking right on target with development for his age.  It was also a lot of fun to see him learn to communicate verbally.  The way he mispronounces words or calls multiple things the same name (i.e. boat) has been just adorable.  But now, he NEVER STOPS TALKING!!!  I am pretty sure that every thought that comes into his head he feels the need to say out loud. And when he says it, he keeps repeating it until you acknowledge that you've heard what he's saying.

At times, this makes me want to scream.  At others, I use it to my advantage, because he also likes to repeat things.  So, we've been teaching him some fun things so that he'll look cool in front of his friends (and ours).  Here's one sample of one of the latest things we've taught him. Enjoy!

Snow Day

Yesterday, the forecasts were all predicting a good amount of snow last night and today.  Given the track record for these types of things actually happening, I was extremely skeptical. As we were going to bed last night, the two older children were extremely hyper.  I realized that Audrey had found some list online of how to increase your chances of getting a snow day, and the two of them were sneaking around doing it.  They wore their pajamas backwards, put a spoon under their pillows, and put an orange by the window.  I was chuckling the entire time.  Barrett was all about it, but Audrey was trying to hide that she was doing it.  

But then, it actually happened.  We got several inches of snow overnight and into today. My children can claim responsibility, but I am not sure how putting an orange by the window helped at all.  

Nonetheless, the kids ended up having a fun day.  While I shoveled the driveway first thing this morning, they played in the snow.  They built snowmen and went over to the park to play.

Since I was shoveling the driveway, the kids did the snowmen primarily by themselves, and they did a great job.  I still love the snowmen making kits that they got as gifts for Christmas a few years back!  We don't always get to use them, so it was awesome that we were able to get them out so early in the season this year! 

When the kids went to the park, they got creative.  I thought slides were fun anyway, but I guess they are more fun when you can land in a pile of snow. 

Fletcher didn't quite know what to make of the snow. At first, he was afraid to walk in in.  After a bit, he got more comfortable and would walk in it holding my hand.  The whole time though he was just excited to be out in the falling snow taking it all in.  At one point he was following me on the driveway while I was shoveling just repeating, "It snowing." 

The dogs had to get into the action too.  All day, Tripper just wanted to be outside frolicking in the snow.  After the first time I let the dogs out, I noticed that Stella was more covered in snow than Tripper, even though he was the one running around like crazy.  After the second time I let them out, I realized that was because Tripper was running up and practically sliding into her, giving her a face full of snow each time.  She didn't seem to mind though.  

After playing outside until we were pretty cold, the kids came back inside and had some nice warm hot chocolate.  I even had the kind with marshmellows in it to make it extra tasty.  The funniest part is that Fletcher refused to try it.  He just wanted a cup of milk.

We finished off the day with a movie after dinner.  The snow got the kids in the Christmas spirit, so we had to watch a Christmas movie.  And, since dad wasn't home, I let them! 

All in all, I think the kids had a pretty fun snow day.  The fact that it's already snowing like this in November makes me a little bit nervous for the rest of the season, but maybe by the end of it we'll all get better at building snowmen.  

Crazy Nance Fam Travels: Part 3

It has taken me a while to get to this last post about our vacation.  It seems like such a long time ago, and it hasn't even been a month!

After visiting Universal and the cruise, we made a stop at Kennedy Space Center.  With Audrey's recent interest in all things space, it seemed like the perfect ending to an already amazing trip. It was a really hot day, so we were glad there were a lot of indoor activities to keep us entertained.

When we got there, we noticed that they had the Astronaut chat starting in a few minutes, so we headed straight there.  Jerry Ross was the speaker, and the kids were hooked.  Audrey even asked to buy the book he wrote (and not the kids version).  She's been reading it and is now full of random space facts.  Don't try to tell her the first person or first American in space was Neil Armstrong!

The highlight of the day was getting to see the space shuttle Atlantis.  The way they do the video and give you the context of what you're looking at before you go in was awesome.  I am not sure who was more impressed by the shuttle itself though...Billy or the kids.

The last activity we did was the bus tour.  That included a visit to exhibit on the Apollo missions and moon walks.  Audrey was excited to see a real life Saturn 5 rocket, although we had to go over with her a couple of times why the one she was looking at had never been launched.  It blew her mind that they'd just use up and dispose of the entire rocket every time!

After our visit to KSC, it was time to head home. The flight home was relatively uneventful...thank goodness!

The sweetest part about the trip home was how disappointed the kids were that we didn't get home in time to pick up the dogs that day.  We had to wait until the next day because the boarding place was already closed.  The kids were still extremely excited to be home and in there own beds.  None of them wanted to admit it, but there were no arguments whatsoever about bath and bedtime that night. I guess that's the sign of a good vacation.  It's fun while you're there, but it's also great to get home! 

Tricks and Treats

This past week was a bit crazy.  It was our second week back from vacation, and there was a ton going on!  Most of the festivities centered around the fun and excitement of Halloween.

We ended up skipping the kids' Trunk or Treat at school because of the soggy weather.  It came in about a week and a half ago, and it hasn't let up since for more than just a couple of hours.  The next night, Billy and I went to an '80s themed Halloween party.  We ran to target about an hour before the party started and threw our costumes together.  I was pretty pleased with the outcome, and now I have an awesome Miami Vice t-shirt that I can wear any time I want!

The night of Halloween, we went over to the house of some friends in a nearby subdivision.  They have kids the same ages as our 2 older ones, which always works out well.  There were other families from their school that came too, which made it a lot of fun. The kids got a ton of candy and even some juice boxes, which were a great idea!

Audrey has reached that age where she isn't all that excited about dressing up, which was really tough for me to handle.  She ended up going as a rock star, which turned out surprisingly well. She was complete with purple hair and a leather jacket! Barrett is still always wants to be some sort of super hero, so he mixed it up this year by being Captain America.  Fletcher has a new found love of Paw Patrol, so Chase was a logical choice for him.

We had an awesome time, even if the pictures aren't that great.  It was hard to get the kids to all hold still and look at the camera at the same time! Audrey and Barrett did a great job with their jokes; they're really starting to figure that out.  Fletcher couldn't quite do the jokes yet, but when you look as cute as he does, people will give you candy anyway!