Zoo

We used the extra free time that I had over my spring break to take the kids to the zoo. We all had a nice time at the zoo. We packed a lunch, and brought our brand new wagon for the kids to ride in. I finally sold both of our strollers earlier in the year, and then we got a wagon. This time we actually got to go on the train ride while there. In the past, it was either closed or we just didn't get that far.

Gymnastics Rountines

Carissa on the beam.

Gabe on the beam. I think that he kept falling off because people were laughing, I've never seen him fall so many times.

Carissa on the bar.

I didn't get as many videos of Gabe because he chose not to do some of the routines because he didn't feel well. By the time we got home he had a pretty good fever, so I don't blame him at all for not doing everything, but that is why I have more videos of Carissa.

Catch up

So, there were some things that I wanted to post on here but I didn't end up getting a chance when they happened. So, starting a little before Valentines day Ben got sick, then I got sick, then Carissa, and then Gabe. In all, we were sick for a few weeks, I even had a fever for almost a week and half (that is really unusual). Everyone being is sick on of the reasons that I didn't get to blogging.

We ended up going out to eat at a Japanese restaurant Tepanyaki with my family, which is the first time we had ever been there. It was a lot of fun and the food was really good too. They cook all of your food at your table and when they start they light a fire at your table. When the fire lit up Gabe almost flipped over backwards he was so scared and wanted to get away from the fire. (It was really funny to watch Gabe though.) Good part was that it was over really fast and I got him to calm down and relax again. Both of the kids ate pretty well and tried new foods too. Gabe tried pretty much everything that was offered to him. And when we sat down to look at the menus Gabe saw a picture of sushi and said that was what he wanted. So, we ordered a sampling of sushi so that Gabe could try some and he tried all of them and liked them too. Ben likes sushi, so I figured that Ben would at least eat if we ordered it. But, I was really impressed that Gabe wanted sushi and ate it and liked. I still haven't tried sushi yet, but I love the Gabe is willing to try almost anything.

Then towards the end of the month, Carissa and Gabe had their gymnastics performance. The kids got to perform routines for their parents/grandparents and other family members. As it would turn out, both of the kids were getting sick by the gymnastics performance started. I really debated making them stay home, but they had really been looking forward to it, and as it turned out neither of them was sick enough to tell them that they had to stay home. So, they got to do their gymnastics with Grandma, and Mom watching them. And, at the end they each got a gymnastics ribbon.

The magic of being 5

I have been very impressed with both how Carissa did at her 5 year old check up and at her most recent dentist appointment. She did great at the doctor's appointment and is healthy, but she did need to get 3 shots to finish getting ready for kindergarten and I really wasn't sure how that was going to go. The last shot she had was when she was 3 and she fought like crazy to not get it, so at her 4 year old check up they told me that I could either finish her shots then or wait until her 5 year old check up. So, I let Carissa make the decision and she wanted to wait until she was 5, and that was fine with me. Every so often she would talk about looking forward to being 5 and we would talk about how she would get shots when she was 5. So, I'm not sure what the exact reason is but I was so happy and proud of Carissa when she got all 3 shots without any fuss or complaint or anything. The bad part was that by bed time she was limping around the house because the one shot had made her leg so sore. Then she even went and laid down in bed before bed time, but she was pretty much back to normal the next day.

Then, this week Carissa and Gabe had their dentist appointment and they both did great. Gabe so far has done great every time he has been to the dentist, but Carissa has had a hard time and has completely protested in the past. For that reason we also make sure that Ben and I can both go to the appointment so that one of us can completely focus on Carissa. This time, for the first time ever, Carissa did her entire appointment. She did x-rays, flossing, brushing, fluoride, and the check up with the dentist. She was still nervous, but she did it. We were so proud of her for doing it all. They both got new toothbrushes, toothpaste, and dental floss as well as a prize.

So, on both of those occasions Carissa told me that she did a good job, because she is 5. Evidently, turning 5 was a magic switch. Only down side so far is that she is starting to put restrictions on how much affection I can give her in public now. When I tried to hug her after her check up at the dentist she pushed me away and told me, not now. I can't believe how big she is now.

Gymnastics

I finally did it and got around to getting Carissa and Gabe into a gymnastics class. The kids and I have been talking about it for quite a while now, but for one reason or another we couldn't do it. They both really liked watching gymnastics on the Olympics. Also, after I took Gabe out of preschool at the end of November I decided that I wanted to have him in an athletic class or classes instead to give him more outlets for his energy. Then I want to keep him going in something when he starts preschool in the fall again. So far they have had 4 classes and they both really like it and they are very excited to go. They have both also had one injury during class and after getting some love from me went right back to what they were doing. I was very proud of them for going back and giving it another try right after slipping and getting hurt. Also, for the moment they are both in a preschool age class together but they told me that since Carissa is 5 now that she could move up to the next class whenever we are ready if there is an opening.

Carissa's Birthday

This like my last post is getting done later than expected, but I just got really busy and I'm using my 3 day weekend to get caught up on everything. This year for Carissa's birthday we did friend party and then a family dinner. This was the first time that Carissa had a birthday party with some of her friends from school. It was a learning experience for me, but I think that everything went pretty well. We had the party at Chuck E. Cheese and Carissa had 4 of her friends from school come out of the 12 kids in her class that we invited. I thought that more kids might come, but didn't mind at all that there ended up being less. Carissa had a really good time there with the exception of when she was the center of attention in the dining area. I think that it took her by surprise and that she wasn't sure what to do.


After Chuck E. Cheese, it was rest/nap time and then on to gymnastics class. After gymnastics we had a family dinner at Applebees, Carissa's pick. At Applebees they sang to Carissa and gave her a free sundae, which she could actually eat this year. (It contains eggs.) Then we went home to get ready for bed and school the next morning.

Birthday cake

This year for Carissa's birthday I decided to try to make a cake that was egg free and more interesting/decorated than just a rectangle. So I bought a metal cake mold in the shape of a castle to make a princess castle cake. As it turned out I didn't need to make it without eggs, but I still made the castle cake. When it came time to turn the cake over and have it come out of the mold only half of it came out, that was my first problem. Then I tried to decorate it and it turns out that I had frosting that wasn't good for decorating, that was my second problem. So, I learned a couple of lessens for the next time that I make a cake and I think that Carissa's cake turned out okay. Carissa thought that her cake was wonderful and I figured that her opinion is really the only one that matters at the moment. I included two pictures taken on different settings on my camera, I can't decide which setting looks better. If you think one looks better than the other let me know.