Letter Factory and Joyschool

Myles is getting to know his letters. He can identify many of them and tell you the sound. We watch Letter Factory almost daily. Myles will quote from it which is very funny. Myles usually watches it when Camellia naps, but sometimes they will watch it together and get cozy on the couch. Double chocolate milks.

Joyschool is at my house. We talked about the letter V and made the V shape with our bodies. We made W and X as well since the kids enjoyed it so much. We practiced identifying numbers as we built the calendar. With St. Patrick's Day coming we learned about the penny and finding a hidden leprechaun. Myles can spell his name and tell you his birthday. Next task is getting him to enjoy drawing, so he can practice fine motor skill of writing.  

 

Disneyland Toys

 Sword fights happen around here now usually ending tears. Lots of pretending to be Star Wars characters. Rhett likes to be on the good side winning. Myles loves to be on the bad side and fake die all the time, so dramatic. Myles Star Wars figurines are slowing being destroyed. The boys love playing with them.

Camellia's girly jammies are so cute. She loves to say princess and Mickey which means Minnie. Even was wearing a princess crown around one day.

Half Days and Mid Winter Break

The weather was cold and wet for mid-winter break. The kids got to go skating with friends and bowling with Grandpa Dan. Two great indoor activities for the two older kids.

We went to Seahurst Park one day prepared for rain and wind. We walked on the north trail and saw this fish that is made for putting trash from the beach in. Not just anyone can put trash in it though, you have to be part of the group that made the fish. Wonder what all the garbage in the fish will look like. Interesting art. We also hike up a little trail, it was nice because the trees protected us from the rain and wind. Friends came later to the beach but we were too cold and wet to stay longer. Once we got close to the water Myles couldn't resist jumping in. Rhett, the only one who didn't wear rain boots, stepped into the water. Wet feet he wanted to go home as soon as possible.

The kids love to go to parks with monkey bars. Rhett told me it isn't a good park unless there are monkey bars. Myles wants to do monkey bars too. He can hold for a short while before he drops.

Our zoo membership expires at the end of February, so we went to the zoo one more time. We went with unbrellas and jackets. Caramel took some picture while we were there. The bears were the main animal we wanted to see. They were sitting on rocks eating lunch when we got there. The wolves were howling at the sound of an ambulance. We stayed in the reptile house which is nice and warm. Myles crawled around like a crocodile around the building. We went inside a bird building, they were flying everywhere. I was too paranoid they were going to peck our eyes out so we exited quickly. Caramel noticed all the white droppings on the floor and wanted to exited as well. Then we went to the indoor play area to end the trip. They love the Zoomazium. 

One at home activity we did was make Lego guy shape crayons. They all made small ones, the normal Lego guy size. Rhett made a big green one. Myles and Camellia kept biting them, thinking they would eventually turn into candy if they wished it hard enough.  

Disneyland

We walked around Disneyland and California Adventure for 4 days with Grandpa Neil. It was winding when we flew into Long Beach Airport Sunday afternoon but after that the weather was great, nice and sunny. Caramel and Rhett even complained it was too hot a couple days, I guess for a Seattle child it was for February. Myles was blinded by the sun every time we would step off the shuttle. We stayed at the Sheraton just like 3 years ago, this time we took the shuttle to Disneyland every morning after the hotel breakfast.

We brought two umbrella strollers with us. By the end of the 4 days Myles and Camellia wanted to be held so Rhett got some stroller time. Camellia didn't enjoy Caramel's crazy stroller driving skills so every time she realized Caramel was pushing, Camellia would let out a high pitch scream.  

The main attraction at Disneyland was Star Wars. Torrowland was the first area we went too. The Buzz Blaster ride is a great ride for everyone. Myles would talk about it frequently. While the older kids rode Star Tours and HyperSpace Mountain, Myles and Camellia rode the Buzz Blaster ride and walked through the Star Wars exhibit.

This ride was a little too fast for Myles.

The Dark Side.

Storm Troopers.

Rhett trained as a Jedi Knight. "Hit right, hit left, block then cut to the head." That's what they taught them. Then Dark Vader and the Seventh Sister showed up. Rhett got to battle with Dark Vader.

For his Disneyland gift Rhett selected a green double light saber. Later Caramel selected a purple double light saber. Myles got little Star Wars action figures. Camellia's gift was Minnie and Ariel pajamas and a fork and spoon with Ariel on it. Camellia even slept with the fork and spoon the first night she got them. 

Splash Mountain was a favorite for Caramel and Rhett. One time Rhett got a little too wet and was done with that ride. Myles and Camellia rode on Winnie the Pooh ride. Two frequent rides were the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean. Everyone can ride on thoses too. Camellia would often fall asleep on those rides. Myles learned the word dune buggy and would repeat it sporadically.

Caramel experienced the Indiana Jones ride for the first time. She enjoyed it but wanted to not ride on an edge seat next time. The Tarzan treehouse is fun for everyone.

Mickey's and Goofy's house were fun exploring. Donald's boat and Chip and Dale's treehouse were discovered was well. Probably the best place to eat for the kids was in Toon Town. They had normal small hot dogs. All the other restaurants that food was huge and the kids barely ate any of it. Churros were a big hit and you can find them everywhere. 

After 2 days at Disneyland we went over to California Adventure.

Everyone enjoyed the Monster's Inc. ride twice. Then Caramel and Rhett went on the Hollywood Hotel of Terror. Myles and Camellia headed over to Bug's Life. We met back up at the bumper cars. Caramel loved bumping into Grandpa and Rhett's bug car. Grandpa Neil got lots of footage.

We watched a preview on Zootopia then headed to Cars Land.

Everyone rode Mater's Junkyard. Myles really laughed sliding side to side in the trailer. We saw Lightening McQueen, Red, Mater, and danced with DJ. Later the older kids rode the Radiator Springs Cars ride, it was a fun one. Myles and Camellia saw the parade with Buzz and tons of other characters and lots of bubbles.

We saw lots of characters and many more rides. The big Mickey Ferris Wheel ride was a little scary. Myles got paranoid on the second trip around. We were in a swing one which moved lot sometimes. On the last day we went back to Disneyland to go on the favorite rides. We left early saying goodbye to Grandpa Neil and to go swimming at the hotel. We caught the shuttle to see the parade. It was a great parade, not fireworks though because of wind.

We were all tired and ready for home at the end.

Camellia's New Clothes

Outside Christmas Toys

We have had some warm days or at least sunny and tried out some new toys.

Myles drove is tractor around and all the way to the park. He is getting use to driving. Caramel and Rhett love driving the tractor and can handle the top speed until Myles. He just finds to hilarious and can't steer at all.

We have the digger in back that is fun with all the pebbles. Kids have enjoyed doing construction.