A walk on the Wildside

Father's day and Brody's birthday collided on the same weekend this year so we decided to take a mini adventure and hit Wildlife Safari and do a little camping to celebrate.

It was quite a drive with a lot of bathroom breaks (I clearly had a lapse in my motherhood judgement when i filled up their water bottles before leaving) but we made it.

I had the chance to test out some great camping products. Brunton just came out with this new propane coffee maker. It's awesome! For a gal who doesn't function until she gets a good cup of coffee...this totally made my camping trip!

The next day we drove to Winston to explore Wildlife Safari. It was great fun! We saw some cool animals.

Although some of the more wild, animal like behavior happened right in our car...

The day ended with lots of family memories and two tuckered out boys.

Happy Birthday Brody!

Brody turns 3 on Sunday. We fudged a little on his birthday celebration since it lands on Father's Day this year and...well...he's too little and had no idea we moved the date. So, if you ask him, he's 3! Just don't ask him to show it to you - holding up 3 fingers is a tough thing to do for a little guy! The highlight of his birthday was his new bike. He loves it! You've never seen a daddy put one together as fast as Kyle when he had a little preschooler breathing down his neck! :)

He's so proud to be a big boy and join the club of neighborhood kids and their bikes! We love you Brody! Happy Birthday!!

Memorial Day

We were invited to head up to Gig Harbor by Kyle's aunt, Dianne, this last weekend. We've graciously been extended that invitation over the years many times and can't get enough of the place. Thanks Dianne (or Dee-Dee as the boys would say)!! One of the best parts is the view you wake up to every morning...

We had some great family time just relaxing, laughing and playing together. We kept on the move most of the weekend with our two little guys in tow. We managed to fit a lot in:

Trips to the park to play baseball.

We checked out a little orienteering/safety festival in the town park where Collin got to see what it felt like to be "the bad guy".

My absolute favorite part was heading out on the kayaks. It was a treat for me. I've only been a few times but absolutely love kayaking. The boys did great and we even decided to do it a second time with them. Brody and I were followed by a curious baby seal that took a liking to us and following us through the harbor for a bit.

Kyle even got in a little extra by power washing the dock. And we were blessed by sunshine all weekend! We couldn't have asked for more!

T-Ball

We are in the middle of t-ball season at the Fischer household.

"Golden" Child

Once again, Collin unbelievably had another opportunity to grace the floor of the Rose Garden during a Blazer game. Idon't know what it is about my boys, they seem to find their way in the spotlight - but what can I say, i've got a household of handsome men on my hands. :)

As Kyle and Collin entered the Rose Garden for another Blazer game they were approached and asked to participate in a McDonald's tractor race between the second and third quarter. Collin soaked up the spotlight and sped off to win the race! We got McDonald's once a week FOR A YEAR!! (hmmm...yay?!)

Take a look...

Thank you Andrew for all the great pictures! I am so glad you had your camera that night!! Richard, you are so sweet to help us figure out the video piece!

Going Green

My friend, Karen, came up with a great idea to grow grass in the Easter baskets this year instead of using the plastic stuff. I loved the idea! During Spring Break the boys and I planted some vegetables and our Easter baskets for neices and nephews.

Before:

After:

They turned out pretty cute!

Teacher Tip from Mrs. Fischer

You can take me out of teaching but you just can't take the teacher out of me! I've been asked over the years by parents, little things to do on the side to help their child succeed in school. It's been on my mind for a while, so I am going to attempt to post on a regular basis some fun activities to add to your day that will help your child in various ways to grow. My expertise is in little guys. Keep in mind every child is at a different stage. These are activities that I've used, read or seen used through my time in the classroom. Most of these tips are to the credit of many of the amazing teachers I've had the opportunity to work with. Keep checking back!

Teacher Tip #1:

Don't' throw away those plastic Easter eggs and Easter egg grabbers after the holiday. Keep those eggs to float in a bathtub, sink of soapy water while you tidy the kitchen or nestle into a sandbox. Your child will work on building that eye hand coordination as well as fine motor development in those little fingers. This will aid them later in writing, drawing and cutting.

Have fun!