Spring Break Day Five: Jumpin' Jax!

Finally Mati is feeling better so we ventured out to the indoor bounce arena. First, I think she missed her friends at day care because she was very excited to see other children, second she loved running and bouncing! She has never been on any bounce/jump toys like this before but she loved it!

Spring Break Day Four: Another Day Inside

Teething molars is horrible. I think God intended for us to go through the majority of our teething before our memory begins. We stayed home again today. With the help of Tylenol Mati was happy enough temporarily to help make banana bread. Once I got the peel started she liked sticking her finger in the end and licking off the banana. Here she is "peeling" a banana. Notice the canister of raisins in front of her... the only thing she's happy to eat when teething.

Spring Break Day Three: Teething Trouble

Spring break day three turned into a stay-inside with a sad, teething girl day. The rain prevented any outdoor plans which turned out to be a blessing. Mati is cutting more teeth which caused her to be a little feverish, a lot clingy, and a lot sad. We ended up watching video after video, or "deo" as Mati calls them. She now makes video requests by acting out something in the DVD. Patting the top of her head indicates she wants to watch "The Laurie Berkner Band" perform the song "Pig on her head", flapping her arms indicates the song "Buzz, buzz, buzz." She is especially cute when she wants to watch "Jack's Big Music Show" because every episode starts with Jack's intro song "C'mon everybody give your foot a tap, C'mon everybody give your hands a clap." Watching a 19 month-old trying to tap her foot is precious! Here's hoping she feels better tomorrow so we can head out for another adventure!

Spring Break Day Two: Impression 5

For day two of spring break we headed to Impression 5. The fun was multiplied by the presence of cousins! We had a great time running around and trying the exhibits. There was a brief hiccup when we were evacuated to the basement due to a tornado warning; thankfully the tornado sighting was further south and we were able to continue on with our day.

Mati and Aly in the bubble room...


Mati and Morgan playing piano...


Mati and Dean operating the flywheels...


Mati at the water table:

Spring Break Day One: Children's Garden

My goal for spring break is to do something fun away from home with Mati each day. Today we went to the MSU Children's Garden. While the flowers and vegetables are not growing yet, there were fun things to do and see.

Riding the concrete sheep...


Trying to climb the big kid rope ladder...


Running in the "Secret Garden" maze...


Trying to close the gate and shut me out of the "Secret Garden"...


Climbing in the train...

Happy Easter!

We started Easter morning with Mati's search for her Easter Basket at home. The Easter Bunny put it on the coffee table so the 19 month old did not have a hard time searching for it. The Easter Bunny brought Mati a few toys and Elmo Easter Eggs filled with M&Ms. The mini-Magna Doodle was the hit of the morning and provided a lot of entertainment during the car rides of the day. We then headed off to Grand Rapids for mass and brunch. Mati got to find another Easter Basket and then hunted for eggs at Grandma and Grandpa's house. After a nap we headed for Spring Lake for dinner with more family.

Trips to the Park

We made two trips to the park; one Friday evening (just Mati and Mom) and one Saturday morning. Mati learned to climb the stairs and go down the slide in no time. There is now added pressure on Doug to build Mati a swingset in the backyard. Saturday morning we went early and had the whole park to ourselves. We watched ducks and fish in the ponds, went on swings and slides, and walked the paths.

Daddy and Mati walking the path by the pond...


Family self-portrait, Mati would rather be playing...


Mati riding the duck...


Mati and Daddy's slide race Saturday morning...


Mati, the big girl, climbing on the equipment by herself Friday night...