Toddler Activity #1- Bowling

Alright, here is my first toddler activity post! My goal is to provide you with inexpensive activity ideas for a toddler- one who is not yet a preschooler, but one that has more skills than an infant!

Activity: Toddler Bowling


Materials:
plastic bottles (I used various sizes, but they can all be the same size)
rubber ball

Examples of words to introduce/emphasise: roll, ball, up and down

Skill/concept development:
hand-eye coordination
gross motor development
cause and affect

Tips from doing the activity:
1) Let your toddler explore the bottles first. This is a fun activity in and of itself! Weston and Eli enjoyed hearing the sound the bottles made when they hit the floor.

2) I found it easiest to have two adults- one to set up the "pins" and one to guide the toddler in standing back and rolling (or throwing) the ball.
3) Let your toddler guide the activity. If they have fun running up to the bottles and throwing the ball at them from 6 inches away- let them:) If they find it easier to kick the ball- let them:)

4) Have them experiment with different ways to knock down the pins- i.e. with their hands, feet, pushing a box, etc...
5) Don't forget to get excited and clap when they knock the pins down!

Extension: With an advanced/older toddler you can count how many pins he/she knocked down and how many are left standing. "One, two, three are up; one, two, three, four, five are down!"

Finally, this is what happens when Daddy joins in the fun- human bowling:)

Oh, The Weather Outside Is Frightful, But The Cookies Are So Delightful

Let it snow, let is snow, let it snow! After living in Texas for the last four winters,winter isn't holding anything back for our first winter back in Wisconsin. I know the snow is going to get old very fast, but for now I am enjoying it:) Michael, however, probably isn't as thrilled since he has to be the one to shovel. We woke up to this beautiful sight this morning and Michael got to put our $2 garage sale find to good use.

Weston and I watched from inside, but I am sure Weston was wishing he was outside with Daddy in the snow.

Weston did, however, get to experience playing in the snow last Friday when we got a light dusting. Another garage sale find (the snowsuit) was put to good use. Now, we just need to get him some boots to complete the ensemble. The boots will have to be too big though, because I have discovered they don't make winter boots in his size. The smallest size they make is a 5 and Weston is in a 3/almost size 4.

Last weekend Weston and I also got together with some of the girls on my mom's side of the family to bake Christmas cookies:) Weston hung around for a couple hours, but then I had Mike come pick him up because I didn't get a single thing done while he was there (imagine that)! We ended up making nine different kinds of cookies.

My Mom, Aunt Barb, Aunt Jessie, and Gianna hard at work.

These are just the sugar cookies we made.

One of my favorite parts of Christmas cookie making is decorating the sugar cookies, so I brought along my trusty hot pink caboodle (that I have had since who knows when) that stores all my decorating materials. Well, on the way home Michael put the caboodle on the back of the car while he loaded Weston into the car and then forgot about it. Needless to say the caboodle didn't arrive home with us and I only discovered I was missing it when Andrea walked in carrying my broken caboodle:( It turns out that they found my caboodle and all my decorating supplies laying all over the road when they were driving to our house. Andrea recognized it and they pulled over to gather up the pieces. They managed to save a good portion of the items and things didn't look that bad considering it had been run over. However, I have to say goodbye to my caboodle and I have to start recollecting some of my decorating supplies.

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree!

The Christmas season is in full swing here at the LaVoy house. We spent the last two weekends putting up our Christmas stuff. Two weekends ago we decided to do the outside Christmas lights while the weather was still nice (don't worry, though, we didn't turn them on until after Thanksgiving). Weston had a blast getting to be outside ALL afternoon and threw a fit when he had to come inside to eat supper. Weston also made the process go a little bit slower because of all his "help," but we wouldn't have it any other way:)

Opps, did I dump all those clips out?

Not the best picture of the end result, but you get the idea.

Then, this past weekend we went and cut down our Christmas tree with Grandpa and Grandma Thompson. We felt like we were back in Texas because the weather was so nice. The weather turned out to be a blessing because we ended up having to go to two different tree farms when we couldn't find anything we liked at the first one. The first place was up on a huge hill and when we got to the top we found a pretty view, but not so nice trees.

Where are all the good trees?

We were successful at the second place and Weston even got to see a little snow on the ground.

Later that night we attempted to decorate the tree with Weston, but this was quite a challenge, so Michael and I decorated it ourselves the next day. Weston did, however, get to put the first ornament on the tree.

Since then that ornament and about five others at any given time are on the floor. He enjoys pulling the ornaments off the tree and I have given up trying to put them back on. I just wait until he is sleeping and then put them back up. The following morning, however, he is back at it. I am waiting for the novelty will wear off, just like with all other new activities, but this has yet to happen.

I also spent Sunday putting up the rest of our Christmas decorations inside. I always enjoy doing this and love how the house looks when all the decor is up:) My bathroom is decorated in Santas, the living room in poinsettias, and the kitchen in snowmen.

We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving (I forgot my camera the whole day, so I don't have any pictures from ours) and we look forward to seeing many of you this Christmas!

Duck Walk

There isn't a whole lot new going on for our family right now, but I did want to share this video of Weston doing his newest thing that gets us laughing. We have no idea what first made him do it, but one night he just came walking into the kitchen doing it. We call it his duck walk:) As for Michael and I, we are both doing well. Michael is liking his job MUCH MORE these days. I think he is finally just starting to feel more comfortable and successful at what he does. I am over five months along with this pregnancy and I think we have settled on a name for our little guy. For some reason I can't totally commit, but his name will most likely be Vance Michael LaVoy.

P.S. I have been working on a special blog project for the past couple of weeks that I hope to start posting soon. In addition to having this blog be a way to get updates about our family, I will be posting ideas for toddler activities that I have tried with Weston and Eli. I have lots of activities that I have been taking pictures of, but I just need to find the time to sit down and blog about them! Along with the ideas, I will add my reflections about how they went and how your toddler (or a toddler you know) can learn/benefit from doing them:)

Happy Halloween

Technically this wasn't Weston's first Halloween, but I feel like it was because we didn't really do anything for Halloween last year, and this year he got dressed up and went out Trick or Treating:) We met up with cousin Gianna and the two of them had a GREAT time going out and collecting candy. They both really enjoyed it and they would have kept going, but their parents got cold and tired!

Weston dressed up as an Air Force pilot and wore the flight suit that my dad got for him before he was even born:). Gianna looked adorable dressed up as a ladybug.

The next day we went over to Grandma and Grandpa's house and Grandpa made a big leaf pile for Weston and Gianna to play in. Weston loved his first experience playing in the leaves:) In fact, as soon as he saw the pile he went for it and dove right in. We didn't even have to show him what to do:)

It's A.......

Well, we had an ultrasound today and we are having......another boy!!! We are VERY excited, but are both a little surprised because we were thinking we were having a girl. I guess my motherly instincts with Weston were a fluke and now I won't try to guess again! We are excited that the boys will be close in age and are hoping this will make them not only close brothers but also great friends:) When we found out, I told my mom that my tiredness (still haunting me even though I am suppose to feel more energized in the second trimester) now makes sense- God is preparing me for life with two boys! We have a name in mind already, but now that I know for sure he is a boy I am going to look at other names before I fully commit. Oh, and by the way, as I sit here typing this post I can feel our little guy move lots and I love it!

Visit From The Beavers

Last week we were visited by our good friends from Texas, the Beavers (Benj, Mary, and their daughter Julia)! We have a special place in our hearts for the Beavers because when we were in Texas they were like our family. They were there for us when we needed them and we always had a good time hanging out together. When we left Texas we didn't know when we would see each other next, but we got the opportunity for a little reunion already:)

Julia, Weston, and Gianna

We didn't consider the weather to be that great when they were here, but they enjoyed it. While they were here we were able to watch the Oktoberfest parade, go out to dinner at the Trempeleau Hotel, play lots of board games, and go to a pumpkin patch/apple orchard. Overall, we were so glad to see them again and were sad when it all was over.

Weston enjoyed looking at and picking up the pumpkins (we opted for the pre-picked pumpkin patch experience since the official pumpkin patch was a little muddy).

The weather was a little chilly to pick apples, but the dads each picked one off the tree for the experience. It was also fun because Julia said "apple" for the first time and kept saying it very clearly the whole time we were there:)

Weston's first carmel apple- you have to eat one when you go to an apple orchard in the fall!

Julia with her apple straight from the tree:)

Weston literally fell asleep eating his apple:)

The Day Has Come

It has happened, our 14th month old has out grown his 0-3 mo. red sneakers. I went to put them on today and I couldn't squeeze his foot in. He hasn't, however, out grown them in the way I expected. His foot isn't too long for his sneakers, but suddenly too wide. (It appears that is one more thing he has gotten from his daddy- wide feet!)

His first picture with his sneakers (1 mo.)

Now, these aren't just any sneakers. These are one of the very first things I bought for him when he wasn't even here yet and they are my favorite! In fact, they make me think of Weston so much that I have decided that they will be only Weston's and I will store them in his memory box instead of passing them down to other children. My plan is to pick out and save an item for each child from their first year that reminds me of them.

Independence

Now that Weston is mostly independent when it comes to getting around, we are working on getting him independent in other areas. He has always had an interest in his spoon and often wants to help when we feed him, but recently he WILL NOT allow us to help him! As a result, we have let him do it himself and he is getting quite good:) He manages to get it in his mouth with very little mess- check it out!

Speaking of him becoming independent, he is getting harder and harder to put down for naps and bedtime, and I have decided we need to help him learn to fall asleep on his own in his crib. We have always held him to put him to sleep and this used to be no problem because it didn't take him long to fall asleep. Recently, however, he wiggles and squirms and tries to keep himself awake and often bedtime can take up to an hour. So, the rocking/holding weaning has begun. I was going to wait until I could reason with him better, but it is getting to be a big time eater. I have also been inspired by Elijah, who easily falls asleep on his own. So, our first step is to get him to just fall asleep in his crib with our help if he needs it. (Tonight he was able to do this and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.) Once he is better at this, we will work on getting him to fall asleep on his own in his crib!

Dance, Dance, Dance

Now that Weston is on two legs, he is discovering all sorts of new ways to move and it is fun to watch! His dancing skills are improving everyday and he starts dancing everytime he hears music. Currently, one of his favorite things to do is go and press a little frog on the fridge that plays a banjo and dance to the music. I thought I would share with you a little video of some of his latest moves which include spinning and moving his hips:) (By the way he is also obsessed with trying to jump, which he can't do yet, so a lot of his dancing includes trying to attempt this feat.)

This Is Not A Mirage

No, this is not a mirage. I am actually updating my blog, because we finally have the Internet set up in our new house!!! (I am not really sure why it took us so long to get it hooked up!) I hope to keep you all updated more often, but we will see how that goes now that my time is more limited with a new job:) This week I started to take care of another little boy, named Elijah, during the day. His mom and I were childhood friends and our parents have been friends for a long time. So far it has been going great, and Weston and I enjoy having the extra company during the day. The job will take me through most of the school year, but come March I will have to take some time off to welcome a new addition to our family... for those of you that haven't already heard, we are expecting a second child!!! We are very excited and surprised at how fast this pregnancy is going. We are already at the end of the first trimester (12 weeks), and besides being extra, extra tired the pregnancy has been going very well.

Oh, and as a little side note, I really like my doctor so far this time around. I wasn't crazy about the doctor I had when I was pregnant with Weston. I considered it a good thing when I actually met my doctor at this first appointment! (My first appointment last time I never even met my doctor- only his nurse.)

Those have been the biggest changes in our lives since my last blog, but we have also had some other blog worthy things that have happened:

1) Weston had his first official birthday party!

2) Tory gave us a little scare when we noticed a lump on her belly growing over the past couple months. She ended up having to have surgery to get it removed and luckily the tumor was benign.

3) We celebrated the marriage of my Uncle Craig and new Aunt Jessie:) It was a wonderful day and we loved getting to see lots of family.

4) Mike and I became godparents to our new nephew Xavier. We feel very honored to have this important role in his life! Xavier's twin brother, Izak, also was baptized and Mike's cousin, Aaron, and his wife are Izak's godparents.

5) Weston is now cutting his second molar and still no top front teeth! It will be interesting to see when those come in since he was suppose to get those before his molars:)

6) Lastly, here is a video of Weston being his goofey self:) By the way, the sound you hear him making is his laugh when he is super excited.

*To all my fellow bloggers: I spent all afternoon just catching up on reading every ones' blogs, so sorry for the lack of commenting! I hope to be better at that in the future too! Hopefully, it isn't a bad sign that it has taken me four days just to finish this post!!