We recently took the kids to the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens in Palm Desert. Jon was attending (and speaking at) a technology conference in Palm Springs, so he met the kids and I there at 1:30. This is the best time of year to go- it was pleasantly warm with a cool breeze blowing, and plenty of big, shady trees all around. First, we went to the butterfly exhibit, where they had all kinds of butterflies flying around a plant nursery. Stasia went chasing after the butterflies, determined to catch one. After much explanation, however, she was able to gently reach out her finger and let one climb up on it. She loved that! After the butterfly exhibit, we strolled through the zoo and saw wild cats and dogs, cranes, gazelles, zebras, warthogs, giraffes, and ostriches. It wasn't very crowded so the kids walked beside us much of the time. Then, we followed the miniature trains around the huge model train display- Zachy was in awe!- before heading over to the aviary. We all sat in the aviary and watched birds flying over our heads and running all around us making their peculiar noises. Once outside, Stasia chased some ducks and then we walked back around the gardens, making our last stop at the coyotes. Zach and Stasia tried howling at them, but they were not amused. One other thing we did was go to the Kids Discover Center, where they were able to roam around, looking at tortoise shells, bird feet, and bugs, and play with the big animal puppets and toys. They enjoyed this. Back at the entrance, a lady brought out an owl for everyone to see, and then it was time to go. Overall, we really enjoy the desert zoo and will probably return next year- only during the winter, of course.
Zachary has really started talking more- although you wouldn't always know it because he's often shy around others. He tries to say things that Jon and I, or Anastasia, say. One morning he said: "More pancake mama." Another time he said: "Butter on it" (meaning his bread). Of course, one of his favorite words is "Outside." Both of them love to play outside together. They take their tools and dig in the dirt, go up and down the slide, or run back and forth across the yard with their basketball ("ba-buh-ball" for Zach) and soccer ball. Zachary is also really starting to look like a little boy- he's getting a fuller head of hair, and growing taller by the day.
Anastasia is growing more inquisitive about the world. Her favorite question, of course, is "why?" She's very persistent about getting an answer too. She loves "school-time"- especially trying to write her letters (it must be the m&m rewards!) She also likes putting numbers in order and counting crackers and crayons. During playtime, Stasia and Zach like playing with cars. They also like dancing, or rather spinning, to the songs on her keyboard, which she plays over and over. When Zach's asleep, she likes to color or play in her room. Lately, she's begun to understand the suspense in movies; she gets upset when a character's in danger, or something bad is about to happen.
Both of our kids now officially love coffee. No surprise! Whenever they see Jon or I with a cup, they come begging for a drink- Zach saying "o-ee" and Stasia copying him. They recognize a Starbucks in the distance now, and know how the coffee pot works. What can we do? I guess they're going to be like their parents.
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Due to our overindulgence in sweets (fudge, cookies, and candy) during the Christmas break, we are currently dieting. Please do not offer us anything containing sugar for the next six months (it will probably take that long to lose the weight we put on!)
We, and the kids, had a very exciting and eventful Christmas this year. There were many family visits that we made, and others made to us: one with Jana's dad, one with Jon's dad and family, and, on Christmas day, two- with Jana's family and with Jon's family. We did spend Christmas morning at home opening gifts. We got the kids a big gift this year- a slide- instead of a lot of small gifts (they certainly got enough from others though!). We set up the slide behind the partition (kitchen/family room area) so that, after they opened their other gifts, we could lead them into that room for the big surprise. They really liked it, and have been enjoying it nearly every day. Even Zachary can climb the ladder and go down by himself. Along with the big gift, Stasia got a pet shop game she has fun playing, and a chest of dress-up clothes that she likes dressing up in, while Zachary got a race track, a car garage, and a lot of cars that he loves driving around the house.
The family visits were fun for the kids- Zachary actually had a lot of fun playing with his aunts and uncles (unfortunately, though, he's still a mama's boy, even after all the practice with the family!). They also got to play with their cousins, which they enjoy. Stasia survived the excitement, but got a split lip and and big bump on her forehead. Zachy made it out without any cuts or bumps. Jana suffered one stomache virus, and Jon made it through with no illnesses. We've recovered now, but it's back to work!
For Halloween, we went trick-or-treating in our neighborhood with some friends and family. The kids had fun going door-to-door collecting treats. Stasia was dressed up as a black cat (complete with the painted face and all) while Zachy was dressed as a puppy dog. We thought this appropriate since they are beginning to fight over toys and things. After trick-or-treating, we all had coffee and handed out candy.
Jon had the week of Thanksgiving off, so we were able to catch up on school work and do some things around the house. We cleaned up our garage and hung Christmas lights on our house. We spent Thanksgiving day at Jon's mom's house- everyone pitched in a little (or a lot) for the dinner and everything turned out great. Stasia had no trouble warming up to the crowd, but Zachy was shy (as usual). After eating everyone got a football game together and we took the kids to the park while they played. Stasia, Samuel, and Zach had fun swinging, sliding, and cheering on the football players. After this we went back to the house for some coffee and more dessert. Zachy finally got used to the place and began having fun coloring and playing with Stasia and Samuel. On the way home both kids fell asleep. On Friday we took out the Christmas tree and decorations and started putting them up. We haven't done any Christmas shopping yet, but we've had a fun break without it .
At the moment there is a huge wildfire raging near where we live. It started earlier today and is still burning out of control. Now that the sun has gone down, the scope of the fire is apparent. According to the news reports the fire is not contained at all. Some of the smaller highways near us have been closed. I just pray the flames don't move any closer.
This month has been full of activity. We picked apples in Oak Glenn one weekend. The kids enjoyed picking apples- however, it goes pretty fast since apples are big and the bags are small. Picking berries last year took much longer. But they got to see some farm animals (a horse and chickens). Stasia was too afraid to feed the horse a carrot (perhaps it was his big mouth coming straight toward her face). They also got to sit on a tractor and take a hay ride. Other than that, there wasn't much else to do and things were very crowded. There was a pumpkin patch, but we had plans to pick pumpkins somewhere else.
Picking pumpkins ended up being a full-day event. We went with friends on a Sunday after church. There were a lot of activities for kids- big slides, mazes, and jumpers. Stasia enjoyed the jumper, and then we both took the kids on a huge slide. I (Jana) was a bit scared because it was so steep, but ended up enjoying it. After this, we took the kids in the petting zoo. Stasia liked chasing the ducks around and feeding the over-stuffed goats. Zachary liked the big tortoise. Though the vines were looking rather dry, we got four nice pumpkins.
Next, we celebrated Stasia's birthday with a small party. We had planned to go to the park, but it rained, so we ate pizza, opened presents, and had cake indoors. She had fun playing with all the kids and opening her presents.
It's fun to see a child's mind grow in understanding of the world. One day, I (Jana) had a cup of coffee and Stasia a cup of milk. She looked at the coffee, and then looked at the milk and said: "You have cafe, and I have au lait." She can read some words, and also understands that there can be exceptions to rules. Zachary's still shy around others, but when no one's around he's very animated. Sometimes, he'll push a button on his little piano (which will play a song), and then dance all around the room. He also says: "broom," "balloon" (these two sound like the same word), ball, ma (for milk), and run around (at least, we think he's saying that). He doesn't have a word for Stasia yet; she calls him ZZ or Zach-Zach. They love to play but also fight over toys too.
It's been awhile since we've updated our information, so we thought we would do a little update for everyone.
Jon started back at work in September. He will also be teaching a college class again in November. Jana is doing pre-school with Anastasia this year, which she is enjoying. Stasia knows her letters and sounds, and is now learning to read three-letter words. She is also working on writing a little, and is learning numbers and counting. After school-time, though, she likes to play with her brother. They like to play with hotwheels together, driving them on the windowsills, or to run around the kitchen table with push toys. Zachary is learning how to tickle Stasia back when she tickles him. He is finally starting to talk a little too. He just started saying "uh-oh" and loves to say it over and over again. He sometimes attempts to say other words, such as "ball" or "button." Both of them like playing at the park or in the back yard or looking at books. We go to the library every week or two.
Jon and Jana are also working on their Master's Degree together. The program is keeping us busy with papers and deadlines, but we're enjoying it. We are still attending an Episcopal church and are looking for ways to be more involved (some of the functions are a little difficult with small children).
We don't really have any hobbies right now (we feel pretty busy with what we're doing), but Jana's trying to spice up her cooking by finding new recipes to add to her cookbook and Jon just finished redoing his school website.
In October we're planning to go to Oak Glenn, the pumpkins patch, and celebrate Anastasia's birthday with a small party. We'll keep everyone updated and post some pictures as well.
If you haven't read the review of Ridemax, I recommend reading it. We used it for our Disneyland trip, and found it to be an excellent way of managing your time at such a crowded amusement park.
Now about the trip. We stayed in a hotel near Disneyland Sunday night so that we could get there as early as possible Monday morning. We had a little trouble getting the kids to sleep that night but somehow they managed to get to sleep around 9:30. Phew! The next morning we got to the park at 7:30 am. When it opened at 8:00, we headed for Fantasyland. Stasia and Zachy were a little frightened by the loud noises, flashing lights, and jerky movements of "Alice in Wonderland" and "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride." However, both were calm and smiling on "Dumbo" and "Casey Jr." They also enjoyed the peaceful boat ride and colorful scenery of "Small World." With a little between time on our schedule, we took them on the "Carousel" (where Stasia rode her horse solo) and to "Toon Town" to play. Zachary loved trying to steer the car on "Autopia" while Jon pushed the gas pedal (I didn't let Stasia try, though my driving was probably worse), and both kids were amused with pushing the triggers on the laser guns on "Buzz Lightyear."
After lunch in Tomorrowland, we headed for the "Tiki Room." Stasia loved watching the singing birds; Zachary, on the other hand, fell asleep to them. He woke up, however, before we went on the crazy "Roger Rabbit" ride. After all this excitement, we went back to the hotel for a rest and a swim (our Ridemax schedule gave us a three hour break). It was also a very hot, humid day and we needed a cool down. After a rest we had dinner, and when we got back to the park it was time for mom and dad to enjoy a couple of rides. We used the fastpass and switch-off procedures for "Space Mountain" and "Indiana Jones." After this, we went on "Jungle Cruise (which Stasia didn't like) and "Pirates of the Caribbean" (which she did like, except the dips. By the way, Zachy and I were sitting on the front-left side of the boat and got soaked! I don't remember getting so wet on that ride before). Anyways, our last ride was "Winnie the Pooh." The car was so tall, though, they probably couldn't see much.
We walked back to the hotel around 8:30 pm, with both kids fast asleep in the stroller. All we had to do was take off their shoes and slip them into bed and they were out for the night. The next day we got up late because California Adventure Park doesn't open until 10 am. Anyways, there's no need to rush there because there's NO CROWD! The park was literally empty, so we got to ride the "Caterpillar Ride" and "King Triton's Carosel" twice. We also went on the "Monsters Inc." ride, which was slow but colorful. The kid rides at this park seemed a little slower; there also wasn't as much for toddlers to ride on. We were able to take them on these "Rockets" that swing around in a circle. They loved these; Stasia didn't want to get off. After lunch the kids had fun playing in the water at the "Puddle Park," and then we headed home.
Overall, it was a very fun trip. Stasia's beginning to say that she wants to go to Disneyland everyday.
Recently, we took a short vacation to Disneyland. We stayed for two nights at a hotel and bought two-day park hopper tickets for Disneyland and California Adventure Park. As I was reading some tips for visiting Disneyland, I read a review of a software program called Ridemax. It allows you to choose the start and end time of your visit to Disneyland, the rides you want to go on, and the times you would like breaks, or free-time. It then creates a schedule for you (giving you the estimated wait times and walking time to each ride) so that you can make the most of your time at "the happiest (or most crowded) place on earth." The program also schedules in times to get a "fastpass" for a ride, and tells you when you should use it (though it is flexible). You can schedule in your own breaks, or allow the program to do it for you.
Our review of the program is that it worked great! The longest we waited for a ride was about 25 minutes. It took 30 minutes for both of us to switch-off for Space Mountain, and about 40 minutes two switch-off on Indiana Jones, but that beat waiting 60 minutes for each ride. We got to go on everything we wanted, and we had some extra time to do a couple of other things. The program cost $15 dollars, but was worth every penny.
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