The latest on the whole crew
Evan has really got creative lately. Not only does he enjoy playing Angry Birds on the iPad, he also love so to play “outside the iPad” as well. He finds things he can use to build levels and then brings in his stuffed animals to act as pigs that he, with his stuffed animal Angry Birds needs to knock over (just like the iPad game). This is Evan with one of his set ups.
The twins both really like going outside. They both say “side” and point to the door. They both seemed to really like the snow (when we had it for a few days).
Evan loves Angry Birds and for Christmas he got the “board game” version. At first he was just randomly building boards for the birds – but I noticed this morning he was actually building them to spec per the game cards. I am impressed! (The game cards have photos of what pieces/birds/etc need to be built/located)
What is the most exciting thing for the twins right now? The new toys from Christmas? The dog? The computer? Not even the iPad can even compete with the want to be sitting/walking on the table. We try to enforce not getting on the table and even take them right off when they get on the table, but they are both obsessed with getting on the table. Turn your back for a minute or go into the kitchen for a glass of water…and what you will see is both Will and Cora on the table.
Evan has always loved reading, especially Garfield comics. He has been reading our old Garfield books for the past year and when he had a really good week of listening and playing nicely I took Evan to the bookstore to pick out a new book. He wanted a new Garfield book and ended up getting a big color (the ones we have are in black and white) Garfield book. Evan loves this book and has memorized several comics. If you ever want to get Evan something – Garfield is always a hit. You can see this book in the background…and apparently the twins also like it.
Will and Cora have been really enjoying their birthday presents – especially this space ship that they can easily climb on, sit on, ride, and push. Check out pictures of the twins in action on this exciting toy as well as some other random June 2011 photos in the photo section.
Evan, Amy, and I enjoyed a day outside shoveling, throwing snowballs, and walking on the snow. Evan loved every minute being outside and did not complain about being cold – even after being out for over an hour. He enjoyed the “snow seat” and igloo I made for him out of snow piles and snow drifts. Check out the photos with more pictures of Evan and the crazy snow we got in the last day here in Chicago.
Evan and all his friends had quite an exciting birthday party last week. We had the Traveling World of Reptiles come and give a fun filled hour + presentation on reptiles. We had a 150lb python, a tortoise, crocodile, lizards, etc in our home as Dave talked to everyone about the reptile’s natural habitats, the dangers of having them as pets, and how to interact with them.
Overall – I think everyone of all ages enjoyed the show and were pleasantly surprised how much fun it was. After the show, we all enjoyed Portillos and Costo cake.
Here are some pictures from the big event. A big thanks to all those that came out for the celebration.
Last week we ventured out to the nearby pumpkin farm with all the kids and had a great time. We took everyone on the “spooky” hayride, let Evan play on a big bouncy thing, and enjoyed some apple cider donuts. Evan loves to go here and we look to go back another time in the next few weeks. We will probably not go back on the hayride – as it was a little too spooky at one point. You could literally see him freeze up in fear (we were in a barn that had a big fake spider in the rafters and some scary-ish looking props). Fortunately – the spooky part only lasted a few minutes. Check out some more photos of our trip to Goebbert’s pumpkin farm.
A few months ago when the new Super Mario Brothers game came out – some of our friends bought and Evan loved watching us play. Soon after that, we gave him a remote (that did not control anything) and he thought he was playing. Shortly after that – we actually gave him the controller and he started playing. When one of our friends saw him playing – she asked me if he was watching the demo and I told her “no – this is Evan actually playing”. She was surprised he could move all around and so was I!
When the twins were born, I decided to get the game for him so he could play it here at home. We play for a little bit everyday and it is now his newest favorite thing to do. He has gotten better and even though he dies quite a bit – he can definitely get through boards with and without my help. For the most part – he listens to me when I ask him to “not move” or “jump over there” and I look forward to playing with him after work!