Welcome 2014!

To celebrate the end of 2013 and the beginning of 2014 we took a short 3 day (almost) stay-cation up to Phoenix.  We stayed downtown and took the lightrail around for the three days, which was both novel to us and fun! 

On Monday night we went down to the Phoenix Zoo for their Zoo lights, which I must say puts our little Zoo's holiday showing to shame.  Evie and I rode a fast "polar" slide and then she proclaimed "That was scary... let's do it again!" So she rode again with Patrick.  For the record Izzy really wanted to go too, but was too short (not to mention I am not convinced she would hold on to the side of the tube) so she was sidelined. 

Patrick and the girls also got to participate in my favorite Phoenix Zoo activity, camel rides.  I have very fond childhood memories of walking around in circles on a stinky dromedary and it would seem the girls (and Patrick) share my love of it :) 

On Tuesday we went back to the Zoo and spent the whole day there.  Somehow we managed to stay until closing at 4 pm with only minor complaints from our residential 2 year old. 

We took rides on the carousel, saw lions and tigers (and bears) and went to the petting zoo. 

Evie writing her New Year's resolution ("Learn better in school.")

The Zoo was also having a special New Year's Eve event where they brought in snow (yes for the snow deprived desert kids this is a real treat) and had a noon time toast to the New Year.  Evie quickly discovered that snow is cold and perhaps not the mythically fun thing to play with that she imagined.  Of course I didn't bring mittens for her... I don't think we even own them, so of course her hands got cold fast. 

The day was super fun and all kinds of exhausting (See exhibit A below... on the bus ride home)

After a little rest in the room Evie was ready to go out for a little New Year's celebration.  Izzy was still asleep and Patrick battling a cold, so Evie and I went out just the two of us.  We decided to walk a few blocks down the street to where there was an outdoor skating rink.  I figured we'd skate for a 1/2 or so and then head back to the room but Evie got very into it and we ended up skating for 2 hours.  This is definitely a record for me, I usually get too cold after an hour or so.  In this case though it was like 50 degrees outside so it was almost hot after a few dozen revolutions around the rink.  Evie fell down a lot but, to her credit, got up over and over and over again.  By the end of the 2 hours she was doing a pretty good job and could make it around all by herself, not falling and gliding a little here and there.

The rest of New Year's Eve was spent hanging out in our room.  Evie made it until 10 pm, which was about 15 minutes after we got back from skating, and Izzy fell asleep, for the second time, at around 11:45.  I am afraid we too fell asleep then.  Make this only the 10th (at least) year in a row I didn't make it to actually ring in the New Year.  Luckily we are 2 hours different from New York so I always get to see the ball drop.  :)

On Wednesday morning, after a delicious breakfast, we walked down to the Arizona Science Center for the morning.  Here again was more snow trucked in for the enjoyment of the desert child.  Knowing this time just how chilly it is both girls only frolicked momentarily.  At the museum Izzy tried to plumb a bathroom and enjoyed sliding down out of a stomach that farts as you come out. 

Izzy's potato racer... we had to modify it a bit before she could try to race it....

Both girls enjoyed playing with water and shooting balls into the air and making potato racers to enter into the potato races. 

Evie got very into moving around iron with magnets while Izzy sat beside her with a little xylophone playing and singing away, it was a beautiful sibling moment. 

I think perhaps though the highlight of the museum though was the display where you could "make" a river. Around 1 pm we packed it in and headed for home, only three days but it really did feel like a much longer vacation!

Air and Space

 

Yesterday while Patrick went to work I took the girls out to the Pima Air and Space Museum.  It was Izzy's first trip (more or less...last time she was in utero) and Evie hadn't been for over 2 years.  Most of the museum is outside so I figured at 65 degree day would be perfect.  We lucked out and got the last little wagon there, so I even had a good way to cart the girls around the large place.  (I think the wagon was so novel it was almost as exciting as all of the planes)  The girls got a chance to look inside some of the planes and get inside a few simulators.  Evie really liked the blue angel planes and the space hangar, particularly the mock up area of Mars.

Izzy liked a certain type of fighter plane (which I cannot now remember what it was) but insisted on getting out of the wagon to inspect every single one of this particular type of plane...  I got pretty excited when back in and little "corner" of the outdoor area I found a bunch of planes that had been turned into works of art... I guess that shows you where my museum preferences lie....

Merry Christmas!

We had a wonderful (and warm!) Christmas.  Christmas Eve we spent at my parent's house, eating good food, tracking Santa on NORAD (probably the highlight for me), and watching the kids play with their one present (well this year it was two because I bought them pajamas and letting kids only open pajamas on Christmas Eve seemed a little cruel).  Evie got a dog training kit and Izzy a car that she could disassemble and resemble.  Both were very well received.  Evie proceeded to try to train the puppy to sit and Izzy took apart, put back together, took apart, put back together, took apart (you get the idea) her new car. 

We got the kids tucked in nice and early and Evie did a good job falling asleep... Izzy not so much but the threat of Santa skipping the house is all but lost on a 2-year old.  We had big plans to play bored games but a little bit of a cold and a few glasses of glog put us all to bed around 9. 

Santa came as promised and brought a sewing machine for Evie and bouncy toy for Izzy.  Evie was extra excited because Santa threw in a paracute just for good measure for the girls to share.  According to Evie is meant that they must have been extra good because usually he just brings one thing.  Izzy had a hard time appreciating her present because of her cold and a terrible night's sleep... Fortunately for all of us a little ibuprofen came to the rescue, and Izzy went from a screaming banshie to a pleasant (if tired) 2-year old.  Somehow the girls managed to wait patiently for over an hour while all of the adults drank coffee and ate breakfast.  When the excitement could be contained no longer we all started opening presents. 

Highlights include a tail and ears for Kitty Izzy, stilts for Evie, a balance bike for Izzy and a cool architecture/engineering doll house building toy for Evie.  (Not going to lie, I am pretty excited to play with that one today.)  Although Santa did not come down the chimney for me Mom and Patrick spoiled me with a new camera (hooray!  I can give my mom's back and not have to rely on poor quality i-phone photos) and a banjo!  The banjo was hidden upstairs and I was sent up there to look for it... very exciting. 

After all of the festivities Evie worked on her stilts a bit and I got to start playing with my new camera (all of the pre-camera opening photos are still at my Mom's house on her camera :) and then we took a few hours break and went home to our house.  While Izzy napped Evie, Patrick and I made an attempt at making butter from scratch and it turned out much better than Thanksgiving.... however we still need to work on our ability to turn it into shapes... the snowman looked like a lumpy headless blob and the star more like a circle but hey it tasted good, which is an improvement for sure!

Later in the afternoon we headed over to the big Rimsza family dinner at my uncle's house (just across town this year, no trip to Phoenix)  Some of the Phoenix contingent, including my grandpa, came down though, which was really nice.  We had a huge and wonderful dinner, complete with poppers and crowns and opened a few more presents.  We ended the day with a little walk and then everyone was so exhausted we headed home.  It must have been a full (and exhausting) day... in an unprecedented event the girls slept in until almost 8 am this morning!

Winterhaven Wishes

On Thursday we made a trip over to the Tucson neighborhood called Winterhaven where they take their Christmas lights more seriously than anyone else I know.  So seriously that the whole place is shut off to cars, trolleys and hay rides roam the streets, and thousands peruse the madness each year.  Some of the houses are just sheet excess of lights others are super creative.  A personal favorite is always the house that has a wholly new facade to make it look like a gingerbread house.  We usually go in from the back of the neighborhood because there are less people and parking is easier, and honestly only make it through one or two blocks of the madness because it is cold and the kid (or kids) are not agreeable to a more lengthy jaunt. 

This year though my cousin was out for 4-H collecting cans for the food bank at the main entrance so we went in that way.... and I now know I have been missing out... there was the 3 story high tree that pulsated with a 1/2 different colors, the santa's workshop with little elves moving making toys for a present conveyer belt and my new favorite, a wishing tree where people write their wish on a piece of paper and make a chain.  Evie won't tell me what her wish was but Patrick helped Izzy write hers so I know that one...  when asked what her wish was Izzy said "I wish for a sandwich."  I guess she was hungry.

Quotables

The girls were all about the zingers this morning:

Evie: "Today I am screaming wet tamales!" and when told she was going to be in the Spanish class for winter break (instead of French) " I can't go to Spanish class, Mommy's trying to kill me!"

Izzy, upon seeing the Christmas Tree all lighted up this morning: "That tree is silly, it has lights on it."

Internet Drought and Christmas Plenty

So in the end it was for love of the blog (Patrick's love that is) that we deiced today to re-subscribe to the internet.  It is a little silly that he should be so sad about the lack 'o blog, given that he just happens to live with the little people it chronicles, but we all find our joy in different places.  So as I noted in my brief post (via phone) I will be going in and filling in the gaps of the last few months over the next week or so.  But first a few current events.

We have been in full prep for Christmas mode these past few weeks.  I think we are all just a little bit more into it this year than usual because we missed so many of the little traditions last year when we went to Hawaii.  Last Thursday (in the evening after traveling over 900 miles total Tuesday - Thursday (Lake Havasu, Safford and Phoenix..oh my!) but being home every night) we took the girls to Zoo lights so the could meet up with the S-Man.  Evie led Izzy to the encounter and Izzy didn't even cry, although she was a bit suspicous at first.  Evie asked for a sewing machine and when we asked Izzy what she was going to ask Santa for she replied "Christmas"  I feel quite confident that both girls will get what they are asking for!

This weekend we went out and got our tree.  Evie helped me decorate it and it looks absolutely lovely as the sole piece of furniture in our still unfurnished front room.  We may just have to keep it past Christmas....

The Blog will Rise Again!

I am afraid the lack of Internet at home has been the death of the blog (well that and over 26 focus groups since mid September with 900 miles driven around the state last week alone).  I write to inform that I am going on break in a week and have a back log of goodness to fill in so the Lacroix blog and its cuteness will rise again!

Junior School Winter Concert

Today on the last day of the semester Evie's school put on a little concert.  Here is a little sample...

Bike Riding Lessons

 Born out of a desire to start doing weekend bike rides and from a realization that it was not a skill she was just going to acquire on her own (or at school) Patrick has started to teach Genevieve how to ride a bike without training wheels.  For the past month they have been going down to the park to practice (at first they tried a bit on our driveway but there wasn't enough room to really get going).

I don't have photographic evidence of it but on our last time out she was making it down the street all on her own... now she just needs to get the hang of getting going without a boost from Patrick... definite homework for Christmas break.

Science Experiment

 Evie has joined the Science Club at her school.  She has come home with strange goop (I think it was supposed to be slime), homemade lotion (which looked almost exactly like the slime), and homemade butter.  The big challenge of the club though is to prepare for the regional science fair next spring.  In September we made a special trip to the University so she could get a lab book.  (Yes I know I could have gone to the local office max too but I get 10% off and it seemed fun to make a big deal of it).  Since then we have been discussing what she could do for an experiment and then she records her ideas in the lab book.  Her first idea was to see what kind of noises would make a glass break.  Once it became clear that we wouldn't have the sort of equipment necessary to undertake that experiment she moved on to a water-based one where she was going to examine evaporation rates from cups.  I of course thought this was fabulous but her interest in it fizzled so that too was crossed out in her book.  This week she had to report to her teacher what she was going to do so it was decision day...  On the way to school she still hadn't decided and couldn't come up with an idea.  She then declared that she would like to do an experiment with something that started with M.  I suggested molds (clearly not thinking of the ramifications of growing moldy somethings in my house for the next few months) and she got very excited and proceeded to come up with the idea for her experiment.

She decided to test 3 fruits in an indoor and outdoor environment to see what types of molds would grow on each one.  Her initial hypothesis was that she would see mold in 2 days.  While all of the experiment design was ongoing the puppy was in the backyard looking cute so I figured we should share that too....

(December update.... still no mold, lots of larvae from fruit flies... going to rework the experiement with a new hypothesis and procedures...I know it is a cliff hanger and you are on the edge of your seat... so stay tuned!)

Mahjong and the Spelling Bee

This semester I have been volunteering at Evie's school most Wednesdays at lunch time as a instructor/cat wrangler for the Junior School mahjong club.  When the parent who organizes it found out I was willing (and able) to help with the club I really had no choice :)  Evie joined the club and is in love with the game, she is among a handful of 1st graders in the club and I am totally fascinated that little kids can play a game with so many seemingly strange rules.  I have even dragged my co-worker into helping me one week when the other mom wasn't able to come.  I have been traveling a lot for work and have meetings some Wednesdays so I don't always make it... but always get flack from Evie when I miss it.

In November I missed a mahjong club to go to Clarkdale for work so as "punishment" (not really) I came to her school that Friday morning to help proctor the 1st grade spelling bee.  So that it isn't a painful experience for too many of the kids (just a select few) the process is for kids to sit in the auditorium and write the first ten words on a paper.  Those who get all 10 right go up on stage for a real(er) spelling bee experience.  Evie and six other kids got all 10 words correct and went on stage.  The first three were eliminated pretty quickly, some with tears.... Having never witnessed a spelling bee before I felt kind of bad (and was glad that I could be there for Evie when her tears came...)

The bee went on and on because Evie and her 2 friends knew the whole list by heart.  The teacher decided to try the next list and all of them failed miserably (a sure sign that spelling is all about memorization and confirming what I always suspected... bad speller (like me) does not equal lack of intelligence).  So in the end (and because it was time to go to the next class) it was determined that there would be three spelling bee winners and Evie was one of them!  She was so thrilled and now treats the pencil she won with great reverence. I was happy to have missed the mahjong club that week so that I had the chance to be there for it!

Halloween 2013!

Halloween this year was a blast.  Some of it was old traditions, like going to Valley of the Moon, but most was new on account of our new house and neighborhood.  At first I was worried it would be a disappointment because our new neighborhood is too spread out for trick-or-treating... probably the only thing I don't like about it... and we used to have so much fun in the old neighborhood with a little party and sitting on the porch passing out candy.  Fortunately though my fears were not realized.

Valley of the Moon did a Scooby-Doo themed show this year, which was hilarious.  It was so fun to see Izzy actually watch and enjoy it for the first time! Last year we didn't even try to go and the year before Patrick spent most of the show/tour in the car with a screaming Izzy.... yes we are starting to see the light at the end of the home-arrest-on-account-of-the-baby years.

The girls and I carved pumpkins, Evie wanted a kitty one and while I did the actual carving she embellished it with ears, whiskers and drawings (and yes that is supposed to be a bloody nose).  Izzy mostly sat and watched but did decorate a pretty cool pumpkin at school.  I had bought her a dollar store make your own pumpkin too... which was also a kitty. (Clearly she was pretty excited about this)

The girls had incredible costumes courtesy of my Mom.  Evie picked out the pattern and requested a pink Indian princess costume and that is exactly what she got (Izzy didn't really have a say I am afraid... but we suspected she would want to be exactly what her sister was and we, fortunately, were right.)   Even though we knew we wouldn't be trick-or-treating in our area we still decorated the house and made pumpkins to put out front.

Then on the 31st we went over to my Aunt and Uncles house to go trick-or-treating in the 49ers neighborhood and let me tell you it did not disappoint!  Tons of kids, awesomely decorated houses and a few spooks and scares to make it just right.  Although I don't relish the idea of traveling away from our neighborhood for trick-or-treating I think we have found our new tradition!

Carnival and mini update

I am afraid this will not having Internet has made it so the blog is really hard to do!  That in a crazy schedule with work and PhD stuff. Someday I will have a September and October that isn't  way too full and just be able to appreciate the fall.  In the meantime a little catchup is in order.  Starting with the newest member of our household Sadie the mini dachshund, who came into our life about a month ago now.

She weighs about 3 pounds and is super cute. She loves to sleep with Evie and is super cuddly.  Once she is housetrained she will be the best dog ever!

We have been taking advantage of the wonderful fall weather and doing lots of things outside. Today Evie and I went to the carnival down the street with some friends of hers from school. I was impressed with some of the scary rides she decided to go on, I think her friends made her extra brave!

Life without furniture...

We are just a few months from marking the 1 year anniversary of our new house.  In many ways we have made it our own... pictures on the wall, chicken coop, fairy houses around the fish pond (which Patrick fixed), and a new super efficient air conditioner.  This last addition in particular has prevented us from doing what most people do in a new house... furnish it.

While the bedrooms are all nicely furnished our living spaces remain rather bare.  In the family room this means that there is ample space for nightly wrestling on the carpet, and the front living room certainly feels nice and open.  The kitchen is nice and open too, with only a small kids play table to take up space....  Although it vexed me at first, I have become quite accustomed to this bare room lifestyle.  Now don't get me wrong, I am all about couches and tables, but hey how many people can do cartwheels in their living room without fear of breaking something?  I have no doubt that someday we will have a house furnished like most folks do, but for now I will revel in the unique openness of our space!  (and in the ability to ad nauseum look at couches in order to find just the right one)

Swim lessons

For the past five weeks the girls have been in swim lessons. Evie aspires to join swim team so we took a lessons to learn strokes better and Izzy just aspires to swim period. I was very impressed with both of their progress over the course of just five weeks, but Izzy in particular amazed me.  Where most kids her age cried to get in the pool for swim lessons she would pitch a fit every time when the swim lessons were over because she did not want to get out of the pool. After one lesson she was sticking her head under, blowing bubbles, trying her best kick, and without hesitation jumping off the side into the pool... she may just be swim prodigy :)  Of course now that she's in that awkward space between being comfortable in the water and not quite swimming yet she's totally a hazard to herself. But it is definitely fun to see your kid be so naturally good at something, not to mention so enthusiastic.  It's cooling off now so we probably are not going to anymore swim lessons for this year but next year I'm sure she will tackle it with the same gusto she did this past month. As for Evie she's already asked me if she's gotten to the level to join swim team and she totally has, she also improved a lot!  As for myself I learned that I'm not good at being the after school activity parent. I have felt so exhausted carting them to and from swim lessons for the twice a week that if we do lessons again it will have to be sometime before 6:30 PM. Maybe I just have a weak constitution, but getting home at 7 PM twice a week was a form of torture to me.  I really don't know how some parents do all the afternoon activities!