Science!

The past few months there has been some exciting science going on in our house. It began with a multitude of experiments kit that Nicole (aka Mimi) bought Evie for Christmas.  We made polymers, used dyes and Evie has proved herself to be a mean pipetter.

 Izzy has also enjoyed helping when we let her (which is as often as I can!)

Then in February it came time to put together Evie's poster for the IST science fair.  She tried two different experiments to grow mold on oranges, apples and bananas.  I am afraid neither succeeded. This totally baffles me because otherwise we seem to have no problem growing mold on food in this house.  During the experiment we even accidentally bought apples that a week later were moldy!  Regardless, Evie had a lot of fun with the experiments and putting together her poster.  I started out having her type it herself but after it took 1/2 hour to do the one sentence of what her experiment was about "Will different molds grow on different fruits?"  I decided it was OK for her to dictate to me while I typed.  Perhaps the best part of this science experiement are the conclusions:

She did well enough at her school science fair so that this week she gets to go to the Southern Arizona Regional Science Fair.  It should be fun!! (and of course I'll let you know how it goes...)

Poor blog...

Poor blog has gone neglected for 2 months!  Well of course this is bound to happen when the computer you blog on is usurped (not to mention your free time) by a very exciting event in the Lacroix household!  In mid-January Patrick made the decision to start his own law practice and by February 1 he was out and doing it!  While very exciting for all of us, it does mean that my official duties as webmaster, graphic designer and accountant took up most of the time I would have otherwise used to keep this blog up to date.  I'll do a little recap here and then make a point to steal the computer away from him at least once a week or so!

 Last weekend I took the girls to the Botanical Gardens.  The main reason was to see the butterfly house.  Evie loved going into the greenhouse with the butterflies but Izzy got so scared that I think my left ear is still just a little bit harmed.  Poor thing screamed so loud and was so terrified I had to rush her right back out of there! Later on she said she wanted a butterfly toy and we (mostly Evie) convinced her to go back into the exhibit and try it in exchange for a toy.  Went back in she did, but I had to hold her the whole time and she clung to me as if I were taking her into a lion's cage not a butterfly exhibit....

 

During Rodeo Break at the end of February Evie got to spend two days at Zoo camp.  I think her little sister was a bit jealous, but at least Izzy got to go play at the park each day when we picked Evie up!

Mt. Graham with snow, outside of the barn where I held a workshop in Safford.

View to the Town of Jerome from Clarkdale, outside of the Town Hall where I held another (different) workshop.

I have also been traveling a lot the last two weeks for work.  3-days in Clarkdale last week and then 2-days in Safford this week (then Casa Grande, then Phoenix, then Sierra Vista)  On the two over nighters I brought along my camera because one should have fun while working, right?

Zingers: Cookies

Upon giving her some animal crackers as a snack Izzy informed me: "Cookies are not food, just give me something else please mama."  Now where on earth would a child of mine learn that cookies are not food?!  Clearly something has gone terribly wrong in her rearing.

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...