Arkansas 2015: Bowling!

Our last full day of vacation we took the kids bowling!  This was the first time Ben got to bowl.  He loved it.  How does an almost 2 year old bowl?  They have a little ramp called a dinosaur for the kids to push a ball down.  I kind of wanted to use it myself.  Ben did pretty well, but it was a little tough for him waiting to take turns.  He really liked pushing the balls, and didn't fully understand why he couldn't do it the whole time.  In his defense he is often the only kid around, so he doesn't have to take turns.  Most of the library programs we go to right now are still basically a free for all.  Plus, it was the end of a very busy, very fun week full of activities.  All the kids had a little bit of a challenge remembering to use their listening ears.  Luckily the big three were understanding with Ben, and Pat and I were able to double team him to let the other kids take their turns.

The big surprise- Ben won among  the cousins!  I know!  I am so going to start signing him up for every bowling activity possible and start researching bowling scholarships. ;)  Okay, maybe not.  But still, it was kind of funny.  He actually did better than I did.  Ben did have the benefit of bumpers in his lane, and I let him 'help' me bowl, which, well, didn't actually help my score that much.  But that's okay.  We all had a great time.

Superman cape and tiny bowling shoes.  So cute!

Daddy had to help carry the balls over.

Ben won!

Overall, it was another wonderful trip to Arkansas.  Thank you again to Aunt Lindsay and Uncle Chris for letting us stay with you.  And thank you to Gramma and Grampa for spending so much fun time with us and the kids.  Ben had a blast visiting and playing with his cousins.  He adored Ladybird.  His cousins were so sweet with him.  They included him in everything and didn't mind sharing their toys.  It was crazy with all four of them running around, but I enjoyed thinking that soon enough we will think just four is tame compared to the six we will have.  We're so lucky to have family we genuinely enjoy spending time with.  We love you, Arkansas Crew!

-Kim

BFBN: Preparing children for new baby- Guest Post

It's a Babywise Friendly Blog Network switch day!  I'm over at The Journey of Parenthood with some ideas on how to encourage a love of science in young children.  They are easy, relatively mess free ways to encourage inquisitive minds.  Emily is here today helping me out with tips on how to prepare children for a new baby.  Ben's life is going to change in huge and wonderful ways when the twins come, and I want to do everything I can to help him out with this transition.  Thanks, Emily, for the great tips!
-Kim


Preparing Children for New Baby

As a parent a big reason many of us choose to have multiple children is because we want our children to have the bond that siblings create. However, once we actually become pregnant with that sibling...we start to worry. Will the older child be jealous of the new baby? Resent the new baby? Will I be able to give enough attention to them all? Is it fair to the older children to have to share me? Is it fair to the baby that I won't be able to give them all my time and attention because I have an older child to care for too?

Here are some tips I have for preparing older children for a new sibling:

1. Perspective: More than anything else I think MY perspective makes the biggest impact on how our new baby will be received and viewed by siblings. Stop worrying about the concerns a new baby could bring and instead focus on the blessings of it. It's a blessing that the older children will learn to share. That they won't be spoiled and will have to learn patience when you are tending to the new baby. Don't allow yourself to feel guilty. Yes, it'll be an adjustment for the children but soon having the baby in the family will be their normal and they, most likely, won't even remember life without the baby in it!

2. Anticipation: You are pregnant for ten months. 10 long months. That's a long time to be able to get your older children pumped up for a new sibling. In our home we talk about the future a lot and it's fun to build excitement for upcoming events. We talk about our next Disney trip months before it actually arrives. The anticipation is half the fun! The same thing works with a new sibling. It's an exciting time so talk about it! Build that excitement for your children! My kids were PUMPED for the baby to come and I think those last days of waiting to go into labor were probably more difficult for my son than for me because he was SO ready to meet his new sibling.

3. Preparation: Just as you talk to build anticipation and excitement, talking about the baby often is also a chance to prepare the older kids. Before our new baby was born even my two year old could tell you that babies can't eat pizza ;) She could tell you that babies will cry a lot and that Mommy will need her to be a helper. Changes WILL be happening in your home when a new baby arrives, by discussing the changes with the other children it helps prepare them for what is to come. When they know what to expect it will make the transition easier for them and more enjoyable for you!

4. Responsibilities: Children love to have a "job." It helps them to feel important and valued! Find some sort of task your child can have when the baby comes. When I am pregnant we don't find out the sex of the baby nor do we tell baby names. With our most recent addition we had our two year old tell everyone the sex of the baby after she was born and had our five year old announce the name of the baby. Both kids knew they'd have this special job and it made them SO excited for the baby to be born. They took pride in getting to make such a big announcement and talked about it daily. You can also have your older children help prepare your home for the baby. Both of our kids "helped" put together furniture in the nursery and it made them more excited for their new sibling to come home and see their hard work. 

5. Books: We read a lot as a family so a wonderful way to prepare for the new baby is by reading lots and lots of books about it! I love how books focus on the role of a big sibling and help the older kids see the responsibilities they will have as a big brother or big sister. Some of the books we own and enjoy are:

• Cornelius P. Mud, Are You Ready for Baby?
• I'm a Big Brother
• I'm a Big Sister
• The New Baby
• The Berenstain Bears and Baby Makes Five

6. Reward: I'm not big on gift giving with my children at times other than birthdays or Christmas, however I think it's important for the new big sibling to have something special. During a time when so much attention will be on the new baby, it's nice for them to be given a small gift to remind them that they are still super special and important! For our most recent baby I put together a bag for each older child with small toys and things I knew they'd enjoy and that I knew would entertain them during the early newborn stage when I'd be too tired and too busy nursing to provide much entertainment ;) You can see what I included in the bags here!

7. Praise: Each child is different and special and you love them all equally but in different ways. Point out what makes them special and unique and why they will always be super special to you. I now have two daughters so I always tell my son that he's my favorite little boy in the world and that he'll always be special to me because he made me a mommy. With my older daughter I always tell her how special she is to me because she was my first daughter and how I always wanted a little girl and how thankful I am to have her. I make an effort to tell them these things daily. When I tuck them into bed at night I make sure I whisper sweet things to them as I want them falling asleep at night feeling loved and wanted and appreciated. Praise them for being helpers, for being quiet when baby is nursing, for doing something thoughtful without being asked, for obeying, for just being them!

Adding a new baby to the family is a big adjustment for everyone! It can take awhile before life adjusts and that's okay. By helping prepare the older children for their new sibling you can make the transition easier on everyone and a happy experience!

Be sure to check out all the ladies in the BFBN for more great posts!

Arkansas 2015: Splash pad

The pictures from this activity tell the story pretty well.  The whole group of us hit up the local splash pad to let the kids play.  Ben was super into it.  We took him there with the kids last year, but he wasn't walking yet.  This time he was able to run around with the big kids and really enjoy the water.  It was the perfect day for it, warm and sunny.  The kids all had a blast.  They really enjoyed dragging Pat and Grampa around through the water.  We let them of course.  Overall- it was great.

So cute in their Hawaiian shorts!

Ben adores his Mickey swim outfit.

These two rarely hold still!

Charlotte always made sure Ben was in on the fun!

He was loving it!

After playing snacks.  Hair styled by Daddy.

-Kim

Arkansas 2015: Two parties

The weekend we were in Arkansas started off really with two parties!  First, we packed up the kids and headed over to Gramma and Grampa's house to swim in the pool they had set up.  They also have a swing set in their yard they left up from the previous owners.  The kids had a blast!  They jumped in and out of the pool, played on the swing set, and ran around the yard.  Ben pretty much stayed in the pool, mainly because he couldn't get in and out on his own.  But also because he just adores being in the water.

After letting the kids tire themselves out, Aunt Lindsay and I left the husbands in charge and went to her local resale event.  Oh my goodness, it was huge.  I found some great things for both Ben and the twins though.  It's hard not knowing the gender yet, but I found some great stuff in the boy section that could look really cute on girls too.  Thanks for taking me with you to the sale, Lindsay!

The evening, we had celebrated Ben's birthday!  With traveling so close to his birthday, Ben will actually be having three small celebrations instead of one big one.  This first one was with the Arkansas relatives.  Lindsay, Chris, Gramma, and Grampa were so sweet.  They got Ben a super cute Mickey Mouse Clubhouse cake.  He blew out the candles and we all enjoyed the cake.  Then he got some great presents!  Thank you so much to everyone for showing Ben so much love.  He really enjoyed his party and loves his gifts.  We're so blessed to have great family.

The pool got a little crazy

He had so much fun!

It's fun to get Aunt Lindsay wet. 

Such a cute cake!!

He loved it!

The eating is the best part. ;)

It was another great day. :)

-Kim

Arkansas 2015: Painting cookies

Whenever we visit Arkansas, I try to bring some sort of fun little activity to do with the kids.  Usually something crafty, as, well, I like to do that kind of stuff.  Ben is finally getting old enough to participate, and this year I brought something new he could do with us.  A local mom from my Mothers and More group bakes cookies and cakes for special occasions.  She also does a really fun type of cookie- the paint your own cookie.  It is so cute.  It's basically a sugar cookie with frosting, and on that frosting is an outline of a picture.  Attached to the cookie is another one that looks like a little paint palate you would find with a water color book.  The special part is that the 'paint' is also frosting.  You use water on the extra frosting and paint your cookie.  Then you can eat all of it!  So cute and fun.

I picked a Mickey Mouse design for the kids to paint.  I used Ben's birthday as an excuse to get his favorite.  They loved it!  We painted the cookies after nap time, then the kids got to eat them for dessert after dinner.  It was fun, cute, easy to clean, and a big hit.  If anyone wants the info on how to get the cookies, send me an email.  I'll pass it on!

The eating is the best part!

The cookies are sold by the half dozen, so the adults got to participate a bit as well.  I was so happy the cookies survived the long drive as well.  I may have to make these an Arkansas tradition!

-Kim

Arkansas 2015: Fun City

We're back!  We just got back from our summer trip to visit the family in Arkansas!  We had so much fun.  It just gets better and better when we go because Ben can participate more and more with his cousins.  And boy, did he.  He kept up with them as much as he could!  It was great for Pat and me, because it meant he slept hard every night.  

Our days followed pretty much the same pattern.  Once everyone was up and ready for the day, we took the kids to fun activity in the morning.  Then we had some lunch, and everyone had naps.  (And yes, sometimes it was everyone, not just the kids;) )  Evenings were spent having yummy dinners and playing with the kids some more.  One night we even let Ben stay up late with the kids to watch Big Hero 6.  I know, we're cool parents. :)  (By the way, good movie!  The adults liked it too!)

Our first full day we went to Fun City Pizza so the kids could play in the climbing area and play games.  Oh, and eat pizza.  (We ate a lot of pizza on this trip.)  Ben really enjoyed watching his cousins run through the play zone, even if he wasn't quite ready to get in it himself.  He also quickly learned how to put tokens into games.  He preferred the ones in which he got to throw balls.  One has to be careful with him around skeeball though.  He doesn't always throw it down the alley, and those balls are hard!  Charlotte was a sweetheart and kept Ben supplied with tokens.  He loved playing games with her.

All the kids had a blast running around like crazy.  It was a great way to hang out on our first day there!

It was hard to get Ben to sit for pictures

Love these kids!

Charlotte helping Ben explore

Joe and Ella playing hard

Ben spent some fun time with Daddy

Playing basketball!

The kids loved all the junk food we got to eat. :)

Charlotte, Joe, and Ella were all so great with Ben.  They shared their toys and included him in everything they did.  For his part Ben was great about sharing his toys.  We are still working on taking turns with him, but in his defense he really hasn't had a ton of chances to practice.  He is usually the only kid around.  It was good practice for him and his cousins took good care of him to make sure he was always having fun.  I loved seeing Ben do so well with the other kids, I think he is going to be a great big brother!

-Kim

Fun times...

...have been happening!  I'll post more in a few days when I get more time.  But here is a preview of what we have been up to!

Cousin!

Fun times with these kiddos!!

-Kim