Adventures at the Science Center

Since Katie is at my parent's house on a slumber party and Levi will only nap in my arms I decided to write a little about what we have been up to since Dan left on Monday night.  We have done something fun everyday so far.  On Thursday we went to the Fleet Science Center at Balboa Park.  Katie loved the upstairs play area.  There were just enough kids to interact with, but not too many to be overwhelming.

My favorite parts

Katie's favorite was loading food

This was a tornado that you had to try and disturb from forming

This wooden xylophone was loud enough to be heard all over the room but played a soft, beautiful tone

Maybe a new Thursday thing?  Only 48 more says until we go to D.C. to see Daddy

My Handsome Three Month Old!

I want to say that my son is beautiful, but I know the correct term for a boy is handsome, so I guess I will go with it.  We had his pictures done when he was three months and 9 days.  I love them so much.  Newborn pictures were sweet, but these ones show his little personality and I know him so much more.  Three month olds are adorable!

Here's Levi:

Katie (3) and Levi (3 months)

Enjoying his thumb

Tummy Time!

Beautiful Blue Eyes

Daddy and Levi

The Kassebaum Four

 I love the picture of Dan with him since he will be leaving soon.  I can't wait to get some more pictures done when he gets home :)

ADHD Treatment without Meds!

A friend of mine recently posted a list of suggestions from her doctor for her son who was diagnosed with ADHD.  They wanted to try something other than medication first and see if it could work.  From teaching, I do beleive that some kids need medication to function in school, but why not try these tips first to see if a more natural approach can work in your family.  Heck, even if you don't have a child with ADHD, all of these tips led to a healthier lifestyle for everyone.

DR. TIPS:

1. Screen time (tv, movies, phones, etc...) no more than 1 hour a week.
2. Vigorous activity(swimming, running, etc...)
3. Going into nature out of the city for slow stimulants exposure
4. Eating foods high in omega 3 (avocado, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds) all nuts and seeds are raw unsalted...
5. 800mg of fish oil each day
6. Absolutely no video games
7. Low amounts of bread
8. No food coloring, especially red-40
9. Go as preservative free as possible. Her rule is if God didn't make it that way, don't eat it. For example, don't buy chicken nuggets in a box u heat up, buy chicken breasts, cook them and cut them up. 


My friend was happy to report that her son's behavior in school had greatly improved on his report card.  KUDDOS!

Does anything survivie children?

Katie went to use the bathroom today by herself (yay!).  I heard her flush and hop off the toilet and then she never came out so I went in to check on her.  She was back on the potty with a tooth brush in her mouth.  After a while I helped her wipe some more and then we flushed and I saw a little green toothbrush spinning around in the toilet.  Dope.  Shoulda notice that it was no longer in her mouth.  Now Dan is going to remove the toilet and try to find the toothbrush before it clogs everything.  Glad it was a nice new toilet.  Hopefully he gets Katie to bed quickly so he can start working on this project :)

love my kids!

The Pains of High School Love

During some rare cleaning today I took out my recycling items to discover some hidden treasures in my recycle bin.  See, earlier this week we neglected to put out our trash cans at the proper time.  I put out the "trash" trash can before the man came, but the recycyling was too late.  When Dan got home, he put it out in a moment of sleep deprivation.  It remained out on the curb for two extra days before we hauled it in with all its contents, and a few new ones.  Inside my recycle bin were the remnants of old high school love: a box filled with pictures, cards, and deflated Valentine's Day balloons from our neighbor boy down the street.  Being the scavenger that I am, I dumped the pictures, but kept the frame and basket.  Katie has already claimed it as her own.

In his own sweet words to his now old flame, my neighbor professing his love:

It's the way you say I love you
and the way you hold my hand
There's just so much about you I 
completely understand.

It's the twinkle in your eye that
I only see when you look at me.

It's the warmness of your hands
it sends a shock straight to my feet

It's how you always amaze me, you surprise
me all day long.

This I know is true
Baby, I'm in love with you.


(Well I guess not anymore.  Sorry dude, but if you throw it in my trashcan I can publish it to the world!)

Sea World's So Much Fun

We did our annual Sea World trip today since Dan had the day off for the Veteran's Day weekend.  Katie has enjoyed it every time we've been, but this year was the most fun for her.  As soon as we entered the park we saw Shamu.

 

 Then we saw a lady with a giant pink tarantula.  The other kids were scared of it but Katie walked right up to it and wanted to hold it to.

We saw the Sea Lions Show, which was hilarious for adults.  Not sure Katie got it, but Dan and I had a blast.  Then we went to Turtle Reef and the Shark Encounter on our way to the Dolphin Show.

The beautiful turtles

 We figured Katie was getting tired so we went over to the Bay of Play to meet the Seasame Street characters. As soon as she saw Elmo, her eyes light up with joy.  The kid in line ahead of us for pictures did not want to go near Elmo, but Katie ran up and hugged him and Grover.  It was a moment of pure joy.

Levi in the Bay of Play!

 Then Katie went on some of the rides.  We actually lost her for like a whole minute.  So scary!

Katie helping to spin the ride before I got yelled at for taking pictures on a ride

 After the Bay of Play we headed over to the Manta Ray petting area.  Katie loved this as well.  She wanted to pet them for ever!

 And finally we went to the dolphin encounter/ training.  The trained had the dolphin come right up next to Katie and she was so scared of it- the dolphin had its mouth open to eat a fish and he had a lot of teeth.  The next time he came up he had his mouth closed and looked a lot friendlier.  Much better for her!

 It was an awesome day all around!  I think we might go to the holiday party for Dan's work in December at Sea World so we can go twice this year.  

****Today I am thankful that even when a day starts crummy, it can become awesome****