A winter storm has dumped about a foot on the region, and so today was a snow day for everyone in the family. James was able to work from home, while Mathias and Lillian have enjoyed a good run of vegging out. The whole family did head out into the snow for a bit, teaming up to clear the walks. The snow is proving tricky to pack, so our snowman may have to wait!
A few weeks ago the Seidlers had a great get-together as cousin Kaitlyn married her husband Josh near South Bend. Uncle Neal did a great job walking the bride down the isle, and the kids had plenty of fun looking for fish and leaping off the dock at the reception.
Mathias really loved that water bottle, apparently.
As a bonus, Uncle Mark and Aunt Janet came to visit us at our new place–they even treated us to lunch at Three Floyd’s! 🙂
Mathias lost his first tooth tonight! The bottom two had been lose for a while now, and one of the pair tumbled in the tub. Luckily it was recovered so the Tooth Fairy can fork over some dough.
Mathias poses with his piece of ivory.
Because the loose tooth were sensitive, he didn’t quite brush up to his usual standard when they were coming out, so he also wrote a note to the Tooth Fairy explaining things.
Dear Tooth Fairy, sorry about my tooth not being that clean. I brushed it. Love, Mathias
P.S. What do you do with the teeth? (I am just asking.)
By losing his first tooth at 6, Mathias did fall short of challenging James’ record for “freakiest oldest age to lose your first tooth” (James was 8.) Lillian is still a contender, though.
We spent the last week on the New Jersey Shore, catching up with college friends, splashing in the waves and even checking out the boardwalk and the Cape May lighthouse. It was a great time, although we did have to make the drive back with the windows open after our air conditioning decided to fizzle out on this. Thankfully, the kids were troopers.
The beach at Wildwood. We made it here five times during the week–it was really nice.
The family poses on the shore.
Jumping in the waves with Mr. Brian.
Building our own sand civilization. It did not endure.
Doing some kid races back at the house.
Visiting the lighthouse at Cape May. We climbed up and down, although Lillian made the descent in James’ arms.
We visited Morey’s Pier on the boardwalk too.
The rides were a hit!
For Lori too! (She even got in a solo ride on the roller coaster.)
We hope to head back next year!
Mathias turned 6 today, and we had lots of fun celebrating. We started off with chocolate doughnuts for breakfast, he came to school to find mom had decorated his locker, and Lori and Lillian were there as Mathias’ teacher and classmates read his birthday book. Then we celebrated with brownies and presents–as well as some nice calls from Oma, Opa, Papa, Grandma and Mickey Mike!
Posing with the brownies (and Lillian shows off her new mermaid Barbie.)
Mathias gets a “Happy Birthday” serenade and blows out his candles.
Presents, Part One: Lillian shows off her mermaid Barbie, and Mathias rattles off his first round of gifts.
Presents, Part Two: Mathias rattles off the full roster of fun (well, plus a new video game!).
A full party is coming up–more birthday fun ahead!
Lillian likes to take turns when we read books and offer her own take on the narrative. Here’s a bit of her version of “Sammy the Seal.”
Mathias has been doing some extracurricular activities of late, which, as anyone familiar with this age range can attest, means plenty of trophies!
First up was the CPS chess tournament on March 4. This was a first for Mathias; he’s been on the chess team at his school since fall, but that’s mostly entailed playing a couple matches (and goofing around) with his friends every Tuesday. Still, he’s the rules pretty well, even if his strategy is a work in progress. 🙂
At the tourney, he played four matches but couldn’t pull a win. Still, every match lasted longer than the one before it, and he got a nice participation medal at the end of the day. (It was well deserved–he was one of a few kindergarteners there, and we were at the tourney for eight hours on a Saturday!)
Mathias poses with the team.
Lest anyone think it was all chess…Mathias relaxes with the team between rounds.
Posing with his medal and his buddy Knox.
Mathias has also spent the spring playing indoor soccer with the Chicago Park District. It’s been a lot of fun–and a good opportunity to stretch his legs in winter. As a bonus, one of his classmates, Charlotte, turned out to be in the class! The program ended this weekend, and he got a sweet participation trophy for that too!
Mathias and Charlotte pose with their trophies.
Lillian has been busy too. She and Lori have been taking swim lessons at the nearby Park District pool, but they sort of frown on photography there, so we don’t have any pics of that! But here’s a look at her making some pizza in the kitchen and building a massive Lego house.
It was in the 50s today in Chicago–great weather for February–so we decided to pack up and take a little hike at the River Trail Nature Center in Northbrook. It has a short loop trail near the Des Plaines River as well as some cool local wildlife and a kids area inside the Nature Center itself. Mathias and Lillian had fun playing with our binoculars, and we also spotted a hairy woodpecker and several red-tailed hawks!
Lori put together a nature bingo for us all. Yes, I’m still looking for “poop.”
Next to a “vernal pool”–those binoculars were a hit!
We headed into Indiana to spend Presidents Day weekend at a cabin in Potato Creek State Park. It was a lot of fun–in a great coincidence, James’ Uncle Neal, Aunt Sherry and cousin Ashley had the neighboring two cabins to celebrate Ashley’s 21st birthday. So we got some socializing in and solitude too, along with a visit from papa, a roaring fire, plenty of board games and even a visit from a pileated woodpecker.
Lori and the kids pose in front of our cabin.
The kids make snow angels. This represents about the full time they were outdoors–it was pretty cold out! 🙂
Obligatory wildlife sighting–a big pileated woodpecker was rattling around outside our cabin!
Toasting our toes with an adult beverage.
Still feeling that holiday spirit? Well, you’re in luck, because we’re just post posting these highlights from the kids’ school holiday pageants.
Mathias and the rest of the kindergarten class did a nice choreographed performance to “Jingle, Jingle Little Bell.” The dude handled his turn in the front row with ease–a big step forward from the stage fright of two years ago!
Mathias rings his bell in the front row.
Here’s a video of the fun:
Lillian’s class put together some tunes of their own, including “Ring the Bells” and “I’m a Little Snowflake.”
A close-up of Lillian with her holiday headdress.
A look at the whole class (with cousin Angie second from the left).
Here’s “I’m a Little Snowflake. Lillian gave it a little more gusto in her at-home rehearsals. 🙂
Ring the bells–happy holidays indeed!
