Party of Five

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Schwakida Spring Break

We headed off on one of our favorite quick getaways to Seattle. We have done this one several times so we have it down to a fine oiled machine . . . Which is nothing like our traveling companions car. We made our way to the Children's Museum in Everett where our kids love all of the different theme rooms. Josh is either trying to figure out how things work or is busy building things. He especially liked building with the foam bricks and trying to surround himself so that he could eventually explode through the walls . . . Much to the horror of some of the parents with really small kids. Jamie was busy at the ball tube machine and of course the water room. Spraying water and hanging from the chains to get the waterwheel moving peaked his interest. The more physical, action packed, and messy the activity the more he engages and explores . . . Better here than in my house. Emma is much more gentler in her play than the boys. She loved the pizzaria room where she served pasta, pizza and of course dessert. She also loves the pretend farm house, where she can drive a tractor and climb onto a stuffed bull. All in all a good time had by all with no glitches for us at least. Our next stop was for a quick bite to eat at Brooklyn's Pizzaria . . . I was the only one in the family that was going to eat, but I was not going to pass up the opportunity to grab a slice for the road. Yes, it is that good and when Michelle took a bite of my lunch, she was regretting not getting her own, as was I (those of you that know Mich, she always has to have a small bite or sip of everything that I have . . . That is why I can often be found snacking in my solitary spot, which happens to be my garage).

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The bigger the mess, the more that it moves, the more I like it!

Always the builder trying to figure things out.

Next stop, the hotel and a quick dip in the pool. I must say that going to the pool for the first time was probably my favourite moment of the trip. I feel that I need to explain a few things about Michelle and swimming.
1. Michelle only swims in warm bath water
2. Maximum stay in the pool is about as long as it takes her to find the hot tub.
3. Apparently she has a condition that does not allow her to swim in cool water, so that is why it is one of my responsibilities.
4. Michelle has convinced the kids that there are always two pools, a cold pool and a hot pool.

So, when the kids went down to the pool with Michelle as I was getting a few things organised and grabbing us a coffee, she was already standing on the stairs with Emma in the water as I walked in. I felt that the kids were in good hands and Captain Canada and I took a seat on the loungers at the far end of the pool. As we sat there chatting it was soon disrupted by a disgruntled hotel patronage that yelled, "What? There is no hot tub here? Lisa come on! What were you thinking??" this shriek from Michelle brought about a big smile from me as I looked over to Michelle still standing on the stairs with Emma. I decided to pretend that I was still drinking my coffee which brought about the smiling, but stern voice of Michelle stating that it was my turn to go into the pool . . . I could tell that the Incredible Hulk was slowly returning, so I let her sweat it out a bit and gave her a break from the pool. I must say that I did enjoy those five minutes of Michelle squirming in the luke warm pool with the kids. Let's just say that it was her first and last swim of the weekend.

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It's the three headed monster!!! schwartzchronicles.com

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One of the things that we continue to do when we are away is hit the local Chuck E Cheese. The kids love playing the games for the tickets so that they can choose out their little prize from the counter. I know, I know, it would be a lot cheaper to head to the local dollar store and buy them the little trinket that they win, but they do enjoy playing the games, but more importantly figure out what they can get. I must admit that I always make myself scarce at this time and leave Michelle to deal with the boys and Emma at "The Counter". I find it quite painful myself watching them trying to figure out what to get with their 140 points . . . yes there is a math activity here, but by this point of the night, I am ready to head on back to the hotel.

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It is funny how when your life takes on a new focus, you become hyper aware of certain things. What I mean by this is . . . it was like when I was buying our truck, it seemed like everywhere I looked there was an Xterra driving down the street, even though I never took notice of them before. So where is this rambling going you ask . . . well, ever since Josh has taken to chess it seems like these giant chess boards are everywhere. They are at the mall, the food court in Seattle, the Pacific Science Center . . . they are everywhere. The boys decided to take the time to have a chess game while others looked on, which was great timing because there were a few hungry mouths to feed. Emma is funny sometimes because of what she likes and what she does not like. For example, at the Vancouver Aquarium she would not watch the dolphin show as she told us, "I no like the dolphins". At the Science Center in Seattle, she wanted no part of the butterfly room as she said, "too hot, lets get out". She is a girl who knows what she likes and what she does not like and there is no changing her mind.

I really need to get back to the gym!! schwartzchronicles.com

Jamie is beginning to understand the game a lot more as he learns from his big brother
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The next morning, we said our goodbyes to the Schwakida's and headed to one of my favourite stopovers, Sky High Sports. The kids love the trampolines, but I think I actually enjoy them more than the kids. At one point, Michelle was jumping with Emma, the boys were playing dodgeball, and I was having a blast jumping by myself. I would like to say that I was doing it for the exercise, but really the exercise was secondary to my own enjoyment. One thing that I love about spending time with the kids is watching their confidence grow and their willingness to try new things. Emma loved the foam pit and doing some new tricks on the tramps. While the boys tried some flips on the tramps and into the foam pit, but spent most of their time playing dodgeball with the bigger kids. I love the fact that the kids are so active and enjoy being active in so many different ways.

Another awesome Schwakida adventure to one of our favourite places. Thanks again to Captain Canada for taking some amazing pictures for us to capture our time together.

Saturday, March 31, 2012

Who Says Creativity is Lacking in Kids

We decided to paint Emma's room and transfer her into a big girl bed over the break. For some reason I knew that the transition from the crib to a big girl bed would not go as smoothly as it did with the boys. Michelle and I could place the boys in their bed and they were down for the night . . . in the morning the boys would scream until we went in and lifted them out of their bed. We always laughed because they didn't realise that they could just slide out of their beds on their own. Emma on the other hand, came downstairs for a "visit" about twenty-three times in about a fifteen minute time span. Who says creativity is dead because Emma managed to come up with twenty-three different reasons for getting out of her bed . . . her excuses ran the gamut from, "I got an owee on my knee, I got an owee on my arm, I don't want this guitar, sing me a song, I need a blanket, etc. . . ". One thing that I have been looking forward to is walking into her room at night and watching her sleep and giving her a kiss goodnight. My little Princess is growing up.

BC Sports Hall of Fame

We heard about the BC Sports Hall of Fame from one of our friends and decided to take our kids down for a visit. Hockey, soccer simulator, rock climbing treadmill, bobsled/sit ski simulator, and a running track were the hands on activities that the kids enjoyed. There is so much to see and read that kept the kids busy and intrigued. The kids loved looking at the "old" equipment from the various sports presented and seeing all of the artifacts from the Winter Olympics. It was interesting to see what they thought was interesting and what they remembered from the Winter Games. Personally, I loved the Terry Fox room looking at the artifacts and reading the letters and messages that were there.

Luongo's Mask was a big hit.

He shoots, he scores!!!

Josh enjoyed trying to beat his time.

Emma even got into the action of trying all of the different simulators.

World Record Holder????

Yes, that is my time . . . 0.8 seconds . . . who is the man!!! Michelle thinks that I somehow got Emma to rig the time for me . . . wishful thinking. I did remind Michelle that she did marry a world class athlete, so why doubt my abilities. I must admit that I did run this in jeans with no warm up, so we can only imagine the time I could of put up with a proper warm up and attire . . . look out Usain Bolt, the Asian Bolt is heading your way!!! An overweight, vertically challenged, and aging has been is coming for your title as the fastest man on earth!!!

Yes, that is my time on the clock over 14 meters!!!! Percy Williams who????

Science World

We headed off to Science World with some of our friends to check out the latest Lego exhibit. I really enjoy Science World because it is one of those places that all of our kids can find something interesting to do. Often, the activities/outings are catered to the boys, but this one allows Emma to explore, run around, and experiment with the many things that Science World has to offer. I love the fact that I get to re-experience Science World through Emma's eyes. Personally, I love all of the physical challenges and of course the Mensa puzzles. I am so glad that the kids still love the Science Shows because at this time I usually make myself scarce and try my hand at all of the puzzles that they have to offer. Michelle is very quick to give me a hard time about having all of the kids, while I am off playing. Not to brag, but they need to update their puzzles because I have figured out many of them . . . I think it is great that Josh is getting the bug for these as well. It is just another excuse for me to spend more time at the tables.

"Hey, where did my shoes go???"

"Here they are"

Yes, that is my finger . . . getting used to my phone still.

Testing his vertical jump.

"Daddy, lots of Emma's"

Love your sense of humour . . . you always make me laugh.

Cute Kids

Banner Games

I must say that I was looking forward to this weekend as it was not only the opportunity for the boys to play in their banner games, but also because it meant no more ice times . . . well, at least for a couple of weeks.

Josh had a great year with coach Pat, where he made some new friends, renewed some old friendships, and got to play with his cousin. It was great seeing him looking to set up his teammates by passing to them when they were open and of course scoring some goals. It is great to see him trying to lead his team by example on the ice and off the ice. His favourite move that he worked on was the spin-a-rama, which he saw Mason Raymond do during a shoot out on t.v. Josh's team played against Burnaby Minor, which was a fun game to watch as the teams were evenly matched. Josh played really well scoring two goals and making some great passes.

Jamie has surprised me over the last month of Hockey H1+, as he has become more focused during game days and is beginning to be more involved in the play. I need to continue to remind myself that he is only five and that he has made huge improvements in his skating. His skating was very evident in his banner game as he did a great job back checking the other team on defense and weaving his way on offense towards the other team's goal. Jamie has really enjoyed having coach Derek work with him this year.

Jamboree Weekend

The Soccer Jamboree can only mean one thing . . . another season of soccer has come to an end. The boys continued to develop their game sense and their basic skills, which were showcased on game days. Josh enjoyed playing with some of his friends and were beginning to develop some chemistry between them during the games. Jamie loves competing and of course celebrating his many goals in different ways. This is where the boys differ a lot . . . Josh will do the chest bump with one of his friends or gives a little fist pump, where as, Jamie will airplane back to center with his jersey pulled over his head. All in all a fun year had by the both of them.