Aggie Game Day

This past Saturday we decided to take the kids to College Station to experience game day at Kyle Field. We did not actually go to the game (not brave enough to take 2 toddlers just yet) but we had fun partaking in some pre-game traditions, the most fun being parking really far away and walking to the stadium. I kid. We barely missed the team walking into the stadium/practice facilities, but we enjoyed the kid zone for quite a while, saw uncle Kyle and Manda at their tailgate spot, and watched the Corps march in. The kids really thought the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band was pretty awesome. We even got to take the kids potty in a maroon port-o-potty. Maroon doesn't make it any more fun, let me tell you. Once it was game time, we headed to the car and hit up an old favorite lunch spot and did a little shopping. The day was quite fun and we look forward to taking the kids back for an actual game! Oh, and let me just say how HAPPY we are that we BTHO Texas Tech! WHOOP!

Click here for some pics of our Aggie fans:

Aggie Game Day

This is what we do

One of the most precious sights a mommy can see:

Two sweet little boys who hunted down their pretend tools so they could join their daddy in fixing the sink.  (Owen in green) 

And something else to make a mommy proud - recognizing all their numbers in order to line up all the peg boards in reverse order from 10, so they could count down and yell BLAST OFF!! 

The other night we got home from HEB and all three of the boys in this house were in a very silly mood, instigated by Daddy.  It started with a "magic trick" where the kids would count to 3 and snap their fingers and the light would turn on (or off).  They thought it was amazing that they could snap their fingers and control the light!  They eventually figured out that Daddy was flipping the switch, which then led to them wanting to flip the switch.  So during each "off" period, Aaron would pose in a different way for the next time the light turned on.  Of course the kids thought this was hilarious and the flickers got more rapid, which led to a very funny evening.  Here are just a few seconds of our fun that took precedence over unpacking the groceries: 



I also mentioned in a previous post how the kids love music, singing, and dancing, and I even posted a picture of the kids hanging out with Daddy in the playroom having a mini jam session.  Well, I found a video that was on a different camera that is just adorable.  Mason on guitar, Owen on vocals (although he isn't quite sure of the words yet), and Daddy on maracas!



The guitars you see them playing are fairly new to them and they each play some different songs.  Owen is still trying to learn the words to "What I Like About You."  In the mean time, I got some pretty cute video, including the "yowwwww!!"



They were recently introduced to a new song: Kiss' Rock and Roll All Night.  Evidently they had part of the chorus stuck in their heads.  Almost as funny as seeking out their guitars and spontaneously bursting into song, are their outfits - a t-shirt, undies, and some house shoes from Holland shaped like clogs.  Nothing screams rocker like red and blue elf shoes!  And be sure to listen to Owen towards the end.  I think he takes it up an octave!

And here's a video of another nightly show.  This time to "I Gotta Feeling."

Music and Cooking

It is CRAZY to me how musically inclined these kids are.  They carry tunes quite well, have a knack for remembering a melody after hearing it just once, and have some pretty legit moves when playing their toy guitars (they raise their legs or tip the guitar up or down for effect, etc).  And they turn everyday things into little songs.  For example, when they want their hands wiped after a meal they sing a little song (and I'm not even sure how long it's been being sung, but for a while now).  To the tune of jingle bells (who knows!?) they sing "wipe my hands, wipe my hands, wipe my hannnds-a-hands!"  They also have a little kid mp3 radio that I've loaded up with some of their favorite songs.  They LOVE to turn it on and dance around, sometimes performing for us for up to an hour!  Not sure what other activity holds their attention quite as long!  They'll mix in dancing, singing (or pretending to) holding a mic, or playing their guitar.

The other day I was piddling around the house and peeped in the playroom to find the cutest scene ever!  Daddy and the boys were having a "show" (and they even got Daddy involved).  Mason was intently watching Aaron play the guitar, like he was having a lesson or something.  And Owen is in the background with his microphone.

Eventually they switched and Mason backed up Owen while Owen did a little singing.

I'm excited because I know they are approaching the age when kids can start learning a musical instrument.  I really would like to find out more about it because I think they would really enjoy guitar or drum lessons (although my ears may not)!

Another thing the kids have enjoyed recently is helping with cooking.  A pizzeria down the street from us provides take home kits for kids, so no matter how ugly the pizza, we know it's gonna be good!  It has sort of become a daddy-and-boys activity and they really love it!

We also had a cookie making day.  I told them we could make some Halloween cookies and asked them to tell me who they would like to send them to.  In my mind I was thinking they would come up with one or two people people (probably Numna and Bee) to send them to.  Well my generous children came up with SIX different places to send them: Numna, Bee, Granna & Granddaddy, Mimi & Papi, Grandma Mary, and their best buddy (who moved away) Cate.  Owen and Mason had fun picking out the ingredients at the grocery store,

mixing

rolling (and sprinkling flour)

 

cutting

decorating (they decided on the color combos all by themselves!)

packaging

and mailing all 65 (yes, 65!) of their cookies.

They even donned my (and Aunt Lindsay's) old Mickey aprons.  Needless to say, they were very proud! 

Click here for the rest of the cute pics:

Show and Pizza with Daddy

Analogies

Mason:  I have to put slippers on when I ride my bike, to protect my feet.  Like helmets protect my head.

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Owen:  Yeah, we have to do it again, and again, and again.  Like an 'E'.
Me:  What do you mean, "Like an E"?
Mason:  Because on an E you have to write a lot of lines.

Hawaii Part 2

Day two of our vacation was spent at the Polynesian Cultural Center.  Now, I have to say I was a bit skeptical on how much fun could actually be had at a "museum" when the rest of the island of Oahu was just outside it's doors!  Well, museum it's not and I was proven wrong!

The PCC, as they refer to it in Oahu, is made up of villages that represent the main islands of Polynesia: Hawaii, Tonga, Fiji, Samoa, Tahiti, and Aotearoa (New Zealand).  Everything was very hands-on and the kids really enjoyed themselves.  There were several street shows with the traditional dances and clothing from each island, which was quite entertaining. Here is just a taste of it.

The kids had a passport take to each village and collect stamps to show they visited.  They thought this was really awesome!

Some of us learned a hula dance in the Hawaiian village.


We got to weave some art from leaves, which ended up being a game.  (Pull the fish to the bottom of the twig and sling).

Here's Mason taking a turn at Tolo spear throwing in the Tongan village.

 

Here is a funny video of Owen while we were on the canoe ride through all of the villages.

Here are the kids learning the "titiorea" (sticks played along to a traditional song) in the Aotearoan village.

Owen and Mason playing with Poi Balls. They LOVED this and thought that if the ball slung out of their hand, they "WON!!"


We capped the day off with a Luau dinner and an AMAZING show performed by tons of people from all over the Pacific.  The music was great, the dancing was great, the costumes were great!

Here we are after the Luau dinner, getting ready to go to the main show.

We thought the kids might get tired of everything by the end of a very long day but clearly they enjoyed every minute of it! Here they are helping out the drummers on stage with their new drums.


It was a great day, and the Polynesian culture is so interesting and fun to experience! If you are ever in Oahu, we all recommend the PCC!