Sprouts Fun

We love Sprouts Farmers Markets, so we were thrilled when one opened just down the street 2 weeks ago.  We had a great time at the grand opening (I think my kids thought we were at a carnival or something).  We went back last Friday to get some great produce at even better prices.  As I put the last item on the conveyor belt at the cash register to check out, I heard a loud crash.  I turned to discover Sydney lying flat on her back on the cement floor with the shopping cart on top of her (on it's side) and Mady still tightly strapped in the top seat just hanging there...screaming.  Sydney had stood on the side of the empty cart and pulled the whole thing down.  There was a lot of screaming from both kids and we were surrounded by freaked out employees immediately.  Once I got Mady a pacifier and Sydney some fruit snacks they calmed down.  I was able to get Sydney to tell me where she was hurt and she pointed to her feet.  I couldn't believe that after all that only her feet hurt (glad, but shocked).  Sprouts was great and helped us a ton.  No one was majorly injured and Sydney was thrilled because, "I got purple toes like daddy!"  Her feet had little purple bruises from where the cart hit her, but otherwise both kids were thankfully unhurt and very scared.
Today we went back to Sprouts.  The first thing Sydney did was climb on the side of the cart (which, incidentally, she had almost never done before).  We had a good talk about what had happened last time and I think maybe it finally clicked this time.  I hope.  The good news?  The cashier we went to today remembered us.  "Were you the ones that were in here and..." Me, "Fell?  Yup that's us."  Glad to know they have people who care!  Make sure you buckle your babies in the carts from now on!

Spoiled Girls

Ahh, winter is so long this time it seems.  We try to keep busy, but some days we just have to leave the house to keep from causing each other bodily harm.  Where do we go?  Target.  It's 1 mile away.  And guess what?  January is a HUGE clearance month at Target (I've heard July is too).  We went there a LOT that month, but recently too.  Back to my post title.  I love to spoil my kids.  It's so bad because I know they just don't need these things, but I want to buy them for them anyway!  Target has graciously offerred to help me out in this situation and provide cheap cheap toys for me to buy my kiddos.  Like this beauty.

Seriously?  Who doesn't love a blow up car that doubles as a ball pit?  With the extra balls it was $9.  Sydney rolls it across the house like a hamster ball scattering small plastic balls everywhere.  Priceless.

Next we scored a Lightning McQueen sleeping bag for $5.  So we had to put up the tent.  She was very excited about her new "bed."

 Next was a perfect toy for me.  I love the Mr. Potato Head toys as a kid and even had baby potato heads that my kids now play with.  We got them Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head for Christmas and then I saw this:

I so wanted it.  But not for $17 when I had just bought the Mr. & Mrs. ones.  So I didn't get it.  But then good old Target marked it down again and again.  And I happened to be in the store when it was $4.24.  SCORE!!!!  My kids are going nuts over these guys. (And let's just be honest, I am too).

I think one of the favorites though has been this:

I can remember countless hours spent playing on hoppity horses as a kid.  Ours were actually horses too with a horse head on it.  This one just has Dora.  :(  Oh well.  It was also only $2.50.  We had one already but it is slightly large for Sydney.  This one is toddler size and she is thrilled with the bouncing capabilities.  Mady is just thrilled that the ball has a handle on it so she toddles around the house dragging it behind her repeating, "bah bah bah" (ball ball ball) over and over again.  Also Priceless. 

Thank you Target for allowing me to indulge my kids for cheap.  We'll definitely be coming back.

Him Have Purple Toes!

A couple posts ago I mentioned that Aaron had sprained his ankle really badly.  He was playing basketball at our church with a bunch of guys on Saturday morning (you can all see how this is going right?) and right at the end he rolled his ankle and went down hard.  He came home and iced it for awhile but it was hurting pretty badly.  He had already broken that ankle 10 years ago, so he was concerned that it might have broken again.  Off we went to Urgent Care (thanks to my neighbor who took my kids!) and got an X-ray.  No breaks, but we did discover that the original break had never healed 100% together, so the new bone that grew in formed a bridge in the fracture.  Coupled with the extra bone around the outside that grew in, and his fibula is almost twice the size it normally would be.  Possibly the only reason he didn't break it this time.  Yay for past injuries?
Anyway, he was on crutches for a few days and now is just hobbling around.  But the best part is, his foot is mighty pretty.  Sydney comments on it daily.  And seriously, wouldn't you too?

Don't you love that the bruising goes halfway up his calf?

As Sydney says (repeatedly), "Him have purple toes!"

Gymnastics

We've been sick lately.  First icky sick, then colds, then other.  As in, Aaron severly sprained his ankle on Saturday at church basketball and is now on crutches and Sydney dislocated the ligament in her arm on Sunday and had to go to the doctor to get it popped back into place.  Oh the joys.  She's all better now and Aaron is on the mend, so here I am.  Finally.
Before all that fun stuff happened though, a friend of Sydney's invited her to attend her weekly gymnastics class.  We left Mady to scream at a friend for a couple hours (thank you Karen for dealing with the separation anxiety!) and went to hang out with Kenzie.  At first all the new kids really freaked Sydney out, but eventually the teacher got her warmed up and participating.  That's when she started having fun!

The teacher made up all sorts of fun obstacle courses for the kids to do and they had a blast.  Swinging, jumping, crawling, running, somersaulting, etc.!

The trampolines really scared Sydney at first but Miss Stephanie came through again and got Sydney to jump in.  Sydney wouldn't let me help her though.  It had to be Miss Stephanie.

Then we got to go to "The Pit."  They had a slide next to it so the kids could go in.  They loved it of course.

Then Sydney saw the rope swing.  She wanted to try it.  I was sure she'd fall right off, but look!

She went out and came back 3 times without even a hint of falling off once!  I was so impressed and it was by far her favorite part of the whole day!  Look at that grin!

She keeps asking to go "swing like Tarzan" with Kenzie again!  Thanks Casey & Kenzie!  We had so much fun!