Like the rest of the Midwest, the end of January brought on the Polar Vortex and even the hardy Rodgers' family had to veto playing outside for a few days (well other than going out for a quick boiling water experiment, which the boys did not want to come in from). Instead, we filled our days with some fun indoor activities. The boys have been on a dinosaur kick lately, so we went to see the new Dinosaur exhibit at the Discovery Museum one day. Micah was all about it, but Ezra ended up spending a large part of it asking when we got to go drive the recycling truck, lol. Don't worry, we made time for that among other parts of the museum as well. We also tried out a new library program: S.T.E.M. Discoveries (a really fun science based class for preschool aged kids). The boys had a great time learning about maps and making a blueprint of our house. I also took advantage of the cold days to introduce The Magic Tree House books to Micah. He loves to listen to me read chapters before rest time and bedtime each day (or sometimes we just read the whole book in one sitting, lol). Ezra has been on a truck and school bus kick, so we have been reading a lot of books about them too. Now if it would just warm up so we can stop wearing 4 layers of clothes every day...
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This week we got to have the pleasure of hosting Grandad for a few days while everyone else was in LA working on the Wainman move. Grandad picked a snowy week but luckily he doesn't mind the cold either. We got out and built a snowman, went sledding, visited the Air Force Museum, and went to the mall to enjoy an ice cream treat and do a little shopping. Ezra got used to Grandad getting up with him each morning and asked for Grandad when I walked in the room for a week after he left! I think it's safe to say the boys had a good time with Grandad too! After Grandad left, we spent the weekend hunkered down from the snow and ice (second weekend in a row!).
This past week has been SNOWY here in Dayton! Thursday we got a few inches of snow that the boys were ecstatic to have because we haven't gotten much yet this winter season. Then over the weekend we just got dumped on (for here)- 8 inches of snow over a 24 hour period. We (Dada too!) finally had enough snow to take the boys sledding, which they absolutely loved (well Ezra took a bit to warm up, but he got there). Micah is our little daredevil - "Push me off the hill; I want to go FAST!" When not sledding, the construction trucks made it out to clear the backyard. Even the bikes made an appearance to try out snow biking, lol. This is the most snow we've had living in Ohio, so the boys haven't tired of it yet! Though I will say, it is A LOT of work to get all of their snow gear on each morning and afternoon to go out in the snow!
When not enjoying the cold temperatures and snow, we've been inside playing trucks, trains, chase, games, and reading books. The boys will play together some, but Micah also loves to play alone parts of the day, and Ezra will typically come and help me fold laundry, clean up the kitchen, cook, set the table, or just want some cuddles (this boy loves his cuddles!). Ezra is developing into quite an interesting mix of loving to be cuddled, but also being fiercely independent. He wants to turn the lights on and off, he wants to clean up his dishes, he wants to chop the food, and whatever you do, don't you dare try to help him into or out of the car! It makes for some interesting days to say the least. Micah, meanwhile, is very particular about how things should be done during play and does not appreciate Ezra stepping in to mix things up. And then other times he plays with and helps Ezra on Ezra's terms and they are hilarious to listen to. These two are definitely brothers! Nana and Grandad came for a visit the first weekend of January. It was little cold, but sunny, so we took advantage of the weather and went for a hike at Eastwood Metropark. The boys had fun exploring the islands in the river (there are bridges to take you from one to the next), climbing on fallen trees, and watching a train go by! Back at home, we played a lot of games with Nana and Grandad (Uno, Go Fish, and Rivers, Roads, and Rails). The boys LOVE playing games these days, though sitting still for them doesn't last long! The weather stayed nice even after Nana and Grandad went home, so the boys and I spent a morning exploring and playing at Russ Nature Reserve the following week. We hiked and read about the different trees and nuts we found along the path and then played in their nature play area for a while before heading home. I hope to have a backyard like this place some day! In the afternoon, Dada joined us for a hike in the muddy quarry. The boys got just a little wet...
The end of the year brought some fun family time for us. We took the boys to Carillon Historical Park to see the lights and ride on their Christmas train (too dark to get good pictures of it, as it is outside) after Christmas (better late than never!), which they of course loved. A surprising hit of the night, which I also did not get pictures of sadly, was the print shop at the park. They printed personalized cards for the kids using their old printing presses which still run! It was super cool and Micah could have stood there all night watching it all work. Aunt Meredith came to visit us a few days later bearing fun gifts. In exchange, we took her on the muddiest walk of her life, which was a pretty funny adventure for us all. The boys thought it was fabulous, but the adults weren't quite so sure. Hopefully we didn't scare Aunt Meredith off from coming again! On Monday, December 31 we had the first of what will be many OB appointments for our third baby! We found out before Thanksgiving that we were expecting our third bundle of joy, but had to keep it quiet throughout all of the holidays and seeing family because we couldn't get an appointment to confirm a healthy baby until the end of the year. What a secret it has been to keep! But we are happy to be able to announce and share with everyone now! The boys are pretty excited and insist that they think baby is a sister because, according to Micah, "we already have two boys, so it's time for a girl." We shall see! We plan to be Team Green as we have been with previous pregnancies so it will be a bit of a wait to see if we start to even out the genders with a girl or add another boy to the mix! Either way, we are very excited! |
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April 2020
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