Legoland

It has been a while since we've visited Legoland. In fact, it's been so long that I don't think Bode's ever been there before. But we lucked out because my Dad got 4 tickets when he bought tires for his truck, and we were the lucky recipients (Thanks Dad!). So the kids and I drove down for a fun-filled Legoland day. It was a long drive for me, but the weather was perfect and it wasn't overly crowded. The kids were super happy to be there.

We're finally here. Let's have fun!

We were able to ride all of the kids' favorite rides, and then some. We also lucked out on a few rides where the height requirement was a little sketchy if Cole would meet it or need an adult to ride with him (since I had to ride with Bode), but they let us through and didn't split us up. The rides were a blast. Here are some photo highlights:

Aquazone Wave Racer - Ian and Cole

Beetle Bounce - Bode, Ian, Cole

Royal Joust - Bode

Skipper School - Ian & Bode passing us

Skipper School - Cole patiently driving our very slow boat.

Can't visit Legoland without being eaten by a Lego shark.

Junior Driving School - Bode drove surprisingly well.

Sky Patrol - Ian looks casual, yet dangerous at the same time.

We had one casualty - Bode lost Darin's hat - but other than that it was a huge success. There was so much for the boys to see and do. We didn't have a moment to be bored.

Fun Town - That describes their life.

Of course, we checked out the Build and Test area. This we saved for last, and we stayed there until closing time. The boys had a great time building and racing their Lego car creations.

Bode's jumping, he's so excited to race.

Unfortunately for Ian, he had a rebellious car that veered to the right no matter what he did, but he kept a pretty good attitude about it.

Ian desperately trying to get his car to cooperate with him.

Every time Bode raced his car, he would take it and change a part. He never raced the same car twice.

Bode the Lego mechanic

Cole tried to perfect his car and then kept racing it over and over. He got the most races in of the three.

Cole - Success at last

A Legoland visit would not be complete without marveling at their Lego creations and Miniland U.S.A. The nice thing about not having visited there in a while is that the kids had forgotten about Miniland and were able to Ooh and Aww at all the structures and creations all over again. I could see the wheels turning in Ian's head on how he could create his own Lego city. Unfortunately for him, we have demolition man named Bode who probably wouldn't let that last very long.

Ooh...the Capitol

We also had a nice treat watching them create a Star Wars sand sculpture. It was super cool. I don't know how long it will be there for, but the people making it are very talented. They are also adding a Star Wars section to Miniland, which we got a glimpse of. That will be a nice treat for the next time we visit.

Star Wars Sand Sculpture in the making

Darth Vader - lookin' good in the sand

Star Wars Lego Miniland Preview

If we lived closer, I imagine we would visit Legoland a lot more often. The kids love it there. For now we will save it for special occasions. They sure do love those Legos!

Wizard of Oz

We attended a musical production of the Wizard of Oz at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza.

Wizard of Oz

The show was designed for school aged children. Considering they used seven actors to play all the parts (including make-up changes) and move all the scenery, I think they did a good job. We enjoyed the songs and dancing they did, as well as the creative ways they moved the stage pieces around. They were also kind enough to leave the creepy monkeys out of their production. They even included an "expelliarmus" in there to crack Ian and me up.

Bode with the Tin Man and Scarecrow

Bode was the only one I could convince to take a picture with some of the cast members after the show. The other boys felt they were "too big." Ahh well, I guess my big boys are growing up.

Cole's Favorite Songs

Cole wrote a list of his favorite songs the other day. I thought it was really cute. All the boys love to listen to music. We call Cole our Rockstar because he has long hair and has lots of energy. This songlist has quite a variety of artists and is very fitting for Cole. It is very common for these songs to be playing in our house at some point during the day.

In case you can't read it, the favorite songs on his list are:
* Uprising - by Muse
* YMCA - by Village People
* Jump - by Van Halen
* Brick House - by The Commodores
* Resistance - by Muse
* The Cave - by Mumford and Sons
* I'm Fat - by Weird Al Yankovic
* Hungry Like the Wolf - by Duran Duran
* Zombie - by The Cranberries
* Loser - by Beck
* Paradise City - by Guns N' Roses
* I Will Possess Your Heart - by Death Cab for Cutie
* You Give Love a Bad Name - by Bon Jovi
* Save Tonight - by Eagle Eye Cherry
* Bandages - by Hot Hot Heat
* All Star - by Smash Mouth

Shakespeare Live

This was our third year attending the performance of Shakespeare Live at the Glendale Centre Theatre (http://shakespearelive.glendalecentretheatre.com/). Even though the script is mostly the same each year, I enjoy it each time. I think there is always something new to see and learn. The performers also improvise sometimes, so you have to pay attention. This year there were several new cast members, so it gave us a different view of the parts. Plus, it is a theatre in-the-round, so each year we seem to be seated in a new area and get a completely different viewpoint. This year we were seated closer to where Romeo and Juliet had their balcony scene and where the witches from Macbeth were speaking.

Ian and Cole are in their second year of Shakespeare classes, and each year they are in different plays. This year Ian is in Macbeth and Cole is in Romeo and Juliet, so we were able to pay even closer attention to those particular scenes. Ian complained a bit that this was the same play three years in a row, but I think by the end he could appreciate seeing the performance from the perspective of studying the Macbeth parts. Ian and Cole both got to see their particular characters perform, so hopefully that will inspire them, as their performances are coming up soon.

Columbia Memorial Space Center

The boys and I visited the Columbia Memorial Space Center in Downey for the first time (http://www.columbiaspacescience.org/). Our friend Jill organized the field trip, and we are glad she did. It is a "hands-on learning center that is dedicated to bringing the excitement of space science to children of all ages." It was a really cool place and all the kids had a great time.

First, we started with a movie about traveling to the moon, which was very well done. Then, we checked out the exhibits. Exhibit highlights included: the rocket launcher, parachute landing, airplane design and launching, dressing like an astronaut, making a solar system, and the gravity scale.

Bode and the Rocket Launcher

Ian loved the paper airplane design center.

Astronaut Bode

Astronaut Cole

Astronaut Ian

 The boys' favorite part was the Robotics Lab. They could have stayed in there the whole time. They programmed their Lego robots with commands to move on a table to collect objects in different spots. Each time it didn't work, they had to make adjustments to their commands in order to succeed. They were all successful. There were other robots to test out as well. The poor guys didn't want to leave.

It was a great trip. The next thing to do is find a robotics class for Ian, and possibly Cole, so they can finish the explorations they started.

National Nutrition Month

Being a dietitian, it is only fitting that I do something with the kids to honor National Nutrition Month. We attend a monthly holiday co-op with some other families where we do a variety of different activites that usually involve whatever holidays are going on in that particular month. This month, my station coincided with the National Nutrition Month theme of Eat Right with Color, and was titled "Colorful Taste Test."

The kids were able to try 10 different raw fruits and vegetables of different colors. They tried beet, black plum, cantaloupe, carrot, kiwi, strawberry, tomato, yali pear, yellow bell pepper, and zucchini.

Yum! Look at all the color.

They weren't only testing to see what they liked, but also for color, texture, and flavor. Plus, they learned the importance of eating fruits and vegetables and having a variety of color in their diet.

Some kids were more eager to try the fruits and vegetables than others. But it was a good experience for them to try new things, or to try things they haven't tried for a while. Ian, Cole, and Bode did great.

Bode finished off whatever fruit was left.

 Taste tests are a great way to have kids try things they might not normally want to try. You never know...they just might find something new that they like.

Da Vinci Exhibit

We had a real treat this month checking out the Da Vinci Exhibit in Hollywood (http://leonardodavincimuseumexhibit.com/index.html).

They are only here for the year. We lucked out with a group rate special they were having and got into the exhibit with our group at only $4 per person (and Bode was free). The exhibit was quite fascinating. They started us off with a short video about Leonardo's life. Then, the very patient, professional, and entertaining docent led us around the exhibit to highlight some of the reproductions of Da Vinci's inventions that they had on display.

Then, we were off to explore the exhibit on our own. The boys got to check everything out and Ian did a scavenger hunt of the simple machines used in Da Vinci's inventions.

The exhibit had more than 60 full-sized interactive replica machines, more than 20 reproductions of his works of art, and three galleries that included the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper.  They also had a great activity area for the kids to play games and build models, which the kids loved.

Ian and the Autolock Mechanism

Bode and Cole and the Flywheel

The boys standing on the bridge they made.

Do you see 11 pulleys?

We had a great time and finally left when we were starving for lunch. If you get a chance, the exhibit is definitely worth checking out.

Rocks, Gems, and Minerals

I teach a science class with the boys and some of their friends. This year we studied Space and Earth Science. This month we finished up our study of rocks and minerals.

We started the month by attending the Ventura Gem and Mineral Show as a family. The timing of the show and our studies was perfect. We enjoyed checking out the booths, exploring the displays, and playing the games in the kids' area. Here the boys are identifying the minerals from their grab bag:

Our last science class was action-packed with the study of the types of rocks and the rock cycle. Here we are making "igneous rock" by first making "magma" by melting "rocks" (chocolate chips and marshmallows, in butter and sugar), then we poured the melted "magma" into a pan to cool into "igneous rock" (fudge). It was a fun, educational, and yummy experiment.

Then we studied the difference between how sedimentary rocks and metamorphic rocks are make with a crayon experiment. We also looked at examples of the different types of metamorphic, sedimentary, and igneous rocks. Lastly, the kids made their own "sedimentary rock" jars. They got to let their creative juices flow and also have something special to take home.

Before

After

I've had fun studying science with the boys and their friends since September. We will continue studying as a family, but will take a break from the group until the Fall. We have Shakespeare shows and vacations coming up that we'll be busy doing. We will restart our Science Club in the Fall with the study of Chemistry, which should be lots of fun. Ian has been eagerly awaiting the study of chemistry.

February

February was another exciting month for our family. While I won't include everything we did, we did have some memorable highlights.

I took the boys ice skating. Ian had gone once before, but it was Cole and Bode's first time. They may have started with a little trepidation, but once they were out there with their friends, the fear dwindled away. After a brief lesson, Ian and Cole were out skating laps around the rink with their friends. Bode stayed close to me and wasn't quite ready for skating laps. But he did find the pile of snow they had on the ice for snowplay and had no problem making snowballs and throwing them at me. The kids had a blast and could have skated beyond the three hours we were there.

Ian, Cole and I visited the Limoneira Lemon Factory in Santa Paula (http://www.limoneira.com/). We learned all about the factory and history of the company. Then we toured the packing plant, which was very cool. It was fun to watch the lemons being cleaned, sorted, labeled, boxed, packed, and made ready for shipping. We also toured their fields (acres and acres) and learned a fun fact: they have the only privately-owned overpass in California.

Ian and Cole also started piano lessons this month at Lewis Music Academy. They are enjoying the lessons so far and are learning new songs each week.

One very important thing happened this month: BODE'S 4TH BIRTHDAY! Bode had been counting down the days until his birthday for months. He would ask us almost everyday how many days were left until his birthday. He is a budding mathematician. So of course we did not forget his birthday. We had a small birthday with his closest friends and family. He had so much fun having them over. I'd wanted to plan some games and activities for the party, but all Bode wanted to do was play. And even though his birthday has past, he continues to quiz us on not only his upcoming birthday, but everyone else's ages as well, down to the fractions.

Ian attended his second opera. Both opera's were final dress rehearsals that we attended for free through the L.A. Opera education program (which is wonderful!). The first was Wagner's Lohengrin, which we attended in November. This month he and I attended Rossini's Il Turco in Italia at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Before the opera we listened to opera staff member talk about their jobs and what it is like for them working at the opera house. Then Maestro Conlon stopped by to speak with us, which is always a treat. We were extra blessed to get orchestra seats, so we were able to see everything. It was an amazing opera. I'm so grateful for programs like this that allow children to be exposed to these wonderful arts at such young ages.

The boys were able to go snow skiing again this month, but this time Darin got to go with them and my Dad. Lots of male bonding. Another great activity this month was rock climbing. My Dad took the boys to Boulderdash for some indoor rock climbing. I love watching the boys using their muscles. It is also nice to see their progress from the previous visit to this one. They just get braver and stronger.

The month ended with Ian and Cole's Blue and Gold Cub Scout banquet. We decided that this would be our last year of scouting, at least for now. Ian completed his last year as a Webelo and bridged to a Boy Scout. Cole completed his Wolf badge. It was a nice way to finish.