Gymboree Art Class

If you miss a class at Gymboree Play and Learn, you can participate in any class that is offered in your age group as a make up. Ethan has missed a couple of classes due to snow and illness, so he got to try out the art 2 class as his make up. He loved it as can be seen in these pictures.

To start the hour off, children get to free paint. They get to choose the color and where on the wall they want. After painting, the children do their first sit down project that fallows a theme. This week's theme had to do with shapes and textures.

Painting

My little Picasso

The first project involved glue, paper and foil shapes, glitter, and crayons. The glue bottle was a little difficult for Ethan to squeeze, but he stuck with it and was able to figure it out by himself. After he put some glue down on the paper, he took some shapes and glued them on. Then he put more glue on the paper and got some glitter to make the shapes bumpy. He finished off the project by using a cool circular crayon to put more color on his project. In the end, Ethan's project reminded me of a Horiuchi collage.

Glue

Right.....there. Perfect.

Dotting with glue

Glitter and coloring

Watching Teacher Josie hang up the artwork

After everyone was done with the first project, the kids got a snack and listened to a story. The snack was water and animal crackers. The story is made interactive by asking the children questions and having them point out things in the illustrations.

Where's the orange ball? Right here!

After snack time, the children get to do another project. This project involved glue and different foam shapes. Ethan would put a dot of glue on the paper and then put a shape on. The teacher noticed that Ethan was doing a dot of glue and then glue shape on technique, which she said she hasn't seen other kids his age do. Normally she sees little kids glue all over their paper and then start gluing on things. Ethan must be doing this one to one technique because he is has seen Jonathan do it.

I put some glue here and then put the shape on it.

In August, Ethan will grow out of the Play and Learn 6 class, which is the last class in the series. If we decide to continue on with Gymboree, we are going to need to find him a new class. The art class might just be the right fit. At age 3, parents can drop off their child in the art 3 class. There is also a music class, sports class, and school skills class we could choose for him.

 

-Dina

CFM Study @ Seattle Children's

At Ethan's January Craniofacial appointment, we were asked if we wanted to particpate in a new Craniofacial study to try and find out more about Craniofacial Microsomia. We agreed to because we would like to help out other families who may be dealing with this disorder in the future. The study is being conducted by Seattle Children's Hospital's Craniofacial Clinic, but the hope is that it would expand to other hospitals around the country. We visited the research clinic at the main campus. Jonathan went to the playroom for a while, but kids are only allowed to stay for 2 hours at a time and we were there for longer that we had to pick him up. I turned in the paperwork that we had gotten earlier in email and then we finished up any paperwork that was needed. Then we went to the photographer who was the same guy who takes pictures for Craniofacial. He had gotten into a bicycle accident the day of Ethan's clinic visit and was still in a wheel chair when we saw him. While Bob took his pictures, I went with the lady who was conducting and organizing the study, Linda Peters.

Ethan would also get his pictures taken after Bob and he apparently did ok until they put a hat on him so they could get a good picture of just his head and face. We got a copy of this picture, but Ethan is crying in it, so i'm not sure how helpful it will turn out to be. After the pictures were done for them, they would return to the clinic and give spit samples. Ethan's cheeks would be swabbed and Bob had to spit into a container up to a certain line.

In the other room, I had to give a spit sample too. I don't usually spit, so it took me a long time to get to the line. I did it while I answered a long series of questions regarding my overall health and things the occurred from 3 months before getting pregnant to after Ethan was born. Some of the questions I couldn't remember very well, but I did my best and was honest if I couldn't remember for sure the answer to the question.

The week following this appointment, I would get a call and have to answer another series of questions that would take about an hour.

After I was done with the questions in clinic, it was my turn to take pictures. I had to make different faces, which is what Bob had to do too. Ethan had to get more indepth pictures taken for the study.

Waiting to get started

Bob making a face for the camera

Jonathan waiting to go to the playroom

Ethan and Linda Peters

We were at Children's for a few hours and then we were given gift cards as a thank you. Of course, we would have done the study anyways. We are so glad to be able to participate in a study that will hopefully help researchers learn more about CFM. This study probably won't help Ethan at all, but if we can help future generations to learn more about the causes of this disorder, we are happy. It was an honor to be able to be asked and participate in this study. We are always willing to help out in any way that we can.

 

-Dina

More Parties

Jonathan was invited to several birthday parties so far this year. He and another boy had their birthday parties in January, which kicked off birthday season among Jonathan's friends. Here are some pictures from two parties he attended.

At Ryan's party, the kids made masks and did a treasure hunt

Pinata time

Jonathan with his treasure map

Waiting to eat

Dress the pirate (A version of pin the tale on the donkey). Jonathan didn't want to be blindfolded.

Making a bird house

Pizza time!

Bouncy house

Jonathan with the birthday girl Payton

-Dina

Vivienne's First Birthday

Today we celebrated Vivienne's first birthday. She is so cute and has such personality! We went out to dinner last night to meet the family. Bob's parents had come in to town already and had been staying with us and Rob's mom and sister flew in from Texas and Colorado. This was only the second time Rob's mom had seen Vivienne and the first time that Rob's sister had seen her in person. This was the first time either had been to Seattle since Rob and Elaine's wedding. Unfortunately, Rob's dad couldn't make the trip to Seattle.

Then today, we met everyone at the Greenlake Community Center where everyone got to play in the playroom. There were a lot of toys, a house, a small climbing structure, a kitchen, and places for people to sit.

Vivienne's Cake

Yummy!

After playtime, we all went out into a room with tables and chairs. Vivienne sat at a table with a cake and Ethan sat right next to her because he really wanted to eat some cake! Of course, all the necessary pictures had to be taken and then it was singing time. After all the singing and blowing out of the candles, Vivienne looked at her cake and decided to feel the cake. Elaine took some frosting and let Vivienne taste it. She smiled really big  and then she decided to attack the cake. Keep in mind that this was a full sized cake that I think Elaine had baked.

The boys eating cake with Maya.

Vivienne made a mess of the cake. She grabbed handfuls of the frosting and devored it. Everyone laughed and Elaine said, "Cake anyone?" It made for some great first birthday cake pictures. The typical ones where the birthday kid has cake everywhere. Luckily, there was other cakes for people to eat.

The Forrest Gump Picture

After the party, Jonathan wanted to go to the playground so I took him and Ethan wanted to go over and see the "la ter" (water) so Bob took him. After a while, Jonathan and I walked over to the lake to find Ethan and daddy. We found them and then they all sat down and I snapped this picture. For some reason, it reminds me of the scene in Forrest Gump when Forrest learns that he has a son and he goes and sits next to his son who is watching tv. Then the camera shows the two of them from behind sitting together watching tv. I love this picture.

-Dina

So Sad That Whitney Houston Died

I came home tonight after a long day celebrating my niece Amanda's birthday and Vivienne's birthday that is coming up on Valentines Day only to hear that Whitney Houston died. I am so sad. I am in disbelief. I want to cry. I remember singing Greatest Love Of All in both my junior high and high school talent shows. Whitney had an unbelievable voice and I really looked up to her in my own singing. I listened to her music all the time. I grew up listening to Whitney on the radio. One of my favorite past times was to put one of her songs in the tape player and then I would sing and dance in the living room of the old house pretending to be Whitney Houston. I also love the movie "The Preacher's Wife" which remains one of my all time favorite movies and I watched "The Body Guard" not that long ago when it was on TV. I realize that Whitney faced some tough challenges in her life and suffered some abuse in her life, but I will remember her for her talent and the positive impact that she has left on the world. She was one of a kind. Whitney, you will be missed. Thank you for sharing your talent and for impacting my life. May you rest in peace.

-Dina

Aquarium

Jonathan had a field trip to the aquarium and we had a lot of fun. Unfortunately, daddy was not able to get off of work and join us.

When we got there, we stood in front of the big tank, which was like a big IMAX screen and gathered with the rest of the class. Eventually a scuba diver came down and said hi to all the kids. Ethan and Jonathan were happy to see all the fish, but when Ethan saw the scuba diver, he began to cry. It occurred to me later that the boys have been watching "Finding Nemo" a lot lately and the scuba diver is the bad guy who takes Nemo away. It was my thinking that he was scared of the scuba diver because he was the scary thing in the movie. Poor Ethan.



The big tank with the scuba diver

Ethan calmed down pretty quickly after we walked away from the big tank. We first stopped at the area where the sea creatures could be touched. The boys didn't want to initially touch anything. Jonathan's teacher did give all the kids a sticker sheet where they had things to find throughout the aquarium and put a sticker by it.

Look mommy. I see a starfish.

Then we continued on our own through the exhibits. We just had to meet everyone back by the octopus tank for the feeding later on the morning. We saw jellyfish, sea otters, a baby sea otter, birds, boats in the sound, and a lot of fish among other things.

I could watch the jellyfish all day

The octopus

Dori Fish

It's Nemo!

A sea otter and her cub

After we got through the whole aquarium, Jonathan wanted to go back and touch some of the sea creatures. We first stopped and looked at the sound where all the boats were. Ethan had a great time pointing out all the boats. Then we had time to head back to the touch tank and it was in the same area where the octopus tank was, so we didn't have to go far to meet up with his class.

Touching the water. The boys didn't end up touching any sea creatures.

After we watched the octopus eat, we said good bye to Miss Call and all of Jonathan's friends, went to wash our hands, and then went up to the cafeteria to eat some lunch.

Hugs for Miss Call

We ran into Ashly and her mom up in the cafeteria so we ate with them. Then we went to the gift shop and looked around. I bought a big stuffed orca whale that was on sale. Orcas are my favorite and they were trying to get rid of them. Once we left the aquarium, we walked down to the next pier and walked through the little arcade that was there. We also looked at a totem pole that was being created outside that building.

 

When I got back to the car, I learned a good lesson. When we arrived, I found a $5 lot right across the street from the aquarium, but I didn't know you had to pay tax. When we got back to the car, I had a ticket. I called the company and they took care of the fee and just told me to make sure and pay tax when parking downtown. Good to know. So thankful they took care of the ticket for me.

 

Overall, Jonathan and Ethan had a lot of fun and told daddy all about what they did and saw when he got home from work.

 

 

-Dina