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May started out with a play date at the zoo with one of the boys' friends.  All four kiddos came.  It was very busy and ended up being warmer than expected but so much fun!

 Though Adam was extremely tired and on sensory overload much of the time, he loved taking a moment to walk this trail on his own.

 Dinomite was thrilled to see one of his favorite snakes on display.

 Princess and Sunshine were not at all hesitant to feel the skin of a snake.

 Everyone LOVED the penguins as always.

The boys always have a great time with their friend!

Sundays wouldn't be Sundays without a little dancing in the living room!

 Or at least that was the case this particular Sunday.  The kiddos were quite adorable with their partners.

On May 13th, Jason had to have two wisdom teeth and one other tooth pulled.  The dentist office was in Syracuse, only five minutes from the zoo.  While he was in surgery, we decided to wait at the zoo.

 Sunshine did such a great job following directions and staying with us when not in the stroller.  Here the kiddos are looking at the turtles.

 It's always fun when you can have an up close and personal experience with an animal, even if glass is between you.  I don't think they'd ever seen this creature so up close before.

 The zoo had two new monkeys this visit and boy were they loud!  After a few minutes the kiddos ended up covering their ears and asking to leave the exhibit.

 Outside the kiddos were given an opportunity to pet a giant rabbit.  Sunshine was in heaven!

 The kiddos were also able to see a peacock with it's wings spread out wide.  It was so beautiful!

When Jason was finished with his teeth being pulled we picked him up and headed home.  The recovery was quite scary for a bit.  He ended up vomiting and almost passing out.  I was very close to having to take him to the emergency room. Thankfully he started to feel better once he had some food in his stomach.

Once Jason recovered from his oral surgery, we were blessed with a chance to go on vacation to Grindstone Island.  Before we left, the kiddos received their own pieces of luggage for the trip and also for Disney World.  They were so excited!

 I must admit they look quite cute!

 They were sure to practice carrying everything before our airport experience.  Lol.  Let's just say, these bags may end up being checked, unless they have a lot more practice.

Our vacation on Grindstone was wonderful, even though Bulldozer ended up with a tic stuck in his head and Princess ended up with an ear infection.  The last night before heading off the island, grandparents, aunts, and uncles come to visit.  Even though it was cold, they still had a wonderful time.

 To read a detailed account of our vacation check out:

Our Family Vacation to Grindstone Isalnd Day 1

Our Family Vacation to Grindstone Island Day 2

Our Family Vacation to Grindstone Island Day 3

Our Family Vacation to Grindstone Island Day 4

Our Family Vacation to Grindstone Island Day 5

 We had just enough time to come home, unpack, get settled, and then celebrate Memorial Day.  Grandparents, aunts, and cousins joined us for the day.  We were sad a few of our friends weren't able to join us like in years past.  The Memorial Day parade is something the kiddos look forward to every year.

 We bring yummy treats for the kiddos to share before and during the parade, so we don't have to worry about the kiddos running out in the road for candy.

 We put sunscreen on while we're waiting for the parade to start.  And then we celebrate one of our favorite holidays!

 The parade wasn't at all like it's been in years past this year, but everyone still seemed to enjoy themselves.

As always, after the parade we head back home for a fun Memorial Day lunch!  Grandparents, aunts, and cousins joined us.  I love the picture below because it shows just how tired the kiddos were of having their pictures taken.  Lol.

Memorial Day is always such a great kick off to summer!  Here's to loads of fun to come!

Oh! I almost forgot, the kiddos were introduced to the concept of chores this month!  Each kiddo was assigned a chore that they complete each morning. The chores rotate every week.  Jason and I help with some chores when needed, but for the most part the kiddos can do everything themselves as long as they have supervision.  Here are our chores:

1.  Take care of shoes in the front entryway.

2.  Bring down the dirty laundry from upstairs.

3.  Take care of recyclables, by sorting them into their bins.

4.  Put away DVDs.

The kiddos have done so well with their chores. I thought they would struggle, but it's been perfect!

That's Renae today!

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Renae Today: April

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April proved to be a great month!  Jason resigned from his job at Walmart and decided to help out at home.  We have been extremely blessed to be in a financial situation where this can actually happen.  It has made all of the difference for our children, and for me.  He now helps out with everything, including learning time!

Sunshine has been doing so well during learning time with a one-to-one assistant at her beckon call.  It has provided me with the opportunity to be a teacher to the older kiddos without interruption.  This has been so wonderful!

Sunshine's time with daddy during learning time is also helping their attachment.  Hooray for progress!

In April we decided to try out another restaurant for practice for vacation to Disney World.  This time we chose Red Lobster.  The kiddos had eaten there before, for their great-grandparents' 50th anniversary.  This experience was much better than our first attempt last month.  Everyone was happy and content. The only challenge we had was waiting for meals and dessert to be brought.  Sunshine needed a few breaks to walk around, but they were short breaks.  The kiddos, Jason and I played the guess who game during periods of waiting.

Dinomite LOVED his meal and dessert.

Bulldozer couldn't get enough of his chocolate cake.  (In April, Bulldozer decided to stop smiling in photos and instead either look really serious or make silly faces.)

Princess LOVES eating at restaurants in general. She's not a dessert person but she loves appetizers.

I'm not sure what happened to my picture of Sunshine. She was with us.  Lol.

Over the course of the month we continued to prepare for the first day of our vacation to Disney World.  I figured if I helped prepare the kiddos for one day of the vacation each month, it wouldn't be too overwhelming, and they'd be ready when October 14th comes.

Our first day of vacation is all travel!  We'll be traveling by car, then plane, then plane again, then bus, and then we'll finally be at our resort in Disney World.

As I started reading children's airplane and airport books I realized that the best way to prepare the kiddos for security, would be to actually go through a security check.  Our local court house has one, so I asked if I could bring the kiddos there to go through the process.  The security guards were more than willing to help out.  I am so glad we went!  Not only did the guards take the kiddos through the security checkpoint, but they brought them back behind the scenes to see what actually goes on,

Dinomite loved asking questions.  Bulldozer learned that he will get his things back after he walks through the metal detector, and that he is to wait until his turn to do so.  He can not walk around the metal detector to get his things.  Princess learned the process isn't scary.  Sunshine learned to follow the crowd.  Lol.  All of them learned what would happen if they wore metal etc.  I still think this was one of my favorite field trips of the year.  And as for me in the picture... That was NOT planned.  Jason took my camera.  Lol.

Speaking of field trips... For learning time we took a field trip to a local flower shop where the kiddos were given a tour.  Each of the kiddos received a free flower.  We were then given this beautiful arrangement for free to use in our activities!  Bulldozer really enjoyed the flower shop.

The weather was FINALLY fit for outdoor play without snow in April.  We didn't hesitate for a second!  All four kiddos received new garden tools and went right to town  using them.

Dinomite dug up a bulb we didn't know was in the backyard.

Bulldozer raked up some old leaves.

Dinomite practiced digging using every tool available.

Bulldozer found a worm!

Sunshine LOVED having perfectly sized tools to use!

As we continued to learn about the airport and flying on airplanes, we decided to take a trip to an airplane museum.  It was small but amazing!

The kiddos had so much fun having a hands on experience with the airplanes.  Grandma Rose even joined us for the trip.  After the museum we headed to Olive Garden for dinner.  The restaurant was right next to the airport.  Three airplanes flew right over our heads and landed right across the street.  What a fun experience for them!

The restaurant experience was okay, but Bulldozer ended up in tears.  His meal was brought out after everyone else's for some reason.  Then when the waitress did bring it out, she dropped the plate with food on the floor, and he had to wait AGAIN.  By the time he did get his meal, everyone was ready for dessert.  He was not a happy camper.  Thankfully he enjoyed his dessert.  We watched the same waitress drop someone else's plate as well, so I'm guessing she didn't stay working there long.  

When we weren't out and about having loads of fun, or doing learning time, the kiddos enjoyed play time.  I'm not quite certain what they're playing here, but they're all very involved!

That's Renae today!

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Renae Today: March

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The month of March started out with four sick kiddos.  Two parents became sick shortly after.  Due to sickness combined with extremely cold temperatures and too much snow to make it possible to go anywhere, we didn't do much outside of the home.  Thankfully even with bad weather we were able to make the trip to see our developmental pediatrician towards the end of the month for appointments for Bulldozer and Sunshine.

We also started prepping for our trip to Disney World!

We made a countdown using some cardstock and part of the personalized book Disney sent us when we booked out trip.  The back of our countdown lists all of the important dates to remember:  when we can book meal reservations, when we can book fast passes, when our vacation is to be paid in full etc.  I laminated our countdown so it would be easy to change the count each day.  (This picture was taken towards the end of February.)  The magnets are those used in our hockey unit, just shaped to form Mickey ears.

We also started prepping for meal time on vacation.  It has been rare that we take our kiddos to restaurants due to food allergies, autism behaviors, RAD behaviors, etc.  In Disney World, we'll be eating lunch and dinner at restaurants every day.  Some are quick serve. Some are table meals.  But still, all of it will be new for the kiddos, unless we start practicing beforehand.

Jason and I decided to try Chili's with the kiddos for dinner one night.  They serve allergy friendly food for everyone.  All through the meal I kept reminding myself that this was the kiddos first experience at Chili's, and at a sit down restaurant in general, for quite some time.  Overall they did well.  Princess and Bulldozer LOVED the experience.  Sunshine did okay, although she was a little rough at some points.  Dinomite however did not do well at all.  He was so anxious and nervous that he could barely keep himself together. When they did bring his food, he burned himself on the plate and started sobbing.  Then he realized he didn't like the shape of the pizza slices they served.  Being burned combined with so many little new experiences and sensory stimuli were just too much for him.  Thankfully we had a fabulous waitress who was kind, patient, understanding, and so wonderful with all that was happening at our table.  In the end, we all survived the meal, but I can promise you it's going to be years before Dinomite steps foot inside a Chili's restaurant.  Lol.  In regards to our trip to Disney World, at least we had a starting point to work from and had plenty of time to practice.  Lol.

The last weekend in March, we celebrated Easter.  I wanted to separate General Conference weekend and the Easter holiday . Since the kiddos don't believe in the Easter Bunny, and it would mean they'd receive their Easter baskets and goodies a week sooner, they were all for the change in plans.

 I had so much fun putting together their Easter baskets this year!

Everyone was extremely pleased!  After going through contents of the Easter baskets the kiddos went in search for their Easter eggs. As always, Dinomite's were blue.  Bulldozer's eggs were green.  Princess' eggs were pink.  Sunshine's eggs were purple.  We've color coded eggs for as long as I can remember.  This year instead of little toys and figures, I put money a $1 bill in each of the kiddos' eggs.  When the hunt was over, they each found $20 to go and purchase a toy of their choice.  Since Sunshine was still a bit too little for this, I put allergy friendly chocolate, fruit snacks, and LEGO duplo pieces in her eggs.

Like in years past, each kiddo received a new church outfit. The girls each received dresses, sweaters, hair accessories, jewelry, and church socks.  The boys received new pants, ties, and socks.

After the morning business was over, I settled in to make our annual Easter brunch while the kiddos played.

The kiddos love their homemade cinnamon rolls.

Sunshine enjoyed her allergy friendly brunch also!

For more details about our Easter celebrations, feel free to read our Family Easter Traditions.

That's Renae today!

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Picnic Activities for Tots & Preschoolers w/ Free Printables

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The summer season is in full swing and we are enjoying it so much!  We've been able to take advantage of some amazing learn and play opportunities, that I'll be blogging about soon.  (Perhaps on a rainy day when there's nothing else to do.)  

Until then, I wanted to be sure to share Sunshine's newest unit activities with you!  Last week, I was a guest blogger on The Jenny Evolution where I shared  my Picnic Themed Activities for Tots & Preschoolers.  If you haven't seen the post yet, be sure to stop by and give it some love.  Sunshine has adored this unit and looked forward to it every day!

Here are some other fun activities!  All have to do with summer learning.

Softening the Summer Schedule from The End in Mind

Homemade Bouncing Bubbles Recipe from A Little Pinch of Perfect

Frozen Glitter Ice Paint for Kids from Mini Monets and Mommies

Summer School!  5 Activities to Get Your Preschooler Ready for School from The End in Mind

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How do we survive church services on Sundays? 

Busy bags! 

These Pioneer Busy Bags for Tots and Preschoolers with Free Printables are just one example of the types of busy bags we pack in our church bag to help our youngest.

She struggles with sensory issues and sitting still for any length of time.

Religious activities help so much in situations where reverence is required. 

Pioneer Busy Bags for Tots and Preschoolers with Free Printables

All activities in our busy bags are quiet activities, based on church history, religious principles, and/or Christ centered holidays and events.  

All printables in this post are available for free.  

I hope you enjoy!  

Pioneer Clothespin Match Up

This busy bag contains 2 sets of 12 laminated pioneer themed cards.  

Sunshine uses the clothespins to fasten matches together.  

The clothespins really make this simple matching activity extraordinary.  

Clothespins provides opportunities for hands on learning, fine motor development, and sensory input. 

The best part is that Sunshine is learning about pioneers at the same time.  

Sunshine LOVES this activity.  

I presented the activity at home.  

We did it together, and then she did it by herself before we brought it to church.  

She was so excited about her new busy bag!

Source: The free printable for this activity is part of the Pioneer Pack from 3 Dinosaurs.

Stringing Buttons Using Pipe Cleaners

When I think about pioneers one of the first things to come to mind is all of the sewing the women did. 

Sunshine is a bit young to learn to sew.  

I don't want to think about the safety issues that would result from bringing a sewing needle to church. 

We've tried lacing cards in the past, but Sunshine thinks they're kites and starts waving them in the air. 

Once again, I didn't think this was appropriate for church.  

Instead I went for a more basic introduction to the concept of sewing.  

In this activity Sunshine strings the buttons on a pipe cleaner.  

I've provided multiple pipe cleaners to provide variation to the activity and in case she decides to thread the pipe cleaner through more than one hole on the buttons.

Pioneer Play

Sunshine does better with a very structured learning activity that has an end and a beginning.  

Pretend play is definitely not her forte.  

However, I still want to make sure I provide opportunities for her to do so. 

The Safari Ltd Wild West TOOB has the perfect quiet, hands-on figures to use when learning about pioneers.   

I removed the Indian characters along with figures who had guns, to provide for more reverent play.  

My husband and I were a little concerned Sunshine might start acting like the animals in the set, using a loud voice during our meeting, but she didn't.  

Instead she played quietly for a few minutes, before putting them away and moving on to the next activity.
  

Handcarts & Wagons Sorting Activity

When learning about the pioneers, it's important to learn the difference between a handcart and a wagon.  

For this activity, Sunshine will examine several pioneer themed paintings identifying handcarts and wagons in each.  

She will then separate the paintings.  

Those that have handcarts, she will place under the handcart card.  

Paintings of wagons, she'll place under the wagon card.  The scene in each painting is beautiful.

Source:  I created the printable for this activity.  The Pioneer Busy Bags for Tots & Preschoolers Printable Pack is a Subscriber's Only Freebie. For your free copy, follow the directions at the bottom of this post.

Picking Berries Transfer

Many pioneer children had the responsibility of collecting berries while on the trail.  

I thought it might be fun for Sunshine to practice either using her fingers or tweezers.  

She won't transfer from bush to basket, but she can practice transferring between two pails.  

Pom poms are being used as berries to keep the activity quiet.  

If she decides to be irreverent with the pails, we'll just move on to a different busy bag activity.

Campfire Snack

Sunshine is still at an age where snack is sometimes necessary during sacrament meeting.  

This activity is my attempt at being creative with snacks in church.  Lol.  

The pretzel sticks represent fire wood. 

The yellow and orange fruit snacks are fire.  

Sunshine can build her own camp fire if she wants to.  

Chances are she won't, but I still think the idea is pretty cute.  

If you attempt to make this snack, be sure to press a fruit snack into the top of some of your pretzel sticks to keep them together.  

Fruit snacks along the bottom also help.  

Otherwise the pretzels just topple over. 

Sunshine is already excited about church on Sunday.  

She was quite disappointed to learn that church is still a few days away.  

(I was putting the last few busy bags together today and she happened to see them.)  

I won't lie, putting together these busy bags is work, but if they help Sunshine, the work will be worth it.  

So far, the busy bags are helping her more than I could have ever imagined.  

The best part is they can also be used for Family Home Evening and other church activities!

If you're looking for more pioneer activity ideas, be sure to check out the activities below.

Free Pioneer Printables and Montessori-inspired Pioneer Activities from Living Montessori Now

Montessori-Inspired Compass Rose Activities and Outdoor Compass Walks from Living Montessori Now

Free Pioneer Pack from 3 Dinosaurs

Cattle Drives and the Old West from Adventures in Mommydom

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6. Click on link and type in password. (The password is cap sensitive.)

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