Universal Studios Hollywood

 Bryce and I have wanted to go to Universal Studios for years now. For one reason-Harry Potter!!! We decided that this year for Bryce's birthday we were going to make it happen. We drove down Friday when Landon got home from work. 

Saturday morning Bryce was so excited to get to the park that he was awake by 5:30 am humming the theme song from Harry Potter. We woke up to cloudy skies and rain but I had come prepared and had bought us all ponchos in advance. We headed out as soon as the park opened to make the best of our day rain or shine. 

Our first stop was Mario World, which just opened in the last few months. It was super cool and brought back all the feels of a childhood growing up playing it. We then hit up some of the other attractions located in the lower lot with Mario. Transformers and Indiana Jones.

After that it was time to head up to Harry Potter World. Bryce and I loved every minute of it. We went to the wand shop and Bryce was chosen from the group for a wand fitting. It was a magical experience and the perfect thing for the birthday boy. The wands are interactive so after purchasing his wand he made sure we followed the map and did the spell at every spot on it. We rode the rides and spent time in all the little shops. Then we decided it was time for lunch.

After lunch, we hit up some of the other, smaller rides. We also went back to some of Bryce's favorites like Indiana Jones and of course we went back to Harry Potter World again. 

To end the day Landon and Bryce went on the Jurassic World water ride. I guess they were already wet, so it was a good way to end the day.

 We had the best day. We went on every single ride at the park and several twice. We did use the express pass, which we had purcahsed, as well as the disabilty pass which Bryce qualifies for because of his gtube and spd, which definitely helped, but I think even without them we probably could have done everything, it wasn't super busy because of the weather. 

Bryce is already asking when we can go back and called Tanner to plan another trip there with him soon.

#universalstudios #universal #marioworld #harrypotterworld

Spelling Bee

 For the 3rd year in a row Bryce has been one of the top 3 in his grade and advanced to the school spelling bee. The crazy thing is that this year he didn't study the words at all-haha. He is such a smart kid and we are super proud of him. He didn't win the school bee, but he made it through several rounds before he got out. We are proud of him not just for being so smart, but also for just getting up there in front of the whole school and competing, which is a little scary for anyone. 

The Beautiful Sound of Silence

 

It was an moment of pure uninterrupted bliss Sunday afternoon as we all sat in silence and read our books for at least an hour. Bryce is currently loving the Percy Jackson series and I am working on two simultaneously-a good girls guide to mirder and Becoming Free Indeed. Not sure what Chloe is reading, but she has caught the reading bug as well. 

Sunday Hikes are back in Session

 

We have early morning church this year, which means our afternoons our wide open. It also means that Sunday hikes are back in session. We had kind of gotten out of the habit, but now with our afternoons free and also the fact that we are coming into the perfect part of the year for hiking in St. George we are ready to get back on the trails. Our goal is to go at least two weeks out of the month and more if possible. Hiking is something the whole family, dogs included enjoy. It also feels great to get out in nature and soak up that vitamin D. 

Snow in the Desert

It's crazy to me to see all these people posting snow, snowstorms,  and school being canceled for days on end. We just don't get that in the southern Utah desert where we live. Which is actually one of the reasons I love living here. It does make it really fun 

when it snows, even just a little bit for a few minutes. Bryce was happy to run outside to play in it, which meant jumping on the trampoline with his shorts and crocs but at least he put on a coat. Haha.

#snowinthedesert #nosnowdaysforus

Shutterfly Calendars

I love Shutterfly for many reasons, their calendars being one of many. Every year for Christmas I make my Grandma a calendar. I use pictures of all the great grandkids and grandkids from the year. She loves it! The last few years I have also been making a couple for myself. I used to always buy calendars, but I would much rather look at my own pictures hanging on the wall. The calendars are easy to edit and you can even add your own events in like birthdays, anniversaries, etc. Shutterfly saves that information so the next year it is easy to click the ones you want included and add them again. I am pretty happy with the two calendars I got this year. It's not too late if you are still needing a calendar this year. The turn around is normally pretty quick as well. 

Also I'll let you in on a little secret if you want to save money go to groupon and there is a shutterfly coupon for you to save on making yourself a calendar or two or three. 

#shutterfly #shutterflycalendars #shutterflygroupon

Winter Dramatic Play

 

Every month we change out our dramatic play unit for preschool. For January we went with a winter theme. We made our reading nook, which is usually in the library, into an igloo and moved it to the dramatic play center. We made an ice fishing pond out of a box and some white butcher paper. We added snowballs and a snow shovel. We put gloves and hats in the dress up station and added some hot cocoa and mugs to the kitchen center. 

The kids imaginations are the best. Things I have seen happening in our dramatic play center. Polar animals being invited for tea parties. The kids cooking fish on the stove and then feeding it to the walrus. One student was riding the walrus. Lots of ice fishing and picnics in the igloos. Students wrapping the penguins up like babies and carrying them around. This is one of my favorite transformations of the year.

Also here is a peak at our light table. It's an artic tundra. The students absolutely love it. The filler is from lakeshore as is the light table itself.

#preschool #preschoolteacher #dramaticplay #dramaticplayideas #winterthemeddramaticplay #winterdramaticplay #dramaticplay4prek