The second annual WebPT spring carnival was held in early April and we had such a great time. Matt has made several friends in the company and those friends, their spouses, and their kids have become close with our little family.
While the event was earlier in the year, it started later in day than it did last year. This worked out great because while it was warm in the late afternoon by the time the sun went down the weather and temperature were perfect.
When we arrived the girls played in the bounce houses while we hung out saying hello to everyone. Then we grabbed food, which was fully catered by the park. They provided grilled hamburgers, hotdogs, fruit, potato salad, and cookies. They also had Lulu's Ice come in for the event with delicious Italian Ice. We watched the potato sack races, the egg toss, we participated in the hula hoop contest, and the kids got their faces painted. Then we took all of the kids into the amusement park and they rode the roller coaster, the carousel, the planes, and the helicopters. We also saw a huge "Enchanted Island Mascot" and it totally freaked Ellie out.
When we headed back to the party the band had begun and the kids danced with each other. They also checked out the ducks near the pond and shared popcorn. It's so wonderful to see our girls build friendships with Taylor and Colton Morris. Our girls love them so much and have so much fun hanging out with them.
After a while they had a pie eating contest (Matt volunteered Courtney from the sales team to participate on the sales team's behalf) and the girls watched with big eyes as everyone came up with whipped cream all over their faces. At the end of the night we promised the kids a train ride on our way out. Having never ridden a kid train at night it was actually pretty fun and was a great ending to our full day!
In April Hayden continued with weekly soccer practice and games and school began to wind down. She had an open house one day at school and Matt and I were invited in to walk around to different classrooms with her to see what she's learned. She seemed most interested in the math activities and was really excited to show us around. We were also invited in to watch her do her year-end presentation on The Fierce Five (US Women's Gymnastics Team in the 2012 Olympics). She worked really hard on the poster board she used during the presentation and presented the information she learned to her classmates. She was nervous and shy in front of everyone but we were really excited to be there to see the presentation.
In preparation for her fifth birthday we also met with our long-time photographer, Karen to take pictures. Karen got a couple of cute shots of the girls and Matt had a fun time wrangling Ellie out of the pictures of Hayden. We also took Hayden to her very first play, Beauty and the Beast. It was a Friday night and the show didn't start until 7:00, which is only an hour before her bedtime. But, with a little help from some Reese's peanut butter cups she made it all the way through the show and fell asleep in the car at 10:30. She really loved the show and we loved being able to take her. We can't wait until Anabelle is big enough to come along too.
Anabelle continued to be a complete rock star with potty training. Her vocabulary has exploded in the last few months and it's so fun to have actual conversations with her. She is Hayden's biggest cheerleader at soccer and one night during dinner she said, "good job Hayden! I'm so proud of you!" Her hair is starting to get longer and can easily fit into pigtails and her smile and wonderful attitude continue to light up our house. She's just getting to be such a big girl! This month she also had picture day at school and the difference in just the last year is so crazy.
Matt and I stayed busy too with his monthly golf group, Tin Cup Tour, and my Book Club and scrapbooking events. We attended the second annual "Second Chance for Sophia and Friends", a charity event hosted by Jim and Audra Small. It was a huge success and we took home some great silent auction prizes...including a dozen Paradise Bakery cookies every month for a year! YUM!! We also went to the second annual WebPT spring carnival and had a blast. I just can't believe how much the company has grown in the past five years. This year's event had close to 300 people (about 100 out of 150 employees plus their families) and was at the Enchanted Island at Encanto Park. They had a band, hula hooping, pie eating contest, Italian ice, hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill, two bounce houses, and a face painter. That was in addition to the train ride around the park and the mini amusement park for the kiddos.
It was another great month in the Wolach family! Enjoy some of our favorite pictures in the slideshow below.
Every spring Pop comes to Phoenix for a long weekend visit and every year we have a great time! This year he was able to spend an afternoon with Hayden in the pool and two afternoons with me - one strolling around a farmers market and grabbing lunch outside and one at the MIM (Musical Instrument Museum). We also went to Hayden's soccer game, went to Hayden's spring festival, ate dinners outside, hung out by (and in) the pool, went to a spring training game, and ate a bunch of delicious food.
Thanks for coming to visit us every March Pop! We love having you in town and look forward to it every year!
This post is long overdue, but better late than never! Right?? Right!
March is pretty much the best month to live in Phoenix. The weather is starting to warm up but it is still plenty cool in the evening. We spend a lot of time outside in March and this year was no different. We went hiking, ate dinner outside, went to spring training games, went to the park, watched Hayden play soccer, and even had a picnic.
Hayden continued with her spring soccer season and did so well. During the first half of the season she scored in every single game she played. She ran fast, was up and down the field, and complained when she had to sit on the sidelines. This was quite the change from the fall season where we had to bribe her to play every weekend. One day after soccer practice she pulled off her shin guards and said "Mommy, my legs are stinky! Smell them!" I said, "Ewww!! I don't want to smell your stinky legs." So then she said, "No, Mom. I was just kidding! My legs smell like cherries! Smell them!" So I leaned in and smelled them and then we laughed and laughed. Silly girl.
Anabelle started hardcore potty training in March. After a "false start" in the middle of February she decided in March that she was ready to start wearing panties and using the toilet. And she was such a little rock star. She just figured it out and has been doing so well. She still wears a pull up at night but she pretty much has the daytime routine nailed. Our baby is getting so big and independent! Her hair was finally getting long enough to put into two little pigtails too so even her overall look has changed and she looks like such a big kid.
During the middle of the month Hayden's school was closed for Spring Break and Grandma and Grandpa took her two days that week for some time hanging out. They went out for breakfast, took Chorney on a hike and went swimming in their pool. Hayden was exhausted by the end of the day (I think Grandma and Grandpa were too!) and she had so much fun hanging out with them.
We celebrated St Patrick's Day with green milk, lucky charms, green waffles, and Mexican food (nothing says Happy St Patrick's Day like enchiladas and margaritas!) We also celebrated Easter in March with Easter eggs, cute dresses and brunch with Grandma and Grandpa. At last but not least we had an awesome visit from Pop mid-month, which I'll share in a separate post.
So much stuff going on in March, but so much fun time spent together! Check out some of our favorite pictures from the month and also our pictures from Easter!
A couple of weeks ago we had a very special visitor come and stay with us...Oma!
When both of the girls were born she came and stayed with us for a few weeks. Since we don't have plans to have anymore kiddos we decided that she should just come out for a long visit every year. And so the tradition began.
During her visit we went out to eat, went to the Splash Pad, went to the fabric store for fun crafting stuff, took the girls to swim lessons, got gelato, took a trip to the Grand Canyon, and watched the entire first season of Arrested Development. Aside from the trip to the Grand Canyon it was just a week in the life of a Wolach and having her be part of that was so special.
The love that she has for Hayden and Anabelle is so big. During our trip up north we rented a house for two nights in Flagstaff. The girls slept in a double bed and in the double bed next to them was Oma. At one point during the night the three of them even ended up in the same bed. On Wednesday and Thursday Hayden was under the weather and so she stayed at home with Oma. They watched movies, ate applesauce, and played with (after putting together) a brand new dollhouse. On Friday Hayden went to daycare and Anabelle got to spend the day at home with Oma. On both Friday and Saturday night Hayden asked if she could have a slumber party with Oma, and Oma happily obliged. I think that it's as much of a treat for her as it is for Hayden.
That one-on-one time that each of the girls got with her was so special, both for her and for each of them. It makes my heart so happy to see their relationship with her continue to grow and get stronger.
Thank you for being such a wonderful grandmother to my little girls, Mom. I love you and can't wait for you to visit again!
For our first annual Mommy and Ellie trip we decided to do a staycation and the local Princess Fairmont resort. Upon our arrival I could see why so many people from around the country visit Phoenix and stay at resorts. The property is gorgeous and perfect for our weekend "away".
I was a little bit nervous about what we would do together all weekend and if I'd be able to keep her entertained. It turned out that I had nothing to be worried about because we had such a great time. Most of the weekend is explained with pictures in the slideshow below, but some of the best parts of the weekend for each of us included:
Hiding from dinosaurs!
While driving from Anabelle's daycare to the resort she did not want the radio on. She insisted instead on me singing "A, B, C, D, Dinosaur". As this was a Mommy and Ellie weekend, I happily obliged and we sang it at least 7 times on our way. Luckily, the resort is only about 10 minutes from daycare.
After we checked in and were looking around our room I was informed that "a dinosaur was coming!!" This was a fun little game we played all weekend. I would ask her different questions - "what color is the dinosaur? Is it walking, flying, or running? Is it gone yet?" And if we had the opportunity we would climb under our covers and hide.
Swimming at night. We went down to the Sonoran Splash pool on both Friday and Saturday night where they had transformed the pool area into a "club". They had a DJ, black lights, a fog machine, and glowing hula hoops. Anabelle loved the music and I caught her dancing in the pool a few times. After we were tired of swimming we went to the dive-in movie and snuggled on the pool loungers under pool towels and watched movies. Swimming at night is always more fun!
Sleeping beauty
Sleeping with a toddler is interesting and fun and exhausting all at once. Ellie and I have never slept together before and just talking about it with her I could tell that she was ecstatic about it! She petted my face, wanted to sing songs, wanted to be a monkey and jump on the bed, and basically wanted to do everything except sleep. But, once she did fall asleep her sweet little snores, precious face, and little body melted my heart and all was forgiven. When I had to give her medicine at 6:30 I was hoping we could snuggle and get some more sleep but she had other plans. She was wide awake and ready to start the day. No sleeping in on our vacation!
Another highlight on the trip for Anabelle was pushing the buttons in the elevator. She got really good at only pushing ONE button in the elevator (after a trip to both floors 3 AND 4) and was a pro by the end of the weekend.
Jump #439
We did everything that she wanted to do for the weekend and I think that getting to experience the trip through her was what made it so special for me. She wanted to jump in the pool 945 times so we did that. She wanted to check out the stairs so we did that. She wanted to take a shower so we did that (she did NOT like the shower, by the way). She wanted me to snuggle her so we did that. She wanted to take pictures herself (I do it Mommy!) so we did that.
I couldn't have asked for a better weekend with Anabelle. She and I got in a bunch of snuggles and kisses, we played and explored, we did girly things like crafts, fingernails, and tanning in the pool, and we got to be buddies.
Oh, and because the resort was so fabulous Matt and Hayden joined us at the end of their weekend away (they went to Cottonwood for the weekend) and we spent a few hours in the pool, going on the water slides, and hanging out with friends. It was the perfect family ending to the weekend.
There is text with most of the pictures so make sure to read that to get all of the weekend details. :)
I'm so grateful that Matt and I each committed to spend a weekend alone with each of the girls this year, and after we each had such great experiences this weekend know that we'll make this an annual event.
We decided to start a new tradition this year: to go on trips with our family, but to break them up and do it with groups within our family. So we will go on trips:
Going in to the trip, Hayden was a little unsettled about it. All she knew was that were were not going with Mommy or Ellie, which she didn't like too much as that was new. She heard about what Ellie was going to do and that she was going to stay at a resort and swim all day. That sounded awesome to her, despite the fact I tried to tell her what we would be doing.
So she was not as excited as I had hoped going in. But once we arrived on our first night, she was starting to feel better about it. We stayed at a cute little motel in the heart of town called the Pines Motel. It got good reviews and for good reason. Good location, clean and comfortable rooms, and most especially important for 5 year old little girls, a heated pool.
Cheers to a great trip!
We dropped our stuff and went out for dinner. Since it is a small town of about 10,000 people we went up and down the main strip in about 5 minutes before seeing a place that looked good, 15.Quince. Hayden chose to sit in the bar in the "grown up" high tables and she was really good for dinner (this separating kids thing really works). It was a fun, lively spot that was perfect for us. After our meal, we went back and crashed to get ready for our long Saturday.
In the morning, we woke up and went to breakfast at Randall's Restaurant. It was a perfect local breakfast joint and I had the Verde Chicken Fried Steak (Cottonwood is in the Verde Valley and it works well since my chicken fried steak had verde chili sauce on it). It was yummy and Hayden ate her whole waffle plus some bacon. She said, "Daddy, let's come back here tomorrow!"
After breakfast we were off to our first adventure: Out of Africa Wildlife Park. This is a huge park filled with (mostly) African animals. Instead of looking like a zoo, many of the non meat eating animals roam free in their mock Serengeti. The desert here is similar to their native habitat so it works perfectly. Of course the predators do need to be behind fences, but you can get really close to them. We were 4 feet from a tiger and ate lunch right next to a tiger den.
There were two main highlights of our 5 hour time spent there. First, we went on an authentic Unimog tour. A Unimog is like a large jeep. Our guide took us briefly to some predators where we saw lions, tigers, a panther, and more.
"Mumph, mumph."
Mix in a breath mint, Kibo.
Then we went into the Serengeti. The animals just walk up to the vehicle. The first one we saw was a giraffe, Kibo. The guide had prepped us with carrots for him and he hungrily ate them all from everyone. He stuck his head right down into our laps practically. It was great. Hayden was a bit nervous about it and didn't want to do it so I gave the giraffe hers instead. "I'm afraid he's going to eat my hand." That's a good fear to have, but in this case it was unwarranted as Kibo was very gentle and barely touched our hands as he deftly took the carrots from us.
We saw all kinds of other animals including zebras, water buffalo, several kinds of antelope, a camel, and an ostrich. Hayden even got to old an ostrich egg (it was unfertilized) which was cool. The guide said it would make 24 omelettes. That got me hungry so I asked what it would taste like and he said "Gamey." Hunger gone.
"Roar."
After our safari we ate lunch and went over to the Tiger Splash show. There is a pool in a fenced in area, with an arena of seats around it. They let the tiger in the area first, a beautiful white tigress named "Chalet" (like SHAL-lay). Then all the workers got in the cage too. We thought they were crazy but the tiger was fine with them. They had inflatable toys on the end of poles which have a lifespan of one show. They would run and get the tiger to chase them, then they would jump into the pool and the tiger would jump in after the toy grabbing it and popping it with one sweeping motion. FYI, tigers can run fast, and SWIM fast too. Just in case you need to know that sometime. And the MC said they've had no accidents in the 18 years they've been doing the show, though he made lots of funny jokes about going through employees (implying they get eaten). The show was great.
After a quick giant snake show, we headed back to our hotel where Hayden wanted to swim before dinner. The swim was nice and we then changed and left for our dinner.
Enjoyin' her beverage in the saloon
Dinner was at Blazin M Ranch, a cowboy themed ranch/town/country show. After going around the town, and the shops for a while. We settled in the saloon for a drink where Hayden got to have root beer. She never gets soda but I figured we were on vacation and this was a special occasion so I became a softy. After our drink we went into the "barn" for our chuckwagon dinner.
They had chicken and ribs, biscuits, baked potatoes, beans, and even apple pie a la mode for dessert. Hayden at at least a little bit of each, and I was pleasantly surprised when she dived right into the ribs first. She wouldn't even let me cut her 2 ribs apart, choosing to act like she was a real cowgirl.
The band was great
Following dinner the show started, and I was pleasantly surprised as the music was really good. The performers were excellent, and apparently had won western music awards in the past. The show was fun and was capped by a visit from the local Blazin M Ghost Rider who raced around the outside of the barn on a white horse while the band played Vaughn Monroe's Ghost Rider in the Sky. It was a cool effect as he went around the barn as you could see him in a white cape through each window as he passed. Cool if you are a 35 year old guy. Scary as hell if you are a 5 year old girl. She didn't scream, but she sure held my arm tight.
That was the conclusion of the show and afterwards we went outside where we saw the Ghost Rider on his steed. When we walked up he saw Hayden was shy and scared so he nicely took off his mask and told her it was just pretend. She felt a lot better and even petted the horse.
It was a long day but a terrific one. On the way back to the hotel she said, "Daddy, can we do this exact day again next weekend?" Vindicated! My planning worked and she had a great time. And I had a great time watching her have fun.
And yes, we went to Randall's Restaurant in the morning for breakfast again. And she ate an entire waffle again. A great wrap up to our great first annual trip. She even asked if we could move to Cottonwood as we headed back to Phoenix. I love her passion.
And some vids
A tiger feeding (and standing tall):
And a laughing Hyena (they "laugh" when agitated, which he is doing by acting like he is going to take the food). He is calling for the female in the background to come get some but she was not having it. She did eventually come, but after the video ended.
