Tristan and the chocolate factory

I'll preface this with the fact that the chocolate factory tour was a Girl Scout event but they welcomed siblings and Tristan is our resident chocoholic! He was much more excited about this tour than Hayley, the girl scout, was. We all went and enjoyed the tour but Tristan loved, loved loved it. free samples, chocolate all around, he couldn't ask for more, he had a chocolate moustache 5 minutes into the event! Anyway, the tour started with a film about the history of chocolate, then the history of this particular factory Van Otis Chocolates. Then it was on through the various departments to see how all the sweets are made, packaged and shipped out.

Filled chocolates:

getting ready for Easter:



The children were able to make their own chocolate treat, Tristan could hardly wait:




Hayley makes her treat:


A Sticky bark type sweet being made:




We find out the secrets to the fillings inside chocolate box chocolates:


an army of bunnies:


Now that's a big bar of chocolate!


sending fillings through the chocolate coater.


packaging:


There were so many ways in which chocolate was used in this factory:



The finished treats the kids made and some more chocolate samples!


Such fashionable hair nets!


Tristan gives this tour a thumbs up!!!

Animal Academy-March

This month the kids worked with amphibians. I'll mainly let the pictures speak for themselves since I'm still perpetually behind in bloggin, just trying to get something on here each week!










Although amphibians are fine I always gravitate to the furry animals. The fennec fox is so adorable he rolls on his back for tummy rubs!


Cats might be common but they are still my all time favorite, this cat below lives at the animal adventures center.







Towards the end of class the teacher asked if the kids REALLY wanted her to take out the largest turtle and of course they did so she tried but said he is just too heavy to hold long!

Put those kids to work!

Hayley and Tristan had been wanting to go to work with me for awhile. I wasn't able to make that happen when we were busy, they stopped in a few times but couldn't stay. Now that ski season is winding down it was a better time to have them visit. There were multiple reasons too, a co-worker wanted to see our Degu babies, Hayley could use a visit to the childcare towards a couple of girl scout badges and Tristan just thought it would be a fun place to play. The kids had fun showing off their pets, trying the toddler sized toys, holding a baby, helping with the kids, playing with Roxy the resident dog and having a lunch from the cafe.

The funny of the day was when Tristan told my co-workers- who he'd been conversing with, "I like it here, I don't mind talking with teenagers and adults". That comment led to lots of laughs!

Random photos from the day although I won't post any with other people's kids in them.