Maryland Science Center

On Memorial Day we went with out friends to the Maryland Science Center, which is located right on the chesapeake bay in the Baltimore Harbor. We spent a better part of a day there, and one of the first things we did was see a movie in the IMAX Theater. We saw Night at the Museum 2, which incidentally was the very first cinematic movie to which we've taken our kids. They actually did pretty well, despite the fact that each of them needed a diaper change during the movie. But overall, I could not have been more pleased at their attention spans. (Not that they were transfixed the entire time- snacks and playing on the- Ew!- dirty floor offered a distraction of sorts.)

We saw all the cool exhibits- from outer space to Newton's Alley where you learn about physics and other cool stuff, to the human body to dinosaur bones. Lots to learn and see! We finished on the third floor where among other things, they had the Kids' Center. This happens to be the only place I took any snapshots. They had the funnest stuff for kids to do! They really enjoyed the water table where they could splash around to their hearts' content. Such fun for my water babies!



And a short video clip of everyone playing together. A funny exchange between Elena and her friend- she gets upset at him splashing her with water and he reminds her- "Hey- it's all about having fun!" My uptight little girl...and in the meantime Aaron is getting soaked to his diaper and not caring a bit. It's a good reminder to me too- it's all about having fun!

They had a bunch of dress-up clothes too and Elena put on the turtle and the ladybug. I think I got it backwards on her...oops!

Aaron loved the train set...

And the big peg board!

It was the best way to spend our day off- indoors! Because we had lots of rain all day. Isn't it supposed to be April showers?

p.s. While attempting to complete this post, the Orioles hit a grand slam, I tried to soak up a huge V8 juice spill from my very light-colored carpet, and changed one very full diaper. When can I look forward to a life with no interruptions? Probably never...

Hershey Park and the ZOO

We are back in the game! It's been a while since I posted, mainly because there was nothing really to post about in our boring little lives. Then we had some good friends come visit from out of town and they got us out of our boring rut. I apologize if this post goes a little long. Mostly photos, I promise!

Last friday we all went to Hershey Park- a theme park based on chocolate, AWESOME! It's only a 2 hour drive for us, so we met our friends up in Hershey, Pennsylvania for a fabulous day of fun. As luck would have it, our friends had some extra tickets to the park, comped to them by their hotel room, so we did not have to pay to get it. Shall I repeat? AWESOME! (Thanks guys, you know who you are.) I didn't feel as much pressure to get my money's worth. I think I only went on three rides the whole day- it's all about the kids now!

Here are Elena & Aaron at the beginning of the day- all ready to go and not knowing what fun was in store...

Elena's first ride- how perfect since she is obsessed with airplanes.

Aaron and Daddy. Little man was a little upset because we hadn't found any rides he was tall enough to go on yet. But we found some!

And some with Daddy too!

Weeeeee, Elena!

The child laughing with absolute glee is Elena.

Aaron was his daredevil self on his little rides and was putting his hands in the air- we thought it was pretty cute.

Overall a very exciting and exhausting day. Elena even took a nap for a while, she'd had so much fun. (Amazing since this child refuses to sleep lately.)

The following thursday we all went to the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore. We had gone to the little Zoo at Hershey park the week before, but it's pretty small and doesn't boast too many exotic animals. This one was a lot bigger and the kids were able to see some cool animals for the first time. I will list their favorites: Penguins, Polar Bear, Giraffes, Rhinos and the Chimpanzees.

Here they are being turtles- my cute little terapins!

They also had a oetting area with goats. I didn't anticipate little 20-month old Aaron to be so fearless around them! He walzed right up to them with a brush and went to town. Here are a couple of video clips...

Elena liked to kiss their noses.



Another fun and exhausting day! Tomorrow we are off to one last venue with our friends while they are still in town- the Museum of Science!

Oh, yeah...Easter!

Knitting is not my Forte (and onions)

A while ago my mom gave my a kit to knit some baby booties and a hat. Everything was included, even a video. I guess it was too advanced for me because it turned out waaaaay too small. My mom ended up taking all the materials and re-doing it for me. She is a pro with anything handmade, so I knew it would turn out awesome. Turns out that Aaron loves the results! He loves to wear his little bear hat and slippers.

Mom, these are for you!

He can put it on all by himself!

By the way, this little guy LOVES to eat raw onions!

18 Months old!

Here are the official photos courtesy of JCPenney! They always seem to do a good job, and for around $30 I can get all the shots I want. Sounds like a commercial, doesn't it? It's simply because in the past I have spent waaaay too much $$$ on photos for my kids, so I am justly proud of my frugality.

The only hard part is getting him to smile and stay put. He's such a momma's boy that he freaks out a little if I put him down somewhere unfamiliar, with someone unfamiliar trying to interact with him. We can see that tenacity prevailed.

Easter Egg Hunts and Cuteness

Okay, so I didn't get any photos of them actually looking for the eggs. Aaron would freak out every time I left his side. So I took a few pics around the actual event. Our ward had an East Egg Hunt eventfor the primary children, hosted by a family in the ward who had an excellent lawn for a hunt. It was a gorgeous sunny morning, albeit a bit chilly.
The little guy didn't leave my side for an instant, pretty much. But he had fun trying to put the eggs in his elmo basket. (Which I bought cheap after easter last year!)
Elena wouldn't even look up at the camera for fear her hoard of eggs would disappear. Yes, our kids are fans of the seasonal hunt and harvest. Especially if candy is involved!

Just a random shot from a day at the park.

Now here we have Daddy and son, both wearing the exact same jumper. Who knew kids' clothing couldn't last 33 years? Healthtex brand, everyone.


This picture makes him look so grown up!

Slideshow

Here's a link to a slideshow to just a few pictures of Jason. Yes, they have finally arrived!

http://family.webshots.com/slideshow/570639723GTwiVn

You may have to copy and paste it to a new window. Otherwise, if you scroll all the way to the bottom you can view the slideshow as well.

No More Sickies!

After two weeks of pukes, coughs, and so on; having visited the doctor 5 times, and the ER once for a chest x-ray, we can finally say there are no more sickies in our house! Yay! We had a rough patch there for a while. Elena's flu developed into pneumonia, and she dropped several pounds, reaching Aaron's weight. Not good! But we ended up with the right kind if antibiotics that finally nipped it in the bud. Take off, eh! Aaron never got as bad as she was, and never lost his appetite. (Not surprising, as he's known lovingly by all as "the Moose". He's a solid kid.)

Here we are at the doctor's office one last time- just to make sure we're all better, and for Aaron's 18 month check-up as well. One fell swoop. They were playing with the table together and it was so cute, and I was trying to get it on film, but whevener I get out the camera, they immediately are drawn to it. Hams. Maybe I need to learn to be more discreet...I thought it was cute enough to share, anyway. And all can see that the kids are alive and well!

The Last Image

Here is a short video I took of the three kids playing the morning we left Reno on New Years' Day. The cousins of course were oblivious to the fact that they were about to be separated. Little did we know, even more significantly, that I would be catching my brother on video for the last time. It's only ever so brief, when Elena notices Jason and calles his name and I pan over to the right.

I wish I would have kept the camera on him longer.

Aaron just cracks me up with his drama. He's always been this way. I don't know why! It's just how he came out of the box, so to speak.

The kiddos are having a jolly good time running in circles and playing along to morbid nursery rhymes. But they sure have fun together!

That morning our flight left around noonish, and Jason got up to hug us all good-bye, even though he had been up late with friends the night before, celebrating the new year. I will forever be grateful that he did, because I will treasure that last hug.

Miss you, Jason!

p.s. We finally upgraded our internet! Now I can put on all thepics and videos my heart desires!

p.p.s. Still waiting on the pictures!

Noreasters and Hats

Yep, this last monday we got 8 inches and it blew a nasty cold wind in your face if you ventured outside within the following 24 hours. They call that a "Nasty Nor-Easter" in this part of the country, because the storm came up from the carolinas and headed "Nor-east". I was so overzealous in having my kids experience the snow that they both caught a nasty virus. Good job, Mommy. The past two days I must have changed pukey bed linens 5 times. It's getting quite tiresome to say the least. The snow sure was beautiful, though. (From inside.) That having been said, I am itching for Spring weather. We all have a bit of cabin fever, and I am so ready to get started on my garden. If only I could figure out a way to keep the vermine out. Pesky groundhogs!


Here's just a random snapshot of my two little dirty yet adorable hooligans. Aaron really does look up to his big sister.

Now, to the hats category. I was working on the computer one night and I glanced over at Jim who was randomly wearing this on his head. It's one of the kiddy chairs. It caught me so off guard that of course it made me laugh and I had to take a picture. (Sorry, Jim.)




Also, I've been trying to give Spring subliminal messages by getting out some of the spring clothes for the kids. Elena loved this little hat and refused to take it off for a while.




As part of the very beginning stages of our potty training efforts, we have started to teach Elena about underwear. In the past she's just been wearing it over her diaper, but I found her putting a pair on over her jammies and I thought it was quite hilarious.





Take note of this old couch in the background because it's all gone now! Next time you'll see our brand new aesthetically pleasing couch that will match our room theme, unlike this ratty old couch. But, it has had a good run. Couch, here's to you!


A special thanks to freecycle.org for providing us a way to pass it on to another family who needed it.