Georgia Trip Part 2

Mark was home on the weekend and we all went hiking. Another beautiful day. The kids again walked hand in hand all over the mountain, threw sticks and rocks in the very high water, examined bugs and fought over walking sticks. We had a lovely picnic just before it started to rain and made it back to the car in perfect time.

As the weekend went on the kids seemed to have a harder time getting along. Daniel loved (loves) Sienna and I think she took to him okay but Ella kept losing her ability to stay calm and Daniel didn't help the situation - he likes to tease. Leo pushed Abby down the stairs and Abby was so excited about Sienna that Sienna learned to be afraid of her and would cry every time Abby came near. It was all I could do to keep my eyes on Abigail to make sure she stayed away from the baby and didn't love her to death.

Daniel and a very happy Sienna.

Bug watching.

I didn't realize that we would be away for Mothers' Day. Jason didn't forget. He sent these flowers, a box of chocolates, and chocolate covered strawberries to let me know how much he appreciates me! 

Georgia Visit Part 1

 Kat took the kids to Georgia to see Sharon and her kids.  I don't remember why - perhaps it was because Mark was in Thailand or something like that and we needed to get away from home for awhile.

We took the kids to the Atlanta Zoo the first day and enjoyed wonderful weather and great comradery (for a few hours) between the kids.

Cousins zoned out. A glimpse into their teenage years?

Lazy Mere-cats acting similar to our kids (minus the pee and butt sniffing)

Climbing the vines.

Adorable.

 This sweet hand in hand fun wore off when Ella found a second map and Daniel lost his. Now Daniel had no map and Ella had two that she was very much not willing to share. Tired kids got grumpy and Daniel started crying about Ella not sharing and Ella started screaming that Daniel wanted her map. It was the type of argument that only two tired 4 year olds can have.

Parks in May

We had a MOPs play date at Friendship Park so the kids got to play with their friends rather than just each other for a change!  It is hard being so far from everyone.

Steph plans on taking her kids to Hershey Park about once a week and if it works with our schedule, we'll try to join them.  The boys have so much fun together and they even do a good job of keeping Abigail happy for a longer time!

I wonder what they are talking about. . . 

Niagara Falls

Jason finally had an interesting work destination, Niagara Falls, and his boss suggested that I tag along.  I found us a great deal for a few nights at the famous Red Coach Inn Bed and Breakfast. I wanted to be close enough to the action to spend my days walking around being a tourist. We could hear the thunder of the rapids right out our bedroom window and it was just a short walk to the park and museum. 

 The weather was a bit cooler than I would have liked and it rained on and off a couple days but I still did my best to get out and about. Unfortunately, Niagara, NY is like a ghost town so my day on the American side was a bit dull.  I did mosey down to the Aquarium and stayed for quite a while because of a not-so-passing rain storm. There wasn't a lot to see there but it was a nice resting spot for my weary traveling legs.  

The next day I walked to Canada.  (Jason couldn't come because we couldn't find his passport.) I headed up to the Sky Tower observation deck and spent a lot of time just staring at how beautiful the falls are.

This is our bed and breakfast on the corner.

 Then I walked around town a bit and took in the touristy traps all up and down the main streets.  If you like wax museums and Ripley's then this is the place for you!  I missed Daniel a ton when I walked past the Dinosaur Adventure Mini Golf place. I took a few pictures just for his benefit. When I was all walked out I headed to a cafe near the water and had a lemonade and a snack.  I was talking to the proprietor about his interesting plush lady friends who seemed to be having a tea party and he thought I would get a kick out of the moose using the men's room.  Since I was the only customer at the time I headed in to see for myself. 

The last day we were there, Jason and I booked a Maid of the Mist tour.  It was loud and a bit chilly but WOW, it was amazing.  The power of the falls is tremendous and the nothing compares to the view of the falls from the boat. If it wasn't for the ridiculously rude and pushy Chinese guy who thought he was the only one on board with a camera, it would have been the best boat ride of my life! I didn't even get sea sick:)  I wish Jason and I had more time together but it was really nice to be with him this week.  Instead of being a single mom for a week and catering to two little kids, I got to go out to eat with my husband every night and I spent so many hours just in my room reading a book in peace and quiet! Hopefully Jason will have another pleasant work destination in the not so distant future.

Passing the Time Away

Jason is gone again this week so I packed the kids up and drove to Mom's.  There is a park behind the high school that is just a short walk and I need the kids to go to bed easily when I'm single!  What a great combination; fresh Spring air, a nice walk, and a playground.  They were easy peasy at bedtime tonight.

Great Grammy and Pappy's

Pappy likes to go down to his parents' house and help his mother prepare the garden.  Daniel loves to help with that sort of thing so we tagged along today.

Abigail and Mommy walked over to visit the neighbors' chickens.  The roosters were a bit loud for her so it took a while to warm up to them enough to get closer.

She tried several times to sit upright on this ball before she managed to do it. Then quickly became a pro. 

Daniel helping Pappy spray the crabgrass.  Boy did he love this!  Daniel had so much fun helping with the yard and garden work that I didn't see much of him at all today.

Last of the Daring Dragons

This is some video of Daniel's last Tae Kwan Do Class for the season. Since we aren't sure if we'll still be living around here much longer, it might be the very last class with Miss Kathy. I don't know that he learned much but I think that he enjoyed it and he was much better behaved this session! 

Enjoying Early Spring

My kids have so much energy that I have to take them to the park as often as possible just so they'll sleep at night!  Running Daniel out of energy also helps keep us from having to deal with his little boy aggression that can build up.  The Earth is trying to wake up from this dreary grey winter so we do what we can to help welcome Spring. Playing in the park or the yard, visiting good friends, and doing yard work are some of our favorite things!  "Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun, please shine down on me!"

 

I love his hair all long and shaggy like this.
He just climbed this rather tricky ladder for the first time and was super proud.

Our Mennonite friends invited us back to play with the puppies again now that they are a bit older and ready to really play with the kids.  They might have been a bit rambunctious at times but we had a wonderful time with these adorable balls of fluff.  

Puppy pile attack!

My hard workers cleaning up some thatched grass.  We only managed to do a small patch - nearly half an acre of grass is a bit too much to try to take care of in one afternoon.  

No Abigail, the mulch doesn't go in the snack cup - yuck!

Easter 2013

We tried several times to get the kids to sit for a picture and failed miserably.  We assumed that the church would be a good place but that didn't work either. It was discovered later that day (when Abigail threw up) that they were both sick.  (I had tried introducing raw milk into their diets to try to boost their immune systems but they, and Jason, ended up with diarrhea and vomiting instead.) 

We hid Easter baskets for them to find and they both were very excited about the goodies they found.

They looked so adorable in their matching outfits that I had to take them to get professional pictures taken the next week. Thanks Portrait Innovations!  These are beautiful.

Easter Egg Hunts

The kids had invitations to several Easter Egg hunts this year.  Mt. Holly Springs United Methodist Church had one Saturday, Kat's parent's neighborhood the next day and 

our friends had another the following Saturday, the day before Easter.

Abigail was a pro right from the beginning.  She knew without a doubt or real instruction that she should pick up the eggs and put them in her basket.  It was a blast. 

After the eggs were all picked up the kids had fun playing in the yard toys that the preschool has in their yard. 

Get ready . . . 

Go!

Opening the eggs to discover the goodies inside.

Some of the eggs had puzzle pieces inside.  Daniel and this friend were the only ones interested in putting the pieces together.  I don't think we had all the pieces though so they gave up and joined in the running around.

Abigail with her loot.  She was a professional egg hunter after three tries!