Railroad Museum

Over Memorial Day weekend, we went on a day trip up to the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. We figured that the boys love trains, so they'd love this. We were right of course. They had a ton of fun looking at all of the trains.

We got tickets to go on a train ride while we were there. It was a 4 mile ride that took 45 minutes. We went really slow. The kids loved it though. There were several times I was worried that one of them would lean out the window and be lost by the side of the tracks. It didn't happen though.

Getting ready to go on our ride.

Nate and Graham could have spent all day in the discovery room. They had just about every brand of train toy imaginable there. Since they had been watching the "Geotrax" movies a lot lately, they really loved playing with the set. Graham especially.

The boys really enjoyed playing in this area where you placed "coal" into the engine fire box. They played there twice. Graham had slight difficulties. As you can see above, he finally decided it was easier just to pick it up with his hands.

They loved looking at the trains, but especially loved the ones that you were allowed to walk onto.

And loved looking out the windows.

They were all pretty big!

This is how Jesse felt by the end of the day.

Ringing the bell in the train yard.

Running on the train tracks.

All in all, it was a fun day. We were all pretty tired by the end of the day, but the boys really enjoyed it.

Nate's Graduation

Nate is no longer a preschooler. I guess that means that he is now a Kindergartner. We won't think about that right now. He of course had to have a graduation ceremony from preschool though.
Walking into the ceremony. The largest part of the program was the children singing the songs that they had learned over the past few months. Most of the children did this fairly well.
This is what Nate looked like the ENTIRE time the kids sang. No emotion on his face, not moving at all. Certainly not singing.

He got his diploma from his teachers.

Ms Karen, his teacher this past year.

Ms Donna, the assistant teacher this past year.

So that's it. Good job Nate! You made it through a year of preschool. Now you are ready for Kindergarten.

feet

Disclaimer- do not read if you are grossed out by feet, or the idea of touching someone else's foot. (Or if you are grossed out by a picture of a pregnant woman's swollen ankle.)

Lately Nate has been really interested in my feet. He likes to "take naps" with me, mostly so that he can sit down at the foot of the bed and just gently poke and stroke, and touch my foot. He does it so softly that sometimes I can barely feel it. He also will lie under the chair I am sitting on, and do the same thing. I just cannot explain it.

Happy Mother's Day!

So first of all, a big Happy Mother's Day goes out to my mother! She has been away on a trip to the Holy Land and Egypt for the past two weeks, and I'm very glad that she gets back tomorrow night. I love living so close to her. I don't want to leave where we are, because it would just be too far, and I enjoy seeing her each week. I love that my kids get to know my mom, and that they love her so much. Graham, who is just a really sweet child to begin with, always runs up and gives grandma a huge hug every time he sees her. I love that I get to build a relationship with her as an adult, as a fellow mother, and as a peer. It's nice to cross over that line from being a kid, and you only see her as your mom, to being an adult and seeing her as a friend and so much more. She's such a great example to me for what I want to be, and how I want to raise my children. I turned out so great, that I can't help but want to do the same things with my kids. :)
So happy Mother's Day mom. Welcome back to the Western Hemisphere! And happy Mother's Day to me too. Look at this little guy. He is just the reason my heart keeps beating. (And his daddy is pretty great too.)

Look at him cross his little ankles.

And then there's this one. He is so much fun to be with. He is getting so smart, and he's such a good brother. He's a great helper to me too. He's a keeper.

So thank you to my two little boys for making me a mom. I love being with you each and every day, and I miss you when I'm away. I miss you when you are sleeping at night (most of the time.) I enjoy watching you grow, and learn and mature. I love our snuggle time, and that you're willing to snuggle with me and wrestle with daddy. Being your mommy is one of the best things that has ever happened to me.

And thank you finally to Jesse for making me a mom, and for helping me be a better mom each day. And for putting up with my crazy parenting shenanigans, and for balancing me out when I get a little crazy. Especially with all of these crazy pregnancy moments I seem to have. And thank you also for letting the next one be a girl. :)

And happy mother's day to all of those other moms out there. I know so many great ones, and I hope that you have a wonderful day thinking of your children as only wonderful children.

Another Busy Saturday!

Today was another busy Saturday for us. As the weeks go on, we continue to have at least 2 parties to attend each Saturday. What a busy time of year! At lunch we went to Elijah's party at the park, and despite just about being blown away, the kids had a great time. It was nice to go somewhere with the whole family.
Then around dinner time Nate had a birthday party for his friend Logan. Logan's family is moving in about a week and a half, so this is the last time that we'll probably get to see them. This is how Nate spent the entire first hour. While all of the other kids ate pizza and cake, and generally had a good time, Nate stood in a corner and pouted. It was great fun! But finally the part that he was waiting for came, we were able to go out and play. The party was at Adventure Park USA, a place Nate happens to love. He rode on the Helicopter ride...

...and the Merry Go Round. After that, we decided to go inside instead of being blown around any more.

Nate spent most of the rest of the time up in a climbing area. He really likes that, and can spend hours there. We then ventured out into the arcade for a few games. He had a really good time, and didn't really want to leave, but he was a good boy when I told him it was time to go.

So we made it through this Saturday. Next Saturday no kid birthday parties, but I have my own baby shower in the morning, and then there is a party for a family at church who is moving that we may go to. Two weeks from now? Jesse has a scout thing, and I have a mini quilting day of fun. After that? Memorial Day weekend. After that? Erin will be here. After that? Baby. Holy Moly! I hope I survive.

Field Trip to the Zoo

Today, for the first time, I boarded a school bus with Nate and Graham and we took a field trip together. All of the 4 year old classes in his preschool took a field trip to the Baltimore Zoo. The kids were super excited to ride on the bus. And just a side note- the last time I rode on a school bus, I was also pregnant. We started with the polar bears. You can see that my mom came with us on the trip. It was nice to have her there since she is leaving on a two week trip to the Holy Land and Egypt in a few days. It was also very helpful to me, especially getting on and off of the bus with our cooler, backpack, two kids and a stroller. I would have had quite a bit of trouble doing it on my own.

Nate and Graham especially love seeing the giraffes. It helps that they get so close to where we can watch them. You can pay a little bit of money and feed them, but we haven't done that yet. I don't know that my kids would even want to. They may freak out from the freakishly long tongues that the giraffes have.

Graham got onto this turtle and then asked me to take his picture. He asked me to take his picture periodically through the day.

The giant tree slide is always a favorite.

Can you see the look of pure joy on his face?

I was a little surprised by this one- Nate actually got close to the goats and wanted to brush them. He has never been into petting zoos, and rarely would touch any animals. He even took the brush off and pet the goat for real at one point. You notice Graham is nowhere to be found in this picture- He was not at all interested in getting near to the goats. He's more comfortable with a fence to protect him. He spent most of his time at this point playing in the bin that held all of the brushes.

So all in all, it was a fun day for all. It was a little drizzly here and there, but it never was really rainy, which we appreciated. The kids had fun, and my mom and I even survived- the grandma and the pregnant woman- who thought to put us in charge? :)

Tomorrow is take your child to work day at Jesse's work. So more fun adventures are in store for us! The kids will be extra excited, because not only do they get to see Jesse, but they'll get to see Grandad and Aunt Cammi!

Catoctin Zoo

On Saturday, Nate was invited to a birthday party (OK, the whole family was invited, but it was Nate's friend.) Anyway, Jesse decided to use the time to have a one-on-one trip with Graham. A few weeks ago he had taken Nate on a hike, so now it was Graham's turn. They went up to the Catoctin Wildlife Preserve and Zoo. We got a membership there this year instead of the Aquarium. It's nice because it's less than 15 minutes away, and it's a beautiful, non-crowded zoo, so I can easily take both of the kids there myself. As you can see, Graham was wearing the monkey leash, but Jesse never even had to use it, that's how non-crowded this zoo is.