Missing Daddy in Michigan

Shawn had to go on a work trip to Michigan on Tuesday, October 10, for a few days. This is the first time he went away and I didn't feel anxious or panic. It's difficult to describe, but I knew that I could handle the kiddos on my own. My older boys are old enough to communicate well and keep me company, and I felt in my spirit that I had a better handle on life than maybe I did in the past. I can't describe it well, but it was a new sensation for me. It also helps that we have a busy schedule and that we have a gym membership where I have the time to burn off energy and so do the kids - apart from each other. We highly enjoy our time there; it has been a blessing!

The boys remembered our trip over the summer to the aquarium and somehow thought that hotels were called aquariums. So, when we were at the gym the one day, Joshua told the worker "Our Daddy went on vacation." I thought the poor gal probably thought Shawn left us, so I explained that he wasn't really on vacation, he was on a work-related trip. Caleb quickly piped in that he was at the Aquarium. How do you explain that one? I just smiled. She probably thinks our family is nuts. Haaa!!!

During the time that  Shawn was gone, I had Bible study Tuesday morning while the boys were in school and we all went to the gym in the evening; I went shopping with Mamaw & Ryan on Wednesday morning while the older two boys were in school (and got a really cute pair of stylish boots!) and we went to the gym that evening; and on Thursday I went to my first ever "Moms in Prayer" meeting. I took Ryan along, figuring that out of all my boys, he seems to be the quietest. I recognized the woman who hosts the group as a gal who used to sing at Tuesday Night Bible study (something Shawn & I went to long before we were ever dating). Anyway, she said that kids are welcome and could hang out downstairs or on the main level with us. I was hoping Ryan would snuggle and suck his thumb. Instead, he talked and talked and talked. He cried when I put him downstairs, so I kept him up with us. But, he gabbed about Dadda and Mama and even said "Shhhh!!!" when I gave him that look. UGH!!! I hope he didn't disrupt the prayer time. Everyone was very sweet, but I haven't gone back since. I love the idea of gathering together to pray for our kids in school, along with the teachers and administrators. BUT, I'm not sure about taking a baby along and my sitting options are limited for Thursday mornings. So, we'll see...

Joshua's school started a program that week called "First in Math." The kindergarteners log on from their home computer and can play math games to test their skills and earn virtual stickers. The student who gets the most stickers from playing at home gets to wear a lanyard during the school day to honor their accomplishment. Joshua was THRILLED that he was "First in Math" on Tuesday. He didn't play it for very long, so I'm assuming most of the other kids hadn't even tried it out yet. But, I was glad that he was so excited. He has figured out which sections give out the most stickers, so he wants to play them. His teacher has told us he can go beyond the sections he finds easy to more challenging areas since he's fairly advanced in math. Great job, pal!

Joshua had soccer practice that Thursday afternoon (after we went to the gym) and that weekend, Shawn's mom and sister Erica came into town from Florida. They went to see his soccer game on Sunday, and we met them for lunch on Saturday (if my memory serves me) at Red Robin. It was nice to see them while they were in town!

Happy 73-month birthday, Joshua!

Joshua turned 73-months old on Thursday, October 18. That afternoon, he had soccer practice from 4-4:45, as he season was quickly coming to a close. I could see significant changes in his skills and abilities from the first time he played until now. When he stays focused on the ball, he does pretty well with his dribbling and scoring. But, like many other six-year-old kids, focus isn't always his strong suit. :) He's much more interested in talking to his teammates, etc.

Joshua is definitely turning into a social butterfly. He knows most of the names of the kids where we work out, and he'll tell them each hello upon entering. I don't think he's met a person who isn't his friend. And as kids hear their own names and feel important by being called out, they flock to play with him. He's very outgoing, and he LOVES to go there to play. They recently added a new bounce house back into the maze, and he highly enjoys it. The boys love to go burn off their energy and workout while we are - it has been a HUGE blessing!

As I've gone into the classroom to help with kindergarten, I've noticed that Joshua is above average in his learning skills. He's writing better than most boys (but his artwork isn't always terrific, I'll admit). That said, I have been surprised to hear that he doesn't always get to play with the station he wants to (they go to stations after they're done with their in-class work). The times I've been there to observe, I've noticed that while the kids are told to clean up after they are done, many don't bother and simply go to play. Joshua, on the other hand, listens and cleans up (sometimes even helping other kids) and then misses out on the station that he wants to go to (since there are only four). While I feel bad that he doesn't always get to be where he wants to be, I'm glad to see him behaving well in school and continuing to clip up on occasion. I'm glad he's making good choices.

Joshua rarely naps anymore, but he's always anxious to play when he gets home and have some "down time." He also has homework to do (very brief) almost every single night. Several times we've allowed him to play "First in Math" and he told me that he's gotten to wear the lanyard for earning the most virtual stickers at the game several times. One day he earned the most stickers at home AND the most stickers at school, so he thought it was super silly that he got to wear both lanyards. :)

Finally at age 6, Joshua is starting to eat more and more 'adult' foods. He at least tries more things, which is what we ask. The other day he requested to eat salad with us while his little brothers ate something else. He is SO skinny, but that's good for him to be tall and lean at this age. I'd much rather that than him struggling with his weight on the other end.

Joshua is doing very well with reading, and I love to listen to him read me books. How much growth I've seen in him over the past few months! He reads most beginner books easily now, and I can tell he's comprehending more of what he reads himself. He also reads signs as we're out and about, etc. and asks questions on ones he can't quite decipher.

My little man is such a great big brother! He loves to play with baby Ryan and make him laugh, and he's SO gentle with him. I love to watch the interaction. He's not as gentle with Caleb, but they have a different relationship. Joshua will say, though, how much he appreciates Caleb in his life. I love it!

Joshua also has an extremely sweet spirit. He will be one of the first ones to pray when someone gets hurt. He asked me the other day if Super Y was real. When I said no, he was sad that there wasn't really the ability to have a gold finger that turns everything into gold. I said that was just make believe, and he said "But God could do it! Nothing is impossible for Him!" True. I believe God could do it if it was in our best interest, so I told him he could pray about it. I reminded him that God loves us so much that He only does what's best for us - we may think things are better for us than they really are, but only God knows the biggest picture. He seemed to really understand. I love these moments together. How I hope my boys will grow up to seek God and know Him!

Joshua is doing well in school and sports. And while we still have some melt downs at home sometimes, he's growing into a nice young man. I love him very, very much! Happy 73-month birthday, my Bean!

The Beauty of Butterflies

When we got home from our vacation in DC, we had a package arrive from InsectLore. For his birthday, Grandpa had gotten Caleb a butterfly cage (at my suggestion) and we had just ordered the caterpillars online before leaving. We were excited to open the package and find this cup with an additional set of instructions inside. It was nearly impossible to get good pictures of it, but inside the cup were three large caterpillars along with the food needed to sustain them. The company also knew where to strategically put things like small holes for air, etc.

We read the instructions and I put the cup where the boys could easily see it to make observations but in a safe place where it wouldn't get bumped or hurt. In the beginning, we would simply "check the caterpillars" each time we entered the kitchen to prepare a meal. Caleb especially would proclaim "it's time to check the caterpillars" each morning before breakfast. We would watch as they would slugglishly move around. Sometimes we didn't see the movement but would simply notice that one had moved from the bottom of the cup to the top or vice versa.

Eventually,  I asked my sister when hers had changed to chyrsallis. We had purchased the same birthday gift for my niece Emma that year, and they began their experiment a few weeks before us, based on their vacation schedule, etc. She said that the upside down caterpillar would get to be a translucent color and we would definitely be able to tell. One day, I noticed that one of our caterpillars was upside down in that "J" form. Then the color changed from the furry black to a shiny green. I knew the transformation was taking place. The other two didn't change for almost another week. But, eventually they got into that upside form off the lid and started looking dead.

It was an exciting day when we realized our caterpillars were all gone. They had done the work necessary to cocoon themselves for the next stage of life. I read the instructions, and Shawn helped me carefully take the lid off the container and slip off the small piece of paper the cocoons were on. We pinned it to the side of our butterfly cage about an inch or two from the bottom, just as the instructions told us to. I was terrified one of them might fall off the paper in the process, but it didn't! All went smoothly and we would go and check our cage then every morning to note changes.

But, day after day, there was NOTHING changing. The boys weren't all that impressed. Neither was I. We kept waiting and checking, checking and waiting, and there was a whole lot of nothing going on. While the original chrysallis looked like a cool translucent green, these things simply looked like death to us. In fact, I remembered reading a girlfriend's post on her blog about a butterfly experiment that the caterpillars do indeed die to become butterflies. I remembered crying at the thought of us having to die to become who God intended us to be. So, I looked at these dead things hanging in their cage, and I assumed that they weren't going to transform into things of beauty. In fact, I made a note to myself to call the company the following day to complain. Maybe we could try again...

But, the following day I didn't get to call before I was prepping a meal and noticed that lo and behold there was one single butterfly that had emerged!!!! Shawn told Caleb to come check the cage, and I blurted out "THERE'S A BUTTERFLY!" Whoops! The boys (who I think had almost given up hope just like their Mama) were THRILLED!!!

The butterflies require feeding - you put a teaspoon of sugar water (the exact measurement of which they give you but is escaping my memory at the time) onto flowers and stick it in their cage. We had stuck a napkin in their to soak up some of the red dye that "bleeds" off their wings. It's really not blood but paint from their beautiful wings that pours off them. Shawn went out that night at my request and bought a beautiful mum so we could clip off flowers and put on fresh dew each day for the butterflies to eat.

The next morning I came down, and the one single butterfly was on the bottom of the cage, not moving. Oh no, I thought, we killed it! I wondered if our house was too cold or if we hadn't put enough sugar water in for it. I was sad... I had been so excited that God would allow us to see this transformation happen, only for it not to live even a full 24 hours. I sighed in disbelief. BUT, when I came home from class that night, the butterfly was flying around the cage and as alive as could be. As I told Shawn my fears from the morning, he firmly told me, PATIENCE! If I hadn't learned my lesson from the first time when I thought the butterfly would never come forth, I was to learn it again. The butterfly was resting and I thought it was gone.

Not only that, but its brothers (I'm assuming they are all boys since that's all we have in our household) joined it within a day or so. All three butterflies would fly around at dinner time, but they were pretty docile during the day. Many mornings they weren't flying at all, and I think they were probably just resting. But, the kids would squeal with delight when we watched them fly all around in the evening.

They weren't the easiest things to photograph, but you get the idea. The lifespan of these beautiful creatures is only four weeks. The instructions said that you could ideally free the butterflies IF the temperature would remain above 55 degrees. Unfortunately, the night time temps were starting to dip below that by the time we hatched ours, so we decided to keep them and feed them each day. We went from having no pets to three butterflies and two goldfish (neither of which have a long lifespan expectancy).

I was so moved by the butterfly experiment that I blogged about it elsewhere and decided to include it here. It's a lengthy read, but worthwhile if you have the time to do so.

Tired of Waiting?

“The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9
The first weekend in October, we were excited to get the mail and discover that we had received the caterpillars we had ordered! We put the cup with them in the kitchen where we could see them but the boys couldn’t disturb them. Each morning when we came downstairs, we would watch as they would eat and move, basically getting fatter and lazier (it seemed). The boys loved to watch them and “check the caterpillars” and would make observations. Eventually they hung upside down in their J-shape and formed the chrysalises. When we were sure that they were in their cocoon, my husband & I followed the instructions that came with them carefully, removing and pinning the small paper that they were attached to into the butterfly habitat we had purchased.

But then NOTHING. Each day the boys & I would go down to the kitchen eager to see what was happening only to be greeted by the same nothingness. I finally made a mental note to call the company to complain because I assumed that the transformation was never going to happen. Our caterpillars were dead (they have to die, I remember reading, to transform into butterflies) and nothing else was happening.

Then two days ago, we saw it… one beautiful butterfly was in our precious cage. This morning, the other two emerged. And it struck me that sometimes I’m impatient when God is making an incredible transformation. I assumed incorrectly that nothing was happening “behind the scenes.” I desired to see the beautiful transformation but missed the step of the work that was needed to see the butterfly come to life. We don’t see the work; it happens in the cocoon.

I’m hoping you see the parallels in your own life, like I did in mine. I was struck that we need to wait at times for the Lord’s perfect plan. We need to put our hope and trust in Him, and then we need to be patient.

I also remembered a story I had read about my friend’s butterfly experiment a long time ago. At the time I read it, I was severely overweight and feeling VERY hopeless. And I bawled at reading that the caterpillar had to die (I mean literal tears flowing from my cheeks!). Why, God, I asked…why do I have to die for something beautiful to happen? I felt His amazing presence remind me to die to myself and allow Him to transform me. It’s not an easy process, but it’s a worthwhile one. Are we willing to wait on Him and His plan? Will we trust Him to renew our strength?

Because I was so touched by my friend’s story, I had to put excerpts from it below. The author of it agreed to let me share it, and I cut some portions out, so we pick up near the middle, but it is a great way to explain what happens to these ‘ugly’ caterpillars as they become what God has destined them to be:

As we came down stairs for our breakfast, an amazing act of God was occurring right before our eyes. Our caterpillar was turning into his cocoon. We knew the time was approaching, because the night before he had gone to the top of the jar and hung upside down in a J-formation. His body dangled downward, while his face pointed upward.

As he went into his cocoon, he shook and shed his skin. The skin moved in an upward position and was–as if by “magic”–transformed into the chrysalis. When the skin reached the top, the caterpillar thrashed his body–now completely enveloped in the cocoon–back and forth, circling around so that his skin would become the very thing that created an anchor for him to hold securely to the top of the jar. And then everything went calm. No more movement. And, at that moment, I knew that our baby was gone. Did you know the caterpillar actually dies? I didn’t know that, until we began our butterfly lessons. He dies. There are only cells that live to create that pretty butterfly. We will not see him again.

I found the whole experience to be both amazing and disturbing. I watched this creature that I had taken care of from birth just willingly pass before my eyes. He knew that better things were ahead of him, that he would soon reach his full (his best) potential. He worked hard for his death. He approached it with eagerness. And to think…he started his death in the shape of a J (for Jesus?), making sure that his face pointed upward. God’s creations really were created to give Him glory…weren’t they?

Then we were greeted with a beautiful Monarch Butterfly, opening and closing his intricate wings. He was BEAUTIFUL! I nearly got tears in my eyes when I saw him.

This butterfly experience was profound for me. I feel like I am living his story, in my own spiritual way. I can relate to the “good life” of sitting around, not being at my full potential, just eating, sleeping and…well…going to the bathroom. For me, life had somehow been boiled down to food. What would I eat next? When could I eat it? Could someone just put me on a pile of food, and leave me alone? And…unlike the monarch caterpillar who would rather starve than eat a leaf he doesn’t like…I would eat anything that crossed my path. I doubled in size in a short amount of time. And I just kept eating.

But, when I confessed my sin and genuinely began to repent and seek God…I started hanging upside down in a J position as if to say “JESUS! Everything about this change starts by pointing my face toward you!” I can’t imagine it’s easy for a caterpillar to hang in the J position for 24 hours. I mean, in caterpillar-years, that’s about 1/8 of their life spent in this position. All this to say, the J position is part of the process, and probably takes far longer than any of us would like it to take. But it is critical to remain low, while facing upward. No matter how long it takes.

And then there’s the wretched process of shedding the skin…the putting off of the old self. The wiggling and writhing and contorting that occurs. It definitely appears to be a painful process. But it is a miracle, really. And nothing less. When you see it happening, it does appear to be “magic”; however, we know that there is nothing magical about it. It is purposeful–because God purposed it through Christ.

Then, the swirling and whirling that must occur in order to secure ourselves to the only “hook” (or anchor) that can hold us where we need to be. Do you know how small that caterpillar hook is? So small. But is is STRONG. It supports the weight of the entire process of metamorphosis that occurs. It withstands wind gusts and weather changes. It is small, but mighty. And it is critical. Without that hook, the entire process would end. If the cocoon isn’t hanging, the butterfly will never hatch. The process is lost. My hook is Christ. The God who knit me and formed me, striped me down to nothing and then holds me secure. And I wait…

I die. And I wait. I die. But He lives. And I am transformed. The new self will look nothing like the old. But it will take awhile. Perhaps longer than the caterpillar ever lived. But it is peaceful. And change is happening.

I think I am now going safely into my cocoon. It has been a few years of hanging low while facing upward; then beginning the painful process of dying. But now I am beginning to sense the silence. I can feel the urgent need to hide away for a time, enveloped in the protection that only God could have created for me. I sense how still I will need to be for this change to occur. This phase could seem long…but change is happening.

It isn’t easy to become a butterfly. But it also isn’t hard. It means dying…then resting…and ultimately trusting. Trusting Christ for the final change to come.
And the change is coming.
I’M GOING TO FLY!

If you’re tired of waiting, hold on…remember God is not slow as we think of slowness. He keeps His promises, He is faithful and He knows the perfect timing. As the above verse reminds us, He wants everyone (including us in our selfish sin) to come to repentance. When we do, we begin to see the transformation that only He can do within our lives, as we die to our own selfish desires and He works in the background to make us into a new beautiful creature that far surpasses anything we could become on our own. Patience, my husband reminded me as I was irritated that no butterflies were emerging from the cocoons. We need to have faith instead of fear, worship instead of worry, and peace instead of impatience. Do we believe God to be trustworthy? Do we believe He can transform our lives? Then, let’s live like it!

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the reminder you give us in the caterpillar to butterfly process. Only You could have created something so meaningful and so wonderful to watch. Please help us not grow impatient in the process. Remind us that change is happening, even when we can’t “see” it. Help us feel Your presence and trust you. Our hope is in You…may we die to ourself, repent of our sin and wait patiently on You. And God, we humbly ask to see this beauty emerge from our lives. Make us the best us we can be – the person You had in mind when You created us. In Jesus’ Name, AMEN!

Beggin' for Bacon

The other day as we were riding in the car, Joshua asked Shawn & me, "What does the word 'BEG' mean?" I quickly explained, "To beg means to whine or ask over and over again for something." Shawn agreed, adding "That's exactly how I would describe it."

Joshua said "No, no, not that kind of beg. I mean 'BEG.' Like when you ordered your breakfast this morning and asked for a 'BEG' and egg and cheese bagel sandwich."

Shawn & I howled. We were still chuckling when Shawn said that it was a "BACON egg and cheese bagel sandwich" not a "BEG-AND." Joshua didn't believe us at first, and we couldn't stop giggling. We still chuckle at the memory.

Happy 51-month birthday, Caleb Luke!

Caleb Luke turned 51-months old on Monday, October 8, or Columbus Day. I woke up that morning with a sore throat (probably from lack of sleep over the weekend), so we didn't do anything that required leaving the house in the cold, rainy weather. Instead, we spent a majority of the day playing and cooking (something Caleb typically likes to help with). We made chili with cornbread muffins, pumpkin bread, pumpkin pies, caramel apple dip and more! While Caleb doesn't like chili, he loves cornbread muffins which he calls "cu-cakes" (with the 'p' being so quick it almost sounds silent). And he loves pumpkin bread but not pumpkin pies (while Joshua is the opposite).

Caleb's latest infatuation is COLORING! He is constantly begging me to color with him. "Mama, let's color together, PLEASE." And I do, for awhile. But then I get bored. And he begs for more and more and more. And he's so good to color on his own that lately I've let him. His coloring is pretty impressive, though, I think. He stays in the lines pretty well for his age. I think I started this fad when I found a coloring page of Mario & Luigi together after Joshua's birthday party. I printed it and suggested we color it together - Caleb colored Luigi and I colored Mario. We had fun saying what colors we needed, etc. And then he asked me to print another. So, we found more pages online. This has led to a LOT of printing. Daddy said our printer ink is more expensive than a coloring book, but I haven't found any Mario coloring books as I've been shopping and looking. If you discover any, please let me know! We have mounds and mounds and stacks and piles of papers everywhere! Caleb caught me throwing one away and he bawled, asking me in tears why I would throw away his coloring pages. I dug them out of the trash and put them back on the pile. I don't want to feel that bad again, so they can stack to heaven for now!

 

I love to watch him digging through the crayon bin looking for just the right color. I love to watch him color some of their faces "silly colors" and then laugh and laugh and show me. And I love to see him color quietly and have fun doing his own thing. He has been in heaven coloring - wanting to do it more than playing games lately!

 Caleb has been fighting us to nap AND to go to sleep. But, he'll fall asleep in the car when we go to go anywhere and not want to wake up (in fact, he wakes up and can't get himself unbuckled because he's so disoriented from his deep sleep). I don't know if he needs a nap anymore, but he'll stay up REALLY late because he's a night owl and loves to snuggle. When he does finally fall asleep, he's always in a random position on his bed - at times his head is down where his feet should go or he's folded in half like a sandwich. He keeps going until he just can't fight the sleep anymore. Will this, too, pass?

Caleb is SO painfully shy. The other day his teacher pulled me aside to tell me that there was an "incident" at school. She said some girls started screaming that Caleb knocked over their teddy bears, and he tried to say he was sorry and that it was an accident but he ended up hiding under the table and felt very awkward. She said it was a rough morning for him. When I asked him about it, he said he didn't want to talk about it. I talked to Shawn about it later that night, and Daddy scooped him up and told him that he never needs to hide under a table. Shawn said he knows how he feels (I can't really relate) and that he'll have to fight those feelings to go hide most of his life. The next day when he felt less pressured, Caleb told me that he thought the girls had set up the teddy bears in a "tower" to knock down - we've been playing blocks with Ryan where we build things up to knock over. He simply misread the situation and didn't expect that the girls would get upset at him. When they were angry, he was surprised and upset and felt shy and bad. Poor little guy! I felt bad for him. I was so glad he told me what was going on and how he was feeling. Hopefully he can work through his shyness and get some really good friends because I think he's a great kid!

Caleb is starting to sound out words and read with us. He's also starting to write more lowercase letters. In general, though, we've been mostly coloring lately (if you didn't catch that already! Haaa!!!). He's quickly outgrowing his size 4 pants and is wearing most of Joshua's old 5 slims with ease, needing the length but also being slimmer in the waist. While Caleb looks more solid, he is thin but very muscular. And I'm always sincerely impressed by his athletic ability. He came close to falling the other day and caught himself just in the nick of time. He'll giggle and I'll sigh with relief! Thank God he's got good reflexes to go along with those super big feet! He's been wanting wear the new 13.5 sneakers I bought, and since they seem to feel good on, I've let him. He is growing in leaps and bounds!

Shawn cut his hair the night before these pictures were taken. His school pictures are coming up, so I asked Daddy to cut both the older boys' hair. Caleb doesn't sit as still as Joshua, but he did okay and I think his haircut looks cute.

Happy 51-month birthday, buddy! I love you very much, and I'm glad you're in my life!

Happy 16-month birthday, Ryan Josiah!

Ryan turned 16 months old on Sunday, October 7. The biggest change I see in Ryan from last month to this month is his increased vocabulary. He is saying many, many words clearly. Some new ones include "Night-night," "bye-bye," "Mamaw," "get buckled," "COME!" "bum," "butt" (for button), "bapple" (for apple), and a few others. Of course, these are just the new words. The old ones are still there, and I'm sure I'm forgetting some.

Ryan has a mouth full of teeth now. In fact, he got five new teeth over the past few weeks, most of which are coming down on top on the sides of his mouth. Poor little guy!

When we went shoe shopping, Ryan now wears a 5. But, he HATES the size 5 sneakers we had for Caleb Luke. ???

My little man will love some foods one day and turn his nose up them the next and vice versa. He used to smoosh peas all around his plate and not eat them. But the other night he ate a ton of peas and carrots. He used to LOVE yogurt and now will barely eat two bites for us. I think it goes in waves. I guess that's why the doctor says to offer things at every meal because you never know when it will take.

Ryan still won't hold his own cup. He says 'CUUUPPP!' and waits for us to hold it upright for him to drink. When we let him have it, he throws it on the floor and cries for it. I'm not sure if he can't quite get it upright enough to drink or if he's insulted that we're making him do it on his own. ???

Ryan is a sweet baby, though. He walked right up to Dr. Tifft when he walked in the room, and he'll give a "high five" to just about anyone who asks. He loves to give hugs, too, and one of his favorite activities is climbing on Daddy like he's a jungle gym. He and "Dadda" have a great time together!

Ryan loves to listen to books and he also loves to be down playing. He's not a big fan of being in the stroller anymore, which makes formerly easy tasks a bit more difficult. But, we're heading into that 'independent' phase. Each season is good for its own thing; I'm trying to just savor each moment with him since he is my last baby. :)

The DC Museums

Sunday, we debated what to do. It was raining and chilly. We decided after breakfast to check out of our hotel room and drive by Fedex Field (where the Redskins would play that afternoon) and we hit a Starbucks near us, using a gift card we had to indulge in some caffeine (much needed after I hadn't slept the night before!). Unfortunately, as I was plugging the address of the museum into our GPS, I spilled some of it all over my shirt. So much for packing light! I wore the wet shirt the rest of the day. :( :( :( At least my coat was covering it so you couldn't tell how clumsy I am! When we arrived at our destination, we couldn't find parking anywhere. We circled the block several times, and I was ready to give up. But my sweet husband doesn't get rattled easily and finally he found some free parking at a great location. Woohoo!!! God is good!

It was sprinkling off and on, and not really pouring so we decided to see as many of the attractions as we could before it was time to head out. The first one we walked through was the outdoor sculpture museum. I loved this very unique tree, and so did Joshua!

I also thought this house was cool. It was two dimensional, but angled in such a way that it looked 3-D from all sides. Very unique! We walked through the butterfly garden outside, but no butterflies on this wet day!

We did, however, catch some squirrels gathering nuts for the winter. :)

Caleb loves to have his picture taken. He also loves to take pictures (but not this time!). I had ordered this rain coat off Ebay, and I'm glad I did since he needed it!

Our first 'official' stop was the Museum of Natural History, where we went through the dinosaur exhibit. I remembered that my camera doesn't take great pictures in this lighting, so I skipped taking a lot and just enjoyed looking at them with the kids. We also stopped for a potty break, and I tried to clean my shirt a bit.

The kids loved the dinosaurs. We walked upstairs to the butterfly exhibit, but the line was wrapped way around to go into the actual butterfly house, so we decided to skip it. We did go into a really cool exhibit on photographs taken of animals. I snapped a couple pictures of some of our favorites. The boys LOVED looking at all of them!

There was some "huge" snake exhibit in the back that we went to see.

Ryan was back with us when I snapped this picture of the boys.

All the pictures were really cool! We saw some of the aquarium and other parts of that exhibit, and then we moved on. I tried to go in a museum that was specifically designed for children, but here there weren't any "shows" that weekend. Whoops! It was a dud, but we took a brochure and will check it out again sometime when they have something going on.

We ended our time at the Air & Space Museum again. We didn't do as many of the hands-on things, though, because Ryan was exhausted at this point. It was also past lunch time, and we were all pretty beat. So, we decided to leave wanting more. Next time! It was a fun weekend away!

Spending the Night

When we left the zoo, we went to Red Robin for dinner and had the WORST service ever. We headed back to the hotel room and that ended up being a pleasant surprise. When Shawn said he booked a free room using hotel points, I figured as long as it was clean, we were safe. It ended up being very nice though, with a mini kitchen including table & chairs, microwave and fridge and sink/cupboards with dishes, etc.

The living room area was also good enough with a couch and TV, etc.

The best part was that our bedroom was separate from the boys with a door. We had our own TV and they had their own. It was a lot more spacious than I was expecting.

We weren't at the hotel all that long. While it had an indoor pool and a workout facility, I hadn't "over packed" so we didn't have anything with us that we would need to use those things. But, like I said, we were basically just there to sleep. Unfortunately, I had too much caffeine too late and was awake literally the entire night long. But, the bed was comfortable and everyone else slept great.

The hotel came with free breakfast, which is another reason Shawn chose it. The breakfast was okay; nothing I'd write home about, but free is good! Without having slept the night before, I dropped a bowl of fruit loops I had gotten for the boys to snack on while we were picking out their breakfast. Thank God it didn't have milk on it. Shawn just rolled his eyes and chuckled. I am such a clutz! The kids and my wonderful hubby helped me clean it up (thankfully there weren't too many other people around) and we got the breakfast items we wanted to eat and settled in. It was a rainy and chilly day ahead according to the forecast, but that wasn't going to stop us from having fun in DC! More to come!

The DC Zoo

 

On Saturday, October 6, I went to my typical "ATTACK" class in the morning.When I came home, I told Shawn I was a little sad that we hadn't decided to do anything over the weekend. After all, it's not often that the boys both have a day off school the same day I do (Monday, October 8, was Columbus Day). Shawn said, "Hey, we can go somewhere like DC, if you want to." I wasn't sure how serious he was as we had just been lightly chatting about it. And we looked at the weather and while Saturday was supposed to be warm, Sunday was calling for a chilly rain throughout the day. But, after doing a little research online, it looked like we could book a hotel room using free points that was relatively close. Then we became more than just talk. He said, "If you can just throw a couple things in a bag and NOT over pack, I'll go." I agreed.

I got the quickest shower I could, got ready, and literally threw one outfit for each person in our family into an overnight bag, adding in PJs, toothbrushes, etc. Everything we took fit into the boys small overnight bags, so you know I didn't take a lot (meanwhile the next day I ended up spilling my chai all over myself and wished I had another warm outfit along!!!).

It was a long car ride, as the boys would tell you, but eventually we got to our hotel to check in. Joshua, Ryan & I stayed in the car while Shawn grabbed the keys and took Caleb to the potty. When he came out, he told us that the hotel clerk said that there was some event in downtown DC and we might be wiser taking the metro to the zoo. We debated for a bit on what was our best option, knowing we would want some sort of stroller for Ryan. Parking is expensive, but so would public transportation for 5 people. Eventually Shawn made the final decision just to drive (I wasn't so sure!) and it was the right call. Whatever traffic was there (and it was heavy) kept moving, and we got to the zoo. While it was supposed to be warm (I wore shorts and a t-shirt), it was chillier than I would have liked. But, I had the boys in long pants, and they seemed okay other than Joshua commenting once that he should have brought in his sweatshirt. The first thing we saw after getting parked were the elephants.

 The boys were excited to see the flamingos, which reminded us of Florida. We saw so many different animals that I didn't take pictures of along the way. But, it's a nice free zoo to go to with the family.

Ryan is at the age where it's difficult to let him out of the stroller because he wanders, but he doesn't like to be riding all the time. So we try to do a mix, doing mostly stroller so we can keep pace with the other boys.

A favorite of the zoo is always the lions. Joshua told me that lions are his favorite animal. Over and over again he's said it, so I believe that it's true (at least for now).

They are pretty neat to see!

Unfortunately the tigers weren't growling this time round. Our last trip Caleb LOVED to listen to the tigers growling, and he was a little disappointed that they weren't making noise or moving around much this time.

The boys had fun with this dinosaur fossil thing.

Oh no, it's eating Caleb!

We were also disappointed that the orangutangs weren't out walking across the ropes built for them. We didn't see a single one while we were there. Ever since our last trip, when Joshua sees an electric wire between poles, he comments about seeing the orangutangs walking across the wire. It is SO neat to watch, and there were signs for their crossing everywhere, but unfortunately we didn't see any this time.

This time round we went into the one building about the Amazon, allowing Ryan to stretch his legs for a bit since you can't take your strollers in. It reminded the boys of the Aquarium.

They were looking at turtles and fish.

I was looking at a very happy baby Ryan!

 

Then we went to the seals, and Joshua got to see one up close. We had gotten to a majority of the exhibits that day before the boys were too tired to do anymore. We went into the ape house (talk about STINK!!! YUCK!!!) and a few other places before Caleb said he was too tired to even walk. He began to cry, so I carried him most of the way out of the park while Shawn pushed Ryan in the stroller and Joshua walked. It was time to head back to our hotel after grabbing a bite to eat! While we drove to the restaurant, all three boys fell asleep in the minivan.