Long Weekend

It has been a beautiful weekend and we've done some fun stuff. It's funny, 3-day holiday weekends used to have such a different meaning for me. Now, they're pretty much like every other weekend since I'm home every Monday anyway. But the cool part now is that Mitch gets to stay home on Monday too so we all get that extra time together. I like that.


Yesterday morning (after the boys slept in until 9:30 a.m.!!!!!!) started out with some yummy cinnamon rolls.








And then we joined Fammy and Granddad for an afternoon at Burke Lake Park. There is much to do there - there is a lake (imagine that!!), trails, a merry-go-round, an ice cream parlor, and a train!!!



Here we are, on board the train, waiting for it to depart the station:








First, the boys were practicing covering their ears to protect from the train whistle and the screaming (which we were warned all the kids do when the train goes through the tunnel).

It's a cute little train - wish I'd thought to take a picture from the outside (next time!) - and it's a fun ride, about 10 minutes long. The boys loved it - and so did mommy and daddy!!

Maddy stayed on the sidelines with Fammy and Granddad and stayed occupied with her toys (yes, that is a teething ring around her ankle!).

Next it was on to the merry-go-round. Well, technically, I think it is a carousel since it rotates counter-clockwise. In any case, the boys had fun! Last week on real ponies, this week on pretend ones!!

Maddy still on the sidelines, looking beautiful...

Then there was some running around, and playing on the playground...

And of course, we visited the ice cream parlor. No pictures of that - guess I was too busy enjoying my ice cream!!!

It was a lovely afternoon and we definitely plan to go back sometime soon. The boys were well tuckered out at the end of the day too - and that's always a good thing!!

Friday at the Zoo

The boys go to preschool on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays - on Mondays and Fridays, they stay at home with me and Madelyn. This is where my mettle really gets tested. These boys can really try my patience on a long day, and it is truly difficult at times to juggle all three kids at once. It feels like one of them is always being neglected at some point during the day (not on purpose of course!).



On Monday and Friday mornings, I start out nervous - wondering what the day will bring, and will I be able to handle it? I've only just started cutting my teeth with this SAHM (stay-at-home-mom) gig, and there is a distinct learning curve. My patience can be short at times, so that takes great effort on my part. It has helped me in recent weeks to make a concious decision to be calm. And I have discovered that using a calm voice, rather than yelling (which I was doing way too much of) can do wonders when dealing with irrational 2 and 3 year olds. Well, it does wonders for me anyway!! At the very least, I'm not about to jump out the window by the time Mitch gets home.



Another good trick is getting out of the house. This can be difficult with all three, but I'm getting better at it. On rainy days, if I can recruit an extra pair of hands to watch Maddy, I'll take them to the "House of Bounce" where we do some good exhausting running around. But even a quick trip to Target or Toys R Us is a good way to break up the day. Every time I master one of these trips without blowing my top, or losing one of the children, I feel as though I've earned another SAHM badge!



Last Friday was an outing to top all others so far. We met up with Ashley, Nathan, and Charlotte and headed to the Reston Zoo. I had been wanting to go for a while and I wasn't disappointed. It's a fun little zoo that is really perfect for kids. they can get up close with the animals and even do some feeding.



We started out walking through the barn with all the goats and sheep. Aunt Ashley distributed the food to the boys -





Tyler had a blast feeding the goats!!

Poor Evan was petrified, so Tyler go to use his feed as well!

Look at this sweet little lamb!

And this baby goat was just too cute!!

The boys were riveted by.....

the CROCODILE!!!!!!

Here's another sweet little lamb....

And here are all the cousins (minus Maddy), in age order, sitting on a rhino statue:

Bunnies!!!

On the other side of this water was a monkey paddock.

This is probably my favorite shot of the day:

Tyler loves his cousin Nathan!!!!

I'm not sure what was in this cage, but I think they were little monkeys....

Speaking of little monkeys...... !!!

Duckies!!!

Here we were headed across to the Reptile House:

I did NOT take any pictures in the Reptile House. I was too freaked out by the giant snakes and spiders! {{SHUDDER}}



Tortoises!!!

Roos!!!

Goin' on safari.....

And the pièce de résistance, at least as far as I was concerned, were the PONY RIDES!!!!! When I was a kid, whenever we went anywhere that had pony rides, I ALWAYS went. My entire life, any time I've had the opportunity to ride a horse, I've taken it. So it was upon my insistence that my boys did this. But they were up for it!

Tyler was first.

He loved it!!!

Evan was next. I thought he might freak out and refuse to go at the last minute, which is why I had Tyler go first - I thought maybe if he saw his brother do it, it might make it easier. But he did fine!!!

I was thrilled!

After the zoo, we went back to Ashley's for popsicles. The perfect way to top off a fun, hot day at the zoo. Actually, the perfect ending was that everyone passed out in the car on the way home so I had a nice peaceful ride!! And because it was Friday, Mitch brought dinner home, so things just kept getting better! :)

So, zoo outing badge earned - with help of course! There is no way I could have done it without Ashley being there - and it wouldn't have been as much fun either. The cousins love spending time together and they're so fun to watch. It was a great day.

And outings are about to get even easier - in less than 2 weeks, Mimi will be moving in for good!!! We are very excited and can't wait for her to arrive.

Maybe we'll tackle the National Zoo next!! :)

Adorable

Just a few moments ago, I happpened upon the absolute sweetest act of big brotherhood that I have witnessed to date:

I had to stop filming at that point because I couldn't contain myself any longer. As soon as I turned the camera off, I collapsed on the kitchen floor and nearly split my sides! I asked Mitch if he had set it up and he said no - Evan had initiated it all on his own, including pulling the chair up next to Maddy.

She's a lucky little girl.

and yet ANOTHER Milestone...

So many milestones lately! The boys going to the dentist, Mimi retiring. And now, Maddy has hit a milestone of her own.



A couple of weeks ago (yes, it's taken me weeks to do this), she started eating cereal!!! At her 4 month check-up, I was told I could start her since she had such good neck and head control - not to mention a voracious appetite!!! I didn't start her right away, because it felt like the first step to my baby not being a baby anymore and I was trying to delay that as long as possible!! So I waited until Mimi came for her visit the first week of May so she could share in the experience.



First, got the good 'ol Gerber rice cereal.....






(ignore the peanut butter - I should have moved it out of the shot!)



Then got the high chair out of storage...

And she was ready to go!!

Here are some stills:

She loved it!!!!

My goodness - isn't she GORGEOUS????!!!!!

And here's just a goofy shot of me giving my princess a smack - of the kissing variety!!

And just to let you all know, the eating of the cereal has NOT helped her with the sleeping through the night. I'm still the bleary-eyed, sleep deprived mother of three. Which helps explain why it takes me weeks to do my blog posts..... :)