Noah's Ark

We visited Noah's Ark with the Great Grandparents and Grandparents. Noah's Ark is a really neat 250 acre facility that was established as an animal rescue and a long-term care facility for children that were abused or neglected. The most recent additions to Noah's Ark are 2 retired circus tigers. The "Ark" housed emu, buffalo, lions, tigers, bears (Oh my), parrots, Llamas, monkeys and a variety of other animals. Most of the animals are contained. The llamas roam freely as well as the farm animals. I'll share two defining highlights from the visit. First, William was admiring the parrots when one of the parrots talked to him saying "hello, goodbye, and I love you". The look on William's face was PRICELESS and I wish I had the camera on him at that very moment. Second, Lauren was wearing her "squeaky" shoes that squeak every time she steps. For the Cheetahs, she was a hit. With every step she took, the Cheetahs zoned in on her little feet and followed her every step. They thought she was a really awesome new toy!

Potty Saga (Part 2)

(L on her birthday)

I don't know if I should actually say this out loud (or put this is in print) but L is potty trained! Oh, this is a day I really thought would never come but, it is here and she isn't even 18! L has been wearing panties for a full week now. I tossed the pull ups Sunday a week ago because they were not agreeing with her skin and moving back to diapers...not an option (although she does wear a diaper for bed). She has had a couple accidents here and there but not daily and not more than once on a day that was blessed with an accident. Our travel potty comes in handy while we are at soccer and t-ball practices/games or just out and about. She was at first leery of it but, once she saw W use it, she was SOLD! Now, she likes it a little too much. I am super proud of my BIG GIRL!

Travel Unexpected

Our Easter plans were unexpectedly changed to include a trip to Maryland. My Grandma, my Dad's mom, died on March 30th after suffering a severe stroke. So, the children and I booked tickets to MD and headed north. W and L were prefect little travelers. For one thing, they love staying in hotels and they really like airplanes! L loved the moving sidewalks at the airport and took to it like a pro. W, of course, wanted to ride the train. So, we alternated between the two as able. They couldn't have been more perfect on the plane. L was very serious when we were taking off (you can see her picture below (for you blog followers: her face is very much like the "bunny stare down" from last year)). W sat in the window seat for take off and L sat in the window seat for landing--the both very much enjoyed the whole event.

We got into Baltimore at about 9:30 a.m. so I decided to spend some time in Baltimore's Inner Harbor with W and L. There is no reason we can't have some fun while we are there. So, into the city we go. We toured two ships: USS Sloop-of-War Constellation (1854) and USCGC Taney (1935). W head the tour of the Taney...there were blue arrows directing your through the ship and he LOVED looking for the next arrow. The Constellation was the most interesting...W was very taken by the cannons.

After visiting the Inner Harbor we headed to Westminster to visit the family. W and L and sooo... much fun. After the funeral--which led to new heights of curiosity for W--we headed to my cousins house for a family reception. The back yard was this fabulous hill. All the kids wanted to do was go up and down the hill in cars. L cruised down the hill in the Cozy Coupe and that thing went faster than I ever thought possible. W and L made quick friends with their cousins Blake, Chase, and Alexis. Blake was an instant hit for L b/c he didn't mind pushing her in the swing endlessly. All in all, the trip was nice. Visiting with family and reminiscing about prior family get togethers from when we were little is just the way Grandma would have wanted the day to play out.