Boston

Mike officially finished his prelims (big, difficult, nasty, pass/fail, week-long tests) after studying nonstop for months, so to celebrate we hit the road Friday afternoon and headed up to Boston. It is such a cool city! We only stayed two nights, so it was quick, but we had wonderful time being together. Some highlights include: walking the Freedom Trail (Colin made the 5 mile journey without riding in a stroller, amazing!), eating at the Ye Old Oyster House, cruising around Harvard and Cambridge, and enjoying Italian food and pastries in the North End.

Posing at Harvard

Racing up the library steps.

Trapped behind a lovely gate.

Jack's favorite toy of the trip, a room key.

At one point during our trek down the Freedom Trail it started pouring. We had to stop in a gift shop and buy these embarrassing ponchos. The kids thought it was awesome, and Amelia said it was the perfect alien costume. I'm inclined to agree!

Checking out the USS Constitution, or as Amelia calls it, "Old Iron Ship, the USS Consti-tish-on"

Colin was in love with this anchor.

One of the many cool/creepy headstones we saw.

Hanging out with Paul Revere.

Amelia's First Ballet Performance

Tonight was a very special night. Amelia has been in a ballet class for a couple of months at a wonderful studio near us. She loves it with all her heart! The studio put on a performance of Sleeping Beauty, and Amelia got to be a forest fairy. The costumes were unbelievable- better than anything even a fancy-five-year-old could dream up. Amelia did a great job. She has been practicing very hard at home and it paid off! We are so proud of her! We weren't permitted to take photos at the performance, but I was a chaperon for Amelia's age group, so I took photos at the dress rehearsal she had this morning.

Playing in the dressing room waiting for her turn to go onstage.

Getting ready for the curtain to open. She got to hold some lovely flowers for her dance.

Looking beautiful!

Class is in Session

Today at a garage sale I found these two darling vintage metal desks. They are very compact, perfect for my little students! Amelia can't wait to do her homework now!

Steamtown

Here are some photos from our visit to Steamtown, which we thought was pretty darn cool!

This was posted inside our passenger car during our train ride. I don't know why, but I think it's pretty funny.

The train is called "Big Boy" and only a few of them were ever made. They were the biggest and most powerful engines out there. Dad was thrilled to see it in person.

The kids liked this cute little one.

On the bridge overlooking Steamtown.

10 Years!!

Happy 10th anniversary, Mike! Being married to you is even better than I could have imagined. I love you!

Amelia has been very interested in our anniversary this year. This is the card she made us! It says, "I love you Mom. I hope you have a happy annuversrry. This is the last time I'm saying I love you in this sentins. I love you. Love Amelia" There is another card in the works for Mike.

Train Buddies

Mom and Dad came for a visit, and now we affectionately call it The Great Train Dash of 2010. Dad didn't have tons of time here, but we managed to cram in as many locomotives as possible. Colin thinks of himself proudly as Papa's train buddy. Our first stop was New Hope, PA. This turned out to be a little early in the tourist season for live steam, so we had to settle for a diesel. After Dad wiped his tears, we had a lovely ride through the forest.

The boys watching the engine link up with our car.

The train buddies resting their arms on the window, just like the engineer does.

We loved this awesome station with the darling witch's cap.

Mother's Day

As far as I'm concerned, the best thing about Mother's Day the last two years has been the Mother's Tea that the preschool puts on. It is wonderful! The kids get dressed up and drink tea from tea cups. They make us darling cards, and Colin made me a special flower pin out of popsicle sticks. Colin really loves having a special time with just the two of us. At the end of the tea, the kids climb up on risers and sing songs that they have been working on all year. Colin, who had formerly claimed to hate singing, busted out in song! It was amazing! He was probably the loudest singer in the whole group. He has a very low voice and can't hit most of the high notes, but that didn't stop him! He also is a very slow singer, so he was usually two or three words behind. He really tried hard and looked like he was enjoying it. I was sooooo proud!

We're Still Alive

Wow, I've taken quite a hiatus this month but I hope to be back in action now! First off, Colin's preschool took a trip to a cute little farm in April and I got to bring all of the kids along. Amelia went with her class last year, so she felt like quite the veteran. Colin was really excited to see all of the animals and he had a great time on the hayride sitting next to his buddy, Albert.

Jack seemed really interested in holding a chick until I actually gave him one. I guess it's not fun, it's horrifying. Right after I took this he angrily shoved the chick off the chair.

Colin on his first pony ride. It was more of a mozy, really.

Amelia and Colin made me look good by sharing this chick and helping each other right in front of the teachers. Way to go, guys!

Colin really liked feeding this sheep some of the hay on the ground.

Jack saying cheese in front of the goats.

Amelia admired this pony's beautiful hair. We thought it could use a bow of some sort.

Feeding the bunnies.

Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival

This weekend we ventured out to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival with some good friends. Despite it being rather hot and crowded, I had a wonderful time! There was lots of yarn shopping, and I came home with a few skeins of some wonderful stuff. There was also plenty of lamb to eat (strange, I think) and we enjoyed some barbecue lamb ribs that were awesome. The kids like seeing the animals, and watching the experts shear the sheep.

These alpacas were adorable. They are so small and sweet looking, and make cute sounds. I also happen to be a big fan of alpaca yarn.

These alpacas had their fur shaved, and their hairdos match Amelia's!

We all loved checking out the different sheep breeds. This is a heritage breed whose long hair on their faces looks like dreadlocks.

While I was yarn shopping, Mike bought the kids corndogs. Corndogs!? They loved them. Gross.

Colin thought the rams were really cool.

I'm Obsessed...

...with freezer paper stenciling! No, I haven't cleaned up anything, mopped, or cooked much this week, but I have cranked out a bunch of new t-shirts! Freezer paper stenciling is really fun and easy, and here are some of the fruits of my labors.

Colin specifically requested an orange dinosaur.

Amelia channeling a dragonfly.

Dogwood flowers inspired by our front yard.

This one is for Mike. I didn't realize I was using paint with glitter in it. Mike's a saint and says he'll wear it anyway. Maybe a couple of washes will get rid of the glitter!

Tulips

This definitely isn't our best photo, but it was the best I could get on our last trip to Longwood. They had over 200,000 tulips! They were glorious, and I think we'll have to make the pilgrimage every year.

Easter Pics

Here are some photos from Easter. The kids woke up one at a time and found their baskets waiting for them on the stairs.

Amelia checking out the clip on earrings she got in her basket.

Colin woke up last, and Jack wanted to be the one to give him his basket.

Decorating eggs with a wonderful kit that Grandma Debi sent us.

Spring Break

We wanted to end the kids' spring break with a bang, so we planned to head to Boston last weekend, then we changed our plans to a day trip to DC for the cherry blossoms (a little more accessible) but when we heard that there would be 2-3 million people there we downgraded yet again to just a day at Longwood Gardens. Despite the disappointment, it was really lovely and we had a wonderful time.

Spring has been wondrous this year! With the help of a good friend, I planted my first bulbs last fall and have been rewarded with some gorgeous hyacinths. The magnolia trees have been blooming, and make every trip outside exciting! Here is a photo of a nice specimen and Longwood. The kids love to play in the petals on the ground.

Happy Easter!

Happy April Fools' Day

We had a very busy and fun day today! Chanticleer opened for the season, and we had a wonderful time being out in the sunshine. When we came home, I waxed the car (it was my way of avoiding the mess in the kitchen) while the kids played in the mud. After that, a bath was in order and the kids really got a kick out of putting on mismatched jammies. They crack themselves up!

I didn't get any good photos at Chanticleer, but at least I a caught a jump in midair!