Tallahassee Museum

Drove to Tallahassee on Monday so that we could see Jess and her kids without driving all the way to Alabama. As a bonus, Kelli was able to drive up from Orlando and join us. Such a great day.



Meeting up in the parking lot of the Tallahassee Museum/zoo - the kids were thrilled to get OUT of the car! Here's Parker making sure his phone was working so he could make voice recordings about all the neat things we would see:



We started out with a picnic lunch - where we all got a little sidetracked checking out the cool caterpillars that were around. Kelli let one crawl all over her hand!



Anndra was more interested in her sandwich than the caterpillars:



The kids enjoyed the caboose (Kelli remembers climbing through it when she was little!):



Anndra was in a GREAT mood (which could be because - thankfully! - she napped in the car on the way):



Unfortunately poor Kate didn't nap and was not too happy. She was stuck like glue to Mommy the entire day (Jess, you really are a SUPERMOM):



Parker played Tour Guide and was a great leader. He'd study the map to see what was next, then announce it like this -"Who wants to see some otters?" - and all the other kids would call out: "Me!" "Me!" "I do, I do - MEEE!" And he/they did this again and again for each new exhibit or habitat. I should have taken a video - it was precious:



I was really glad we both brought our double strollers... with 5 kids under 5, there was never a shortage of tired little legs:



I don't think I've ever seen a bald eagle this close before:



Knowing that eagles are Todd's favorite animal, Parker couldn't wait to text his dad and send a picture:



We saw lots of other animals, but here are a few of our favorites (and why):

Owls (because Parker's reading the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series)



Wolves (because of Parker's rank in cub scouts)



Panthers (because they look so much like cougars - Go BYU!)



Then MORE caterpillar sightings - I think the kids had greater interest in these little bugs than in the zoo animals!



After all the outdoor exhibits, we were pretty hot - so we cooled off in the Discovery Center:









Once we were cool and rested we finished the day off with a short run around the playground (as in: Kids, get your wiggles out before you have to sit in the car for 2 more hours). Parker enjoyed the Tire Monster:

Our family in crocs

I had this funny idea the other day about taking 'family pictures' without the people in our family actually being in them - using everyday objects to represent each person. Kind of silly, I know. But this is the first one I came up with:



Since this is appropriate footwear YEAR-ROUND in Florida, we have a pair for each of us and use them ALL the TIME.

I can't believe Parker's feet are almost as big as mine! And to be honest, Anndra has pretty much out-grown these cute little pink ones... she still brings them to me and asks me to put them on her feet even though her heels hang off the back - we'll have to find her some bigger ones very soon!

Parker's room & District PWD

After I posted the pic of the kids painting Anndra's room, I got a few requests for pictures of the completed project. We painted over the yellow/orange color because we were moving Parker into that room:



Because the room is so small, we chose a light green paint for the walls:



We still need curtains on the windows and pictures on the walls, but I decided not to wait until all that was done to take the pictures.



We left the changing table in the same spot, but the shelves under it are now filled with Parker's things (instead of diapers, blankets, etc).





Parker qualified for the District Pinewood Derby. There were HUNDREDS of cars to race - here are some (Parker's is the 12th one from the bottom in the middle row):





They had a screen behind the judges table that showed the finish times of each car after it raced:



The boys were mesmerized during the first 20 or so heats and then they got bored.



Lincoln came to cheer his brother on. But Parker's car was in the 3rd heat, so after that he just wanted to go home:



But we stayed to the end - to cheer for the other boys and to enjoy the free skating after the derby:



Within the first lap all 3 of us got injured. Parker hit his tailbone on the edge of the concrete step next to the rink. Lincoln did the splits and pulled a muscle in his leg. And I badly bruised my knee and elbow while trying to keep Lincoln from getting hurt. So we turned in our skates and went home. Oh well... better luck next time, I guess.

Angry Anndra

Our baby girl had her first full-blown tantrum this week (Monday). She screamed her little head off for what felt like 20 or 30 minutes straight - which means it was probably more like 10 or 15 minutes... time always seems to go slower during these things. I guess she's entering her "terrible twos" early.



Speaking of firsts, I also gave Anndra her first true time-out this week. Up until now, if she was doing something wrong, I would just distract her by getting her involved in some other activity. But yesterday (Thursday) she pushed the button that turns the computer off: which is something she knows is not ok. So I got her to stand by the front door for 60 seconds (an eternity for a 17-month-old) and then apologize for breaking the rules. What a big girl!



And as long as we're doing an Anndra post, I can report some of her new words:
"sketty" for spaghetti
"bampeen" for trampoline
"sirsy" for thirsty
"ow-y" for the scrape on her hand



up
egg
"go-gur" for yogurt
paper
hat
"tee" for teeth ("bur tee" means brush teeth)



nose
home
ball
"bup" for jump
"HUGS" with her arms open wide



She has started running, climbing ladders, and swinging in a big-kid swing. She's also very interested in figuring out Lincoln's scooter. I'm sure she's not the first little sister to be determined to keep up with her big brothers!



I'm so proud of all her new abilities and the hard work she put in to learn them... but part of me feels like she is growing up WAY TOO FAST!

Lincoln turns 3

Yesterday morning Lincoln tore off the last paper on the count-down chart on the fridge. He was so happy that his big day was finally here.



We had a really fun day. He helped me make the cake first thing in the morning... then spent part of the morning with a favorite neighbor friend (I visit-taught his mom).

He got to play with the baby-sitter he adores while I was at an appointment... then spent the afternoon with his best friend (whose mom teaches Parker piano).

We picked up Todd and had dinner at Lincoln's choice of place (Chick-fil-a). When we got home we finished off the birthday celebrations with these nice friends:



Lincoln blew out his candles:



We all had cake:



And watched Lincoln open presents:



The boys helped him try them out:



Happy Birthday, Little Man!

One more

Oops. This picture was actually supposed to go with yesterday's "This and That" post. It was taken by Parker's mandolin teacher on Sunday when they were playing around in her Florida room after the lesson. I like it because it is a good example of the difference between these two boys' personalities.



Parker's always pretty careful and likes to think things through - Lincoln is more of a no-guts-no-glory kind of guy. I don't know if you can tell, but Lincoln is not touching the bench at all. What a monkey!

This and That

This is just a re-cap of a few random things that have been going on lately.

We went to the natural history museum - which also has butterfly gardens - and saw a bunch of these guys:



Excitedly waiting to enter the special double door that keep the butterflies safe:



We caught this cute smile on Anndra:



Lincoln being silly at dinner:



A church friend invited us to see some farm animals - horses, cows, pigs, and sheep. Anndra stayed home, but here are the boys with some of their friends:





Anndra had an eye infection:



My wolf cubs displayed their collections - shells, stamps, and plants. Great job, boys!



Lincoln and Anndra grooving on the piano (don't worry, Michelle, I made them wash their hands first!):





Parker's face when he found what-he-thought-was-a-roach on the trampoline (turns out it was a beetle):



Snacks on the deck (we've been having the most awesome weather EVER):



With a little help from Parker's best school friend, we painted Anndra's room: