Trip to Maryland!

We took a trip to Maryland last week to visit Aunt "Mellie," Uncle Bryan, Jaycob and Aby. It was SOOOO nice to get a breath of spring!! While they were getting snow and single digit evenings here in Michigan, it was in the 60's in Maryland! It felt great to play outside in T-shirts and spring jackets... and was depressing to come back to the gloomy snow and ice. Okay, spring, we're ready when you are!!!

Although Elianna has flown on an airplane four times before, she was a baby and can't remember those trips. She was a bit nervous at first, but she really enjoyed the airport! The plane ride went very smoothly. The girls kept busy with all the snacks, toys, books, etc. that we brought them, and they slept all the way home. (Let's do a dance for Dimetapp!!) Elianna was more interested in eating her cheese crackers than the take-off, as you will see in the picture with her orange-flecked teeth. She also loved the express tram that we rode from one end of the airport to the other, which I suppose is more exciting (and roomy) than riding a plane. I can't count the comments I got on Elianna strolling through the airport with her little pilot bag, complete with Todd strapped to the top for the flight home. (We checked him on the flight there, and she complained the entire time. So, on the flight back, he enjoyed the view from her pilot case.)

Here are some pictures from the airport, some from the flight there, and some from the flight home:

I'll post more about the trip when I get a chance!

Posting Problems!! GRRR!

Well, I am TRYING to get caught up on my blogging, and watching it all pile up is getting overwhelming. To complicate matters, Blogger is giving me error messages left and right!!! I had a nice post all typed up, and now I have to chop it up into three smaller posts to fit in my pictures!!! This is annoying. Since I have taken almost 400 pictures since February, it is going to take some time to wade through them... especially if I can only post a few per post. Okay, okay, enough of my whining. I guess my point here is, I am trying to get caught up!! Stay tuned!!

The Day My Kids Were Poo

I guess this is a slightly disturbing concept, but my kids sure loved it! Yes, they actually traversed a digestive system, including entering a stomach, an intestinal maze, and a slide out the rear end! (All in the name of science, naturally.) We visited a Health Exploration Center with our MOPS group. They could stick their hands up a giant nose to make it sneeze, climb through the parts of an ear, and, inside a giant ribcage, you could place your hands on a bar which caused a huge heart to light up and thump to your heartbeat. Sounds like fun!

Here is the Digestive System:



The Ribcage:



Other fun body parts: (Selah is trying to get the parts of the brain to light up, but she can't reach the buttons.)

Selah's First Chuck E. Cheese Trip

I mentioned before I had terrible cabin fever in February. I think I took the girls on more outings that month than all winter combined!! One Friday, I decided we should go to Chuck E. Cheese. Grandma H joined us, which was nice since she had the coupons. (Har, har - no ulterior motives there!!) The girls had a blast!!!! Selah loved all the rides, and even tried some of the games. Elianna ran around like she owned the place, and this time she also rode all the rides. (The last time we came, she was a bit nervous on a couple of them.)

I thought this game was a waste of money, but Elianna has a thing for phones.

Selah looks very serious, even when she is having fun. This was actually her favorite ride, although you'd never know it from her expression!

Elianna said she wanted to "pretend she was scared," so that's why she's making the silly face in this picture.

Selah loved these games, even though she had no clue what to do!

Daddy and Selah love this game!

Enjoying a treat from Grandma. (And making a mess, of course.)

Chad had to wipe a tear away, he was so proud of this picture!

Our Sweet Valentine

Chad got hit with a terrible virus the week before Valentine's Day. He was absolutely miserable, and his fever was almost 104 - yikes! The night before Valentine's Day, he finally went to urgent care, since he couldn't hear out of one ear. Sure enough, he had a sinus infection AND an ear infection! He was at urgent care/the pharmacy until nearly 11:00 p.m., then he had to get up at 2:00 a.m. (yes, that's three hours of sleep!) to leave on an out-of-town run. Needless to say, we were not expecting anything for Valentine's Day this year, but this is what we found when we got up the next morning:

Isn't he a sweetie!??! I especially loved the homemade cards. I can't believe he took the time to do this, as miserable as he had been feeling and with only three hours of sleep!!

Valentine's Day Art

I made potato stamps for the girls, which Elianna thought was the coolest thing. Selah was confused by the concept, and kept trying to eat them! We stamped some Valentine cards, and then I gave the girls a big sheet of paper to "go to town" on. (This was Selah's first time painting.)

Elianna Writes Her Name

Elianna has been working on writing her name. This was the closest she's gotten to this point, while she was signing Valentine cards. If you really look, you can see all of the letters are there! The "E" is facing down, and the "n"s look like a "D," but I thought this was pretty good for a two-year-old!