National Aquarium

Saturday was awesome.  The awesomeness of Saturday was exhausting.  The good kind of exhausting that only happens after awesome.

On Saturday, Jason took the boys (all of them - such a brave man!) to the National Aquarium in Baltimore.  This activity got rave reviews.  Upon arrival, Josh took hold of the map and directed the troops straight to the sharks.  After that, they went back to the beginning and went through the aquarium again so they could take a good look at everything else they rushed past in Josh's urgent march to the sharks.  

Sharks may be the new Star Wars.

In any case and in no particular order, here are the pictures from the aquarium.  I wasn't actually there, so some of my descriptions may be a bit vague.

Josh sitting on a bike rack.

Checking out the dolphins.  No show that day, but the trainers did show a little of how they train the dolphins.

Ben matching and lining up pictures.  Increases my concerns about toddler OCD.

Michael dressed as a turtle and showing Jason his turtle face.

Attack of the sharks.  Josh recently read a book about sharks written by the guy who wrote Jaws.  Thinking maybe I should have reviewed that book first.

Upside down jellyfish.

Not sure, but they look cool.

Jellyfish, presumably.  Jason would know, but he is upstairs and I am lazy.  Nice picture though.

Sneaky Ben darting out of the picture in front of the picture with the shark.

Nurse shark.  Josh's friend gave him a shark tooth necklace and after some research, he and Jason figured out it is a nurse shark tooth.  Josh was very excited to get to see one alive.

Some sort of tool named shark.  Or fish.  I have a hard time keeping these things straight.

Josh and Michael in a megalodon shark jaw.

Michael riding on a bike rack.

Meanwhile, back in Virginia, Rachel and I went on an 18-mile bike ride on the WO&D trail.  We biked from Vienna to Alexandria.  It was a lovely ride.  I was, however, more than ready to take the Metro back to Vienna rather than bike back.  We got to Dad and Diane's (the base of our operations for the day) just before Jason and the boys did.  Pretty much just a great day.

Dinner Conversation

Josh:  People who aren't married can't have babies.
Irene:  Yes, some people who are not married have babies.
Josh:  How?
Jason and Irene:  Well....
Jason:  They act like they're married.
Josh:  They pretend?
Jason:  Yeah, they pretend.
Josh:  They pretend so they trick God?
(Irene almost chokes on turkey taco)
......
Josh:  But how do people who are not married have babies?
Jason:  The same way married people do.
Josh:  They poop them out of their bellies???
(Jason, Irene, Michael and Ben laugh hysterically)


Apparently, there is a Conversation that we need to have with Josh....soon....like two weeks ago.

Snowflakes

Our first activity of December was to make paper snowflakes.  At least, that is what I had in mind on Thursday.  Then Jason started making paper superhero masks.  You can guess which one of those activities won out.

After a few snowflakes anyway.

Christmas Activity List

(This may or may not be interesting to anyone who happens to read this, but I will find it useful next year when I am trying to plan the same thing.)

A couple of years or so ago, I decided that we should celebrate Christmas the entire month of December.  This happens to be both a secular celebration and religious one - I just mix all the activities up together.  I try to put more religious ones towards the end, but I really enjoy both so we do a bit of both all month long.  Here is my tentative schedule for this year.  (Note that due to other activities, we don't actually do a Christmas activity every day, but pretty close to that.)

1.  Make paper snowflakes
2.  Watch The Polar Express
3.  National Aquarium ($1 day - can't beat that!)
4.  Put up tree/decorate
5.  Talk about Christ's birth with nativity sets
6.  Decorate graham cracker "Gingerbread" houses
7.  Learn Christmas carols
8.  Decorate Daddy tree
9.  Read Grinch
10.  Grinch activity
11.  Read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas
12.  Gift game (practice saying thank you, saying nice things about gifts)
13.  Make thank you cards
14.  Learn Christmas carols
15.  Josh Den meeting
16.  Ward Christmas Party
17.  Josh Pack meeting
18.  Rachel bell concert
19.  Watch church video about Christ's birth (the name of which eludes me and we haven't gotten the Christmas boxes out yet)
20.  Learn Christmas carols
21.  Give out goodies
22.  Go see Temple Lights
23.  Read Luke 2
24.  Christmas Eve at Oma and Opa's
25.  CHRISTMAS!!

Thankful!

I haven't posted about Thanksgiving yet.  Mainly because I don't have any pictures.  Our Thanksgiving was like most of our Thanksgivings: full of family and good food.  Nothing overly exciting, but just as it should be.  We are so blessed to live so close to so much family.  I have fond memories of spending holidays with extended family (during the years we lived close to them anyway) and am glad to see my kids creating similar memories

However, the highlight of the whole weekend, for me, is captured in the picture below.

For one of his Wolf requirements, Josh needed to make his own breakfast.  So, he got out the Bisquick and flax seeds.  Ground the flax seeds, measured out the Bisquick and the water.  Mixed it all together for a while.  Turned on the stove and heated up the pan.  And, VOILA!  Pancakes.  Small, lumpy pancakes, but pancakes nonetheless.  AND he ate them all with nary a complaint.  Truly, I was thankful.  Am thankful.  And will be thankful as he is planning on making breakfast for everyone (well, probably not me) during the Christmas Break.

I love it!

The Ear Club

Ben, from birth, has had this thing with ears.  He was born with these cute little dents in his ear lobes and early on would grab his ear while sucking on two fingers with his palm facing outward.  I had never seen anything like it, but apparently Jason sucked the same two fingers as a baby.  Currently, I am ignoring the fact that finger sucking will have to stop someday, possibly soon, and just think it is cute.

But it is the ear that is really funny.  Ben holds his ear.  So much so that the upper lobe sometimes bends out the wrong way even after he lets go.  It always pops back into shape, but we did give the pediatrician a scare one day with that.

And then one day Ben discovered Jason's ear.  And Jason's ear was acceptable.

Then he found Josh's ear.  And Josh's ear was acceptable.

And then he found Opa's ear.  And Opa's ear was acceptable.

So, there you have it:  the Ear Club.

I am not in the Ear Club.  Michael is not in the Ear Club.  Nana and Oma are not in the Ear Club.  So, if Ben tries out your ear and it is found wanting, you are in good company.

But if you are in the Ear Club, your ear is always fair game for a little 2-year-old to hold on to for comfort.

Should I Be Concerned?

Ben, age 2 years 8 months 5 days

A touch of OCD, perhaps??