Plans

I had fun plans for the day. They were GREAT plans. Woke up more sick than when I went to bed. Guess it's my turn to have whatever the boys had the last two weeks. Ugh.

Still have to bake cupcakes and cookies for enrichment tonight. And Kiffer has Parachute Play and Tumble class in a couple hours.

My most ambitious plan was to clean the house. Not happening today! Oh, and make a video of Kiffer. He's becoming such a ham! And he speaks SO well now...maybe tomorrow.

I think it's going to take more than a week to get use to having Daddy gone most of the day. Everyday. Man, we're so spoiled after our 4 month summer!

Goodnight

Me: Goodnight, sweetie! I love you.
Kiffer: Goodnight, squeezie! I lub you!

Busier Than It Seems

The only decent photo I got while camping...spent most of my time trying to make sure Kiffer didn't escape to the lake or parking lot. Kiffer and his friend "smiling" for the camera...all bundled up as it got cold over night. Kiffer woke up and immediately asked to "play with the kids". That's all he cared about! Seems he forgives easily...the night before the big kids (11 years old for crying out loud!) had been trying to steal his glow sticks.

Jelly Bean School was at our house this last week. There are 5 boys (2-3 years old) in our group. We "studied" the ocean (animals)...do you know how funny it is to hear a 2.5 year old say "sea star"? Hilarious! Mostly they enjoyed eating the goldfish and gluing eyes on the jellyfish finger puppets. They also spent a great deal of time in the sandbox...and now most of the sand is on the patio! Naturally. Kiffer had some trouble sharing his toys. Hope it goes better for him when he's at someone else's house.

We also started Parachute Play and Tumble this last week. Kiffer is one of the oldest and certainly the most energetic. It's a parent-child class...which means I get a work-out, too. While he doesn't like to follow the circuit so well (gymnastics course)...he does like the dancing/singing and the teacher.

Steve starts school this week...finally! He has orientation tomorrow and starts classes on Wednesday. As much I've loved having him home 24-7 for the last 3+ months, we're ready. We need a schedule!

Gone Campin'

Preparing for the ward camp-out, spending the night in a tent with a toddler, hopefully swimming a little in the lake, enjoying campfire talk with new friends. Back tomorrow.

Columbus Zoo and Aquarium

We're in love with the zoo...we've been twice in the last week and plan to go tomorrow. This is "Tangy"...named by Kiffer (as he can't say 'orangutan'). They had lunch together yesterday!

Last Week in D.C.

We saw a LOT, walked a ton, avoided the heat by taking the metro when possible, and saw a few Imax films (including Harry Potter VI). Ended up enjoying the trip enough to ignore the camera for the most part! Only a few decent shots to share...enjoyed the monuments by night and those night-time shots are terrible. Need to learn to use the new camera!

Our new favorites: The National Postal Museum, The U.S. Botanic Garden. We still adore the Freer, Sackler, and The Natural History Museum. Thoroughly enjoyed the National Geographic exhibit on lions...incredible photos and stories! The Museum of the American Indian had a fascinating exhibit on tribes today. Last time we went the Museum of American History was closed, so this time we visited there first. Absolutely loved seeing Julia Child's kitchen and the exhibit on Lincoln.

We had a great time and can't wait to go back...next time we'll take Kiffer. I'm sure he'd LOVE the Natural History and Air & Space.


*Photos: Postal Museum, Steve and the Capitol, Botanic Garden

Colors

While quizzing Kiffer on the colors of the M&Ms he was eating...we came to "brown". I knew he didn't know the color, but asked anyway. His answer? "Chocolate!"