Cousin/Uncle Ken Visits

In town again for another work conference, Ken stopped by for dinner. Ken doesn't have kids so ours gave him the usual treatment.

Molly wanted him to hold her ALL NIGHT LONG


and James wanted him to read an ENTIRE book on the human body.


It was a "learning moment" on several levels...

Typical

This is just so..... typical.

Loons!

Nats Opener

This was the day after Easter and James was still not quite 100%. Actually, he was hovering somewhere near 30%, but we already had tickets so we dragged him to the game. It turned out that "feverish and tired" is the ONLY way to take James to a game because he actually sat in his seat and lasted about four innings.

This pretty much sums up how he felt on the way home. He fell asleep while I was carrying him to the Metro (unheard of!) and stayed asleep through the whole train ride home.

Poor kid, BUT "first baseball game?" CHECK.

Easter 2010 - AKA, We Should Have Known

It started off well enough.... we dyed eggs the day before. We got the baskets ready. We went for a long sunny walk....

Easter morning.... Please note in how many pics and activities James is wearing his new Buzz Lightyear wings.

I know, I know....

Looking for eggs WITH the wings.

Easter gifts from Oma and Opa!

and then James took a nap and THAT'S when we should have known....

... that he was getting sick.

This is an egg hunt we did in the courtyard with our friends the Derbenwicks and their kids. About three minutes after this pic, James walked up to me, started crying, and said "Mommy, I feel bad."

Sure enough, a 102 temp and a bad tummy.

But, in typical James fashion, he pounded some Tylenol, took a cool bath and got right back in the game.

These are custom cookies my amazing friend Susannah made. Each kid had their name on a cookie and she designed some as Easter eggs.

Molly and Max had a little thing going that night. He just loved to carry her around (like this) and she was just enamored with him. James was very confused why HIS friend Max would want anything to do with Molly.....

And they ended the night with a game they invented down in the playroom called "getting our exercise." It mostly involved jumping on the couch, really improving the quality of that pullout bed..... you're welcome future guests!

Spring Break 2010 - Williamsburg!

We met up with our besties, the Bruces, in Colonial Williamsburg for a couple days of Spring Break. It was Spring, true enough, but it was cold. And rainy. A terrible combination for walking tours with children. So, we did what any family would do in a town with cobblestone streets and ox carts and people dressed in historic garb..... we went bowling!

James and Virginia had their own lane and they bowled just like they are (it will make sense in a minute).... Virginia gently placed her ball on the lane, gave it a sweet push and 40 minutes later, it kissed a couple of pins. James, RAN up to the lane, threw his ball using two arms from the side and 4 seconds later it was making some pins wish they had a different job.

It is amazing that there isn't a huge dent in the floor.

Oddly enough, this is how he waited to see the results every time.

We did make it to Colonial Williamsburg and walked around for as long as we could stand it.

Molly was a fan.

The DAY we got home, it was sunny and 70 degrees - aaargh!

A MNO!

James, today while doing an alphabet puzzle (thanks Oma & Opa!):

James: Mommy! What comes next?
Me: Well, what comes after "L?"
James: MNO! I need a MNO! (pronounced menno)

Kindergarten might have a rough learning curve....