A Whirlwind Month

Where did April go? We have been so busy that I don't know if I'm coming or going. I haven't been good about keeping up with our blog so this will be a marathon post. I hope you are ready.



Though it feels like ages ago we had a nice, low-key Easter. Taylor and Ethan both really got into hunting for Easter eggs. Though Ethan seems pretty disappointed when he realized that not all the eggs had a treat inside.

That Sunday afternoon the kids and I drove to Richmond because I had a 3-day training for work there and my mom watched the kids while I went to work. Thankfully the kids are great for grandma and they had a nice time. We stayed through Friday in Richmond and went to the zoo there.

Late Thursday night Abe came into town and on Friday morning we drove up to Washington, DC for a stake temple trip. The temple trip was on Saturday but we went up a day early to see the sights since Abe didn't have to work on Friday. It had been amazingly hot all week but of course on Friday it got cold so we, and every other tourist in DC, decided to hit some museums. Ethan loved the Natural History Museum but the crowds were overwhelming! We didn't know it was the Cherry Blossum festival, spring break for a lot of kids, and just crowded. We had a nice time walking around but the kids were done pretty quickly.

On Saturday we went to the temple. The stake Primary had planned a huge Primary activity for the kids so they could learn about the temple and so parents could go and do sessions. Abe and I took turns watching Taylor and had a wonderful day. The Primary kids were in small groups and Ethan struggled a little being left in a group with no one he knew. But his wonderful group leader spent a lot of time with him and Ethan finally got into it. Of course at the end of the day I asked him what he had done, hoping or expecting some wonderful, insightful response, and all he had for me was a list of what I had packed him for his lunch. But over the last several weeks little thoughts and comments have come out that make me think maybe he did get something else out of it. The Primary Presidency told me that one Sunday he raised his hand and told them that he had heard the voice of God in the temple. I think he was referring to the overhead speaker in the visitor center but it was cute.

Saturday we drove back to Richmond, since we had left a car there, and then Sunday we drove back home in time to make it to afternoon church. The kids did not have any patience for church after sitting in the car for 4 hours in the morning so it made for a long afternoon also. I had to work a couple of days that next week and at the end of the week I left for a cruise with my mom and the kids. We drove down to Jacksonville, Florida for a 5 day cruise and it was quite an experience. Overall the kids were good in the car but it was just a long ride for everyone.

The trip was a lot of fun and we were very appreciative of my mom taking us but boy 2 kids are a lot of work in a small space with little sleep. Taylor didn't do well at night. She woke up constantly from all the loud sounds and the squeaky bed and who knows what else. She got so used to being up that she started acting like it was time to get up. I would feed her and she would jump out of my arms and start running around the room saying "night night" in this sassy way that let you know she was not going night night any time soon. We got to the point that we would just push her around the boat for hours to keep her from keeping everyone else awake. She loved it but it make mom and I exhausted. So if we all hadn't been sleep deprived it probably would have been even more fun.

Taylor's favorite spot on the boat was the planters filled with round stones. She would take them out, line them up and then put them back. She is pretty easy to entertain.

Taylor's favorite activity is following her brother and climbing stairs. And on the boat she had a lot of stairs. Unfortunately she doesn't understand why she can't take the stairs standing up like everyone else so you have to watch her closely. Taylor was such a hit on the boat. Anywhere we went she had people talking to her. She is such a social little girl and loves to watch people and wave to them all. At dinner one night the hostess came over and started playing with her and said "Oh I just love this little girl. Look at how many people are watching her. She is our favorite." It was not uncommon for 4 or 5 waiters to come to the table during the meal to play with her and Ethan. On the last day a man came up to me and was telling me about how at the beginning of the cruise Taylor had been waving to him in the dining room. He was so excited. It was funny. But she is a cutie!

Ethan had a great time at the waterpark. I was a big fan too since I could just sit in a chair and watch him play :)

Ethan had a blast though. Sometimes I think once you become a parent you stop thinking about what is fun for you and fun becomes finding things that your children love. If that is true then I had a lot of fun because Ethan was in heaven. I don't know what was his favorite because he will never pick just one thing but he always asked to play minature golf but it was hardest to pull him away from the pirate ship playground equipment they had at one of the island we stopped at. Carnival owns a private island in the Bahamas and they have built all sorts of things on this beautiful island. We played at the beach for a while until we discovered this park area and Ethan never wanted to go back to the beach. Taylor on the other hand is my beach girl. This was her first time ever going to the beach and she couldn't get enough. She had no fear of the water and got her first taste of sand. She may stick up her nose at the NC beaches we are used to after experiencing the Bahamas.

Poor Ethan got so tired from walking all the time that he asked to ride in the stroller and hold Taylor. Sometimes they are so sweet together.

I love this video of Ethan trying to play putt-putt. The course is on the top of the ship and it was so windy.