National Aquarium

We finally made it back to the National Aquarium, we went on a weekday after school and it was fantastic. No crowds and still all the cool stuff. We went to the Dolphin Show again and got to see the Jelly Fish Exhibit.  The kids were fascinated by the jellyfish.
Buddy took some of these pictures.

 Upside down jelly fish.

 These are the jelly fish that live near us and the ones that have stung 4 members of our family this summer.  They are pretty, but the kids will tell you how much they hurt.

Dino Tail

Munchkin has been asking me to make her something for a while.  I finally gave in.

The Tutorial is found on The Train to Crazy It was pretty simple and may be made into Scout's Halloween costume.  The tail fits him too.

Patuxent River Hike

We have been taking some time to go hiking lately, we love it and so do the kids.  This is the Patuxent River Research, and the National Wildlife Visitor Center.

Lessons for Scout

Scout learns lessons from Grandma too, like how to move pins from one pin cushion to the other, and then to randomly poke mommy.

 I just love this picture, because what is not to love about a one socked Elmo. 

Firsts

August was lots of fun around here, the kids started school.  This was the only kid who would let me take a picture on her 1st day.  She loves her new school and her new friends.

Grandma was here to visit and help for a few days and we love having her around.  The porch is always a good place to hang out.

 This cutie loves the porch too, and his car.

Grandma had never seen anyone climb a door frame and my kids are experts at it. Princess can do it easily.

 Buddy can do it too, of course he can also hit his head on the door frame and that hurts.

Camping at Elk Neck State Park

We haven't been family camping for a while, and now that Scout is walking it is a little easier.  He was still filthy all weekend, but it was lots of fun. We did some hiking and some swimming and let the kids play in the clearing next to our camp site.  We even set up the hammocks.  It would have been perfect except for the HUGE thunderstorm on the 2nd night.  We had a seperate kids tent and about 5 minutes after it starts we hear "Mommy, this is REALLY FREAKING ME OUT"   Daddy moved into the kids tent and he got soaked.  I floated on the air mattress and slept decent once it stopped thundering and the 2 little kids in my tent fell asleep with me.

National Zoo

I have figured out how to get lots of children to sit still for a picture.  You give them all food.  But of course none of them look at the camera, and they don't smile, but at least they sit still.

 We met the Johnston cousins at the National Zoo for the day and had a great time.  Above is the 6 cousins. 

All the girls

 The boys, catching up to us.  They got distracted by the crazy birds. 

Scout can Sew

I usually go into my sewing room to escape the kids and feel a little bit productive.  My kids mostly know to not play in that room.  But then Grandma comes and she will let them do lots of stuff.  She taught Scout how to take pins and move them between pin cushions.  After Grandma left Scout learned what happens when you prick mommy with a pin. 

Scout also loves buttons and loves to turn on and off the TV.  He learned that my sewing machine has a button too.

 

Quiet Waters

One of our favorite playgrounds is at Quiet Waters Park, there is lots more to do there besides the playground, but I only seem to remember my camera when we play on the playground.

Yes, I tried again to get a picture of all the kids at once. I will continue on my quest.

Spagetti and Marshmallows!

Some days I do manage to find creative activities for my kids.  It doesn't happen all the time, but once in a while inspiration strikes. 

My kids can make great stuff with spagetti and marshmallows.  Check it out.

 

 

And of course this is my sculpture.

 

Beach time

Since the neighborhood beach is within walking distance we can spend some time there.  The kids love it, and don't mind the dirty water, or the dirt itself.  Buddy and Princess are great swimmers and love it.  Munchkin is improving and does a great backstroke, but will have some more swim lessons this year.  Scout just hangs on to Daddy.

Playground time

One of our favorite parts of our new neighborhood is the playgrounds and beaches nearby.  We frequently go for walks to burn off energy and let the kids play.

 

Again I tried to get a good picture of all 4 kids, this is something I keep trying to do, because eventually I need a good Christmas card picture.  But they Stick out their tongues.... 

 Look at each other and not me....

 Put their hands on their heads....

 And I just give up and hope for a better day.

They just want to play and have a good time.  I eventually let them.
Do you remember the merry-go-round, the playground toy that causes many minor playground accidents.  The kids love it and we play until the 1st person falls off and gets covered in mulch or gets hurt. 

B & O Railroad museum

After our busy June, and spending most of July around the house, August was time to get out again.  We headed to the B&O railroad museum in Baltimore.  It was a great museum for kids. They had a special toddler area, perfect for Scout and Munchkin.  There were also lots of trains to walk around and displays for the big kids. There was even a roundhouse like on Thomas, so the kids loved to see that.  There was a scavenger hunt that had Princess running all over the museum looking at signs and actually reading about trains used in war and for carrying freight. I was surprised to see a display on railroad china and the caboose the kids loved to climb in. 

Buddy trying to open the coal shute.

 Checking out what a soldier was allowed to pack and take on the train during the Civil War.

They all loved it, though don't go on a super hot day as most of the museum is not air conditioned.  Scout found his voice in the roundhouse... it echoed, and I had to get a picture since he seemed so proud of his screaming.

 

Scout also started walking at the end of July, but got much better in August. I finally got a good video of him walking.

Busy August

Now it is the middle of September and I am wondering what happened to August. It seems I was busy setting up the house, getting the kids ready for school, Grandma visiting, starting school and lots else.  Now I get to finally update the blog about all the cool stuff we did.

1st up, My Awesome Cousins wedding. 
I have a pretty big extended family, OK it is huge by some standards, but it is crazy and I love it.  We define dysfunction in our own redneck way.   There were 5 cousins born within a year on my mom's side of the family. Four of us got married within a few years of each other  2000-2005 about. (sorry guys I am guessing since I don't remember.)  However there was one holdout, she waited and found the perfect guy.

I traveled home on a plane ALONE.  I know for some that is not a big deal but for me it was fantastic, and I got to eat without worrying about what anyone else was eating. It was great.

 



Congratulations Naomi and Keith!!

I did not get many pictures, I actually got better ones with my sisters camera.  I was having too much fun to take time for pictures.

Happy 7th Birhday Buddy

My son is 7 years old... where did all that time go. He is now an independant child who loves swimming, music and almost any sport.

He had a great birthday, he got to play with his cousins, Grandparents and his aunt and uncle.  We finally live close enough to have family over for a Birthday Party.  He had chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and chocolate ice cream, AND Daddy made chocolate mousse from scratch.  All this after homemade pizza for dinner.  The only bad part of his day was getting stung by a jellyfish and crying for a LONG time until it started to feel better.   I don't think he will want to play in the water for a little while.

 He took this picture and asked me to post it.  We dig this sign out every birthday and the kids love to see it hung in the house.