Playground and Lunch

Warm weather finally arrived here and spring is definitely establishing itself, though nights are still chilly. One sign of the change of seasons is that playgrounds around town are getting busy again. This past Friday, we met Gavin, Ava and their moms for some fun at Teddy Bear Park, then headed down the street to the malt shop for some lunch. Teddy Bear Park closes during the winter, so this was our first visit back since it reopened and Noah quickly made himself at home. Kai enjoyed watching all the action from his safe perch in my arms. We all built up healthy appetites and greatly enjoyed our yummy shakes at lunch!

Getting 3 kids in a picture is hard!

Ava and Tammy hanging out with a very big bear

Gavin is all smiles when it comes to milkshakes

The lunch bunch

Dessert for lunch!

Finally Healthy!

Sad, Sick Baby Eyes

As mentioned in my Richmond post, Kai and I picked up nasty colds while out of town. Kai has just recently gotten over his virus (Phil decided it was RSV - since he correctly diagnosed Noah with it a couple of years ago, he's probably right). Within 24 hours of finally beginning to feel better from my cold, I got hit by a nasty stomach bug with a variety of interesting symptoms from fevers and chills to aching eyeballs which lasted 4-5 days. It's REALLY difficult to have a stomach virus and take care of 2 kids - way worse than having a cold - I don't recommend it! So glad to feel 100% again and extremely thankful that no one else got hit.

Easter in Richmond

Beautiful Dogwoods in Bloom

It seemed like we had just put our suitcases back in the basement when it was time to get them out again to get ready for our Easter trip to Richmond! We had not been in Richmond since September '07 so we were definitely overdue for a visit. The only non-stop flight from Minneapolis to Richmond leaves in the evening, arriving at the lovely hour of a little past 11pm. Since minimizing in-air time seemed like the way to go with two small kids, we decided to go for this option. "Maybe the kids will sleep," we told each other hopefully, but who were we kidding? Kai did doze on and off for a little bit towards the end after exhausting himself from being mesmerized by the fasten seat belt sign - and Noah fell asleep just as the wheels of the plane touched down in Richmond. After getting through the aftermath of an abbreviated first night's sleep, the boys quickly made themselves at home at Gram and Dadday's house.

Highlights of the week's activities included: almost daily walks to the playground by a neighborhood church, many Easter egg hunts in the backyard, a picnic in a park, a couple of trips to Maymont (a Richmond park with beautiful landscaping, pathways and trails to walk, and animals to see), the usual playing and reading, and lots of eating of Gram's delicious food. David and Francie visited one evening - so great to see them again - and brought a Thomas train set for Noah which of course was a huge hit and provided many hours of entertainment during our visit. Phil got in a couple of rounds of golf, a rare pleasure for him these days. Ebba and Phil also got to celebrate their 5th wedding anniversary with a fabulous dinner out at Acacia (highly recommended to anyone living in or passing through Richmond). Unfortunately, Kai picked up a nasty fever and cold part way through our visit which he graciously passed on to Ebba. Luckily, the rest of the family was spared. Traveling with young ones is definitely challenging, but it is so important for the boys to get to know their extended family - thanks for a great visit, Gram and Dadday!

The 100th reading of The Tale of Peter Rabbit

The 101st reading of The Tale of Peter Rabbit

Maymont

Taking a rare break!

Fresh air is exhausting!

Refueling with pizza at Bottoms Up

Pensive in the Swing

What a cutie!

A snuggle with Gram

On the hunt for Easter eggs and other treasures

Picnic blanket playtime

Picnic in the park

April??!!

April is NOT supposed to look like this:


And should NOT require this type of clothing:

Sick

We've had an unusually healthy winter this year, thank goodness! Noah and Kai have had a couple of colds, but nothing to really slow them down. This weekend, Noah came down with a bug that had him laying low, uncharacteristically lethargic. Even though we felt bad that Noah didn't feel well, Phil and I agreed that we did enjoy the slower pace of the past few days! Noah even took a rare nap: