A Visit to the Aquarium

When my girls had the day off of school for the end of the third term, I decided that a nice little field trip the the aquarium was in order.  And, of course, I had to call Grandma Corinne to see if she wanted to join us.  She, of course, jumped at the opportunity.  We started with lunch at Fazoli's (which Amelia calls "the Tomato Restaurant").  This used to be my favorite place to go with the kids until to one by us closed down.  It was a little crazy with all the kids but we survived.

Next stop, Aquarium.  I haven't taken the kids since Ashley was little.  I think I kept her in the stroller for the whole adventure.  So, I doubt that Amelia even remembered much about that visit.  Ever since the aquarium got penguins and otters, I have been meaning to take the kids.  Definitely worth it.

I could have sat and watched the otters swim all day long.  I think Micah could have too.  They were so playful.  Elliot really didn't want to stand around watching things for very long.  He wanted to keep moving.  Micah loved to climb up and see what was in each tank.  He just loved it.  The girls loved soaking in every little bit of information they could.

Amelia wanted to watch the penguins being fed, along with just about everyone else at the aquarium.  Ashley didn't really want to so my mom took her out to the gift shop to look around at all the cool stuff.  I stayed with the crowd and had Elliot on my shoulders so he could get a better look and Micah was attached to my legs, where I thought he would stay.  Well, he did stay there for a few minutes and then he decided that he wanted a better look at the penguins.  I had my eye on him for a minute then suddenly, I couldn't see him anymore.  I got Elliot off my shoulders and told him to stay put while I looked for Micah.  I fought my way through the crowd three times before I found him out at the gift shop playing with the toys.  A nice employee as there with him but I really have no idea how long he had been there.  I left Micah with my mom and went back for Elliot and Amelia, who had decided she'd had enough of the penguins.

Letting the kids take a look around the gift shop was a big mistake since I had no intention of letting them get anything.  They all pretty much told me that it was the worst day ever since they didn't get to go home with a new toy.  Instead, we took a little trip to the Naborhood Bakery at Gardner Village for a treat.  So many yummy things to choose from.

Ashley looses another tooth

Another tooth gone for Ashley!  This one fell out while we were eating pizza for dinner, one week ago today.  She didn't put it under her pillow right away and I thought she forgot about it.  Then, the other night, she found it on the counter and it had broken in half.  She was so upset.  I tried to get her to feel better by telling her that she might get extra money since it looked like she had lost two teeth.  She still wasn't buying it.  She put it under her pillow Monday night but totally forgot to look for money from the tooth fairy the next morning.  Which is a good thing since the tooth fairy forgot to swing by our house that night.  Who says the tooth fairy can't just come in the middle of the day when the kids are away at school anyway?

Grandpa Steve's 60th Birthday

Grandpa Steve turned 60 on March 5 so we celebrated the Saturday before with dinner, cake, and presents.  Pretty low key. 

 

Elliot has been learning to write his name in preschool.  The first time that his teacher tried to get him to do it was pretty rough.  But look how awesome that looks!  I told him that he has the easiest name to write.  It is just straight lines and one circle.  I don't think it gets much easier than that.

St. Patrick's Day Wreath

I saw a little tutorial online for a St. Patrick's Day rag wreath that looked super easy.  I really don't have many decorations so I thought this would be pretty easy to whip up one day.  The tutorial said that she just used scraps that she had in her stash.  I don't have much of a stash so I had to go out and buy some fabric.  I bought 1/4 of a yard of six different fabrics, some light and some dark.  I cut them into 1 inch strips and then tied them around a wire hanger that I had cut and then shaped into a circle.  Super easy.  Then, just tied a ribbon at the top and out to the front door it went.  Love it!

Dance Pictures

This was a day that I was glad to have behind me.  Once the girls got home from school at about 4:30, it was a mad dash to get their hair done, get into costume, and run to Mapleton to get their pictures done.  The note that was sent home said that they would not wait for anyone for the group picture so we had to be sure to be on time.  Luckily, we were about 10 minutes early but they were running a tight ship so that was barely enough time to get the girls' shoes changed and be all ready.

You never know what kind of mood Ashley will be in for pictures.  I was crossing my fingers that she would pull a big smile.  Parents weren't allowed behind the curtain when they were doing pictures so I was just hoping for the best.  Ashley had been in a good mood so hopefully that was a good sign.

Afterwards, I took a few pictures of my own, but I am really excited to see the professional ones!