The Lion King on Stage

Carter and I joined my father, mother, grandmother, brother, sister and brother-in-law at the Kennedy Center to see The Lion King. This was Carter's first theater experience and what a good way to start. The Lion King has to be one of the most amazing performances ever on stage. The way the stage changed for the scenes and the costumes were indescribable. The first scene almost had me in tears it was so magnificent. The way the animals were brought to life in costume and the singing brought goose bumps throughout the entire show. We have the privilege of being in the President's box. In there we have our own sitting room, fully stocked fridge and private bathroom! Carter thought that treats were wonderful. He tried all of the M&Ms and Jelly Bellys. He loved the show. He was mumbling to himself "This is pretty good." It was fun to watch him grin from ear to ear as new animals came on to the stage. It will be a day he will never forget and is already asking when he can go again.

I set a trap

Another day when I thought Carter was having quiet time in his room...

I opened his door to check on him. I opened it to find something I never would have imagined. Carter had strands of toilet paper hung across his room. I gasped at the mess. Now Carter is not a destructive child and not at all messy. He wants his room to be picked up before going to bed at night. When he changes clothes he automatically puts the dirty ones in his hamper, he has been doing this since he was two. He cleans up his plate and cup after eating, with out being asked. So I knew there must be something to this toilet paper. I asked him what happened. He told me that he had some bad dreams and he was setting a monster trap. He showed me how each strand of toilet paper had a purpose. One from his bed to the bathroom door, another to the bedroom door, closet doors, dresser and under the bed, each area had a trap. He had strategically placed each strand. He was quite proud of his trap. In his mind it was not a mess but a well designed plan. We took some pictures, left it up so daddy could see when he came home and then discussed while it was a great trap, we should probably not use toilet paper for that again.

Our day at the White House

Jeremy, Brayden and I went to the West Wing of the White House today. There we dined in the White House Mess with my parents, brother and sister. The dining room is a very small room with beautiful tables. Anything that can have a Presidential Seal on it, does; the menus, salt and pepper shakers, sugar packets, the dinner plates, which are Lenox China and even the butter is molded in the shape of the seal. There are fresh flowers on all of the tables. The food was delicious.

We used the restroom in the West Wing, elevator and more! Major excitement. I had to pause for a moment and take it in, passing important people in the West Wing i.e. the VP's Chief of Staff and members of the Presidential Cabinet. Even the halls of the West Wing are interesting. Every wall has a recent picture of the President and/or Vice President.

After our lunch in White House Mess we headed upstairs for a photo opportunity with President Bush. It is a very surreal experience and surreal to see my father amongst this group of people.
For the real story of the day you have to check out my blog.

Adventure in your own Backyard

Jeremy, Carter and Luke went for an adventure in our own backyard. They camped out! Jeremy set up a tent with sleeping bags. The fire pit was going, smores were ready and the weather was just right. The boys were so excited. Carter spent a great amount of time perfecting the roasted marshmallow. Luke stuck his marshmallow in the fire for about two seconds pulled it out, declared it was ready and gobbled it up. Once the sun set, everyone climbed into the tent and slept peacefully, except for Carter's occasional "What's that noise?" questions.

Acting like Animals

Carter and Luke joined some friends for a birthday celebration. Everyone trekked up to the Catoctin Zoo in MD. Carter loves animals and knows more about animals than most adults do so he was thrilled to be invited. The boys rode a camel and went on a jungle safari ride. The camel ride was a blast. I did not join the boys on the safari ride because Brayden could not fit with his KidKart. Five boys and one mom went on the safari trip. More than twenty people loaded on to a special big truck. The park distributes popcorn and bread for everyone to feed the animals during the safari ride. One ostrich got desperate and bite Luke's hand. He only has a few scratches but he will gladly tell you his harrowing tale when he came face to face with the big ostrich. It was a very memorable day for everyone.

Open for Business

Today during what I thought was supposed to be quiet time (Carter reads books in his room, Luke & Brayden sleep), Carter came running to find me. He declared that his store was open. There was excitement all over his face. I followed him to his room. He went to great detail explaining each section of his store. He set up different areas where you could find what you needed: books, stuffed animals, games, puzzles, pillows, toys... He gathered all of the items in his room and closet and made a neat little sections. He set up a large pillow that was his desk. There he set up his cash register, which is a little cash register bank, a box to hold big money (a.k.a dollar bills) and change for his customers. He was so excited to have customers. He wanted to wake his brothers to come to his store. I purchased a koala stuffed animal. I just love his imagination!

Farmers

The garden is growing. Carter and Luke found the first sign of a good crop. Everything has grown huge. They can barely wait until it is time to start picking. The boys will take anyone and everyone to see their garden. They love to turn on the sprinkler to water the plants, as well as run through it.

Ride the Waves

Children at the beach. They love it. Sand covering their body. Water splashing their face. Riding waves after waves.

Will the fun ever end?

Brayden and the Sweet Potato

Last night we dined at a steak house. It was quite a treat. Carter and Luke ordered up some fruit smoothies. Jeremy and I ordered a big 'ol steak. Brayden was feeling left out and started to fuss. His tube feed was not satisfying enough. Jeremy tried to help him out by giving him a little taste of sweet potatoes. He sucked it right off of Jeremy's finger. Jeremy gave him a little more and then a little more. He ate it right off Jeremy's finger. Before long, Brayden had eaten about half the sweet potato. He came face to face with a big potato and he won! Of course his new shirt is covered in sweet potato. There are little bits of potatoes all over his face! He completed his meal with a taste of ice cream. Mmmm. He was so stuffed he could barely move. He looked stuffed (thus the picture).

The simple life

We are vacationing at Topsail Island. The first day out, Carter and Luke spent hours upon hours at the beach. The only things they needed was a shovel and pail, lots of waves and sand. It was so simple. We packed tons of beach toys and they only played with a few things. Luke talked to people passing by, declaring "We're at the beach!" Luke found fun in being upside down and letting the waves get him in the face. Carter collected many sea shells and was determined to catch a sand crab but the crab was too fast. Both the boys run back and forth from the beach to the water; water to the beach. Apparently this is amazing fun. We don't mind all of the running, they were entertained and it means better naps. Brayden loved the sound of the ocean and slept the majority of the morning. Soon we will be putting his feet in the sand and water to see what he thinks.

The simple life at the beach.

Tornado in Waterford?

Yesterday afternoon, the forecast was for thunderstorms but as time went on, the storms got stronger and stronger. I was looking outside, every was so still. Jeremy called to check on us and see if the storm was near the house. I assured him that things looked fine. Just moments after hanging up, the sky turned black and the wind was so loud, I could barely here anything. Massive amounts of rain came pounding down and the wind was whipping. I grabbed the boys and headed for the basement (thinking we may see the wicked witch of the west fly by).

The strong winds passed and we eventually came upstairs. Trees down every where, some pulled right out of the ground. Jeremy came home to find trees crushed our new fence in several places. The boys trampoline was smashed by a large tree. Our front porch furniture was on the front lawn. The deck furniture was all turned over and blown up against the railing. Amazingly, nothing hit the house or the barn. For what we can see, the neighbors houses are fine too. The other fun thing is that it was trash day and the recycle truck had not come yet. The lawns are covered with newspapers and trash (probably the biggest task to clean up). We have no power but we have the trusty generator. I have an extension cord running to the computer so I have contact with the outside world.

Singing in the Rain

Is there anything better than listening to children giggling and laughing?
Carter and Luke came home from soccer. The storms held off until the afternoon. The sky opened up and rain came pouring down. Carter and Luke stood in the garage watching the rain come down in buckets. We mentioned that they could run and play in the rain for a few minutes. They looked at us in disbelief. We said they could go and they went. They found it to be great fun. They ran in circles letting the rain cover them, giggling the entire time...at least until we said they had to come in.