Inner Harbor

A few weeks ago we all went down to Baltimore to help celebrate our cousin Coldon's 4th birthday. We met up with Tasha and Jeff at the aquarium where all the kids enjoyed seeing the sting rays, turtles and fish. The highlight of the day was definitely the Dolphin show though.

 

It was a lot of fun to see the dolphins do all their many tricks and they received many "oohs" and "ahhs" from these little munchkins...

This little boy thought the dolphins were pretty neat too...

 

 

(That little tongue is always out these days...we figure the air must taste really good!!)

We also realized that the last time we had been to the aquarium was when Landon was about Nolan's age. It was fun to see Landon really get into the aquarium now that he is a "big boy." These two little guys are sure the best of friends now (and only 7 weeks apart!!)

 

We went ahead and got a family pass to the aquarium that day which is good for a year so we hope to be back many more times in the near future!

It was a gorgeous day at the Inner Harbor so we took advantage of the time we had there by taking Abby and Landon on a boat ride...

 

 

 

 

Afterwards we were entertained by a street juggler for a while before heading back home. It was a great way to celebrate a fun birthday as well as enjoy the lovely spring day! It had been way too long since our last visit to the Inner Harbor and we all can't wait to go back!

Cracks Me Up!

So I already shared the nice shots of our children on Easter Sunday on that day. I am so grateful for digital cameras though, because it seems like I have to take 20-30 pictures in order to get a few normal ones.

This picture didn't quite make the cut that day...

(Landon...who knows, Nolan..."Don't hate me because of my good looks!", Abby..."Get me away from these weirdos!)

Another shot that didn't quite make it (this jacket was WAY too big for Nolan but I just couldn't pass up these little blue matching blazers for my boys!)

And Landon...being Landon (a nice shot of the canker sore on his tongue though!)

Easter Traditions

So our fun really began on the Saturday before Easter. This is the day we try to do more of the Bunny/Baskets/Eggs/Candy side of Easter so that we can use Sunday to focus on the more spiritual aspect of the holiday. After coming downstairs and finding their Easter baskets, we began the day by making these little "nests" for some of our neighbors and Primary teachers...

Then we colored our eggs (Don't mind the GQ model we kidnapped for this awesome shot!)

Abby thought it appropriate to dye her eggs in her Easter Bunny ears...

Nolan was wondering what in the world we were doing and how he could somehow get his hands and mouth all over it!

The finished product...

While Nolan was napping, Abby and Landon got to do their indoor egg hunt with plastic eggs filled with yummy goodness.

They searched low...

And high...

And finally found all the yumminess.

Then the kids hid the dyed Easter eggs outside while Jason and I did the searching.

On Sunday we went to church where Abby and Landon sang with the Primary children during Sacrament meeting. I should really say Abby sang with the Primary choir while Landon just stood in the front row looking grumpy and occasionally picking his nose (nice!) That afternoon we came home and made Resurrection Rolls with the kids before walking around a local cemetery. I always find cemeteries to be quite peaceful and there's a nice aspect of doing this tradition on Easter Sunday when you can think about all of these people being given the wonderful gift of life eternal because of our Savior Jesus Christ. After a yummy Easter dinner, we inhaled Easter candy like it was going out of style (I had give up all deserts during Lent so on Easter Sunday I totally made up for it!!)

It was a really nice holiday and it is so fun being able to share all of these fun traditions with our children now that they are able to really enjoy these holidays and remember them!

First Time on Wheels

On Wednesday, April 4th, Abby's Elementary School rented out a local skating rink for all the kids to enjoy and celebrate the start of Spring Break! This was Abby and Landon's first time on roller skates and they were both really excited (I fully expected the excitement to wear off once they discovered how tricky it was to manuever in them, but I was wrong!)

Here they are right after getting their skates on (it looks like Landon is doing a really fancy skating manuever but really he was just about to fall for the first of many times that evening!)

All ready to show off their moves...

Jason got on the rink with them and did his best to lead them along. Landon stayed close to his side all night but Abby wanted to do it all by herself and by the end of the evening, she was actually skating pretty well.

Showing off those mad dance-skater moves (or maybe just trying to balance!)

It was a really fun night and the kids can't wait to go back. I might have to break out the skates next time and show them how its really done (and probably break my back in the process!)

General Conference Fun

For FHE on the Monday before General Conference, we hung pictures of the First Presidency and 12 Apostles. On the back of each card was their name and some interesting information about them. We spent the evening learning about each one and then left their pictures up all week while both of them eagerly learned the "Apostle song."

By the time General Conference rolled around, they knew all 15 men by heart, as well as this fun little song:

(Sorry for the sidewise video...not sure how to turn it!)

Finding the Treasure!

A week before Easter, we hit up the Recreation Department's Easter Egg Hunt. I wouldn't say it is much of a hunt since all they do is scatter eggs around a big field but the kids sure do enjoy it and the end up with lots and lots of candy!! They break each field into age groups so Landon scoured the 3-4 year old field while Abby tacked the 5-6 year old field.

Landon busy concentrating on the art of filling the Easter basket as fast as possible!

They were also excited to see Mr. Easter Bunny himself (although a bit creepy looking, he did the job just fine and amazingly both Abby and Landon were willing to get up close and personal for this picture!!)

After eating some free samples of ice cream from a local dairy (we're all about free stuff around here) we hurried home to catch the first session of General Conference. More on that topic on the next post...

Check it out…again!

So I started my health/fitness blog back up again. Check it out here… Making It Fit.

Hope you find it worth your while!!

Happy Easter

Happy Easter!!

From

The Call Family!

“I believe that none of us can conceive the full import of what Christ did for us in Gethsemane, but I am grateful every day of my life for His atoning sacrifice in our behalf.

At the last moment, He could have turned back. But He did not.

He passed beneath all things that He might save all things.

In doing so, He gave us life beyond this mortal existence.

He reclaimed us from the Fall of Adam.

To the depths of my very soul, I am grateful to Him.

He taught us how to live.

He taught us how to die.

He secured our salvation.”

—President Thomas S. Monson

My Boys!

Who would have thought I would love being a mom to these two little boys as much as I do?

I was pretty much terrified when I found out I was pregnant with our first little boy. I come from a family of all girls and when Abby was born, she just fit right into everything I thought mothering a girl would be like (yes, lots of DRAMA, but definitely calmer and appearingly sweeter than most of the rowdy boys who I knew who were similar in age.)

But first Landon and now Nolan have completely melted my heart and I love being a mom to both my beatiful little girl and my two handsome little men. Yes, the days can be long and exhausting but somehow we manage to survive, and watching their sleeping little faces at the end of the day makes it all worthwhile. Boys definitely have more stamina and rough energy, but I can't imagaine it any other way!!

The Last 18 Months or so...

18 months ago, I looked like this...

9 months later, I looked like this...

And 9 months after that, I look like this...

I am not one of those lucky ones who instantly drops off all the weight after pregnancy. I gained just under 30 pounds with Nolan and while the first 20 came off pretty easilty, the last 10 were a challenge. I seemed to gain and lose the same 2-3 pounds from September to December. (My body tends to want to keep some of that fat store around for nursing purposes too.) Then in January I got serious, joined myfitnesspal.com and changed up my workout routine. Over the last three months I have lost 15 pounds, putting me at 5 pounds below my pre-pregnancy weight at 9 months post-partum. It wasn't easy, but I feel great and I am excited about my progress. I told Jason that my ultimate goal wan't a number so much as a feeling. I would REALLY like to feel comrfortable in a swimsuit this summer. I can't remember the last time I felt comfortable in one (definitely pre-puberty!!) and I'm not sure if it is even possible, but I'm sure gonna try. I'm certainly not expecting perfection, just comfort in my own skin while wearing a simple one-piece swimsuit. How about you ladies out there...have you ever felt really confident about rocking a swimsuit pre or post-baby?

Spring Has Sprung!

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I don't LOVE winter...I actually don't really like it much at all. Sure I like snow when it first hits (the winter wonderland effect) and it's fun around Christmastime, but then I'm ready for it to be over. Usually winter tends to overstay its welcome though and by February I am really yearning for warmer days. I like to say that I endure winter to be able to enjoy spring, summer and fall! However this winter was so mild that spring kind of snuck up on us. We never really got too cold and had about 3 inches of snow total in just 3 different snow days, none of which cancelled or even delayed school (seriously, that is a BIG deal around these parts!!)

Then all of a sudden it got really warm, the trees blossomed way earlier than normal and lo and behold winter was over and SPRING had arrived!!

The kids are loving the weather and we are all enjoying many afternoon and evenings spent outside the home. Nolan has even enjoyed his new adventures into the outside world and I love that all three of them can play together on the swingset now.

I'm a little worried that the really mild winter will make for a very HOT summer, but right now, we are sure loving SPRING!!