Heading to the Zoo

Well, the magic day came.  I crossed two weeks since getting my second vaccine.  That means we're open to heading out and about.  To celebrate we... pretty much did things the same as always.  We talked about going to the rec center to swim, going bowling, etc.  We did go to the zoo on Friday though!  That was a lot of fun, and now you only need masks when you're indoors, so that was nice too!  Here's a picture of Monica and the girls.  I was carrying Grayson in a carrier, so we missed out on this picture.  I'll have more zoo pictures later, don't you worry.

Here's a picture of the kids being cute.  I don't remember what was going on.  I remember both girls wanted a blanket when they woke up, and then when Grayson got up we put in between them and they shared their blankies.

Winry had her first trip to the dentist this past week.  It was just for a check up/teeth cleaning.  They had The Little Mermaid prepared on the TV when we got in, and she was great!  She listened and did what she was asked and all in all did an amazing job!  She was very quiet and didn't talk to the people there much, which is behavior I don't remember seeing from her before.  I remember Brooke being really quite around other adults, but then again, it's been a long time since Winry's really been around other adults.

Winry also got some x-rays.  She did great here as well, and we got to see her 4 front adult teeth on the top and bottom.  They're all there, biding their time, awaiting their moment of glory.  Also, there were no signs of cavities or anything like that!  She's been a great flosser since Brooke had her cavity and we started, so it's nice to see it paying off.  That said, the dentist also told me we didn't need to worry about flossing yet... but I'm going to ignore.  Maybe he doesn't remember we just had to come in and get a crown...

Grayson has started sucking his thumb.  He doesn't do it all the time, and I'm not sure he does it at night when his pacifier comes out, but it's pretty cute!  Speaking of cute, here's Brooke playing with Grayson at bedtime.  It's not related, but I don't have a picture to go with that video, so here's as good a place as any for it.

The girls continue to love going out to play with the neighbors.  I think school must be done for the kids by us, because they seem to be out basically all day every day now.  Winry got a turn on the trike and loved it.  She can get to the pedals on this one, unlike the big wheel style one we have, so she was having a blast riding back and forth.

Jelly continues to come take a nap in the office in the afternoon of every work day.  She now stays down here after I finish working, and will come upstairs sometime between 5 and 6 when she wakes up.

As mentioned, Friday we went to the zoo.  I got a day off this week for my test trip, and took it Friday.  I've included some of my favorite pictures I took.  The flamingos were great while we were there!  A small group of them were fighting, which was very interesting to watch.  I've never seen that before.  Brooke kept calling out for them to stop fighting and get along.  It's a little hard to hear her, but she is staying "Don't fight, it's not nice!"  One of the flamingos fell asleep and kept kicking his foot right on the mud bank, which I very much enjoyed.

I almost got a picture of a penguin diving into the water...

Grayson eventually got tired and so Brooke got out of the stroller to walk for a bit.  Grayson fell asleep and had a great nap.  He did miss some animals though.

The Okapi was being a sneak and eating whatever that is on the other side of the fence.  This reminds me of when we were at the zoo in Minnesota (picture 28 of 50) when some kind of deer was eating the grass under the fence around it's enclosure.

There was a group of sleeping lions, and while we were there one of them kicked the one in front of it.

Grayson has started to top his table onto his lap so he can reach everything.  I guess that's easier than leaning forward... maybe?

On Saturday Katie and David came over.  While they were over I thought "I should take a picture for the blog because we always forget" and then forgot.  Not to worry, David sent me this picture of me with Nolan, their son.  And besides, I photoshopped Katie and David into a post before, so we're all good.

While they were over we had lunch and played some in the house and some in the back yard.  As you could see water was a big winner.  We filled the water table and it was enjoyed.  We also hung up the swing, and eventually I even got a turn.  Winry came and joined me.  I think I might have to work my way out to that swing a few times this summer, it was nice.

Saturday night we went crazy and celebrated vaccination a bit.  We ate AT a restaurant!  We went to Casa Mariacha.  Monica did her best to order food that was migraine safe, and in the end the food doesn't seem to have bothered her, so we've got a family favorite restaurant we can go to again!  Look how happy Grayson was to be there!  Also there were bunnies running around in the grass right outside our window the whole time, so the girls loved it too!

Well, this post is a few days late... but at least I'm getting it out.  This is much better than writing a post spanning two weeks, or at least it's a lot easier for me to manage!  Have a great half week ahead!

Winry Gets Glasses

Hello!  When Winry went for her 3 year checkup they did an eye screening and it came back saying she needed glasses.  We took her to an eye doctor a bit ago and ordered some glasses online, and they came this past Monday!  Look how cute she is!  I think they look perfect!  I believe she loves them, and it doesn't seem like she minds wearing them at all.  She keeps them on all day long, and has done great with it from day 1.

So, last week I was actually on a work trip.  I had to leave last Sunday at 7 am, so I essentially missed all of Mother's Day!  Oops!  I did help the girls pick presents and left some surprises behind for Monica.  I did my best to set up a special day, though I'm sure she would have preferred I was there.  But, as mentioned last week, Brooke did her best to make it a wonderful mother's day.  In the mean time I was wandering the airport a bit and found this outdoor area at the end of the terminal.  The weather was pretty nice, so I went out for a bit and got to watch some planes land.  It was a pretty cool area to kill the time (I got through security in 2 minutes, so I was early).

I don't have many pictures from my trip because we weren't supposed to take them with our cell phones, and we didn't set anything on fire, so it didn't really seem worth pulling some over from the work network.  I do have some pictures from Monica though.  She did a spectacular job with the kids while I was gone, and fortunately everyone did pretty well in my absence.  Here's Grayson happily playing with the cube.

Grayson also started making a crazy face while I was gone.  No clue what's going on here, and I don't think it's tied to a food he doesn't like or anything.  He just started scrunching his face and stuff.  Makes him look like a grump, but he's basically always happy when he does it.

One of my preparations I left behind were wrapped gifts for Monica with labels such as "For when you need a treat," "for when you need a break from the girls" and "For when you STILL need a break from the girls."  These were opened on a rainy day, and unfortunately the first one was more of an outside thing, so everything got opened pretty quickly.  The girls were really excited to find a necklace making kit!  Hopefully this bought Monica some sweet sweet moments of peace and relaxation.  The girls definitely look like they're having a great time!

Monica took the kids to the library one day as well.  It was EMPTY!  She said they were the only ones there.  Looks like everyone had some fun playing with the various puzzles, etc.  They also got to check out books and movies, which they haven't gotten to do for a long time.  They were very excited.

Outside the library they had a shark statue.  I've never seen this before, so I assume it's semi-new.  It was at least put in sometime in the last year.  I get that doesn't mean it's new, but it was new to us!

On Thursday Monica went to the park for play group.  There was a pretty decent group from the ward there, and Monica's even met some new people who moved in during the pandemic, so that's been nice.  Clara was really excited to see Grayson, and just wanted to give him hugs.

We ordered a little table and chairs for that spot I flattened out.  I don't know that the ground is hard yet, so the chairs might be a little sinky and tippy.  I'll have to go sit in them and try it out, but it was raining all day today and I didn't really want to get wet.

On Saturday morning I was up and ready a few hours before we left for the airport, so I went for a walk.  The hotel was right on the bay, and had a nature trail right next to it.  While on my walk I was able to find a beach.  It was maybe 30 square feet, and the rest of the coast line was all rocky.  I did not take advantage and sun bathe or swim.

When I got home the girls had decorated a sign for me!  They were very excited to see me again, and it was great to be back home with everyone.  Everything's been going well since I got back, though we are working on sleep arrangements again.  I've had to hold Winry until she fell asleep the last two nights because she insists she's going to sleep in our bed.  I'm sure we'll get back to normalcy soon.

That's all for our week.  It was a bit short, but I wasn't around for the family matters, and my test trip wasn't too interesting.  We got most of our testing done, and I got to hear how bad every restaurant we went to was from coworkers, but all in all it was pretty uneventful.  Have a great week ahead!

Happy Mother's Day

Happy mother's day to all you fine women out there!  I hope you all got the pampering and love you deserved, just like Monica did!  Brooke opened a spa for one day, and one day only, and her first (and last) customer? You guessed it, Monica!!  But really, Brooke gave Monica a manicure and pedicure today.  I've got another picture later, so I'll give more details then.  Monica, we are all so grateful for you!  Thank you for taking wonderful care of the children.  Thank you for being compassionate and helping me learn and grow.  I am so grateful for you and that we can be together for Eternity!!!  Also, Happy Mother's day Mom!

This past week at dance class the parents were invited in for a sneak peak of the recital dances!  Brooke will have two dances this year because her class does both tap and ballet.  She is so excited, and I am so excited to get to see her performance!!

Monica cut both of the girls hair this past week.  Winry got some cut off.  I can't show exactly how much because there aren't pictures, but Brooke got a bunch chopped off!  Here is her hair before.

And here it is after!  To quote Dewey, "Wowzie-whiskers!!!"  Brooke loves her hair cut, and it's also much more manageable now.  There are far less tangles, etc. when brushing and doing the girls hair, so it helps keep everyone happy.

While I was out on my run on Tuesday I happened upon a play set with a free sign.  On my way back it was still out so I took a picture and asked Monica what she thought.  She said "take it!"  So I drove over and put it in the van.  The girls have loved it!  It's big and we didn't really have a place for it, but it's a welcome addition to our back yard.

On Wednesday Monica also got to see Winry's dance!  What a cutie and what a great dancer!  This will be Winry's first recital!  So excited for her.  I think she'll love it.

Little buddy Grayson still loves his jumper.  He also loves when we play the piano.  The jumper is a great place to put him if you need to do something else, but sometimes he isn't happy in there.  Luckily, if you want to play the piano he'll happily sit in the jumper and watch and listen.  This past week Brooke was banging out some sick melodies and Grayson decided to sing along!  So cute!!

Also, we've officially become a two instant pot family.  Not just because we have two, but because we use two.  And, this wasn't even a "dang, yogurt is in there and takes 8 hours and we need to make dinner."  Both of those are being used for dinner.  Was it good?  Do you see two instant pots?  Of course it was good!

A hole appeared in our tree last year I believe.  Monica said she saw birds in it back then, but I saw them when the girls were out playing the other day.  I was sitting in the driveway, maybe 10ish feet away, and they flew down and started going in and out.  You'll probably have to zoom in, but you can see the bird poking into the hole in this picture!  I hope they're not woodpeckers (and don't think they look like them) cause I don't want them beating up the house!!

On Saturday I made an early Mother's Day present.  Monica wanted this little area next to our porch flattened and rocked so that we could get a little table and chairs for it, so I flattened it all out and added in some rocks etc.  I made it all with stuff that was sitting around the house.  I just went around and gathered up large rocks and flat stones, etc. and put them all together.  It looks quite nice, and everyone loves it!  Honestly, I don't think this picture does it justice.

My dad was out helping my brother with his house and came down to say "hi" on Saturday.  The kids all had so much fun with Grandpa.  Grayson loves playing with grandpa, and Brooke read him a few books to show of her reading skills.  Winry loved giggling and showing off.  We had a great time playing and laughing together before he had to head back.

For dinner we had a hot dog roast.  Winry decided that the right way to eat a cucumber was to poke your fingers through it, kind of like an olive, except olives actually have holes.  Look at how convenient that looks!

Returning to today we're having a relaxed mother's day, or at least the best we can at relaxing.  Winry did have a bit of a melt down getting ready for church this morning, but other then that we've been happy and doing well.  Brooke does a great job remembering special days and trying to keep them special.  She offered to give Monica a manicure and pedicure.  She even massaged Monica's feet, and used one of those foot cheese grater things before painting her toe nails!  I think they both had a good time together.

I think my well has run dry for this post.  I hope you're all having a wonderful day!  Once again I want to sing Monica's virtues from the roof tops!  However, this is the written word, let alone the spoken word, and so it does not easily become the magestified word.  Nonetheless, Monica, you are amazing!  Thank you for everything you do to keep our household together and running.  Thank you for raising, teaching and helping our children grow.  You are a wonderful mother, and I am grateful and lucky to have you in my life.  I love you!!!

Thirty Three

Well, it happened again this year... I got older.  It was my birthday Sunday, which is also typically blog post day, but we were having too much fun so the blog got pushed back a day.  We had a great time yesterday, or at least I did, celebrating my birthday!  I've got more pictures, so I'll probably wait to talk about things until I'm going through those, but Monica made me a Rocket League cake!  I LOVE it!  So did Grayson, we somehow got the half second he wasn't smiling!  Do you believe that!?

Monday morning was oatmeal for breakfast, so we put it in the Instant Pot the night before so that it would be ready when we woke up.  However, the Instant Pot was left on vent, so it never pressurized.  Oatmeal water stuff had sprayed all over everything on the counter within at least a foot radius, and possibly it eventually pressurized because that's a lot of oatmeal stuck in the vent!  It ended up being cooked, though it did not have near as much liquid in it as usual, so we had to add milk to thin things out a bit.

Monday night while we were getting ready for bed, Brooke was laying on the floor next to Grayson and he kicked her right in the arm pit and tickled her!!  It was pretty funny, until Brooke's over reacting made Grayson start to cry.

There were some colder days this week, but the weather was still good which meant we still tried to get outside.  Here's Grayson with some warmer layers on before we headed out for a walk.

The girls still super love to go play with the neighbors.  They go outside to see if anyone is playing multiple times a day.  I've tried explaining that everyone usually isn't out there until after school, but that still hasn't helped with checking just in case at 10 am.  I got a video of Brooke on the neighbors' swing this past week.

And here's Winry driving a car.  She really loves this.  She'd go back and forth on the sidewalk and stop to get gas and everything.

Jelly has been joining me in the office for a nap basically every day now.  I love when she comes and joins me.  She's also curled up in my lap almost every day since we came back from Utah over a month ago.  I think she missed us a lot while we were gone, and it still hasn't warn off.  In my opinion it's made us much closer.

Here's a picture of Brooke and Winry out with Aurelia from next door.  No clue if that spelling is right, maybe Monica will know.  That was spell check's best guess.

One night Winry wanted to wear a night gown, but also wanted socks that went up her whole legs.  Neither she nor Brooke had socks long enough.  Luckily for her, we still have Monica's super tall socks from her mission!

Our tulips are in full bloom this week.  They're looking great!  It's also made me notice how many other houses in the neighborhood have tulips when we go for walks.

Grayson got a little messy with blueberries this past week.  He eventually rubbed his mouth, and then the rest of his face, resulting in berries very close to his eye.  I'd guess it never got in his eye, because he didn't start crying.  That or blueberry feels good in the eye.

On Saturday Monica secretly arranged for me to go golfing, and through a series of events it turned into heading to a driving range.  That's probably not the worst place to start as it's been a LONG time since I went golfing, but I had a LOT of fun, and I'm definitely going to hit the links this summer!

Sunday was my birthday.  I picked Cap'n Crunch for my birthday breakfast... and then fasted through it.  But the girls enjoyed it.  We opened presents at breakfast time, and used the girls' excitement to get them ready for church real early.

Winry gave me some fun dress socks.  There are flamingos, and bananas, and pineapples, and some where it looks like a fish or alligator or shark is eating your foot!

Grayson gave me a switch game, and spent time rushing around on his car in an awful hurry.  Someone needs to tell this kid not to work on Sunday!!  He seemed to enjoy the car, but definitely needed close supervision.

Brooke gave me New Pokemon Snap for my birthday, which was the golden fruit everyone hurried to get ready for.  It's a game where you take pictures of pokemon, and the girls have been LOVING it!  So have Monica and I for that matter.

Monica gave me a raspberry pi, which is basically a little computer.  I'm planning to get it set up and put it in the van as an "all in one" entertainment solution for the back seats.  Here's Monica and I after dinner, but before cake.  For dinner we had chicken parmesan, and it was delicious!  In fact, we're having the leftovers tonight, and we're about to eat, so I need to go!

That's all the news for this week.  Hope you're all safe and happy!