An Afternoon with Grampa and Gramma - Florida Vacation

On Sabbath Afternoon, Grampa and Gramma came over for a little while to hang out.

Here, Eve was still a bit sedate (very sedate for her) so she was content to chill on the little rocking ottoman between Grampa and Gramma.

Here we have Jonah and Cate taking in a little Little Einsteins. By the way, yes that is a bruise on the left side of Cate's face...earlier she had a run-in with the very same futon upon which she is sitting in this picture.

Here's Eve playing a little game of peek-a-boo with Grampa.

Jonah discovered just how slippery a "stuffed horse's head" on terrazzo can be as the downward force of his footstep is redirected into the outward force of a split.

Cate and Eve stand at the front door waving goodbye to Grampa and Gramma.

Ahhh...a tiny, but refreshing, pool - Florida Vacation

So, we went to Florida this past week for the first of what will be many trips this Summer.

We started the trip off in South Daytona (which is where we stayed the whole time). When we arrived, Eve was not acting quite right so after checking her temperature (102.4) and going to the urgent care we got her on some meds for strep throat. The next day, her temperature was worse (104.1) and we couldn't get it to break. So after going back to the urgent care, an additional diagnosis of ear infection, getting antibiotic injections, giving a little blood sample (twice...aarrgghh!), and starting a new med, Eve started to perk up. She was back to her usual self about two days later.

In the meantime, vacation must go on, so instead of going to parks or zoos, we blew up a pool in the backyard and commenced a'splashin'.

Here Jonah looks on while Mommy squirts Cate in the back.

Here, Jonah gets in on the action.
This is about as close as Eve wanted to get to the pool (she still wasn't feeling the best).

Here's Jonah just enjoying the water a little bit.

Here's Cate doing the same thing as Jonah.

Just a few random photos that I like...

Caters was playing with Mommy's Crocs.

This is a creation of Cate. She loves stacking, but this was a new twist for her.
Winston...that's it; just Winston.

It took a long time to focus this shot just right. The babies were eating lunch, so I had the time.

Just a few photos from today...

Here's Caters looking awefully cute.

Here's a very Eve face.
Here's Jonah wielding his favorite kitchen implements.

Rocket, Please!

We had some errands to run today. One of our stops brought us close to the mall, so we popped in to stroll a bit and to grab a bite. While we were strolling, Jonah, Cate, and Eve noticed one of those brightly colored coin operated spinning contraptions. They took to pointing and asking very politely (Rocket, Please!) if they could go for a ride. Needless to say, we obliged...but not before we procured a few cookies in order to lessen the blow of eventually having to get off of the ride. I apologize for the quality of the photos as my cell was all we had handy.

Here's Jonah (trying to pose with a smile)...

...and Eve (dancing to the music)...

...and Cate (holding on tight).

Sand and Water table...hold the sand!

Cate, Eve, and Jonah got to try out their new Sand and Water table on Sunday (June 7). It is amazing how wet three children can get with just two gallons of water.

Here they are just introducing themselves to the new play equipment.

Here they are, fully immersed in play. They all liked the shovel/ladel, but, just like during bath time, splashing seemed to be the biggest hit.

Here's Eve blowing a kiss to Mommy.

Here's Cate giving us her best "smile-on-demand."

Here's Jonah humoring his Daddy by showing us just how wet he had gotten himself.

The Kangaroo Climber

Jonah, Eve, and Cate love their Kangaroo Climber and each of them has their own favorite spot to play.

Jonah loves to hang out under the platform for the slide (he also loves to have his picture taken there).

Eve loves to hang out ON the platform for the slide, but even more so in this little slot that she is beginning to climb into.
Cate loves to climb through one of the upper holes and fall onto either her hands or her head; whichever it is, she loves it and does it over and over.

Easter Eggin'

This year, Cate, Eve, and Jonah were big enough to get out in the yard and look around for some Easter Eggs with their cousins Hailey, and Emma. They weren't quite sure what exactly they were supposed to be doing, but the had a lot of fun anyway. This Easter Egg Hunt produced one of the best looks of excitement that I have ever seen on camera; so, we'll start with that picture.

Just look at Jonah's face here.

Here's Cate completely oblivious to the egg on her right (your left) but desperately in search of more treasures.

Eve decided the only way to approach this egg was by mode of an army-crawl-sneak-attack. GOTCHA!

Jonah knows that alot of the other eggs had been under flowers like these, but he mostly just wanted to run around.

Here they are going in three different directions...much like any other day. They had such a blast.

The Clay Center

So, we took a little trip to The Clay Center in Charleston, WV on a day that we were just looking for something to do.  It turned out to be a lot of fun.  The kids had lots of stuff to do; the hard part was trying to keep them corralled when they weren't strapped into the stroller.  It was nice to find a science center so close by that has lots of hands-on exhibits.  We know it will be something that the kids will enjoy more and more as they get older.

We forgot our camera so we were relegated to capturing these memories on a cheap but over-priced disposable camera from the gift shop.

Here's Eve chasing Mommy through a cool looking tunnel.

Here's Cate in an immense and difficult-to-traverse ball pit.

Here's Jonah crossing (as safely as he knew how) a small but wobbly suspension bridge.

Here's everyone playing with a large "needle wall."  They weren't sure what to make of it especially since there were kids on the other side pushing back on them.

This is the exterior of the Clay Center.We had planned on having some kind of an outdoor adventure that day, but as you can see the weather had other plans for us.

Bath Time

Bath Time has become a more entertaining and a more dampening experience in recent months (especially when they all occupy the tub at the same time). Eve is the most tsunami-like splasher, but Cate and Jonah get in their fair share of waves.

Here's Cate once again struggling with that flash face.

Eve has no problem keeping her eyes open, but she consistently has a problem with keeping her hair out of her eyes.

No eye or hair problems for Jonah, just a smile...he loves Bath Time the most.

Eve's Hair

As this first picture demonstrates, Eve's hair is getting to the point where something must be done to it in order to keep her from looking like a wild animal. So, we have employed a few techniques in order to tame her mane (as exemplified in pictures two and three). Any suggestions as to something else to try would be appreciated.

Our New Nursery in Charleston

Here are just a few shots of the new nursery from a few different angles. They are obviously taken in quick succession as you can see in each photo how Cate, Eve, and Jonah are all hovering around a freshly dumped bowl of Goldfish (I had to be quick with the pictures so that I could beat Winston...our Mini Dachshund...to the pile).

Our New Place in Charleston

This is the first picture that we were able to capture of all three of our little monsters in our new place. They really enjoy their "Kangaroo Climber" and make really good use of it.

Here's Jonah showing off his almost full compliment of teeth perched upon the aforementioned "Kangaroo Climber." He loves that slide.
Here's Eve doing very much the same thing as Jonah. Her hair has gotten wilder and thus, harder to tame.
Here's Cate doing very much the same thing as Jonah and Eve. She always has a hard time keeping her eyes open when that flash goes.
This is the new place (prior to our move-in date). We live on the left-hand side. While the inside of the place looks much different than when we moved in, the only alteration to the exterior is the replacement of that Cadillac with our Caravan.