A Trip to Cincinnati

During Easter weekend we decided to go on a little trip to Cincinnati, Ohio to get away for a few days and have some fun. We had a blast going to the zoo there, the Cincinnati Reds baseball game (it got rained out though, darn! We couldn't believe it, it was the 3rd rained out game in 7 years they've had, just our luck! We'll go again another time.), the Cincinnati Museum Center with 3 different museums in it and a OMNIMAX film on Dinosaurs Alive (Jackson got a little scared, so I don't know if it was the best idea of going to the movie, but he loved the Childrens Museum as you'll see.) and we toured around Cincinnati and saw so many fun things.




I just thought this was so cute with the mommy gorilla caring the baby gorilla around. It was fun to see the animals open up some big easter eggs that they put fruit or vegetables in, to celebrate Easter. That's what these gorillas are going at below.



The BIG City!




This was us attempting to go to the Reds game which got cancelled. Jackson was pretty disapointed when we didn't get to watch the game. You know how that is parents. Once you tell your kids you're doing something they sure have their minds set on it.






We thought this huge dinosaur was so cool outside the Museum. Here are some pictures of Jackson and us playing at the Duke Energy Childrens Museum. He loved playing with the ball area, the water area, the sand boxes, the Jungle gym area, everything! It was so fun there.



Dave and I climbed up through the jungle area with Jackson, it was fun to feel like a kid again.






Can you see Jackson and Dave? They climbed in a tube that went under the water with turtles in it. Jackson thought that was so cool.








This was cool! Dave stood in front of this camera that would make it so you were on the t.v. playing a video game of soccer. Dave was able to try to block the soccer balls from going in the goal, as you can kind of see. It's totally crazy the things they have now.



One of the days we were there we walked around Cincinnati and saw so many fun things. We found a playground Jackson had fun playing on. They have a ton of huge bridges there that you can walk and drive over going from Ohio to Kentucky. It's a neat city to visit.




Our cute little Jackson and Megan on the slide.




Megan got tired from all the running around we did. Anyone a fan of Dora the Explorer? As you can see, Jackson is wearing a backpack and just loves to put things in it, just like Dora. Backpack, Backpack! Yeah!






This is Fountain Square. Downtown Cincinnati!




Jackson thought it was fun to chase the birds around for a little bit

Need A Babysitter?

Yeah, so Jackson has become a mom himself. Now that I have Megan, I believe he tries to do the same stuff I do, so as you can see below he is now buckling his baby in the carseat all by himself and he loves to hold his baby alot. He also has to change her diaper with real wipes and all. He seriously cracks me up sometimes with the things he'll pick up. So, if you ever need a babysitter I've got one for ya.






I got this Infantino carrier which has been very useful here and there. Megan will calm down and fall asleep in it so that I have my hands free to help Jackson. It was also wonderful when I realized when she fell asleep I didn't have to hold her. I took off the carrier and put it on the chair to hold her still. It works great as you can tell. Whatever it takes to keep that baby asleep!

Pulling Different Faces

Megans been pulling all different facial expressions. She smiles a lot now and loves to make cooing noises. She's already growing up so fast. I was sad to see that her newborn clothes aren't fitting anymore. They sure do grow up fast.



I loved her tongue just barely sticking out here. Also, I caught her with her eyes wide opened. It's funny to catch the funniest faces on camera when you can.





I really enjoy taking Megan and Jackson on walks or runs in this bike trailor we got that you can push with the handle and pull with a bike. It's nice to get out with the two of them often and enjoy the nice weather we've been having lately.





Jackson loves to be around Megan even though she can't do a whole lot, but every moment he can include her in what he does, he likes to. Jackson has had so much fun with this huge jumping balloon ball pit. His aunt Wendi gave it to us for Christmas and he has just had so much fun with it. He loves to throw his balls in and out (of course) of it. Gives me a workout picking them up all the time. It's all good. Megan sure loved laying in all the balls with Jackson though.

The Two We Love!

Here are some of the pictures we had taken of the two together. This is of Jackson at 2 1/2 years old and Megan at 6 weeks old. What a joy they bring to our lives.

"Look Mom, Brown!"

Ok, so today I went to my mothers group at our church where the kids play with the toys in the Nursery. However, today there was a luncheon with all the Relief Society. While we were in eating and talking all the kids were just running around together having fun. Jackson, on the other hand thought it'd be fun to wander off on his own. I guess he found some markers (thank goodness, washable) and thought it'd be great to draw on himself with them. His favorite color right now is brown just like the kids is down in this picture. So, Jackson comes running in to me with something all over his hands, face, and shirt, and says, "Look mom, brown!" At first I totally thought it was that he had gotten into some chocolate of some sort. But, then I got closer and noticed he had drawn all over himself with a brown marker. Yep, he looked pretty much just like this kid below. I would have taken a picture, but I didn't have my camera. So, I thought these pictures would justify it. Thank goodness he didn't draw on anything or anyone like this little boy did to his baby brother or sister, can't tell. And, no he didn't draw on Megan. It came off for the most part, but you can still see it on him. Anyway, oh the joys of being a parent. Like the mom said below, I never thought I'd be a parent that would let her kid draw all over themself, and now I am. I guess you just gotta laugh at the things that your kids do sometimes. I got this off of the internet for a advertising washable markers. A lady told her story that I thought was pretty funny too, that I put below.



I remember when I first got this picture via email…I was a brand-spanking-new mom, with baby Luke in my arms as I wondered, “What kind of idiot mom lets her kid have a marker?”

Then, my kids got older, and I realized that I was that mom. Though mine have never drawn on each other, they have had their share of incidents with the markers. Once you learn that the “My First Washable Markers” truly wipe off of anything with a baby wipe, you stop caring so much about where stray marks might end up. Crayola Washables, this is for you…

The first and best example of why they made them washable happened when Luke was about 18 months old. I was working from home the morning these pictures were taken, and I had gone into the office to answer some emails and realized that it had gotten really quiet in the adjacent toy room. When I walked in there, I gasped, ran for my camera, and when I got back in the room told him he had to stop drawing on himself. He’s crying in the pictures not so much because he got in trouble, but more because he really thought he was doing an art project…notice how he carefully marked on each finger. He was really proud of himself. We weren't so.

Oh the joy of being a parent.

SNOW!

Well, we finally got some snow at our house. Jackson has been asking us all week to go out and build a snowman, but its been below freezing so we didn't wan't to take him out when it's SO... COLD. However, on Saturday it was a lot warmer so we went outside to build a snowman before all the snow melted. We still had a little for him to play in, although the majority of it was ice. If you can tell in the picture below, Jackson wasn't heavy enough to step into the snow and was holding onto Daves hand since he was sliding all over the place.



Jackson had so much fun building a snowman. Although, Jacksons idea of building a snowman is running around picking up the snow and throwing.



This is the gigantic snowman we built...



He...He.. J/K Dave put the camera right by the tiny snowman you see up above that's on the far left. I thought he did a pretty good job making it look HUGE!



This was a picture of the snowmans the day after, on Sunday. Jackson said to Dave, "Dad, you picked up all the snow?" then,"Oh man! My snowman fell over." He says some pretty funny stuff these days.

PRETTY IN PINK!

I just thought I'd snap a few pictures of Megan for fun. Of course, she's gotta wear pink. Megan sure loves her Daddy!