Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Norwalk Aquarium and other January fun things


We have had terribly cold weather lately, so when there was a moderately nice day (upper 40's) we drove up to the Norwalk CT aquarium.

Right outside the aquarium. There were chunks of ice floating in the water.

With the jellyfish

Having fun with the black light.

Despite the lack of pictures, we had a great time at the aquarium! Highlights were watching the seal show (where they work on training them, and feed them lots of fish), the huge sea turtles, and a delicious Mexican food lunch.

One day we met Daddy for lunch at Cheesecake Factory. Family selfie!

I love this cute boy's laugh! Playing a computer game with Daddy.


"Look Dad, I'm an egg!"

Jeff saw "The Post," then texted me this picture and said "Where is this?" I immediately replied, "The gross Walmart parking garage in White Plains, but with pay phones." Totally right. Haha, we know our area of NY pretty well!

Axel's preschool class made strawberry jam. Axel really wants me to make it, but with these instructions I'm not sure how it will turn out...


This is what you can find Axel doing at any given time. He might not be getting all the words right, but his love of reading has really picked up! You can thank Dav Pilkey for that (Captain Underpants, Dogman, Super Diaper Baby, and the one he is reading here is Ook and Gluk: Kung Fu Caveman of the Future)

Another reading pose

Thursday, January 11, 2018

Christmas in California/ Plague Christmas/ Axel's Birthday

On our first day in California, the 3 of us drove up to Pixar to visit a friend.



Wheeeee!


The we went to the Walt Disney Family Museum in downtown San Francisco. Disney's grandpa's last name was Call. Coincidence? I think not!

Sitting on an original park bench from Disneyland.

Walt Disney's oscars!

There were phones set up to be able to hear Disney and other people talk about working on the cartoons and movies. Axel really enjoyed that.

Golden Gate Bridge behind us.

We also went to the special Eyvind Earle exhibit. He did the backgrounds and much of the style for Sleeping Beauty. And his paintings are amazing!

Axel helped color part of this collage.

Jeff and I took a few walks around my parents' neighborhood. Love those hills!


We visited with my friends Kevin and Lisa at their new house. Axel talked their ears off!

Gramma always has the best Legos!

My dad trying to bathe the cat! Notice how she is clinging with dear life to the spout!

Grampa treated us to a Sharks hockey game!

My mom got everyone jerseys, and the boys got signed pucks.

The boys watched Star Wars Episode 1. The look on their face shows how much they were enjoying it (in reality Axel loved it and keeps talking about it). I fell asleep for most of it.

The kids "performance."

Grampa got a new grill, and the box became a favorite toy.

Cute kids on Christmas Eve!


Dallin, Alicia, and kids.

The 3 (and a half) of us.



Jeff reading the Polar Express.

Leaving cookies for Santa, and carrots for the reindeer.

Christmas morning!




I included this horrid picture because it is the only one of Jeff and I on Christmas.



Hanging out with Great Grandpa B

Legos with Great Grandma B

Matching hairdos!


Part-way through Christmas day, Axel got really sick. Jeff took him to instacare (after a really long non-sleeping night) and he had an ear infection and "low grade" pneumonia.

My cousin and his family came to visit. I tried to keep Axel quarantined, but you can see how well that went. Two weeks later I can report that no one else got his particular strain of sickness.

Crazy Peter laugh.

All the great-grandkids on the B side.

Matching R2-D2 jammies from Santa!

Gramma and Great-Grandma B watched the kids so the rest of us could go see Star Wars 8 and eat sushi. Brennen tried RAW SUSHI for the first time and loved it! (I sat there jealously watching everyone, since I had to order cooked food. The things we do for healthy babies!)





Since we couldn't do our original birthday plan of bowling and arcade games (because, you know, pneumonia) we settled for Wii bowling!


Wii boxing was a big hit.

For his birthday dinner, he wanted pizza with cheese, sausage, and olives. You got it, kid!

Giving hugs after opening birthday presents.


Pneumonia makes blowing out candles hard.


The big 5!

What a stud.

After 5 days of quarantine, we escaped to a restaurant for lunch!

A happy grandpa.

Santa brought handprint ornament supplies, so we helped the kids do that New Year's Eve.




We stayed up until midnight NYE with the help of 2 hilarious episodes of MST3K ("Cry Wilderness" and "Starcrash").

Nina's New Year's Resolution must have been to be more mellow, because she never lets the kids pet her!


Nina vs. yoyo

I included this picture to show how most of our quarantine days went: me reading while Jeff and Axel played computer games. Trying to stay away from people.

This was the "Plague Christmas" due to so many sicknesses getting passed around. We had 6-ish people with a cold virus, and pretty much everyone got at least one version of the 2 stomach flus going around! In lieu of the details, I will let Jeff's comics tell the story.

"My with child-ness has given me a teensy bit of morning sickness..." "Also I have a cold!" So true.

This was Axel.

Despite the plague, we had a nice visit. We love our family!