We were really lucky to have my parents come down for a few days the second week in April. My mom actually came a few days prior and stayed at the house, then we met Dad and Emily in Sacramento for a fun weekend of playing together!
Of course the first thing we had to do when Grandpa came was get donuts...is there anything else?
Kenzie was so funny, she is definitely in Stranger Danger mode right now, and refused to take a donut from Grandpa. She actually took it from my mom just fine, but then held on to it and didn't eat it for about half an hour. I think she was just tired and in shock, not ready to face the day yet, even if we were force-feeding her cinnamon sugar donuts.
I love this picture of O just because it looks like a little kid. So often she looks (and acts and speaks) so much older than she is, so to see this face of pure joy on my 5-year-old is quite a treat.
Kenzie, hanging on to her donut with Grandma. I love this picture of the two of them!
After that healthy morning snack, we headed into the Sacramento Train Museum, which was a great way to spend the morning. They had SO many trains to explore inside and out, and had a lot set up as they would run in the past or run currently. The kids and I have only been on a Bart train before, so they were really excited to learn about people sleeping on the train or eating on the train. It's hard for them to imagine being on one for more than an hour or so :).
After the museum, we walked around Old Town Sacramento and explored. Our favorite spots were the HUGE (3+ floor) costume shop and the Balsamic Vinegar store. I think you could find any costume supply you needed in this store, it was majorly impressive.
After some shopping, we saw a carriage ride and couldn't resist. We rode in style all around Old Sacramento, and had our usual mix of excitement and trepidation from the kids.
It was a really full day for the kiddos, so we headed over to Auntie Em's to decompress for the evening and play games. Makenzie made her own game with Grandma's sunglasses, she was totally hamming it up and loving all the attention.
After a few hours of fighting sleep, we got all the kids to sleep at Auntie Em's house so the grownups could play a couple games. Alex came up after work so spend the night and the next day with us, and after trying some Balsamic Vinegar Smoothies and losing a few games, it was time to drag 3 sleeping kids to the hotel for some sleep.
The next day was Picnic Day at UC Davis, and was our main reason for heading up. It started with a parade at 9:30, so we thought we would have a hard time getting kids up, fed, and dressed after their long night. Much to our surprise (and dismay) we had all 3 kids awake by 6:30, with plenty of time to enjoy a hotel breakfast and get dressed before the parade. For the first couple hours it seemed like the kids were going to have more energy than us, but they crashed pretty early in the day, and all wanted to ride in the stroller by noon.
Our funniest description of the parade came from Olivia, talking to her friends the next week. She was all excited about her trip, but said, 'the parade was pretty good, there was LOTS of bikes, but no candy. So many bikes, too many to count!' Davis is known as a biking city, and the parade was a great representation of that. There was cool old-fashioned bikes, fancy bike contraptions that did other things, and lots of bike clubs. It seems like there is a bike club for everyone!
After the parade we grabbed a quick fair-style lunch before heading over to watch Auntie Em dance. I'm always impressed by her dancing ability; it's a skill I admire and accept that I will never have. This venue was because it was very casual, and we were able to be up close and personal with the dancers, which meant seeing all their facial expressions. It was great!
After the performance the dancers gave a quick swing lesson, so I got to see my dad dance :). It's always fun to see Dad stretch his comfort zone, and he was a great sport. I know I was that creepy stalker recording the entire thing with a grin on my face, but I loved it.
Dad and Mom even gave me a quick demonstration so I could get a video of them dancing together too :)
When we were looking at the schedule of events, duck and geese herding seemed like a must see :). There was a lot of animal events, including agility runs, herding, and frisbee competitions. We only caught the tail end of geese herding, but it was fun to watch the dogs herd sheep as well. This was the point that all the kids were completely done. Alex had to leave around 1, and by 2 we were all headed out. The kids were totally void of energy, and Carter even pulled out his belly button, which is a sure sign of nap-time.
We couldn't head for home without a quick treat, so we drove downtown and got some yummy ice cream. My mom got this great hand-holding picture...my favorite!
We had such a great time with family over the weekend, and the kids wanted it to continue indefinitely. Luckily for us, we only had 4 days until Alex's family was coming to town, so we had just enough time to get some extra rest, catch up on laundry, and make plans for another exhaustingly-amazing weekend.
Here are a few highlights for the weekdays between family visits.
Kenzie got her first half pony! We always do the same 2 or 3 hair styles, but this morning she was particularly engrossed in her teeth-brushing (the standard hair-doing activity for her while she sits on the bathroom counter) so we tried something new. She just looks so grown up! It also caused a slight problem because the pony wasn't on the standard side and she had a hard time twirling it while she was going to sleep.
My standard attire has changed into Alex's basketball shorts and a huge shirt when we're home, and leggings when we're out, so when I actually got dressed one day, I had to make sure to take a belly bump picture. This is right around 33.5 weeks with baby #4.
Carter and I have really enjoyed our solo time while Olivia is at school and Kenzie is napping in the morning. Some days he plays independently, but he really prefers to be with Mom, so he's often stuck helping me clean or organize whatever the daily project is. We also try to do regular preschool-type activities to start learning all the letters and their sounds. He's really picking them up, but is a total goof when it comes to demonstrating his knowledge. I'm always wondering if he retains anything we learn because his personality is so different from O, but he's still hearing me even if he's jumping off the couch or Hulk-Smashing the laundry piles :).
Olivia got her spring pictures from school...
The day that Grandma and Grandpa and Ashley were to arrive was just TOO exciting, so I took the younger kids to the park to get some energy out. They were just cute as they ran around, so I took a million pictures as usual :).
Carter loves this silly spinning thing (which I get SO nervous about...I don't want throwing up kids!) but whenever I try to take pictures of his awesome face, I end up with a dozen of his bum instead.
At one point I was sitting on the bench watching the kids and M came to sit with me. I'm not even joking when I say this is the 'conversation' we had:
Me: 'Kenzie, can you smile for Mom?'
Kenzie: - that face -
Me: 'Kenzie, can you smile so I can send a picture to Daddy?'
Kenzie: - that face -
Can you tell which parent is her favorite? She actually refuses to let me get her out of bed regularly, which really causes a problem when he's not home. One day I argued with her for 10 minutes with her smashed into the far corner of the crib (which I can no longer reach, thanks to a rapidly growing belly) demanding Dad, and me trying to convince her to come out of bed until Daddy gets home...
Not to be worried though, I still get amazing smiles from this girl all the time. She is such a fun, easy-going kid, who seems to go along with our craziness without a problem. It's so fun to watch her grown and learn, and to hear all of the new words and interests every week.
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