Spring for Real

For Christmas last year, Nana got the kids a subscription to Highlights Magazine. It came with a 2019 calendar, and Aubrey got really excited about all the different obscure holidays that were coming up over the year. One she was particularly excited about was April Fools Day. As the day approached, she started saying, "I can't wait to see how you prank me!" So we were stuck; we had to do something.

After getting some age-appropriate ideas from Kara and John, we decided to draw mustaches on the kids' faces as they slept. Daniel did Aubrey's first, and I had a hard time stifling my laughter. Then I did Carter's; he was tougher because he doesn't sleep as soundly, so he kept rolling over while I did it. 

When she woke up the next morning, Aubrey thought it was hilarious. She kept it on all day, even when she went to preschool. Carter had already rubbed his mostly off by the time we went to get him from his room. Oh well; Aubrey's looked awesome.

That April 1st was also the day of our anatomy scan for the baby. Everyone but Carter was hoping for another girl. Unlike with Aubrey and Carter, I didn't have an inkling at all; I could have seen it going either way. At the appointment, we got this cute profile shot...

... then we got some balloons at the store and put them in a box to reveal the gender to Aubrey and Carter. Of course, we filmed the whole thing on Facebook Live.

It's a girl! Aubrey was so excited. I really do wonder how she would have reacted if it had been a boy. It may not have been pretty.

After the baby's gender reveal, all of our excitement and anticipation got redirected to Easter. This year, we actually made it to our neighborhood's Easter egg hunt. They split the hunt into multiple hunts based on age group. Carter went first...

Aw, happy boy!

Aubrey actually ran into a preschool friend while we were there, so they got to do their age group's hunt together.

And they're off!

Awww, happy girl!

I got a family photo afterward, and I was struck by the similarity between Carter's and Daniel's facial expressions. Hehe.

There was also a bouncy house, which we had to visit for a bit, of course.

And then it was finally Easter day! I must say, I think the kids looked very snazzy and particularly cute.

Anyway, Aubrey somehow decided a few days before Easter that we needed to have a whole set of Easter games before church. So she made a list of everything she wanted us to do. The streamers were done the day before; she basically just hung streamers around the house to decorate for the party.

Then, on Easter morning, we went down the list. We did pictures (with Rarity the My Little Pony, naturally).

We did the Banana Game (which turned out to actually be a race... while holding bananas).

We did silly dances.

We played the Zombie Game (though its appropriateness for Easter was a little questionable).

We did it all. And then the kids found their Easter baskets, which included Bubble Blasters. Daniel had to fix one that got broken (by Aubrey, ahem), so they didn't get to play with them until the next day. But oh man, they had a blast (no pun intended).

To make the most of the beautiful Spring weather, I tried to take the kids outside when I could. My bad pregnancy hips often prevented me, but we did take a few walks around the neighborhood. That was when we discovered a neighbor's awesome daffodils.

We also got to the park a few times. Some of those times, it was a little bit too cold!

Unlike me, Daniel is not pregnant and pathetic, so he continued to take the kids on our weekly hike. He got some awesome photos when they hiked Castle Rock. It made me wish I had gone, too!

He also got this cute video of Carter waving at the train as it went by. That boy and trains!

Haha yes! Carter has conquered the mountain!

Anyway, since I AM pregnant, I've had a lot of OB appointments. It's been a weird pregnancy in some ways, so I've had even more than usual. But hey, it has meant more ultrasound photos like this one (which was taken when they had me in to see about adjusting my due date since the baby was measuring large)!

And as for baby girl's older siblings, though they were often trying to torture or kill each other, they did also have a lot of sweet moments together.

Carter is obsessed with motorcycles (which he calls elasticycles after The Incredibles 2 movie), so Aubrey let him ride the Aubrey-cycle.

She also read to him a lot. (I love this!)

They built towers together...

... and stole my phone to film weird videos together.

They somehow discovered, as all children eventually do, the joy of sliding down the stairs on a blanket/pillows/sleeping bag/whatever.

And when we went to Ikea--which they completely loved, by the way--they played a cute game where Aubrey pretended to read Carter a bedtime story and then put him to bed.

Finally, to round out Spring, we celebrated Mother's Day. I had to make sure to get a photo of me with my lovies to commemorate.

They are pretty cute...

Now, bring on Summer!

Spring Has Sprung... Kind Of

Once the snow from the previous storm melted and it was in the 50s outside, we decided to call it Spring and go on our first hike of the season. Little did we know that 50s did NOT mean warm, due to the absolutely crazy wind. 

We went to the Paint Mines Interpretive Park in Calhan. It's a super cool canyon that, according to the website, is "named for its colorful clays that were collected by American Indians to make paint. Brightly colored bands, caused by oxidized iron compounds, are found in varying amounts throughout the many different layers of clay."

To get there, we had to walk down a semi-boring dirt trail into the canyon, and the wind out on the open plain was crazy. We all bundled up and just pushed through. You can't see the wind in the photos, obviously, but you can see everyone hunching their shoulders and keeping their hands in their pockets to protect themselves from the cold.

Finally, after a walk that wasn't actually long but felt like it because of the wind, we started to get a glimpse of the canyon.

The view from above was cool, but it got way cooler when we got down inside. Honestly, I took a lot of photos, and I'm not going to provide commentary for all of them. So here's a photo dump.

Carter was not a fan of the wind, which was a little better down in the canyon but still pretty cold, and he did a lot of crying.

At one point, he just sat down defeated. It was both funny and sad.

He did perk up a bit when we saw this bunny though.

We finally decided not to torture Carter any longer, so we snapped a family photo...

... and then began our walk back to the car. Daniel got this funny video of poor Carter as we did.

For weeks after, Carter would mention this hike and how he didn't like it. We made sure to differentiate between this hike, which was just too cold, and other hikes, which he did like because they weren't cold. The experience hasn't stopped him from going on other hikes since, so I call it good.

March also brought free cone day at Dairy Queen, so of course we had to go.

We also realized that our zoo membership was going to expire at the end of March, so we decided to head there for one last family trip. The kids always love the area with the fish, particularly the tank with the big, creepy ones.

This time there was an employee with a snake that people could pet. Aubrey was cautious but interested, and Carter wanted nothing to do with it.

Near the tiger enclosure is this weird little platform with a net in front of it. The kids and I decided to pretend to be tigers. Or maybe just I did... haha.

When we went to the zoo the time before this, we got a photo of Aubrey with the elephant ears. This time it was Carter's turn. I had to hold him up so he could reach it.

The monkeys were out that day, and the kids had fun watching them swing around.

And for the first time ever, the train was actually running while we were there! Carter was so excited!

Family shot on the train!

Carter made a lot of funny faces while the train was going. I particularly liked this one.

We also managed to get some good time in with the gorillas. We often skip them because they're further away, but we wanted to hit everything this time. I'm glad we did!

We kept telling ourselves it was Spring, despite the fact that there was unmelted snow on the ground. Still, if the temperature got anywhere above 45 degrees, we jumped at the chance to get outside.

To finish up the month, we went to the Children's Museum with Nana. It was a chillier day, so it was nice to be inside but still out of the house. We started with a ride in the fire truck. Both kids got a chance to drive.

And while Carter inspected the hoses...

... Aubrey took a slide down the pole.

From there we went to the veterinarian station, where the kids got to take care of some sick puppies. Aubrey got really into it.

Then it was Carter's turn to get really into something--water! Boy LOVES to splash. After doing whatever this is...

... he parked himself next to the long pool and dropped rocks in over and over again.

Aubrey explored other things, like this water shooter thing...

... and this bubble making thing.

... and Carter just kept dropping rocks.

In the end, he was rather wet.

When we could finally pry Carter away from the water room, we headed upstairs, where he was very interested in rearranging these light pegs.

Aubrey, on the other hand, was all about the wind tunnel.

Both kids played together for awhile sending the balls up the tubes...

... and down the ramps.

Then we headed to the bubble station, where Carter got some help from Nana.

Aubrey actually made some good-sized bubbles on her own.

I don't know why, but I love the look on Carter's face here. 

Anyway, Nana had to leave after the bubbles, and I made the mistake of not making the kids leave at the same time. I decided to be nice and let them have more fun. We went to the play kitchen area, which they hadn't been to yet. And then all hell broke loose.

Aubrey started getting territorial about some fake fruit, and when I intervened, she screamed at the top of her lungs. Everyone stared. I said it was time to go. She had to be dragged. We finally made it close-ish to the exit, and she bolted out a side door and into the courtyard. I, like an idiot, left Carter and dropped the diaper bag and coats to chase her. She ran all throughout the place, eventually ending up in the dining area, where she pulled chairs from the tables to put them in my way and slow me down (and they were metal and loud). I finally got her but then didn't know where Carter was. A security guard came over and asked if I needed help. Thankfully, Carter showed up. (I really wish I'd stayed with him and ignored Aubrey running away. *sigh*) Then both kids climbed into a high play structure and refused to come out. I yelled. People stared. I threatened to leave them there and actually said, "Call CPS. I don't care!" It was NOT a proud moment for me. I somehow got them out to the car, and I spoke basically not at all the whole drive home. I did cry though. It was one of the worst public outburst situations I've experienced as a parent. So embarrassing and exhausting and defeating and... you get the idea. I hid out in my room for a few hours when we got home, and Aubrey made me an "I'm sorry" card. I still have it.

Long story short, I will never take the kids somewhere like that alone ever again. Anyway, moving on!